A solar boat that began a 19-month voyage around the world back in 2010 has set sail again, this time for the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
When PlanetSolar's Tûranor (that's "power of the sun" in Elvish) successfully completed its circumnavigation in May of last year, its founders and backers promised it would remain seaworthy, but they weren't sure exactly what purpose it would serve. There was talk of converting it into a solar-powered luxury yacht, or using its battery as an oceangoing power supply.
Now, the 115-foot Swiss-flagged catamaran will be used by the University of Geneva to conduct experiments and take measurements along the Gulf Stream in a project known as PlanetSolar DeepWater. After six months of maintenance, including the installation of an entirely new immersed propeller system, the boat set sail toward Morocco on Thursday. From there it will cross the Atlantic and begin another transatlantic journey from Miami to Bergen, Norway, with stops in New York, Boston and Reykjavik, Iceland.
On board will be the Biobox, an aerosol analyzer developed by researchers at the University of Geneva that will be used to determine the impact of aerosols on climate change and air quality. The Biobox can't take accurate measurements with a nearby engine emitting exhaust, so a solar boat is a boon for the Swiss research team.
The scientists on the *Tûranor *will also be examining how phytoplankton can regulate climate. Also of interest will be thermohaline circulation – the flow of waters among oceans due to changes in density and temperature. The PlanetSolar team will be paying special attention to those locations where surface waters flow deep to the ocean's floor, feeding the currents known as the "ocean conveyor belt."
As with the first voyage, *Tûranor *will be used as a roving public service announcement as well as a research vessel, with publicity surrounding its stops in different ports.