Unmanned autonomous sailing: Current status and future role in sustained ocean observations

Sea surface measurements with higher temporal and spatial resolution than satellite observations, manned expeditions, moored buoys, Lagrangian floats, and other contemporary methods could result from using unmanned autonomous sailing craft for sustained oceanographic observations. Energetically sustainable mission-specific systems for environmental event forecasting and meteorological and ocean condition distribution tracing over a long-term period could result from mission-specific autonomous sailing platforms. The motivation for wind-powered unmanned autonomous vehicle use for oceanographic/meteorological measurements is briefly discussed in this paper, which also introduces aspects of a Florida Atlantic University-developed vehicle, outlines some current and past work, comments on significant historical considerations, and concludes by pressing policy issues and future work recommendations.

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