Electric Gliders

The British National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Southampton, flies three gliders (tracked by the names Ammonite, Bellamite, and Coprolite) primarily for detailed study of deep ocean convection. The gliders provide measurements without the limitations of CTD casts, which require ship time, and moorings, which are spatially fixed. Although gliders can be equipped with various measurement devices, the NOC team is mainly interested in salinity and temperature with respect to depth and time, as local changes in these parameters can identify the presence of convection.

Electric Glider Launch

Following test runs in 2006, the NOC group ran its Gulf of Lions experiment in the Medoc area off Toulon, France, from January through March 2007. Because of an exceptionally warm winter, little convection was detected, but the data did record mixing in the upper 400 meters. The NOC group’s Web site shows the gliders and their color-coded tracks along with glider data and information on battery performance.

Watch for a follow-on glider program in the Gulf of Lions.