Green Marine UK has deployed a series of cutting-edge underwater gliders in the North Sea to support a ground-breaking data-collecting exercise led by the UK’s National Oceanography Centre and the Met Office.
Operating for 6-month intervals, the specialist underwater gliders will survey ocean depths approaching 200m for a three-year period. The project aims to dramatically improve the collection and distribution of data supporting both weather and ocean forecasts, which are vital for vessels operating in the territory.
A range of measurements including salinity and temperature will be delivered to the Met Office in near real-time. It forms part of a wider program to increase the amount of observational data fed into a new supercomputer, supporting continuous work by the Met Office to improve forecast accuracy.
Green Marine UK Operations & Technology Director Myles Metson said the Orkney-based firm managed the launch of five gliders this year adding to previous projects with National Oceanography Centre dating back to 2022. Around 24 hours is required to complete glider deployment or recovery, which is planned within a one-week window.
“We’re thrilled to be expanding our relationship with National Oceanography Centre supporting this ground-breaking initiative in the North Sea. It builds on a number of similar projects dating back several years. As the work scope expanded, Green Marine technicians travelled to NOC’s Southampton base to receive specialist training on best practice across a range of areas. This included pre-deployment, deployment and recovery strategies as well as on site glider maintenance, battery charging and data extraction post recovery. In order to optimise deployment and recovery missions, our team has also developed a purpose-built frame to handle the gliders stationed on board the Green Quest and Green Isle vessels.”
The latest NOC contracts add to Green Marine’s growing track record managing ocean monitoring devices including work scopes for Blueocean Tech Systems, where the Green Quest and Green Isle deployed and recovered six specialist underwater gliders around the West Coast of Scotland.
The news comes weeks after National Oceanography Centre announced it has secured £41.4 million, part of a larger £101 million investment from NERC’s National Capability Single Centre Science and National Public Good initiatives, supporting research on atmospheric, polar, freshwater, and terrestrial environments.
This wider funding package will advance environmental observation, data science, and analysis across the UK, driving innovations crucial for climate resilience, natural resource management, and national security.
National Oceanography Centre Engineering Manager Stephen Woodward said: “The National Oceanography Centre excels in supplying innovative technology, which include our state-of-the-art gliders, to institutions like the Met Office. The gliders we are providing are capable of operating independently for long periods of time whilst their cutting-edge sensors excel at gathering crucial information about the state of our oceans. Securing a better understanding of ocean circulation and the data gathering potential of gliders is a key driving factor behind the project. It will be vital to inform future ocean modelling conditions and weather patterns, and, in time, this will support decision making in vital UK services, such as search and rescue, counter-pollution, and ocean biodiversity.”
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