PMEL in the News
Robot Boats are Sailing the Seven Seas to Predict El Nino
Self-driving boats, kitted out with scientific sensors, could hold the key to avoiding the next major weather disaster. The boats, created by Saildrone, are being used by the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory to enhance data gathered from the Pacific Ocean, where water temperature patterns are helping scientists understand the El Niño phenomenon. Being able to predict the next event could save millions of dollars and countless lives.
No Sailors Needed: Robot Sailboats Scour the Oceans for Data
Two robotic sailboats trace lawn-mower-style paths across the violent surface of the Bering Sea, off the coast of Alaska. The boats are counting fish — haddock, to be specific — with a fancy version of the fish finder sonar you’d find on a bass fishing boat.
Computer simulations help Penn State researchers discover unfortunate reality of coral conservation
A Penn State researcher — along with researchers at other universities — have recently discovered via computer simulations that coral larvae in the Central Pacific Ocean cannot help replenish the coral reefs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Coral conservation efforts aided by computer simulations
New research shows that endangered corals in the eastern Pacific Ocean are isolated from healthy coral populations in the west. Contrary to a prevailing theory, coral larvae could not survive the 5,000-kilometer trip across the Pacific Ocean to replenish endangered corals in the eastern Pacific, according to new research.
The Blob That Cooked the Pacific
When a deadly patch of warm water shocked the West Coast, some feared it was a preview of our future oceans.