NOAA Autonomous Surface Vehicle in Narragansett Bay during testing. Goat Island and the Newport Bridge in the background.

Beyond Ocean Mapping: Using Uncrewed Vehicles to Advance Ocean Research

8/26/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. It’s January off of Nantucket Shoals. An uncrewed surface vehicle begins a series of carefully planned transects through Southern New England, collecting data day and night. There are no scientists onboard, but the 30-foot vessel is constantly measuring ocean currents, water temperature, salinity, weather and other ocean… SEE MORE

This Device Has Been Measuring Plankton Since the 1930s

10/30/2019 - By Cathleen O'Grady. In the winter of 2013, a mass of warm water began to spread throughout the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Blob wreaked havoc on marine life—sea lion pups starved, seabirds died, and salmon fisheries suffered. Helping to unravel this mess is the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR), an antique… SEE MORE