Since we deployed our two gliders, “Qala1” and “Qala2”, we are learning a lot “on the job”, i.e. we are building a strong experience by making minor beginner’s mistakes. We need to deal with a lot of files, and just a small tiny comma forgotten here or there is ending up in a mission’s abort! But the glider’s software is also very well written and is rather foolproof. Coupled with strong hotline from glider’s provider (Teledyne Webb Research) and our friends at LOCEAN, Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) and their glider group, we feel more and more confident with our flights.
During the Greenedge cruise, different equipments are used to track the “ice edge spring bloom”. Among these equipments, we have PRO-ICE floats. PRO-ICE floats are autonomous platforms, equipped with numerous sensors dedicated to characterize the water column.
Energy is imparted to the ocean by the wind, temperature differences between the ocean and the atmosphere, pressure forces due the horizontal differences in the density of ocean water, and finally by the rotation of the earth itself.
