An autonomous underwater glider was launched on July 12 in the Chukchi Sea from the R/V Norseman 2. The glider has sensors to detect the occurrence of several species of marine mammals, such as fin whales, belugas, bearded seals, bowhead whales, and more. The glider is also carrying sensors to measure oceanographic data such as temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, and turbidity. The resulting data will be used to study relationships between the distribution of Arctic and sub-Arctic marine mammals and the oceanography of the Chukchi Sea.
See what marine mammals the glider has detected on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution website and the oceanographic data on the AOOS Ocean Data Explorer.