Using autonomous underwater gliders, we quantified diurnal periodicity in dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, and temperature in the subtropical North Pacific near the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) Station ALOHA during summer 2012. Oxygen optodes provided sufficient stability and precision to quantify diel cycles of average amplitude of 0.6μmolkg . A theoretical diel curve was fit to daily observat...

The optical backscattering from particles in the ocean is an important quantity that has been measured by remote sensing techniques and in situ instruments. In this paper, we compare estimates of this quantity from airborne lidar with those from an in situ instrument on an underwater glider. Both of these technologies allow much denser sampling of backscatter profiles than traditional ship surv...

[1] Recent data from an autonomous ocean glider in the Ibiza Channel (Western Mediterranean Sea) show variations in the transport volumes of water over timescales of daysweeks, as large as those previously only identifiable as seasonal or eddy driven. High frequency variation in transports of water masses has critical implications for ocean forecasting. Three potential modes of transport are pr...

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are revolutionizing oceanography. Most high-endurance and long-range AUVs rely on satellite phones as their primary communications interface during missions for data/command telemetry due to its global coverage. Satellite phone (e.g., Iridium) expenses can make up a significant portion of an AUV’s operating budget during long missions. Slocum gliders are a ...

The primary use of underwater gliders is to collect oceanographic data within the water column and periodically relay the data at the surface via a satellite connection. In summer 2006, a Seaglider equipped with an acoustic recording system received transmissions from a broadband acoustic source centered at 75 Hz deployed on the bottom off Kauai, Hawaii, while moving away from the source at ran...

MAS 01.1 Overview Trajectory design for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) is of great importance to the oceanographic research community. Intelligent planning is required to maneuver a vehicle to selected locations to collect data with scientific merit. This planning is not only determining how to get from one point to another, but also in determining which locations should to be visited to...

The tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH37. Both show the critical need for robots capable of working together as a mobile sensor network in a highly dynamic, potentially hazardous environment. Nina Mahmoudian wants to increase the effectiveness of the response by robots to environmental and human disasters. Her goal: to develop tools and algorithms t...