Flight dynamics of Slocum gliders in intermediate-water hurricane: Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RU COOL)

The new and emerging use of Slocum gliders in oceanographic data collection has brought about a progressive new way to record in-situ oceanic data. This piece of technology has been used by the Rutgers University Department of Marine Science through over 400 deployments, including a deployment during Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012. Data being collected during this deployment was done by Slocum glider RU23, which recorded measurements such as backscatter, fluorescence, water velocity, conductivity, temperature and depth. The dynamics of water motion RU23 flew in caused an unforeseen additional dataset to be collected by the glider. Because RU23 flew during intermediate type ocean waves, the orbital motion of the water potentially caused fluctuations seen in the dive and climb profiles of RU23's pressure record. Analysis can be done on the signal seen in the pressure record, by viewing its pressure fluctuation in the frequency spectrum. From this, wave period can be extracted. Accuracy of the glider's extracted wave period will be done by comparing the glider wave period to recorded wave period done by nearby NDBC buoys. Also analyzed was the glider's response to the turbulent water dynamics gauged by its performance in its attitude measurements.