As 13 trillion gallons of floodwater flowed into the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Harvey, researchers from Texas A&M’s Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG) realized that this freshwater plume was potentially headed towards the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

They needed an efficient way to monitor water quality and understand the impacts to the ecosystem. And they needed to move quickly.

In this case study, you’ll learn how the Wave Glider: 

• Was rapidly mobilized by the GERG and Liquid Robotics teams after the storm
• Acted as an early warning system positioned ahead of the freshwater plume
• Collected salinity and temperature measurements every five minutes, reporting those back to shore every 30 minutes