Using small swarm-capable AUVs for submesoscale eddy measurements in the Baltic Sea

Abstract

This paper presents an approach using small and swarm-capable autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) as flexible measurement devices for observing oceanic submesoscale eddies. The robots equipped with environmental sensors are placed near interesting oceanographic structures to measure the water column along different trajectories. The robots communicate acoustically while diving in a saw tooth pattern underneath the surface. This measurement strategy enables high-resolution sensor data on the one hand and a fast reaction to changing conditions in the observed region on the other hand.