The autonomous wind-powered and remotely-controlled Saildrone tested data collection in the Arctic with on-board oceanographic data collection equipment during the summer 2015 mission to the Eastern Bering Sea.
The NOAA PMEL Innovative Technology for Arctic Exploration (ITAE) program is investigating innovative technologies for US Arctic oceanographic research.
Four novel platforms were launched during the spring/summer of 2015 to better study the marine ecosystem and the rapid change that is occurring. Through these new platforms, ITAE also tested a variety of sensing technologies. Novel sensing technology was deployed on an ITAE buoy in the Chukchi Sea, including, a microfluidic nitrate sensor ‘Lab-on-a-Chip’ (NOC -Southampton) and the Profiling Crawler or PRAWLER, for dramatically improved vertical resolution of data collection (NOAA/PMEL).
The autonomous wind-powered and remotely-controlled Saildrone tested data collection in the Arctic with on-board oceanographic data collection equipment during the summer 2015 mission to the Eastern Bering Sea. Follow the Saildrone in this YouTube video.
Together, the ITAE developments helped to assess important and previously inaccessible aspects of the sea ice melt season. Read more at http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/itae/