Autonomous Underwater Gliders for Longterm Ocean Observation

1. Autonomous Underwater Gliders for Longterm Ocean Observation Collaborative Society of Glider Software Agents Robotics Technology - Extending Our Reach, Expanding Our Knowledge DECISION MAKING KNOWLEDGE SENSORS REPRESENTATION PLANNING GLIDERS IN ACTION GLIDERS IN ACTION REASONING R.U. COOL New Jersey R.U. COOL New Jersey S.O. COOL Florida S.O. COOL Florida COMMUNICATION SITUATION MODELLING PROTOCOLS Our goal is to develop a intelligent fleet of coastal Slocum Gliders that provide maps of the physics, bio-optics, and biology on continental shelves. Our hope is that these systems can become an operational asset for the proposed Ocean.US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and the NSF Ocean Observing Initiative (OOI). Glider Fleet Mission Status Panel 17.2 2 Temperature: Temperature: 4 6 16.8 8 Depth (m) 10 In partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, FL, RUCOOL has expanded as the Sarasota Operations COOL Project. Gliders have become essential in red-tide research off the West Florida Shelf and are being used to sample water characteristics and bring in real-time data. 12 16.4 The well sampled Rutgers University Coastal Ocean Observation Lab’s LEO site, off the southern coast of New Jersey, provides a historical database for validating physical and optical measurements made by the SLOCUM gliders. 14 16 18 16.0 .5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 .5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 Distance (km) Distance (km) 0.010 2 Bb(470nm) Bb(470nm) 4 6 0.008 8 Depth (m) 10 12 0.006 14 16 18 0.004 .5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 .5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 Distance (km) Distance (km) 27.23 27.22 5 cm/s 27.21 -82.78 -82.76 -82.78 -82.78 -82.76 -82.78 Figure 16 Above is an example of a real-time oceanographic dataset acquired over two days off the West Florida Shelf. The panels on the left reveal a thermal front containing biological material in the cooler surface waters. By the next day (right panels), the front had disappeared. The SLOCUM glider provides scientists and researchers with high resolution, continuous long term datasets such as the 18 hour temperature time series plot displayed above. This information is vital for understanding the connections between physics and biology in driving ocean weather. Software is currently being developed to automate glider file transfers as well as to introduce some “intelligent” behavior into the glider fleet. Once implemented, this software will automatically acquire and process data from the glider and then use this information to maximize the sampling abilities of the glider fleet. In the Gulf of Mexico, red-tides develop offshore and are transported onshore. A fleet of gliders patrolling the offshore waters will provide early warning of an oncoming event, buying precious time to mitigate damage of coastal environments and prevent human health hazards. West Florida Shelf Glider Deployment - January 14, 2003 Partners: Partners: Dinkum Dinkum Webb Webb Software Software Research Research Corporation Corporation