gliders

Ocean robots survey the ocean's particles

The COMICS expedition is all about understanding how material sinking from the ocean surface contributes to carbon storage in the ocean.  You might think that means we have to actually catch the sinking material to study it.  We do that too, but we can also get information about the particles in the water using ocean robots.  Filipa and I have the job of looking after ocean gliders - autonomous underwater vehicles that can survey the ocean for months at a time without needing a ship.