Several members of the Bergen branch of the National Geophysical Society (https://geofysikk.org/) attended descended upon the NorGliders’ lab in Laksevåg for an afternoon tour and pizza.
Members joining the tour were shown a selection of gliders, the water tank where gliders are tested and balanced, and the impressive ROV. The highlight of the tour was the talk given by a member of the team, Ailin Brakstad, who had a glider laid out in pieces across a table. Ailin described how the gliders work, using compressed oil to change the volume of a bladder to control buoyancy, sliding the heavy battery back and forth to move the centre of gravity and adjust pitch, and using a rotating weight to sideways tilt the glider to change its heading. After the tour, members enjoyed pizza and soda, with much discussion about operations of the gliders, previous losses and difficulties, piloting skills, and potential alternative uses for gliders. Some members continued the conversation after the lab while taking advantage of the fine spring weather to walk to the local bar and enjoy a beer together.
NorGliders (https://norgliders.gfi.uib.no/) is a research initiative at the Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, with a team of researchers and engineers who work with long-endurance, semi-autonomous underwater drones called Ocean Gliders. These vehicles dive to 1000 meters collecting high-resolution ocean data, including temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll concentration. These observations provide better understanding of ocean circulations and marine ecosystems. NGF would like to thank the NorGliders lab for the opportunity and a great tour. This was the first event of the Bergen branch since its transition from the Bergen Geophysical Society to being the Bergen division of the national Norwegian Geophysical Society and it was a great success. Members are looking forward to future events in the fall.
Photos courtesy of Stephen Outten.