Image by Richard FeelyA Liquid Robotic wave glider operating at sea, displaying surface float and attached ocean data collection instruments.
Image Courtesy of Liquid Robotics Inc.A view of a Liquid Robotic wave glider from below the ocean surface, displaying the subsurface fins and connecting cable for power generation as well as the surface float with instruments.
A Liquid Robotic wave glider operating in Monterey Bay near a MBARI oceanographic mooring.
Four Wave Gliders. 300 Days. 25,000 Miles. 2,250,000 Discrete Data Points.
On November 17th, 2011 at San Francisco’s St. Francis Yacht Club, Liquid Robotics Inc. (a CeNCOOS member organization) launched four Wave Gliders. The gliders are on a record-setting journey across the Pacific Ocean – the longest distance ever attempted by an unmanned ocean vehicle. The purpose of this unprecedented Pacific crossing is to foster new scientific discoveries in ocean science by making available vast amounts of ocean data collected and transmitted globally during the Wave Gliders’ yearlong journey. The four Wave Gliders are expected to collect approximately 2.25 million discrete data points, and take more than 300 days to complete their voyage. During their voyage, they will transmit valuable ocean data on salinity, water temperature, waves, weather, fluorescence, and dissolved oxygen. Register to access these data in real-time for free.
Visit the Liquid Robotics Inc. PacX webpage for more information on this event and the robots making the journey.
The map below, created by CeNCOOS, displays the current location (updated every other hour in GMT) of the wave gliders in the Pacific Ocean. The path each has glider has taken, beginning at San Francisco, is shown in a different color.
View glider locations in Google Earth: latest kml file
For more information on the map or kml file above, please contact Fred Bahr (flbahr@mbari.org).
Oceanographic organizations already planning to use the data gathered during the Pacific crossing include Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Monterey Naval Post Graduate School.
During their 33,000 nautical mile journey, the Wave Gliders will travel across some of the world’s most challenging environments. The Wave Gliders will begin their journey together to Hawaii, and then split into pairs, one pair continuing to Japan (over the Mariana Trench, where Virgin Oceanic will complete the first of its Five Deep Dives) and the other pair to Australia.
What sensors are onboard the Wave Gliders?
The following sensors are installed on all four Wave Gliders. The sampling interval for all sensors is 10 minutes.
- Seabird GPCTD with Dissolved Oxygen Sensor – measures water conductivity, temperature, depth, and dissolved oxygen just below the float of the Wave Glider.
- Datawell MOSE-G Directional Wave Sensor – measures significant wave height, average period, peak period, and peak direction.
- Airmar PB200 WeatherStation – measures air temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind gust speed, and wind direction one meter above the deck of the Wave Glider.
- Turner Designs C3 Submersible Fluorometer – measures chlorophyll-A and crude oil fluorescence, as well as turbidity and water temperature just below the float of the Wave Glider.
News Stories about this event:
- Liquid Robotics Announces Pacific Crossing (PacX) Grand Challenge to Worldwide Science Community (C-CAN 9/20/2011)
- Ocean Robots Set Off On Record-Setting Pacific Journey (Forbes 11/18/2011)
- Liquid Robotics' Wave Gliders Begin Historic Swim Across Pacific (IEEE Automation Blog 11/18/2011)
