26 November: Chasing “Amy” - A mission to uncover the possibilities of automated data collection

The Australian Institute of Marine Science announces the deployment of the Slocum glider “Amy” off Townsville, in collaboration with CSIRO and the IMOS glider facility. She was released today at mid-shelf in Palm Passage and will cruise to the outer reef and back for approximately 2-3 weeks.

Amy’s deployment is one of a series of planned glider missions over the next few months to support more comprehensive oceanographic observations. As the glider moves through the water column it records information such as temperature and salinity. This data then becomes available through satellite communication to improve operational modelling as part of the eReefs project.

A Slocum glider is a remote controlled autonomous vehicle capable of profiling the water column and collecting data over many weeks. Gliders are particularly useful for periods when it is too rough to use normal vessels or in remote locations where it is expensive to run conventional ship surveys.

Track Amy’s progress here: http://gliders.csiro.au/mission/30#

More information, please see:

AIMS: http://www.aims.gov.au/docs/research/research-highlights/imos

IMOS: http://www.imos.org.au/

IMOS ANFOG: http://imos.org.au/anfog.html

CSIRO Underwater Glider Facility: http://gliders.csiro.au/