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
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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.
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Client Stories
Saildrone is proud to have partnered with leading organizations to help them successfully achieve their climate science mission objectives.
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We now have a gold mine of data. We have doubled the current 20-year data set on white shark diving behaviors and environmental preferences in just three weeks; we have used shipboard tools that provided a rapid census of the predators and prey of a remote ocean region. This helps to establish a baseline of observations that will help us better understand the persistence of this unique environment and why it attracts such large predators.”
Barbara Block
Marine Biologist at Stanford University
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Coastal upwelling and western boundary currents are two critical areas of the world's oceans associated with small scale mesoscale (<100km) and submesoscale (<10km) features. Saildrone will provide a powerful tool for understanding how best to apply satellite-derived products in these critical areas of the world's oceans.”
Jorge Vazquez
Research Scientist at NASA Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC)
