Following the extensive press coverage of the recent marine heatwave around UK waters, we were contacted by Channel 5 News to do a short segment on our deep water observations of the heatwave using robotic underwater gliders. Professor Stuart Cunningham described the context of the current heatwave and I talked about the role of gliders in observational oceanography.
The coverage has almost exclusively used satellite SST data as few other methods provide the real-time observations necessary for up-to-date coverage. As part of the OSNAP observation program, we maintain a robotic glider near the continental shelf edge for most of the year, so were in a prime position to observe the heatwave as it unfolded in real time.
The vertical temperature profiles provided by the glider enabled us to track the propogation of the heatwave downwards. We’ll keep tabs on how it plays out over the coming weeks.
Sam Jones 