Ocean Connector: Autonomous Systems for Ocean Monitoring

Oceanography is rooted in the need for in situ observations. Remote sensing techniques, while powerful and transformative in many ways, are unable to provide accurate data from the interior of the ocean, which is needed for long-term monitoring, ocean state estimates, and understanding the impacts of climate change.

While ships have long been the go-to for collecting data, recent technological advances have produced an explosion of platforms and systems that can provide data, often in near real-time, beneath the surface.

Dr. Clark Richards, a Research Scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, will outline some of the systems and tools used by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to monitor the ocean, such as floats, gliders, and observatories and present some scientific results that have been applied locally and globally.