OceanGliders
Three Missions, One Global Observing System
OceanGliders is structured around three permanent missions, each targeting a distinct operational environment and connected as coordinated contributions to the GOOS.
BOON
Boundary Ocean Observing Network
Leads: Robert Todd (WHOI), co-lead (institution)
Humanity interacts with the ocean most directly along its margins. The OceanGliders Boundary Ocean Observing Network (BOON) provides in situ observations of key physical, biogeochemical, and ecosystem properties in waters along ocean margins, typically within the Exclusive Economic Zones of coastal states. Autonomous underwater gliders return measurements that have the necessary high spatial resolution to capture small-scale features along ocean margins. Fleets of gliders sample persistently over years to capture seasonal to interannual changes in ocean conditions as well as discrete events (e.g., storms and heat waves). Within the Global Ocean Observing System, BOON plays a vital role in bridging the gap between shore-based measurements and the basin-scale, deep-ocean measurements from other observing platforms by spanning the coastal, continental shelf, and continental slope regions.
FLOOD
Fine-scale and Lateral Observations of Open Ocean Dynamics
Leads: co-lead (institution), Filipa Carvalho (NOC)
FLOOD delivers high-resolution, long-duration observations of open ocean fronts, eddies, and water-mass transformation regions, bridging the spatial and temporal scales between ships, floats, and moorings. Their endurance and mobility enable adaptive sampling of dynamic and evolving features, resolving sub-daily and kilometre-scale variability that other GOOS platforms cannot capture at a global scale. Growing from targeted scientific campaigns into a sustained, autonomous observing network, FLOOD is increasingly positioned to meet the environmental monitoring requirements of international frameworks such as the BBNJ Agreement/High Seas Treaty. Operating in coordination with other GOOS platforms, FLOOD observations provide the continuous, four-dimensional context needed to connect local processes to basin-scale and climate-relevant patterns.
POLAR
Polar and ice-covered environments
Leads: Naomi Krauzig (GEOMAR), co-lead (institution)
Polar oceans are central to Earth's climate system yet remain among the least accessible regions for sustained observation, where extreme conditions, sea-ice cover, and limited infrastructure demand specialised approaches. Polar gliders actively navigate beneath ice, follow ice edges and polynyas, and reach shallow continental shelves and fjords that other autonomous platforms cannot access. This targeted mobility enables high-resolution transects of physical, biogeochemical, and ecosystem processes at the margins of sea ice — resolving ocean-ice interactions, basal melting, and heat and freshwater fluxes that drive sea level rise and represent key uncertainties in current climate projections. Delivering these observations requires continued technological innovation, strong international collaboration, and dedicated capacity building to ensure equitable access, with the Polar mission integrating distributed Arctic and Southern Ocean efforts to systematically capture critical high-latitude processes within the global GOOS framework.
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Interested in contributing to one of the missions? We'd love to hear from you.
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