Spray is the first autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, to cross the Gulf Stream underwater, proving the viability of self-propelled gliders for long-distance scientific missions and opening new possibilities for studies of the oceans.

Launched about 100 miles south of Nantucket Island, Mass., the glider has been slowly making its way toward Bermuda some 600 miles to the south of Cape Cod at about half a mile an hour measuring various properties of the ocean as it glides up to the surface and then glides back down to 1,000-meters depth three times a day.

Every seven hours Spray spends about 15 minutes on the surface to relay its position and information about ocean conditions, such as temperature, salinity and pressure via satellite.

Spray can stay at sea for months at relatively low cost, allowing scientists to observe large-scale changes under the ocean surface that might otherwise go unobserved.

Being able to communicate with the vehicle and change course or change the information it is collecting while at sea is a big step forward in the ability to gather information in the ocean.

In the not-too-distant future, researchers expect that the gliders will be equipped with an entire suite of sensors that indicate the presence of dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, alkalinity and nutrients in the water.

Via BigBlog Robotics PhysOrg.