Whenever ocean scientists put a vehicle or instrument into the water, there is always a slim chance that their equipment will not return to the surface in the same condition they deployed it in. Consequently, recovery of ocean science equipment is always an exciting, yet nerve-wracking, experience. Video courtesy of Coordinated Simultaneous Physical-Biological Sampling Using ADCP-Equipped Ocean Gliders. Download largest version (mp4, 362 MB).
After surveying the waters off of La Push, Washington, for almost a month as part of the Coordinated Simultaneous Physical-Biological Sampling Using ADCP-Equipped Ocean Gliders expedition, this acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP)-equipped Seaglider comes home in one piece, loaded with fascinating physical and biological data of the North Pacific. Here, you can see the careful process of Seaglider recovery. Once the glider is spotted on the horizon, the boat is moved to its location and aligns the glider alongside the vessel. The deck team snags it with boat hooks and brings it snug against the boat. As seen in the video, this can prove difficult in rough seas and sometimes requires several tries, repositioning the boat in between each attempt. Once hooked, the glider is attached to the boat’s crane to hoist it over the side of the boat and bring it to the deck. As the glider swings in the air, engineer Christina Ramirez guides it to its destination to prevent damage. Finally, the glider is carefully lowered into a cradle where it can be strapped to the deck for its long journey back to the Applied Physics Lab at the University of Washington. This particular glider is specially designed with an ADCP to simultaneously survey ocean currents and microorganisms in the water column.
Published October 20, 2021
