SMAST Launches Ocean Glider To Study Water Properties In Mid-Atlantic

An ocean glider belonging to the UMass Dartmouth School of Marine Science and Technology will begin a 250-mile trip on Tuesday, studying water properties in the Mid-Atlantic, between Cape Cod and Cape Hatteras.

The glider, which looks like a torpedo, will leave the Fairhaven Shipyard at 7am aboard the fishing vessel "Lucky Lady." Dr Wendell Brown is overseeing the glider for SMAST.

UMass Dartmouth is part of a regional ocean observing system centered at Rutgers University.

The information gathered through the glider is sent by satellite to Rutgers to help scientists better understand the dynamics that effects ocean habitats.