Science
NOAA Launches 5-Year Antarctic Mission to Investigate Climate Change
Hobart, Australia – A fleet of robotic ocean vessels is beginning an ambitious five year journey around Antarctica, entering some of Earth's most dangerous waters to investigate how the Southern Ocean
By Audrey Sloan · 2026-10-14T15:40:18.583Z
Hobart, Australia – A fleet of robotic ocean vessels is beginning an ambitious five year journey around Antarctica, entering some of Earth's most dangerous waters to investigate how the Southern Ocean influences global climate change.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA , the mission launched Sept. 19, 2026, from Hobart, Tasmania, with the first of four Saildrone Explorer vessels beginning a scientific expedition expected to continue through 2031.
The project, called COCO2 Constraining Ocean Carbon with Optimized Observing , will deploy additional unmanned vessels approximately every three months during 2027 to gather critical measurements from the remote Southern Ocean.
Why Scientists Are Watching Antarctica The Southern Ocean absorbs approximately 40% of the carbon dioxide taken up by the world's oceans, making it a crucial component of Earth's climate system.
However, scientists have struggled to collect consistent measurements during Antarctica's brutal winter months, when towering waves, freezing temperatures and powerful winds make traditional research expeditions dangerous.
Researchers also discovered that some Southern Ocean waters may release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during winter rather than absorb it, challenging earlier assumptions about the region's carbon cycle.
Robotic Vessels Face Extreme Conditions Each Saildrone operates using wind propulsion and solar powered instruments, allowing researchers to gather continuous information without placing crews in hazardous conditions.
The vessels measure carbon dioxide, ocean temperature, salinity, wind speed, wave conditions and other environmental factors while transmitting observations through satellite communications.
The project brings together NOAA, Columbia University, Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and other scientific partners.
Scientists hope the findings will improve climate predictions and clarify how changing ocean conditions affect the planet's ability to absorb greenhouse gases.
The expedition represents a major test of autonomous technology in one of the world's least accessible marine environments.