The 10th edition of PLOCAN’s Glider School brought together students from several countries, such as Canada, USA, Portugal, Australia, France, UK, Norway or Spain, with the six manufacturers of the available, operational submarine glider technologies, to remain as an international reference for high-level training on these autonomous, oceanic observation devices. The ten editions raise the number of students enrolled to 147 from 29 countries.
The new technologies provided by these vehicles allow scientists to obtain data on biogeochemical and physical parameters in surface and deep waters, and reduce the extremely high operating costs of oceanographic vessels, while at the same time, enhance their presence in the ocean. In consequence, a greater efficiency and sustainability are obtained in the context of the current ocean observing strategy, which is coordinated by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the World Meteorological Organization (OMM), and which contributes to an applied use of the information generated by these devices in a range of different socio-economic sectors of the marine-maritime industry world-wide.
The X edition of PLOCAN’s Glider School spent several specific sessions on sensors and other accessory components that comprise these autonomous observation platforms, such as satellite telemetry, with the participation of global reference users from USA, Canada and UK, who shared their experiences with the students. It also included practical sessions, both in the laboratory and in open waters of Gran Canaria.
