By Barbara Moran, WBUR
An underwater robot launched from Woods Hole on Friday, embarking on a scientific quest to become the first autonomous vehicle to circumnavigate the globe.
If successful, the five-year journey could open new opportunities for long-term ocean research.
Leslie Ann McGee, chief innovation officer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said the technology could be most helpful for studying under-sampled areas, such as the Southern Ocean.
“The most exciting for us is to prove that you can send an autonomous vehicle almost anywhere you want under the ocean,” McGee said. “It’s really amazing.”
The torpedo-shaped glider named “Redwing” will measure water depth, temperature, and salinity, and send data back in near-real time. It will also carry a device to detect tagged fish in the open ocean, which could shed light on the migration patterns of marine animals.
The glider has sensors that measure how salty the ocean water is, how warm it is, and how deep it goes. These measurements will help scientists understand how the ocean moves and how it affects the atmosphere.
The information will help scientists predict hurricane intensity, ocean heat waves, and changes in marine life.
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