I-COOL

Yesterday was a great demo.  Using the JPL path planner, we were able to get two gliders into position in the Hyperion swath.  The satellite passed overhead around noon, and the new waypoints for the next mission of the weekend were uploaded by later that afternoon.  Our next behavior test is to have the gliders fly together, and we hope that by tomorrow's telecon we will have a nice glider bollus!  We will discuss as a team during the 2 pm telecon the missions for the coming week.  We will also start planning the missions to be conducted during the OOI community workshop and also how to the support a second Hyperion flight on Novemeber 14.

Hyperion visible image swath below.  Yes not much to look at yet, but getting this coordinated was a great technology success!  Kudos to Steve and his team!!!!

From the science side, winter blooms are cooking, and we can see elevated shelf chlorphyll in the  depths shallower then the 40 isobath in.  The glider data also suggests chlorophyll is enhanced for water depths shallower than the 40 m isobath.

A steady hand on the rudder - http://www.i-cool.org/?p=4233

Scarlet's task for the rest of the weekend is to maintain a steady  course along an ENE line towards the Spanish EEZ (thin white line).  The currents have been relatively steady to the NE, so Scarlet has kept her heading to the SE.  The target angle separation between the water velocity and Scarlet's glider velocity relative to the water is 60 degrees.  Separation angle on the last segment was 58 degrees - pretty close.  We'll maintain this configuration of crabbing a bit into the wind until the ocean currents change, or we reach the EEZ.  I suspect the currents will change first. We'll have updated altimetery maps for the 11 am surfacing.  Right now, we keep the waypoint the same.  Distance to the Spanish EEZ is 117 km.

Looking ahead, the monday 11 am surfacing turns out to be an important one.  Our distance made good was on the last 8 hour segment was 8 km.  Sometime early monday we will cross the line that is 100 km from the Spanish EEZ.  This is the point we are saving for Scarlet's final pitch adjustment to maintain her speed.  It will be that last 100 km sprint across the EEZ and into the recovery eddy.  Once in the EEZ, the flight path turns to center seeking on the eddy.  We want to get into the eddy and stay there.  The currents just east of 12 W  are strong and will advect us south out of the area.

Winds and Waves on the Eastern North Atlantic - http://www.i-cool.org/?p=4221