Autonomous Ocean Research Solutions - Saildrone

Autonomous Ocean Research Solutions - Saildrone

Critical Data for Weather & Climate

The ocean is critically under-explored and lacks the monitoring systems needed to understand our climate. Advanced technologies are needed to effectively monitor our ocean and gain critical insights into climate science.

Benefits

Transforming Ocean Access through Advanced Technology

Over the past decade, Saildrone USVs have redefined the art of the possible for scientific research at sea. Traditionally, researchers have relied on expensive, carbon-intensive, and scarce crewed vessels to obtain the data needed to understand our changing climate. Saildrone USVs have dramatically reduced the cost, risk, and carbon footprint associated with data collection at sea, unlocking access to vast pools of data and transforming scientists’ understanding of the ocean’s impact on Earth’s climate.

Challenging Environments

Tried and tested in the most extreme ocean conditions, Saildrone USVs have consistently proven reliable and capable of continuing to collect high-quality data. Successful operations include groundbreaking missions in the Arctic, sailing into hurricanes, and the first autonomous circumnavigation of Antarctica.

Long-term Endurance

Saildrone's patented technology supports missions lasting up to 12 months, eliminating the necessity for land-based maintenance or refueling. Annual maintenance ensures the preservation of high data quality.

Data Quality

Saildrones are equipped with industry-leading instrumentation, sensors, and cameras. The high-quality data sets they generate have been validated by leading scientists in the field and adhere to stringent scientific criteria endorsed by leading global organizations such as the WMO and the IHO.

Multiple Mission Objectives

Saildrone USVs are capable of performing missions with multiple objectives simultaneously. Offering climate science researchers mission flexibility and increased return on investment.

Unparalleled Sensor Array

The ASVCO2 sensor that Saildrone USVs carry is specifically designed for our vehicles and has been validated by carbon experts internationally. This sensor, plus the expansive suite of other environmental sensors, offers climate researchers a greater array of sensors than any other autonomous platform.

Low Carbon

Powered by renewable wind and solar energy, Saildrone USVs are environmentally friendly and deliver a low-carbon solution for gathering critical meteorological and oceanographic data that meets scientific standards.

RECENT MISSIONS

Placeholder Title

Highest wind speed recorded

Highest significant wave height

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra

176 years

RECENT MISSIONS

Improving Prediction of El Niño Weather Events in the Pacific Ocean

Saildrone Explorers

Ongoing operations

Integrating the Saildrone platform as part of the Tropical Pacific Observation System to monitor weather and climate in the Pacific Ocean.

24109.83 kts14.15 m

RECENT MISSIONS

Improving Hurricane Rapid Intensification Forecasting

Number of vehicles

Highest wind speed recorded

Highest significant wave height

The biggest challenge to hurricane forecasting is rapid intensification, which can have a huge impact if a storm intensifies just before landfall.

79.49°N 510

RECENT MISSIONS

NASA Multi-Sensor Improved Sea Surface Temperature Project

Northern latitude record

Recurring mission

Saildrone Explorers

A five-year mission to collect the first Arctic upper ocean to improve modeling of diurnal warming.

37011,910 nm0

RECENT MISSIONS

Enhancing European Ocean Observations & Forecasting

Days at sea

Total distance sailed

Amount of CO2 emitted

370 days at sea collecting CO2 data in a remote area of the Tropical Atlantic to improve global carbon projections and more sustainably manage ocean resources.

EXPLORE

Featured Resources

HOW IT WORKS

Your Mission is in Good Hands

Mission Planning

Saildrone undertakes a rigorous, comprehensive planning process in close collaboration with our customers. A thorough feasibility analysis identifies the deployment zone, and the most optimal routes for mission success are ascertained.

Mission Execution

Missions are fully managed by Saildrone, covering logistics, deployment, and operations. The Saildrone Mission Portal facilitates ongoing remote monitoring, allowing for immediate data access and quality assessment, allowing for on-the-fly adaptations to mission plans to meet customer specifications.

Post Mission

Once the vehicles return to shore, Saildrone handles all retrieval and logistical arrangements, and the raw data is downloaded and delivered to the customer.

Client Stories

Saildrone is proud to have partnered with leading organizations to help them successfully achieve their climate science mission objectives.

“

We’re grateful and happy for the cooperation with Saildrone. The team was very helpful and solutions-oriented, which was important for such a long-lasting mission as ATL2MED. We were also quite impressed by the amount of effort they put into piloting the saildrones—do they ever sleep?!”

Ingunn Skjelvan

Research Scientist at Norce Norwegian Research Centre and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research and Principal Investigator for Station Certification at ICOS

“

The completed mission with its large number of carbon measurements in this remote study area off West Africa, plus the measurements from the transit times of the saildrone, has created a reference data set that allows us to validate the measurements from other assets on the water—the Argo floats and PIRATA buoys."

Björn Fiedler

Marine Chemist at GEOMAR and Principal Investigator

Start Your Climate Science Mission

Discover how Saildrone’s autonomous vehicles equipped with mission-specific advanced sensor payloads can be used to accomplish your climate research goals.