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Drops in the Bucket

A rack full of Apex floats sit in the main science lab of the research vessel Oceanus, awaiting launch into the North Atlantic as part of the CLIMODE research program. Floats are dropped into the sea and allowed to drift with the currents, traveling long distances without the need of a ship, person, or propeller. They also rise and fall vertically, using simple mechanical pumps, bladders, and other devices to change their buoyancy relative to the water and to bob between various depths. Most floats are programmed to rise to the surface periodically in order to send data via satellite antenna to scientists on shore. (Photo by Sean Whelan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)