Ocean Technology

Expand our ability to explore the ocean through technological innovation.

  • Telepresence and ROVs/AUVs - The Inner Space Center (ISC) telepresence facility is an international hub for ocean science exploration and education. Through its advanced state-of-the-art facilities, the ISC expands the number of scientists engaged in live expeditions, inspires the next generation of ocean explorers, and supports some of the largest ocean science education and outreach initiatives in the country. […]
  • Remote Sensing - At GSO, archives of satellite sensor data recording sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a dating back to the first collections provide researchers interested in all aspects of circulation in the surface ocean with data to study phenomena such as latitudinal heat advection, ocean current speed and directions, surface ocean eddies, and climate change. Using a […]
  • Oceanographic Analysis, Assays, and Techniques - GSO seismologists advanced the science of detecting and analyzing pressure waves caused by earthquakes, landslides, and nuclear explosions through development of a novel modeling approach called full-wave seismic analysis. This method extracts much more information from these phenomena than captured by older, standard ray-tracing methods. GSO’s high-powered computer clusters allow detection of small seismic events […]
  • Instrument Development - Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) developed primarily at GSO carry a variety of sensors to detail current, temperature, dissolved oxygen salinity, and can characterize sediments with side-scan sonar. A small and light remote-controlled ASV (kayak-size) operates for up to eight hours at a time and serves research and educational purposes in the Bay. A larger 30-ft […]
  • Climate Change - The effects of climate change now and in the future is the subject of several physical oceanography studies at GSO. By documenting temporal variations of ocean fronts (observed gradients in sea surface temperatures using satellite sensors) and the large-scale current velocities (Gulf Stream speed using current profilers), GSO scientists are able to observe any change […]
  • Hurricanes and Tsunamis - Tropical cyclones (hurricanes) routinely invading our shores are of great concern to residents who live in coastal regions. Mathematical models incorporating ocean data along with atmospheric data developed by GSO scientists improve the reliability and accuracy of the hurricane prediction models used by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center and the Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center. These […]
  • Inside Earth - Earthquakes, explosions, pyroclastic flows, and tsunamis can result from oceanic volcanic activity, both from underwater and island volcanoes. Documenting these volcanic edifices and ash flows resulting from eruptions is important in mitigating the resulting hazards to nearby residents. Ocean explorers at GSO routinely discover and map volcanic regions and associated ash flows using Remotely Operated […]
  • The siting of wind turbines relies heavily on overall weather trends in any particular onshore or offshore area. Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions - The atmosphere is primarily comprised of nitrogen and oxygen. Understanding the remaining compounds and gasses, including greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, is critical for addressing air quality concerns. GSO atmospheric chemists utilize airplane-based sensors to measure these minor components as key inputs to transport models defining the residence time (length of time […]