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Cold Feat

Gliders are autonomous underwater vehicles that change pitch and buoyancy to generate forward motion, and carry instruments that gather data on physical, chemical or biological properties of the water. Their missions last up to three months, during which they can travel 1000 miles or more. In the process, they relay real-time data to and receive updated commands from scientists on shore. In preparation for a trip to the Arctic, a WHOI team that included Ken Decoteau (pictured) took advantage of Arctic-like conditions in Woods Hole Harbor this winter to put a glider mounted with a micro-profiler through its paces.(Photo by Sean Whelan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)