Blog Post Image: Scientists Use Marine Robots to Detect Endangered Whales

The gliders are operated by Dave Fratantoni, a scientist in the WHOI Physical Oceanography Department. In use by oceanographers for about a decade, gliders move up, down, and laterally in a sawtooth pattern through the water by changing their buoyancy and using their wings to provide lift. They are battery powered and exceptionally quiet — a critical feature when collecting acoustic data. (Photo by Nick Woods, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)