Page 41: of Marine Technology Magazine (January 2020)

Slocum Gliders

Teledyne Webb Research were pioneers of unmanned un- dersea glider technology. Slocum gliders advanced rapidly from experimental prototypes to reliable mobile platforms that have operated worldwide in diverse upper-ocean activi- ties.

Slocum gliders change their volume to sink or rise; attached wings produce lift when ? uid passes over their surfaces. The net effect is to convert some of glider’s vertical motion into horizontal travel. Slocum gliders move at 35 cm/s and can op- erate from 4 m to 1000 m depth; an optional hybrid thruster provides speeds to 100 cm/s.

Slocum gliders ? y in an undulating sawtooth pattern, fol- lowing a programmed transect, sometimes for extended pe- riods. For example, Slocum gliders have made continuous crossings of major ocean basins that have required more than four hundred days at sea.

Over time, Slocum gliders have been equipped with an in- creasing variety of oceanographic sensors, including an in- tegrated current pro? ler. Physical properties such as water temperature and salinity are routinely measured. Gliders have also observed ocean acidity, chlorophyll, suspended sedi- ments, and harmful algal blooms, as well as internal waves.

Over 45 sensor suites have been integrated on Slocum glid- ers allowing them to serve a broad range of applications.

During the Macondo oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico,

Slocum gliders collected subsurface data to support response work. Recent payloads have included turbulence sensors for -500m measuring ocean mixing, bio-acoustic sensors for assessing zooplankton stocks off Antarctica, and hydrophones for near

SEEKER - Acoustic Directional Receiver

Fig.2

The small and rugged RJE SEEKER is used

Teledyne Slocum glider in tropical waters.

-1,000m to assist AUV and ROV operators in tracking underwater beacons and transponders, from 25kHz to 45kHz at full ocean depth.

-6,000m -8,000m

Enabling ROV and AUV operators to track and relocate

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