Simultaneous Tracking and Sampling of Dynamic Oceanographic Features with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Lagrangian Drifters

Studying ocean processes often requires observations made in a Lagrangian frame of reference, that is, a frame of reference moving with a feature of interest [1]. Often, the only way to understand a process is to acquire measurements at sufficient spatial and temporal resolution within a specific feature while it is evolving. Examples of coastal ocean features whose study requires Lagrangian observations include concentrated patches of microscopic algae (Fig. 1) that are toxic and may have impacts on fisheries, marine life and humans, or a patch of low-oxygen water that may cause marine life mortality depending on its movement and mixing.