Ocean gliders track subsurface conditions to support hurricane forecasts off Hawaiʻi 

The Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) launched two autonomous Seagliders south-southeast of Hawaiʻi Island in July 2026 to track near real-time subsurface ocean conditions down to 900 meters. The PacIOOS Seagliders joined forces with two Naval Oceanographic Office Slocum gliders off Hawaiʻi and two Navy gliders off Guam.

Amid an unusually active hurricane season fueled by rising sea temperatures, these gliders are proving essential for storm tracking. Data from PacIOOS glider SG148 revealed that increased ocean heat stretched down to 60 meters during Hurricane Nolo, improving model forecasts for mixed layer depth and ocean heat content.

Meanwhile, Navy glider NG344 gathered crucial data ahead of and beneath Hurricane Lowell, directly informing National Hurricane Center forecasts and Hurricane Hunter flight planning. By delivering live temperature, depth, dissolved oxygen, and salinity profiles directly to the National Hurricane Center and NWS Honolulu, this collaborative fleet is helping keep communities better prepared.

• Data from all six glider missions are available from the IOOS Glider-Data Assembly Center.
• The data from the PacIOOS gliders are also on PacIOOS Voyager under Observations, Remotely Operated Vehicles, UH: sg_148_018 and UH: sg_511_023.