Prepare to Glide

Researchers deploy an underwater glider in the Mediterranean Sea in 2017. MIT-WHOI Joint Program student Mara Freilich and her advisor Amala Mahadevan have been investigating oceanic fronts—similar to meteorological fronts where high- and low-pressure systems meet in the atmosphere. Less-dense water rises toward the sunlit surface at these fronts, bringing with it nutrients that fuel the growth of plankton. Gliders operate autonomously, measuring levels of chlorophyll and available light in the ocean to help scientists learn where and why plankton are more likely to grow. (Photo by Amala Mahadevan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)