A 7-meter uncrewed saildrone has departed Hobart on a 22,000 km journey around Antarctica. Powered by solar and wind, it will spend up to nine months collecting data on carbon dioxide levels in the ocean and atmosphere. The mission aims to improve understanding of how the Southern Ocean absorbs human emissions, which currently offset about a third of annual CO2 output. Researchers worry that ocean carbon uptake could weaken due to warming waters, stronger westerly winds, melting ice, and acidification. If absorption declines, the rate of atmospheric CO2 buildup would accelerate, making emissions reductions even more urgent. This autonomous vessel provides continuous measurements across a vast area, including winter data that crewed ships rarely capture. The vessel is the first of four planned saildrones. Data will be relayed in near real-time and released for research after quality checks. Insights from this fleet will feed into climate models and carbon budget assessments, helping scientists track whether ocean sinks are changing as expected.
