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Kayak Cruise Control

October 3, 2013

A yellow “JetYak” cruises close to West Greenland’s Sarqardliup Glacier while keeping researchers out of harm’s way of its calving icebergs. WHOI engineer Hanumant Singh developed this autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) and, together with scientists Fiamma Straneo and Sarah Das, deployed the vehicle for field studies with support from the Arctic Research Initiative. They operated the JetYak by remote control aboard two small boats operated by local fishermen to map the glacier face using multibeam sonar, and gathered velocity, temperature and salinity data from the waters surrounding the glacier. (Photo courtesy of Fiamma Straneo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)