NOAA deploys a flotilla of Saildrones in the Arctic

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By Kevin Majoros

Scientists have long used a variety of tools to advance science in many fields including fisheries, weather and climate.

Saildrones sitting in the ocean

In 2014, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) partnered with Saildrone, Inc. to test the possibilities of using unmanned sailing vehicles to collect data.

From 2015 to 2017, missions including one to the Bering Sea, were used to verify the data platforms and to confirm that the sensors were working well. Each year they continued to tweak the challenge sensors adding more complex variables.

Measuring air and water temperature, salinity, carbon dioxide concentration, fish abundance and the presence of marine animals have expanded the usefulness of the Saildrones.

On June 30, 2018, a flotilla of Saildrones was launched from locations in Alaska, Washington and California. The four Saildrones launched from Dutch Harbor, AK are making their way north and are expected to survey vast areas of the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea.

Their journey will take them through the Bering Strait and onward northeast to measure carbon dioxide and the abundance of Arctic cod in the Arctic Ocean.

Ocean Acidification in a Rapidly Changing Climate

Jessica Cross, PH.D. is a chemical oceanographer currently based at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, WA. On August 6, she flew to Nome, AK to board the United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Healy.

On August 14, USCGC Healy had a rendezvous with the Saildrones near Icy Cape, AK which is near a series of long-term oceanographic stations. Capturing data at these remote locations is critical to Cross’s work.

“The Artic is one of the most understudied and rapidly changing environments in the world. It is important to establish a baseline for understanding the rate of change,” says Cross. “Acidification of the ocean is happening faster here than in any other part of the world.”

Collecting Data in the Chukchi Sea

The challenge in the past for scientists to collect data in the Artic has been the remote and harsh climate along with the size of the area. The Saildrones are wind propelled, solar powered and able to cover large distances.

While Cross is in the Chukchi Sea aboard the USCGC Healy, she will be collecting samples from shore-based stations and moorings. The USCGC Healy is outfitted with a CTD Rosette which will allow her to capture water samples every 10 meters while sitting above the Chukchi Sea shelf.

One of the many results of ocean acidification is the effect on shell-building animals. The changing chemistry of ocean waters may lead to a lack of calcium carbonate which animals from sea snails to Alaskan King crabs use to construct and maintain their shells.

shells showing the effects of ocean acidification

The current mission will last through the fall as the Saildrones will be affected by the diminished daily light and the angle of the light.

“The Saildrones have become an integral part of our portfolio of data collection tools,” Cross says. “They cover more territory and are faster than the ships we use. We welcome any autonomous tools that keep humans safe.”

The Abundance of Artic cod in Alaska

Two of the Saildrones that are in the Arctic are equipped with echosounders (fishfinders) to determine the amount and distribution of Arctic cod. The fish is a major food source for seabirds, ringed seals, narwhals, belugas and other fish.

Alex De Robertis, PH.D. is a fisheries biologist at the NOAA Alaskan Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA. Before the current utilization of Saildrones, his acoustic-trawl survey tools ranged from inflatable boats to icebreakers, buoys and moorings on the seafloor.

His work with Saildrones began in 2016 and the added instrumentation of the drones has led to the use of the echosounders. He has been on board the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson, conducting a series of tests to determine how measurements from the ship compare to the Saildrones.

De Robertis is establishing base data about a major food source in a rapidly warming area that is seeing diminishing sea ice. One piece of the puzzle is what happens to young Arctic cod that are abundant in the summer on the Chukchi Sea shelf.

“There is a high density of age zero (two inches in length) Arctic cod. They spawn annually but there are few adults,” says De Robertis. “We are trying to determine if the adults are not surviving, or if this is a spawning ground with these fish migrating to another area.”

Saildrones Sending Summarized Data over the Internet

The Saildrones are equipped with a memory stick that records data internally. The software summarizes the data and transmits updates to a website for the scientists to utilize. The flash drive will be retrieved at the end of the mission for complete data.

“In terms of fishing management, we need more people out there. What we are doing in the Chukchi Sea is very expensive and so remote,” De Robertis says. “We are usually faced with limitations and the Saildrones are another useful tool especially for working in deep water and covering large areas.”

Checking in with Tagged Fur Seals on the Pribilof Islands

De Robertis was also involved in the Saildrones mission in the Pribilof Islands which directly compares seal foraging with fish resources. The GPS tagged fur seals collected data at the same time the Saildrones were following them around.

The Saildrones collected data on location, depth and number of fish within the feeding grounds of the fur seals. The combined data has provided information about food resources, foraging behavior and pup growth.

“Having the Saildrones as a new tool has increased the size of our studies. That is important because everything in the Arctic area is changing fast,” says De Robertis. “They are giving us the ability to advance science in a new way.”

You can track the Saildrones here.


Kevin Majoros portraitKevin Majoros shares stories on sports, ocean adventuring and conservation. He is based in Baltimore/Washington and travels the world as a competitive swimmer.



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This piece was edited and posted onto SEVENSEAS Media by Giacomo Abrusci