Douglas Webb, Oceanographer Emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is a visionary leader that has changed oceanography over the last half-century. He pioneered the development of buoyancy systems (floats and gliders) which have revolutionized the way scientists approach gathering ocean data.
Doug Webb lived adjacent to Henry Stommel, arguably the most important oceanographer of the 20th century, and they often discussed/debated the future of exploring the world’s ocean. These discussions were the inspiration for a manuscript published in 1988 by Henry Stommel – “The Slocum Mission”. The manuscript envisioned long-duration underwater robots conducting research across the globe as they sailed under the control of graduate students remotely.
In the late 1990’s, Doug Webb developed and tested the first Slocum glider in Tuckerton, New Jersey, working with Rutgers oceanographers. The Slocum glider was given its namesake after Joshua Slocum, who was the first man to circumnavigate the world alone. This initial test flight has blossomed into a multidecadal partnership between Teledyne Webb Research and Rutgers University’s Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RU COOL). Since then, the partnership has conducted glider deployments around the world to push the boundaries of modern day research. Today, Rutgers and Teledyne continue seeking to meet the challenge issued by Stommel with a new mission.
Building on the success of the Scarlet Knight mission in 2009 – where Rutgers undergraduates piloted a Slocum glider across the Atlantic Ocean basin in what became noted as one of the most important robotic achievements in history – a series of global ‘Challenger’ missions were subsequently launched. These missions expanded upon the Scarlet Knight’s demonstration as Rutgers students used Slocum gliders to circle the South Atlantic Basin, fly between Australia and Sri Lanka, and explore new frontiers of the ocean. Now, on a mission to truly circumnavigate the world with a glider, RU COOL and Rutgers undergraduates in partnership with Teledyne Webb Research now seek to initiate the global Sentinel Mission. This mission will test a novel new class of glider, conduct a global mission of human partnership, and provide a unique learning experience for students around the world.