Buoys aren’t the only thing collecting data while floating through Great Lakes waters. Researchers also use robotic underwater gliders that travel for miles to collect data on organic matter, conductivity, oxygen content, and more, sometimes staying out for three months!

The Great Lakes Observing System just purchased a brand new Slocum G3 glider, and our partners at the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research have been hard at work getting it prepped for its first mission.

Watch as Russ and Hayden “unbox” the glider and explain what this amazing device is capable of.

Observing