Glider Robots Helping Researchers Track The Plume In Gulf Oil Spill
June 20th, 2010 - 7:34 pm ICT by GDBy Ranjan Bhaduri
Peru, June 20, (THAINDIAN NEWS) With the Gulf Oil spill rolling into its third month, the researchers have introduced a new way to track the plume. Reportedly, the “glider” robots which are driven remotely by the researchers are moving all throughout the water trying to track the plume.
These gliders are all decked up sensors which have the capability to measure almost each and everything. The gliders shall be able to mark any amount of dissolved oil that offers a slight change to the temperature of the water or of an organic material.
Oscar Schofield who happens to be an oceanographer from Rutgers University told the media that the gliders shall be able track and accumulate all data as it moves under the ocean and accordingly shall be able to predict the direction of the oil flow.
As a matter of fact, the gliders are one of the most efficient gadgets which are used extensively for ocean forecast. The gliders resembles torpedoes and uses water to change it’s direction. Being operated remotely from the laboratory, it works on a low-energy propulsion which makes sure that the batteries doesn’t run out of its juice early. The data measured by the gliders can be fitted into precision models to derive the course and the movement of ocean currents.
The Rutgers team is controlling two out of a total of eight glider robots in the ocean. The other gliders trying to track the plume are controlled by Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers, Mote Marine Laboratory associates and iRobot. The gliders were launched in the Gulf towards the end of May and presently they are sailing off the coasts of Louisiana and Florida.
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Tags: coasts, gliders, gulf oil, institution of oceanography, laboratory associates, low energy, marine laboratory, ocean currents, oceanographer, oil flow, oil spill, organic material, oscar schofield, plume, precision models, ranjan, rutgers team, rutgers university, scripps institution of oceanography, torpedoes