Adding to glider capability, retaining hydrodynamics

Several months of teamwork produced a small, lightweight and low-power-consuming current profiler for testing with the Seaglider platform.

“Our highly collaborative development effort resulted in a tightly integrated system that maintains the hydrodynamic properties of Seaglider, while still retaining the full features of an advanced current profiler. This capability is attractive to oceanographers and marine biologists looking for an in-depth understanding of upper ocean dynamics, including mixing, and the distribution of zooplankton,” said Atle Lohrmann, CTO and founder of Nortek.

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The project was an important milestone for Nortek, and it complemented work done in the past on measuring turbulence with Nortek high-resolution current profilers from open ocean moorings and from moored profilers.

The Seaglider accommodates a variety of sensors and is designed for missions lasting many months and covering thousands of miles. With Nortek’s acoustic Doppler profiler, the Seaglider could continuously profile currents throughout the water column during long-range missions. These long-range missions are important because they allow for very cost-effective operations.