In the News
Saildrone Fleet Reaches New Milestone: 1,000,000 Nautical Miles and 32,000 Days at Sea
On a windy day in October 2013, a small team of engineers and boatbuilders watched the first wind-powered ocean drone disappear over the horizon, bound for Hawaii 2,200 nautical miles away. That journey took 34 days. Fast forward 10 years, and Saildrone’s fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), now 136 strong and scaling rapidly, has sailed 1,042,620 nautical miles and spent 32,438 days at sea—and counting. Multiple PMEL Saildrone research projects are highlighted.
An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane
To improve future tropical cyclone forecasts, researchers sent a remotely operated saildrone into the extreme winds and towering waves around the eye of a category 4 hurricane. Written by Gregory R. Foltz, Chidong Zhang, Christian Meinig, Jun A. Zhang and Dongxiao Zhang
The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2021
The year in ocean news brought about quite a few surprises, including the discovery of a self-decapitating sea slug and the return to popularity of sea shanties. We learned that whales poop a lot more than previously thought and that their excrement is essential for ocean ecosystems, and that even large sharks can glow. Technology allowed us to reach the deepest depths of the oceans, travel to the eye of a hurricane and a whole lot more. The Saildrone/PMEL/AOML Atlantinc Hurricane Mission is listed.
Saildrone heads to the Gulf Stream to investigate carbon uptake in the ocean
After sending a fleet of self-sailing drones into the path of Hurricane Sam to help improve forecast models, Saildrone has now launched three uncrewed surface vehicles into the Gulf Stream winter to gather data on carbon uptake in the ocean. PMEL designed ASVCO2 system is mentioned.
This unbelievable video shows what the inside of a hurricane looks like
For the first time, a surface drone captured footage of a Category 4 hurricane’s 50-foot waves and 120-mph winds. Chris Meinig is quoted.