Glider performance during Hurricane Gonzalo

Operating remote platforms such as gliders in extreme events will continue to provide insightful measurements and observations. In parallel advancement, sensor development and integration will bring new sensors to AUV's that will help scientists answer questions they didn't have the means to observe prior. New sensors often have increasing complexity as well since often scaling down is the largest technical challenge. Early gliders flew just a CTD sensor and that yielded some victories. However, multiple ADCP units by Nortek and Teledyne, as well as water quality sensors such as nitrate, and phytoplankton productivity (FIRE) sensors from Satlantic are all ready for glider use. Turbulence probes such as the Rockland Scientific Microrider can be mounted on top of gliders. Using these complex sensors in extreme events could have unintended effects and should be accounted for in operation. For example large roll and pitch movements could yield errors in ADCP measurements from gliders, especially in vertical water velocities [5]. Proper operation of the vehicle could alleviate some of the effects seen, especially in pitch fluctuations or at least allow predictive behavior. Onboard accelerometers may assist in understanding these effects and provide new insight. Additional understanding as to the response time and accuracy of the onboard attitude sensor will continue to be paramount. Open ocean current profiling gliders could perhaps benefit from upward looking instruments which would sense turbulent water while swimming in still water. This would only have benefits in situations where bottom track would always be impossible.