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Calm After the Storm

May 4, 2018

This kayak is souped up for science. Dubbed the JetYak, it’s motorized and remotely controlled, and it  maneuvers easily in shallow water. WHOI scientist and engineer Peter Traykovski used it to survey changes to the coast of Nauset Harbor near Orleans, Mass., after this spring’s powerful northeasters. The vehicle was equipped with instruments to measure water depths, and thus the shape of the ocean bottom, or its bathymetry. It has an ADCP to measure the speed and direction of currents and a GPS to measure sea surface heights. The surveys were part of a larger project to assess how coastlines respond to storms. (Photo by Sean Patrick Whelan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)