A fleet of wind and solar-powered autonomous vehicles was unveiled at Hobart, Australia, last week, before setting off on a mission to capture valuable ocean data.
Known as Saildrones, the high-tech, unmanned vehicles will be at sea for up to 12 months and are an element of a commonwealth and industry funded research portfolio.
Detailed Picture of the Ocean
Their mission is to measure and monitor sea-surface temperature, salinity, ocean carbon, and biota – helping to paint a more detailed picture of the ocean off the Gippsland coast in Victoria.
CCS Projects
The research will see the Saildrones deployed as part of research to test and validate technologies used for future carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.
Two Saildrones will collect data in the Gippsland Basin that will inform methods for monitoring future CCS sites.
Maiden Voyage
A team of technicians has spent the last week preparing the Saildrones for their maiden voyage in Australian waters. They will depart from Hobart before Easter.
Saildrones
Saildrones are remotely controlled and their systems can be accessed from anywhere in the world using an iPhone. This means they can be reprogrammed to collect different types of data quickly instead of coming back to shore to change over equipment or sensors.
CSIRO has equipped each Saildrone with ocean chemistry, meteorological and marine acoustic sensors. These sensors will capture and send live data back to the research team to analyse.
In the future, the Saildrones can also be deployed to hard to reach places, like the Southern Ocean, where unprecedented climate and ocean data can be collected.
Saildrones have been acquired through funding provided by the CO2CRC and the Australian Government's Education Investment Fund Support for Clean Energy Research Infrastructure.
Picture: Saildrones will deployed as part of research to test and validate technologies used for future carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.
