Applications of an ultra low‐drag towed array deployed from a glider

We have deployed a Webb Research Slocum glider towing a 21‐meter 16‐element line array in two experiments, the Makai experiment off of Kauai, and the PLUSNet experimient in Monterey Bay. A glider platform provides some unique capabilities. It is very quiet, by virtue of its buoyancy‐driven propulsion, and it visits or samples most of the water column on a regular basis, following its sawtooth dive profile. We have collected data in several configurations, including a stop‐and‐drift mode, in which the array assumes a vertical posture, recording narrowband and broadband controlled sources and ambient noise. We will present the results of processing these datasets, and discuss their implications for surveillance, seabed mapping, and ambient noise measurements.