Sustained oceanographic observations around Australia using autonomous Ocean Gliders

Abstract

Ocean gliders are autonomous sensor platforms designed to operate in water depths of up to 1000m. By varying their buoyancy, gliders are able to efficiently ascend and descend through the water column. The Australian National Facility for Ocean Gliders (ANFOG) has been established as part of the Australian Integrated Marine Observing system to develop and operate a fleet of ocean gliders in shelf and shelf slope waters around Australia. In this paper several glider operations around Australia will be discussed including deployments at the mouth of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, the continental shelf and shelf slope off Western Australia and the shelf, and East Australian Current eddies off New South Wales. Discussion will focus on WA deployments which represent the first sustained measurements taken in the Southern Hemisphere using ocean gliders.