How it works – Follow the Glider https://followtheglider.socib.es/en/ Through Ocean Mon, 08 Jul 2013 10:49:08 +0200 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3 HOW DOES IT GO UP AND DOWN? https://followtheglider.socib.es/en/student/how-does-it-go-up-and-down-in-the-water/ Mon, 27 May 2013 09:30:17 +0000 http://followtheglider.socib.es/?post_type=student&p=132
  • An underwater glider has a piston. When it wants to dive down, it fills the piston up and sinks.
  • When it wants to come back up to the surface, it releases the water from the piston.
  • The space that held the water fills up with air, and that makes the glider rise.
  • It’s like an inflatable rubber ring: when it’s full of air, it floats, and when it isn’t, it sinks.
    • ]]>         A GLIDER´S JOURNEY, STEP BY STEP https://followtheglider.socib.es/en/student/a-gliders-journey-step-by-step/ Mon, 27 May 2013 09:33:48 +0000 http://followtheglider.socib.es/?post_type=student&p=134 POWER https://followtheglider.socib.es/en/student/power/ Mon, 27 May 2013 09:37:42 +0000 http://followtheglider.socib.es/?post_type=student&p=136 A glider doesn’t have a motor, so it uses as little battery power as a cell phone. It gets the power it needs from alkaline or lithium batteries.

    How long do they last? Well, that depends on:

    • The type of battery: lithium batteries last longer.
    • The environment: gliding against the current uses more power.
    • The mission: if the glider has to dive down deep, turn on many sensors, or send data many times a day, it uses more power.
    ]]>         WHAT HAPPENS IF IT GOES OFF COURSE? https://followtheglider.socib.es/en/student/what-happens-if-it-goes-off-course/ Mon, 27 May 2013 09:38:58 +0000 http://followtheglider.socib.es/?post_type=student&p=138 Ocean currents can set a glider off course. When it realizes what’s going on, the glider can correct its “mistake”: for example, if it thinks there have been currents heading south, it will head further north to correct that divergence.

    ]]>         END OF THE MISSION https://followtheglider.socib.es/en/student/end-of-the-mission/ Mon, 27 May 2013 09:42:30 +0000 http://followtheglider.socib.es/?post_type=student&p=140 The mission ends because…

    • That was the way it was planned all along.
    • Something very serious happens, like a mechanical failure.
    • The batteries run out.
    • If a storm is coming, we give the glider the order to dive down, avoid the storm, and wait until it passes to continue its mission. But if there’s a long stretch of bad weather ahead… we’ve got to recover the glider right away!
    ]]>         COMING HOME https://followtheglider.socib.es/en/student/coming-home/ Mon, 27 May 2013 09:43:16 +0000 http://followtheglider.socib.es/?post_type=student&p=144 With any luck, the glider will make it home on its own. But that may use up a lot of battery power, so we have to figure it all out very well in advance, so the glider won’t end up stranded.

    Sometimes it’s worth continuing to collect scientific data even if a glider’s batteries have run out. In this case, when the power is all used up, we set out to find the glider, wherever it may be. And that isn’t always easy!

    ]]>         WE´VE GOT A PROBLEM! https://followtheglider.socib.es/en/student/weve-got-a-problem/ Mon, 27 May 2013 09:46:12 +0000 http://followtheglider.socib.es/?post_type=student&p=146 There are many dangers out there while a glider´s on a mission:

    If any of this happens, we have to suspend the mission and rescue the glider!

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