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Rutgers glider has nearly finished trans-Atlantic voyage
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A small, unmanned yellow glider might not be as well-known as Christopher Columbus or Charles Lindbergh, but to the staff at Rutgers University, its trans-Atlantic voyage is just as significant.
On Saturday morning, after 201 days at sea, a 7-foot glider launched off Tuckerton in April by Rutgers' Coastal Ocean Observation Lab crossed over into Spanish waters.
During the glider's nearly seven-month voyage, it has collected data on ocean density, salinity and other factors and beamed the information back to Rutgers' New Brunswick campus. It is a journey that its predecessor did not complete last year.
Instead of using a motor to power itself across the ocean, the glider dives as it weighs itself down with water. It then rises by pushing the water out of its hull. Wings added on both sides of the glider allow it to propel itself forward when it pushes the water out.
By collecting data of what's happening underneath the ocean's surface, the glider is gathering information that scientists have never really had an opportunity to study properly, according to Richard Spinrad, the assistant administrator for research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.
"Satellites do a great job of taking a picture of the surface," Spinrad said. "But they can't tell you what's going on underneath."
Spinrad said that by measuring the density and temperature of ocean water, scientists can better predict ocean patterns that dictate the climate as well as possible signs of climate change.
A similar glider launched last year failed to make it to Europe. This year, the glider endured a barnacle problem, but those were cleaned off in the middle of the glider's journey in August.
Though the glider has nearly completed its journey, it still needs to come out of the water.
The highly traveled seas around the coast of Spain are the next big hurdle, with at least one vessel crossing through the shipping lanes about once every 14 minutes.
"The glider's basically in a holding pattern until we have a boat to go out and get it," said Josh Kohut, assistant professor of physical oceanography at Rutgers.
The Rutgers team is traveling to Spain in early December to retrieve the glider. They expect to bring the glider ashore in Baiona, Spain, the same town that Christopher Columbus first landed in during the return journey from his initial trip to the Americas.
The team's goal was to also make sure the glider made its way to Europe by winter, especially since a lithium battery was only expected to last for 300 days. However, the weather that the coast of Spain is currently experiencing is far from smooth sailing.
"(Our partners in Spain) said, '(The weather) will either be bad or awful,'" Kohut said. "So we're hoping for 'bad.'n"
Contact Ben Leach:
609-272-7261
Posted in ATLANTIC on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 3:25 am
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