The University of Western Australia and the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) have reached a major milestone in their ocean observation program with the launch of the 400th ocean glider mission.
In the latest mission, gliders were launched along the Rottnest continental shelf, a continuation of observations that began 16 years ago, and will focus on collecting data on seasonal upwelling, the Leeuwin Current and monitoring marine heatwaves.
Professor Chari Pattiaratchi, from UWA's Ocean Institute and leader of the IMOS Ocean Glider Facility, said the achievement highlighted nearly two decades of innovation and leadership in sustained autonomous ocean observations.
"Reaching 400 missions is a testament to the dedication, vision of our team, the strength of our partnerships and the importance of sustained ocean observation," Professor Pattiaratchi said.
Ocean gliders are state-of-the-art underwater vehicles that collect critical data on ocean temperature, salinity, currents, and biogeochemical properties.
"The long-endurance, remotely piloted systems have revolutionised how ocean scientists monitor and understand the ocean, operating across vast distances and under challenging conditions," Professor Pattiaratchi said.
"Each mission expands our knowledge of the marine environment, discover new processes and helping us tackle challenges from climate change to ecosystem health."
The remotely controlled ocean gliders can collect data under all weather conditions and have collected data during tropical cyclones, which is not possible through traditional ship-based sampling.
In recent years the gliders have targeted extreme events such as marine heatwaves and major flood events discharging freshwater into the ocean.Since the first deployment, the program has sampled the oceans around Australia, where it has:
- Traversed over 125,000 km
- Spent more than 10,000 days in the water
- Collected more than 1.5 million vertical profiles
- Collected more than 3.45 billion data points
- Supported many scientific publications, reports and PhD students Informed policy, marine operations and climate research
"These gliders provide near real-time data to researchers, operational oceanographers and government agencies, playing a key role in ocean observing systems," Professor Pattiaratchi said.
"The data collected from the gliders have allowed scientists to discover under water rivers that transport water and material along the seabed offshore around the whole of the Australian continent."
IMOS is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. For more information: imos.org.au
