NOAA Continues Oceanographic Data Collection with Uncrewed Systems in Hawai‘i
NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Scientists from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center have begun a second year of data collection for the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment in Hawai‘i with support of Wave Glider Uncrewed Surface Vehicles. Three Wave Gliders are circumnavigating the main Hawaiian Islands between one to four miles from shore while measuring surface and subsurface information on important ocean and atmospheric parameters.
High Precision Seafloor Geodesy Sheds Light on Oregon Segment of the Cascadia Subduction Zone
University of Washington, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scientists from U.S. and international institutions are collaborating to collect high precision data of tectonic plate movements in the Pacific. With bottom-mounted Sonardyne Fetch arrays and Wave Gliders at the surface, movements can be measured with 1 cm precision using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The University of Washington and Scripps Institution of Oceanography are conducting surveys off the U.S. West Coast to further investigate the Oregon Segment of the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
NOAA Marine Ecosystem Health Assessment Utilizes Water Column Profiles Collected by Wave Gliders
NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is assessing the marine ecosystem health around the main Hawaiian Islands with the support of three Wave Gliders equipped with winches. While circumnavigating the islands in close proximity to the shoreline, chlorophyll-a data is being collected through automated, location-based winch casts multiple times per day.
Wave Gliders Collect Data Inside Super Typhoon in Western North Pacific
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Taking typhoon research to the next level: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have successfully conducted the world’s first simultaneous marine and atmospheric measurements directly beneath a Category 5 typhoon in the Western North Pacific—the strongest class of typhoons.
Unexpected Detour Showcases Wave Glider’s Long-Duration Capability
Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
Next Stop Hawai‘i in 8,000 km: Researchers from the Korea Polar Research Institute and Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology had to get creative when Typhoon Merbok prevented them from recovering their Wave Glider in the Bering Sea. The Wave Glider was detoured to Hawai‘i and showcased its exceptional capability to go the distance.
Novel Ionosphere Images collected from the Wave Glider in the Pacific Ocean
Orion Space Solutions
Orion Space Solutions developed a novel camera system that collects images of the upper atmosphere ionosphere from the ocean surface. The Ocean Stabilized Ionospheric Remote Imaging Sensor (OSIRIS) was integrated onto the Wave Glider and recently launched for the first time. The system will help assess space weather dynamics, which affect Earth-based communications systems, power grids, and other crucial infrastructure.
Lock Up the Stress or Release It? Using Seafloor Acoustic Measurements to Gain New Insights Into Plate Tectonics Off New Zealand
University of Texas, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and GNS Science
To better understand the likelihood and risks of earthquakes and tsunamis in New Zealand, a team of researchers is keeping a close eye on the tectonic plate boundary where the Pacific plate ‘dives’ beneath the Australian plate. Through a combination of instruments moored to the seafloor and high precision antennas on the Wave Glider, subtle offshore plate movements can be cost-effectively monitored in multi-year studies.
Listen Up: Acoustic Surveys Confirm Humpback Whales in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Jupiter Research Foundation, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Researchers gained important new insights into the humpback whale population(s) migrating to the Hawaiian archipelago. Equipped with acoustic sensors, Wave Glider Europa traveled over 2,600 nautical miles on a 67-day mission to record the presence of humpback whales in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
Holy Crab – 138,000 km of Wave Glider Tracks to Monitor Aquatic Species
Ocean Tracking Network
For the past 10 years, the Ocean Tracking Network has used Wave Gliders to support its global aquatic animal tracking efforts. Snow crabs and more than 300 other commercially important and endangered species are being tagged with acoustic sensors to inform resource conservation and management. Wave Gliders are used to offload data from acoustic receiver arrays consisting of 250 stations moored to the ocean floor.
Liquid Robotics Joins Project ABLE to Advance Blue Economy in Delaware Region
University of Delaware
As part of the new Blue Economy Tech Center, Project ABLE promotes public-private partnerships for marine robotics helping to address questions relating to environmental and ecosystem monitoring, offshore wind energy, and climate change. Liquid Robotics participates in the cohort to accelerate the knowledge and use of autonomous systems along the U.S. East Coast.
