Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/P020208/1
Ocean Gliders: autonomous monitoring of the marine environment
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor K Heywood, University of East Anglia, Environmental Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of East Anglia, Environmental Sciences
- Science Area:
- Marine
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- Biogeochemical Cycles
- Ocean - Atmosphere Interact.
- Ocean Circulation
- Intelligent Measurement Sys.
- Survey & Monitoring
- Abstract:
- Marine autonomous vehicles are platforms that are deployed into the ocean in order to survey, monitor or explore the conditions in the marine environment, that have intelligent control systems allowing them to remain in the ocean for extended periods with relatively little human intervention. Such vehicles are already revolutionising marine science, allowing us to make measurements in places or conditions that were previously impossible. Such vehicles require new expertise beyond the traditional skills of the observational oceanographer. This course aims to give a generation of early career scientists the necessary skills to be able to exploit these techniques. This 5-day course will provide hands-on experience of ocean gliders using UEA's unique seawater tank, as well as the theoretical knowledge of how gliders and their sensors work. The training draws upon UEA's extensive experience of glider deployments worldwide and related publication record. Lecturers include experts in physical, chemical and biological ocean science using gliders, as well as a highly trained glider engineer. Training in ocean glider data analysis will highlight the potential pitfalls in taking glider data at face value, and identify the processing and quality control steps necessary to produce useful data for different applications. Students will be trained in the use of our Matlab Toolbox of routines to process glider data from raw files through to data ready for scientific analysis or industrial application. Another unique element is the strong involvement of glider vehicle manufacturers; both AutoNaut Ltd (manufacturers of the Autonaut surface vehicle) and Kongsberg UK (the Seaglider manufacturers) will be involved. Furthermore, course attendees will visit Cefas for a tour of their Waveglider and sensor development facilities and lectures on applications of marine autonomous vehicles in their work. Vehicle users from BAS will visit UEA to lecture on their research using Slocum gliders, acoustic measurements from gliders, and for an exercise in decision making while piloting gliders. UEA is well placed to offer this training course. We are the only UK university running a fleet of ocean gliders; we are active in the European glider community (for example as work package leader on an EU-funded design study into using gliders for marine management and research) and hosted the 2015 glider community workshop. We have a strong background in outreach and education using gliders, for example our exhibit entitled "A Pinch of Salt" at the 2013 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition showcased our Seagliders and how they work. Some of the practical aspects of the training course (such as the hands-on ballasting experiments in fresh and salt water) have been developed from elements of the exhibit. We own a unique full-size functioning 'ClearView' Seaglider, which is an excellent tool for training students in the principles and parts of the glider. We are running this NERC-funded ATSC for the first time in February 2017; this application for a further two years builds upon the evident popularity of the course this year. We received nearly twice as many applications as we could support. We intend to maintain a small enough cohort to ensure high-quality hands-on activities, practical involvement and one-to-one support with data analysis. The impact of the training will be to equip students with the confidence to embrace this new technology and to take it into their research and/or future careers in industry. They will have the knowledge to identify where and when a surface or profiling vehicle would be (and would not be) an appropriate tool for the scientific or monitoring task required. Removal of the mystique of ocean gliders and raising awareness of their potential are twin goals of this training course.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/P020208/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Doctoral Training
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Advanced Training
This training grant award has a total value of £79,900
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Other Costs |
|---|
| £79,900 |
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