the glider sink. The hull is designed to have compressibility similar to that of water thus increasing the efficiency of this mechanism. Wings enable a glider to move horizontally as it dives or climbs and a rudder is used to control the direction. Using an average of just 1.5 W, less power than most bicycle lamps, gliders have been designed for endurance. They are typically able to 'fly' from the surface to 1,000 m depth and back to the surface, while traveling about 4 km horizontally, in around 3 hours. While at sea the gliders surface several times a day and transmit the data they have collected via satellite communications. Scientists are also able to send new instructions to the gliders. "Gliders are one of the technological developments that are changing the way we observe the ocean and it very exciting for us to be at the forefront of their application in ocean and climate science", says Dr David Smeed. In September 2008, Dr. Smeed led a NOCS team that launched an underwater glider in the Eastern Atlantic as part of the NERC-funded Rapid-Watch program (www.noc.soton.ac.uk/rapid) that monitors the meridional overturning circulation of the Atlantic. Also known as the 'Atlantic heat conveyor' this is the system of ocean currents that transports heat polewards, thereby influencing European climate. In February 2007, NOCS scientists celebrated the success of the inaugural research expedition by the £4.5 million remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Isis, which explored the seabed around the Marguerite Bay area on the west side of the Antarctic. Isis dived to depths of 3,500 m to map the continental shelf edge and the deep continental slope. It captured superb images of a diverse array of sea life, as well as geological features. 10,000 m of cable connect Isis to its 'mother ship', allowing scientists to control the vehicle and receive data. Isis measures 2.7m long, 2m high and 1.5m wide, weighs about 3,000kg in the air, and was built to withstand the enormous pressures at full ocean depth. She carries lights, cameras to produce highquality video and still pictures, sonars for acoustic navigation and imaging, and two remotely controlled manipulator arms to collect samples or place scientific instruments on the seabed. Since then, Isis has been deployed on cruises in the Atlantic and Pacific. The British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF), housed at NOCS as an international resource, currently preserves over 1,000 sediment cores collected over several decades (see www.boscorf.org). It provides advanced non-destructive core logging and analysis opportunities to researchers from around the world. This collection of cores is a key source of material
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for scientists, including those studying past climate change and geohazards such as underwater landslides and tsunamis. Expensive to collect, cores have to be stored under optimum conditions to prevent them drying out. BOSCORF provides a world-class curatorial and research facility that provided outstanding opportunities for training PhD students in core analysis techniques. The new pressure facility (www.noc.soton.ac.uk/obe/PROJECTS/DEEPSEAS/fac _pages/press_lab.htm) at the center provides a unique asset for the study of deep-sea organisms under pressurized conditions. NOCS scientists are currently working on the ecological and physiological links between shallow and deep faunas such as seafloor communities found in the Southern Ocean and the North Atlantic, including animals living around hydrothermal vent. The 20 m catamaran RV Callista was commissioned in 2005 and is used for research, outreach and teaching, particularly student fieldwork. With a robust A-frame mounted on the stern, she is capable of deploying equipment weighing three tonnes. She can carry 30 passengers, and has a working deck aft, a wet lab amidships and a dry lab forward - all with wheelchair access. During 2008, over 2,000 people participated in one of the many 'Discover Oceanography' sessions undertaken aboard the vessel (see www.soes.soton.ac.uk/resources/oceandiscovery). Most of these sessions were provided for visiting school groups. The centre also runs a unique, interactive web-based project (www.classroomatsea.net) giving children everywhere an opportunity to learn more about the marine environment.
Education and Training
The University of Southampton is one of the Top 10 research universities in the country, especially in oceanography and engineering, and NOCS is a natural choice for undergraduate and postgraduate students, both nationally and internationally, across the spectrum of disciplines represented at the centre. This, coupled with the fact that NOCS is one of the largest Earth and marine science communities in Europe, ensures that students are working in an environment that fosters excellence in teaching. Undergraduates are taught within the University's School of Ocean and Earth Science (SOES), which is based at NOCS (see www.southampton.ac.uk/soes). The variety of undergraduate degree programmes at SOES has been designed to emphasise the broad-based nature of the Earth and marine sciences and encompasses geology, geophysics, oceanography, marine biology and ocean and Earth System science. One key element is the provision of
March 2009
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