Marine autonomous vehicles (MAVs) are a rapidly growing technology and are now routinely used by researchers and as part of a growing ocean observing system. When used along with fixed point observatories, ships of opportunity and satellite remote sensing, the strategic deployment of MAVs offers the prospect of substantial improvement in our observing network.
Marine gliders in particular can provide high resolution data sets at depth over extensive periods of time and space. This allows researchers to collect huge data sets that are useful for assimilation into models. CAMPUS will use such gliders to provide information to tune our models.
CAMPUS will develop and test the idea of ‘smart’ autonomy. This will minimise the use of pilots by allowing the MAVs to sample adaptively, guided by the environment itself. The ultimate goal is for the MAV to provide information which will be feed into models and then provide information to a pilot as to where direct the glider mission. Such an approach will help in observation of episodic events that might otherwise have been missed.
A quick introduction to robotic glider operation, then data from a return mission from Scotland to Iceland. Data processed in Matlab and animated in Paraview. Video produced by Dr Sam Jones from SAMS.