Coordinated Simultaneous Physical-Biological Sampling Using ADCP-Equipped Ocean Gliders
Past Expedition
Overview
From August 27 to September 20, 2021, a team from the University of Washington Applied Physics Lab carried out an expedition at the shelf break off the coast of Washington. The main goal of this expedition, funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Fiscal Year 2020 Federal Funding Opportunity for Ocean Exploration, was to collect data for developing new acoustics-based methodologies that will pave the way for persistent, distributed observation of organisms that occupy the middle levels of the ocean food web (mid-trophic organisms), such as zooplankton and small fish, using gliders.
Features
Seagliders are special among autonomous vehicles because they can continue to dive in the ocean on their own for about nine months at a time while communicating with the pilot's computer via satellite over an iridium satellite network.
October 20, 2021
Whenever ocean scientists put a vehicle or instrument into the water, there is always a slim chance that their equipment will not return to the surface in the same condition they deployed it in. Consequently, recovery of ocean science equipment is always an exciting, yet nerve-wracking, experience.
October 20, 2021
Much of what we know about the ocean today comes from expeditions that rely on ships to collect data. However, this approach is constrained by many factors which impacts our ability to collect critical data about these important ecosystems. In response, researchers are using creative technologies to enable more efficient exploration methods.
September 7, 2021
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Bioacoustics are a powerful tool to study the marine environment. Echosounders allow researchers to use sound to collect data on the biological activity in the water column.
September 1, 2021
Despite their critical role in ecosystems, the economy, and our food supply chain, mid-trophic-level organisms like zooplankton, small fish, and invertebrates are rarely granted most valuable player status in the ocean.
August 31, 2021
Early this morning, the expedition team greeted the foggy Olympic Coast while they prepared for their first day at sea. After all this preparation, a buzz of excitement was in the air.
August 28, 2021
From August 27 to September 15, 2021, a team from the University of Washington Applied Physics Lab will carry out an expedition to collect data for developing new acoustics-based methodologies using gliders.
August 27, 2021
Multimedia
Featured multimedia assets associated with this project.
Meet the Exploration Team
Learn more about the team members and their contributions to this project.
Principal Investigator, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory
Principal Engineer, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory
Captain, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory
Marine Policy Advisor Quileute Tribe/Marine Biologist
Research Assistant, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory
Field Engineer, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory