Hi everyone,
Just a brief, simple update on Silbo.
Silbo's Path as of the 25th
Lot of Eddys
The first image is a picture of Silbo’s path so far as of 11:52am, June 25th. The second is a zoomed-out version of the first, as you can see, the closer we get to the Canary Islands, the stronger the currents (larger arrows) and the prevalence of eddys increases (large orange-red swirls). Piloting Silbo through these eddys is crucial because should we get caught in one, we’ll have to fight its pull, which will drain our battery and possibly send us off course. There is also a SSH (sea surface height) overlay on top of the second image. Blue-green waters in Silbo’s prospective area, a good sign of relatively calm waters.
Overview of the North Atlantic Ocean
Here’s an image of the North Atlantic Ocean with a temperature overlay. It’s difficult to see the eddys here but once again, we’re trying to avoid the “darker black swirls.” But, it’s easy to see the goal of the first leg of the Challenger Mission, flying from the dark blue, cold Arctic waters to the red, warmer waters to the South.
These final two pictures are profiles sent back from Silbo. The smooth lines in the first picture indicate that Silbo is cruising smoothly and the second image is that of the data that Silbo is currently collecting.
-Oliver