The Rutgers University Coastal Ocean Observation Lab (RU COOL) has been flying gliders for almost 4 years. On March 13, 2007 RU COOL reached a major milestone, launching the 100th glider mission from the coast of Massachusetts, off the UMass-Dartmouth vessel Lucky Lady. This mission will take the glider (RU 100) from the coast of Massachusetts to the continental shelf, where it will zig-zag it’s way down to New Jersey, before swimming to shore - a distance of over 500km.
RU 100 carries an onboard bio-optics package to measure biological activity and sediment in the ocean, which will provide a huge amount of information on how biological productivity in the ocean might affect physical processes over such a large region. Along the way it will also meet up with a research ship, assisting in the study of Atlantic fisheries. The 100th Glider Mission website contains real-time data, example research questions for students, references, and a blog.
LINK (http://coseenow.net/?s=100th) >>
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