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Boaty McBoatface, the UK's favourite yellow submarine, has returned from its first major science expedition. The vehicle was used in the Antarctic to map the movement of deep, cold water as it moves away from the White Continent towards the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists say this flow of water plays an important role in helping to regulate the Earth's climate system. Boaty made a total of three dives, reaching down to 4,000m below the surface. And by all accounts, it acquired a remarkable set of new data.
"We were extremely pleased with Boaty's performance," said Prof Alberto Naveira-Garabato from the University of Southampton, the lead scientist for the investigations conducted from the deck of the Royal Research Ship James Clark Ross. "Boaty's longest dive was over three days, covering 180km. Boaty flew through some very strong currents, very close to the ocean bottom and encountered some really steep terrain. And it did this while running through a very complex sampling pattern."
Boaty was programmed to swim through a narrow gap in the ocean-floor ridge that extends northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Known as the Orkney Passage, this opening is a critical "valve" in the so-called "great ocean conveyor" - the relentless system of deep circulation that helps redistribute all the heat energy that has built up in the climate system. There is evidence that this flow of bottom-water is warming, perhaps because of a strengthening of the winds over the Southern Ocean.
Prof Naveira-Garabato told BBC News: "When the winds change speed they can lead to an acceleration or deceleration of the currents carrying the bottom-water out of Antarctica. And when these currents change speed they will produce more or less turbulence depending on whether they go faster or slower, and that can change how much heat gets mixed into the currents from above, because the waters above are warmer."
That could have a number of important implications, not least for sea-level rise, because if the bottom-water is warming it will expand and push up the ocean surface. Boaty took temperature, salinity (saltiness), current, and turbulence measurements on its deep dives.
"On the cruise, we also took lots of measurements from the ship using profiling instruments, giving us very high-resolution in depth, but at a fixed point in time and space,” explained Dr Povl Abrahamsen from the British Antarctic Survey. “And we recovered instruments that had been moored in the area over the last two years, giving us good coverage in time, but again at a fixed point and depth. The data from Boaty fills in the gaps between these measurements, yielding data that we can’t get in any other way."
The sub's exploits were not all trouble free, however. At the start of one dive, Boaty encountered a swarm of krill so dense that its echo sounders thought it was approaching the seabed even though it was only at 80m depth. The sub returned to the surface as a consequence.
"Boaty is cutting-edge technology, and is still under development. As is always the case when pushing the boundaries, a few minor mishaps did occur," said Dr Abrahamsen, "But we learn from these problems, rectify them, and it makes Boaty more reliable in the future, enabling it to undertake more complex missions, farther away from ship support."
It is good to start with something of lesser complexity: "What we are doing in fact is providing proof of concept, of the strategy outlined in Sir John Parkers National Shipbuilding Strategy report commissioned by UK Government."
, if nothing elseThis is not an official christening or naming ceremonyThe launch of the RRS Sir David Attenborough at Cammell Laird.
The launch of hull number 1390 (RRS Sir David Attenborough) at Cammell Laird Shipyard on Saturday 14th July 2018 was filmed by Mills Media and British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Because there was a safety exclusion zone around the hull, filming was carefully controlled. Mills media deployed fixed video cameras and British Antarctic Survey used its Unmanned Airborne System (drones) technology to capture an amazing event in the life of our ship. This footage was live-streamed on the BAS website
The RRS Sir David Attenborough is the new polar research ship for Britain, and it is being built at Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead. This video shows the superstructure, which contains the final 6 decks and includes the bridge, helicopter hangar and accommodation, being moved out of the construction hall and lifted onto the hull.
Once the RRS Sir David Attenborough becomes fully operational in late 2019, she will be operated by British Antarctic Survey for the entire UK polar science community. She will operate in both Antarctica and the Arctic, undertaking research cruises and resupplying research stations. The ship is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council
Anything to go by, in the T31 drum beat context? And has been (?) a single yard effort.bobp wrote:Very impressed at the speed it has been built.
The efficiency with which this vessel has been built can have done no harm to the CL/BAE T31 bid.ArmChairCivvy wrote:Anything to go by, in the T31 drum beat context? And has been (?) a single yard effort.bobp wrote:Very impressed at the speed it has been built.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were joined by Sir David Attenborough for the naming ceremony of the UK's new polar research ship.
Hundreds of thousand of people voted to call the ship Boaty McBoatface however the name was vetoed with it officially being named RRS Sir David Attenborough after the conservationist.
Prince William said there was "no person more fitting" for the ship to be named after, while Kate said it gave her "great pleasure" to honour him.
Learn about how the new polar research vessel, the RRS Sir David Attenborough was designed and constructed at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead.
Nearly two years after launch, much-delayed RRS Sir David Attenborough moved out of the builders yard
at Cammell Laird and onto the river Mersey yesterday - now berthed at Liverpool Cruise Terminal
