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School’s In

In June, WHOI oceanographer Peter Traykovski showed students from the Cape Cod-based Lawrence School the custom-built vehicle JetYak, a gas-powered kayak designed to provide scientists autonomous measurements from the sea surface. Full speed is 15 miles per hour, and the 11-foot vehicle will run for 8 to 10 hours on 3 gallons of gas at survey speeds of 2 to 6 knots. Versions of the vehicle have been used to map a shallow cove in the Connecticut River, measure sediment transport in New York Harbor, and study fresh water flowing at Greenland’s glaciers. This summer, Traykovski is using JetYak for survey work along the coasts of Martha’s Vineyard.(Photo by Ken Kostel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)