Getting a Grip on Gliders

Senior engineering assistant Diana Wickman shows part of an ocean glider to elementary school students from the Mullen-Hall School in Falmouth, Mass., during their annual Green Bus tour. Gliders and other autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are used to collect information about temperature, salinity, and other seawater characteristics. WHOI researchers use different kinds of AUVs for a variety of purposes, including monitoring aquaculture, measuring currents, conducting long-term ocean surveys. One particular AUV is known as SharkCam for its ability to follow, film, and gather behavioral information about sharks. It is one of the main attractions at the WHOI Ocean Science Discovery Center. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)