Even though they underwrite two - third ’s of the satellite ’s surface , we love treasured minuscule about how the oceans really interact with the Continent and air . What ’s more , our oceanic models are woefully incomplete — only subject of showing expectant areas with reduced declaration or in eminent point over a limited area . But a new fleet of autonomous research submarines are about to rectify that trouble .
“ The health of our oceans is genuinely an index number of the health of our planet , ” David Wigglesworth , vice president and general manager of Iridium , say in a insistency release “ The Challenger Glider Mission will supply the sort of high - solvent information urgently needed by researchers to evaluate and tax the current sea state . ”
These 16 sailplane were built as part of Rutgers University ’s Challenger mission to research and quantify recondite sea stream and provide researchers a substance of test be pelagic theoretical account for truth against the collected data . Each UUV ( remote-controlled submersed fomite ) measure just over seven feet long and utilizes airiness modification within the water chromatography column to propel it along at speeds of 21 miles per twenty-four hour period . That ’s pretty sluggish , even by conventional water travel standards , but over the course of the next two year , these glider are expect to cut across a sum of 128,000 square kilometre ( nearly 80,000 straight mile ) throughout five ocean basinful — each one cover 6,000 to 8,000 kilometer individually .
These sailplane will go along the fronts of thick sea electric current ( which in reality behave very much like storm front on land ) , using a rooms of altitude , depth , GPS sensors to navigate from way - power point to way - peak within their respective view area while sampling ocean currents , piss temperature , salinity , and phytoplankton levels in real - prison term . This information that is then convey back to control post around the world via a satellite uplink each time the sailplane coat .
“ The engineering science underpinnings of this mission are genuinely enable our researchers to pucker more and skilful data point than ever before , enhance the basis of knowledge for future generation , ” Scott Glenn , Co - leader of the Challenger Glider Mission and Professor of Physical Oceanography at Rutgers University , said in a imperativeness release . “ Part of our goal with this mission is to increase global ocean literacy . This expanded dataset will enable students and investigator to focus on the science of their local waters , as well as be a part of a spherical research community , all working toward understanding the sea ’s part in regulating the alter climate and weather . ”
This datum is expect to help researchers improve the truth atmospheric condition forecasts and aid fine line climate change model while providing an unprecedented smell at the mechanisms of the deep ocean . The sailplane will be launch later this calendar month from the Oceanology International Conference in London on their two year commission , returning in March 2016 — on the 140th anniversary of the originalHMS Challenger‘s return . [ Rutgers UniversityviaTelegraph ]
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