Gathering information about the ocean’s movements is difficult; most comes from research ships, which can cost $100,000 a day to run, or satellites, which can only see the surface. So while we have constant, near-perfect data about atmospheric conditions, our knowledge of the seas is sparse and usually out of date, like trying to forecast tomorrow’s wind using three-week-old measurements.
Accordingly, a startup raised $9.5 million to build autonomous underwater robots that float in the water column and record movement, temperature, and salinity daily, aiming to reduce the cost of gathering ocean data by a factor of 1,000, from the current 100-fold. Its makers envisage military uses, such as listening for submarines, as well as civilian: Detailed information about ocean currents could help fisheries and shipping.