"A small uncrewed vessel has embarked on a lap around Antarctica and may not return for months.
The seven-metre craft, which looks like a large kayak in hi-vis orange, is expected to travel about 22,000km through inhospitable waters, propelled by powerful westerly winds and energy from the sun. The journey is seven times the distance between Sydney and Perth.
Along the way, it is expected to encounter massive waves, freezing temperatures, ferocious winds, and even the odd curious seal or albatross.
The mission? To collect data on carbon dioxide in the ocean and atmosphere, to help scientists better understand the role of ocean sinks.
Dr Elizabeth Shadwick, a principal research scientist at the CSIRO, said that after leaving Hobart the vessel would travel east towards New Zealand, “eventually scooching through the Drake Passage between the bottom of South America and Antarctica, then coming along past South Africa and back to us here, where we’ll pick it up.”"
#SailDrone
#ClimateChange
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/26/saildrone-unmanned-hurricane-proof-ship-antarctica-climate-hobart
