On Sunday January 7, 2007, Clayton Jones of Webb Research launched a Rutgers University underwater glider off the coast of Antarctica, not far from Palmer Station. The glider will patrol a 300 mile stretch of the ocean along the Antarctic Peninsula. By constantly changing its buoyancy, the glider can swim up and down through the top 300 feet of the ocean, to collect valuable data on the temperature, salinity and amount of chlorophyll (plant-life) in the water. Every few hours, the glider will surface, and make a satellite phone call to transmit its newly collected data back to the Rutgers University Coastal Ocean Observation Lab, over 7,000 miles away. After it makes it call, it will either receive new instructions from controllers, or continue on its existing mission. Computers automatically process the newly received data and post live data from Antarctica for scientists and the world to see.
The future of oceanography is here...
The following pictures were taken during the deployment of glider “RU05” on January 7, 2007 and the recovery of glider “RU06” on February 1, 2007.
Rutgers Glider in Antarctica
RU05 is deployed in Antarctica
Every few hours the glider surfaces
The tail-fin is used to send data back to NJ
Clayton Jones in Antarctica
Adeile Penguins a short hike from Palmer Station
On the water in the Southern Ocean
The R/V Gould arrives to recover the glider.
After 22 days in the ocean the glider returns.
