Accelerating Pacific-wide PAM-glider operations

More information can be found on our PAM-Glider site.

Team Leads

Erin Oleson (PIFSC), Shannon Rankin (SWFSC)

Goal

Develop a Research to Operations plan intended to serve all regions to integrate PAM gliders into assessment missions, reducing ship-time needs.

PAM-Glider National Roadmap

1. Identify & Test Technology

Build Capacity

Develop and expand PAM-Glider capacity at SWFSC and PIFSC including diversification of platforms and acoustic processors for diversification, to reduce risk, and to encourage competitive technological advancement.

Testing

Field testing is occurring as new PAM-gliders are procured (updates). A multi-platform comparative sea trial is tentatively planned for FY26 and will provide a means of comparing the utility of various platforms to address different research questions and environmental conditions.

2. Concurrent Glider/Ship Surveys

US West Coast CalCurCEAS

PAM-Gliders may provide cost effective alternatives to seasonal shipboard surveys. We collaborated with Oregon State University to deploy three PAM-gliders off the coast of Oregon. This survey coincided with the periodic CalCurCEAS surveys (conducted once every 5 years) and will provide data to develop downstream methods to assess marine mammal stocks (see PAM-SI Stock Assessment Projects).

Hawaii HICEAS

A similar survey will be conducted in early 2026, concurrent with the HICEAS survey in Hawaiian waters. This will serve as a proof of concept and provide critical comparative data for developing stock assessment models.

3. Advanced Data Analysis

Data collected during the US West Coast surveys will be used by the PAM-SI Stock Assessment team to develop methods for using PAM Glider data for stock assessment models.

4. Field Test Ecosystem Studies (UxS funded “Plankton to Whales”)

The “Plankton to Whales” (P2W) project is a collaborative project between the PAM-SI and the UxS (uncrewed systems) and Optics Strategic Initiatives. The P2W project transitions PAM-equipped gliders and Shadowgraph-equipped gliders to operational ecological surveys. P2W surveys will begin when after testing of these systems (as soon as summer 2025).

5. Transition to Operations Plan –> National Roadmap

We are updating developments through our PAM-Glider site and the results of each of these components will result in a Transition to Operations plan. In addition to serving as a research to operations plan for the US West Coast and Hawaii, it will serve as a National Strategy RoadMap for PAM-Glider operations.