Fullscreen HTML5Med Res (??MB)HTML4

  SILICON CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc. (Hons.) Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Ross Tester Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc Nicholas Vinen Photography Ross Tester Reader Services Ann Morris Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Rodney Champness, VK3UG Kevin Poulter Stan Swan Dave Thompson SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49 003 205 490. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Hannanprint, Noble Park, Victoria. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $105.00 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see our website or the subscriptions page in this issue. Editorial office: Unit 1, 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. Fax (02) 9939 2648. E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 Publisher’s Letter Argo drones gathering deep sea data This month, we have a most intriguing story, written by Dr David Maddison. Did you know that there are thousands of drones drifting deep in all the world’s oceans, quietly gathering temperature and other data? Most people are aware of airborne drones and their amazing capabilities in surveillance and remote warfare but few would know that there are thousands of drones in the oceans, including in the Antarctic and often right under the sea ice. This program started in 1999 so there has been a gradually increasing fleet of these drones over the last 15 years. They have since collected a mass of deep ocean data and will continue to do so at an ever increasing rate. Some 30 nations are involved in the Argo project, the USA being the biggest, followed by Australia. How can these drones communicate and deliver their collected data? They are programmed for a 10-day cycle which continues for many years, until their batteries are exhausted. For most of that 10-day cycle, they float at around 1000 metres, drifting in the deep ocean currents. Then they sink to 2000 metres and then slowly rise to the surface, logging temperature and other data as they go. They beam their data to satellites and then submerge to begin the cycle again. It is most important that all this data is collected and carefully analysed, for it will tell us much about the world’s climate and how it is changing. Undoubtedly, it will tell us a lot more about the deep ocean currents and how they contribute to ocean temperature cycles which can run over many decades. Some climate scientists believe that the current pause in “global warming” may be due to the excess heat being stored in the deep oceans. Maybe they are right but it could be many decades before the Argo drones demonstrate the truth of that notion. Arguably, the drone program may have to be considerably extended because great areas of the world’s oceans are considerably deeper than 2000 metres. This fact has been emphasised by the loss of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 which may be in very deep water indeed. So deep that very little of today’s technology has any chance of finding it. Maybe the Argo drones might have found it if they had been equipped for such monitoring. Actually, the Argo program must be regarded as an initial stage in exploring the deep oceans. While virtually all of the Earth’s land surface has been fairly thoroughly explored, much of the world’s oceans are about as well known as the far side of the Moon. For example, while we know that there are many thousands of undersea volcanoes, relatively little is known about their activity and how they might be affecting the undersea environment. Perhaps in the future we will see undersea drones which don’t merely drift with the ocean currents but which are actually self-propelled, skimming over vast areas of the ocean floor while they collect video and other data, returning to the surface to be recharged and then to be programmed again for other missions. Imagine how these might have expedited the search for Flight MH370 as pods of these things were launched, like robot dolphins, to search the seas. Or perhaps such drones could be programmed to follow whale migrations, or monitor the life of large fish shoals as they roamed the oceans. It is an exciting prospect, is it not? It is gratifying to know that Australia is taking such a major part in the Argo project and it is to be hoped that we can similarly be involved in future exploration of the world’s oceans. Leo Simpson Recommended and maximum price only. 2  Silicon Chip siliconchip.com.au