At the Edge: Between Melting Summer Sea Ice and Autumn Sea Ice Formation
University of Washington, Applied Physics Laboratory
A multi-disciplinary team of researchers is capturing the transition from summer sea ice retreat to autumn sea ice advance in the Arctic Ocean to help predict future sea ice formation. A fleet of four Wave Gliders is part of this 3-month mission to collect ocean surface measurements, as well as water column profiles to a depth of 150 m.
Japan’s First Long-Term Ocean Observation Network
Japan Coast Guard (JCG)
The Japan Coast Guard deployed fleets of Wave Gliders to create an unmanned ocean observation network to gather real-time ocean data to help them more effectively monitor Japan’s ocean environment and ensure the safety of those in and around the sea.
Mobile Hotspots for Ocean Sensors & AUVs
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is a leader in applying technology to longstanding problems in ocean science. As their collection of ocean vehicles and robots grew, they faced a new challenge: how to improve coordination and communication between surface and subsea vehicles and access to data from these systems in real-time. One solution? A new hotspot payload for the Wave Glider.
Monitoring Water Quality in the Gulf of Mexico After Hurricane Harvey
Texas A&M University, Geochemical and Environmental Research Group
As 13 trillion gallons of floodwater flowed into the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Harvey, researchers from Texas A&M’s Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG) needed an efficient way to monitor water quality and understand the impacts to the ecosystem. And they needed to move quickly.
Wave Glider Missions with the Australian Institute of Marine Science
Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Over the course of two missions, Liquid Robotics worked with AIMS to demonstrate how a long-duration autonomous ocean vehicle can improve monitoring of the Great Barrier Reef and support monitoring operations such as in the waters of northwest Australia.
Tracking Seafloor Motion with Wave Gliders
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Scientists from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel have installed a network of seafloor sensors off the coast of northern Chile, where some of the most powerful earthquakes on the planet originate. Their goal? Measure seafloor motion with millimeter accuracy in order to better understand earthquake and tsunami risk.
Tracking Crabs in Real-Time to Improve Fishery Management
Ocean Tracking Network at Dalhousie University (OTN)
Snow crabs play an important role in Nova Scotia’s ecosystems. But traditional tagging methods for these mobile undersea animals relied on static receivers on the ocean floor, and weren’t always effective. The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) needed a better way to track individually tagged crabs and understand their movements and patterns, even when they were not moving past a receiver line.
On-Demand Marine Water Sampling
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), UK
Cefas needed a way to track and sample algal blooms in the right place at the right time. If they could confirm the presence of the Karenia sp. dinoflagellate within an algal bloom, then they could help improve the satellite algorithms used in the production of satellite products. Together we created a mobile, responsive solution for on-demand autonomous water sampling.
Real-Time, Deep Ocean Seismic Detection
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego
When it comes to a tsunami, minutes matter. But historically, deep ocean seismic observations have been sparse due to the high cost, risk, and difficulty in collecting data. Scripps Institution of Oceanography had an ambitious goal to change that—so they created an innovative, unmanned observatory for real-time seismic detection.
Climate Change Research in the Southern Ocean
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
The Southern Ocean accounts for 50% of all carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean, 80% of the heat uptake, and supplies nutrients that support 75% of ocean productivity outside polar regions, yet researchers know little about its sensitivity to climate change. Researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are working to fix that.
Monitoring Marine Protected Areas
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had a massive challenge: How to protect 840,000 square kilometers of remote marine habitat without incurring the expense and risk of manned missions. To help close the gap in maritime surveillance, the FCO enlisted the help of Liquid Robotics.
Fish Stock Assessment at a Fraction of the Cost of Ships
Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR)
Today, most commercial fish stocks assessments are expensive and infrequent. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) worked with South Africa’s Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) to demonstrate a different approach—at a fraction of the cost of ships.
Measuring CO2 Exchange at the Air-Sea Interface
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Off the coast of Western Africa, you’ll find scientists from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel researching the impact of global climate change on marine ecosystems. One challenge they face? Finding a cost-effective, reliable way to collect data in remote, infrastructure-poor and under-sampled regions of the Atlantic.
