A new, state-of-the-art sail buoy has been launched by members of the Deep Sea to Coast Connectivity in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (Deep-C) Consortium from the R/V Apalachee, the new research vessel of Florida State University's Coastal and Marine Laboratory.

Researchers prepare to launch the surfboard-shaped Deep-C buoy into the Gulf of Mexico from the Coastal and Marine laboratory's new vessel, the R/V Apalachee.

The sail buoy, launched March 15, is similar in shape and size to a surfboard. It measures 2 meters (about 6-and-a-half feet) in length and, under prime wind conditions, maintains an average speed of 1-2 knots (approximately 1.2 to 2.3 miles per hour).

The self-powered, wind-propelled, autonomously-controlled sail buoy advances the way that scientists gather and transmit oceanic and atmospheric data.  With its two-way communications and ability to make observations over extended periods of time in all types of weather and at low cost, researchers can use the data it collects in a wide variety of ocean applications – from taking measurements to tracking oil spills to acting as a communication relay station for underwater instruments.

The sail buoy also is equipped with two-way satellite communication for real-time data streaming and waypoint updates. It is transmitting data to the Deep-C Operations Center at regular intervals as it moves along a planned course in the Gulf of Mexico. (Click here to view real-time data and the location of the sail buoy. In addition, the sail buoy blog can be accessed here.)

The Deep-C sail buoy is one of a new generation of research vehicles designed for marine observations that are enabling scientists to expand and intensify the study of our seas and oceans. It is capable of holding in place at a specific location or traveling from point to point.

The Deep-C Consortium is a long-term, interdisciplinary study of deep sea to coast connectivity in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The study is investigating the consequences of petroleum hydrocarbon release in the deep Gulf on living marine resources and ecosystem health.

Deep-C's sail buoy is on its way.

Deep-C consists of 10 major institutions that have been actively involved in assessing the impact of the Gulf oil spill. The institutions are Florida State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Naval Research Laboratory at the Stennis Space Center, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Science Application International Corporation, University of South Florida, University of West Florida and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Eric P. Chassignet, the director of FSU's Center for Oceanic and Atmospheric Prediction Studies and a professor in the university's Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, is the principal investigator of the Deep-C project. Other Florida State faculty members working on the project are Amy Baco-Taylor, Jeffrey P. Chanton, Allen J. Clark, Markus Huettel, William M. Landing, Ian MacDonald, Kevin Speer, Nicolas Wienders and Sherwood Wise, all of the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science; Coastal and Marine Laboratory director Felicia C. Coleman and lab researcher Steven L. Morey; Mark Allen Bourassa and Shawn Smith of the Center for Oceanic and Atmospheric Prediction Studies; Alan Marshall, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and researcher at FSU's National High Magnetic Field Laboratory; and Vincent Salters of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

The mission of Florida State University's Coastal and Marine Laboratory is to conduct innovative, interdisciplinary research focused on the coastal and marine ecosystems of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, with a focus on solving the ecological problems faced by the region by providing the scientific underpinnings for informed policy decisions. That mission was aided earlier this year with the acquisition of the Apalachee, a 64-foot, catamaran-style research vessel equipped with a dive platform as well as wet and dry laboratories. Led by Capt. Roseann Weglinsk, the Apalachee sleeps seven and has a full kitchen. It has a range of 1,000 nautical miles and cruises at 18 to 20 knots. The custom-built boat was a nearly two-year project completed in January 2013 with $1.6 million of funding approved by FSU Vice President of Research Kirby Kemper.