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Gliding Beneath Florence

September 17, 2018

WHOI oceanographer Robert Todd launched a Spray glider like this toward the path of Hurricane Florence to measure the amount of heat stored in the ocean. Hurricanes are fueled by warm ocean water, so it is critical information for forecasters to predict a storm’s intensity. It has been too dangerous to send ships and people in front of hurricanes, but not autonomous underwater vehicles such as Spray. It dives and ascends, taking measurements along the way. When Sprays surface, they relay data via satellite in near-real time to Todd, who relays them to hurricane forecasters. Todd’s research group also just launched a glider in the Gulf Stream, a major source of warm waters along the East Coast. (Photo by Robert Todd, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)