In 2010, the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) launched one of the first glider-based oceanographic observing programs in Canada.

Gliders are marine autonomous vehicles that can travel thousands of kilometres for months at a time. They collect an array of physical, biological and chemical data and describe key ocean processes relevant to both animal tracking research and weather and marine forecasting. Gliders are a safe, energy-efficient tool for revealing life underwater and operate at a fraction of the cost compared to conducting ocean sampling by ship.

The program has evolved to become a comprehensive glider research network involving government, industry, and academic partners—collectively known as the Coastal Environmental Observation Technology and Research (CEOTR). CEOTR operates Canada’s largest fleet of Wave Gliders and Slocum gliders.

Gliders detect tagged species including salmon, cod, eel, snow crab, sharks and seals throughout Canada’s Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic regions. They are also frequently deployed on missions in support of the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) WHaLE project, which passively listens for baleen whales in the North Atlantic to identify critical habitat use and provide real-time monitoring to mitigate ship strikes.

Pioneering autonomous data off-load

In 2014, OTN and industrial partners pioneered the autonomous off-load of data from bottom-mounted acoustic receivers to the Wave Glider. The Wave Glider is now a regular, cost-effective alternative to manual data retrieval using ships.

Follow CEOTR:
http://ceotr.ocean.dal.ca/gliders/