The debut mission involving the autonomous submarine Autosub Long Range – affectionately known as Boaty McBoatface – has for the first time shed light on a key process linking increasing Antarctic winds to rising sea temperatures.
The debut mission involving the autonomous submarine Autosub Long Range – affectionately known as Boaty McBoatface – has for the first time shed light on a key process linking increasing Antarctic winds to rising sea temperatures. Data collected from an expedition in 2017, published this week (Monday 17 June 2019) in the scientific journal PNAS, will help climate scientists build more accurate predictions of the effects of climate change on rising sea levels.
The research, which took place in April 2017, was part of a joint project involving the University of Southampton, the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton and British Antarctic Survey to study the changing temperatures at the bottom of the Southern Ocean.
During the three day mission, Boaty travelled 180 kilometres through mountainous underwater valleys measuring the temperature, saltiness and turbulence of the water at the bottom of the ocean. Using an echo sounder to navigate, Boaty successfully completed the perilous route, reaching depths of up to 4000 metres. It was then re-united with the rest of the project team at the programmed rendezvous location where the sub was recovered and measurements collected along its route were downloaded.
Read more at British Antarctic Survey
Image: Boaty McBoatface makes its debut into the Southern Ocean in 2017. (Credit: Povl Abrahamsen.)
