Gliders

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles—known as gliders—are like underwater drones that travel through the ocean in a slow, efficient, sawtooth pattern. By adjusting their buoyancy, they dive and climb through the water column, collecting data on temperature, salinity, oxygen, and other ocean properties along the way.

Unlike traditional research vessels, gliders can stay at sea for several weeks, covering large distances while using very little energy. They surface every few hours to transmit data and receive new instructions before continuing on their mission. This makes them an affordable and low-risk way to collect high-quality data, even during challenging conditions such as hurricanes or harmful algal blooms.

Gliders are particularly valuable for tracking information about changes occurring below the ocean’s surface that influence storm intensity and ecosystem health. When deployed in response to oil spills or coastal hazards, they help scientists and emergency responders better understand and predict how these events evolve.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles—known as gliders—are like underwater drones that travel through the ocean in a slow, efficient, sawtooth pattern. By adjusting their buoyancy, they dive and climb through the water column, collecting data on temperature, salinity, oxygen, and other ocean properties along the way.

Unlike traditional research vessels, gliders can stay at sea for several weeks, covering large distances while using very little energy. They surface every few hours to transmit data and receive new instructions before continuing on their mission. This makes them an affordable and low-risk way to collect high-quality data, even during challenging conditions such as hurricanes or harmful algal blooms.

Gliders are particularly valuable for tracking information about changes occurring below the ocean’s surface that influence storm intensity and ecosystem health. When deployed in response to oil spills or coastal hazards, they help scientists and emergency responders better understand and predict how these events evolve.