A small yellow submarine called Boaty McBoatface is set to travel to Antarctica this week for its first science expedition.
The name of the submarine was derived after the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) conducted a competition to label its newest ship.
Boaty is a new type of self-driving underwater vehicle that will travel to the depths of Antarctica and transmit the data it collects to researchers via a radio link. The robot submarine will investigate the water flow and turbulence of the 3.5 kilometer Orkney Passage in the Southern Ocean. The data collected will help scientists understand how the ocean is reacting to the global warming.
Boaty McBoatface was named through an online poll conducted by NERC to name its new polar research ship. BBC Radio Jersey's James Hand jokingly suggested "Boaty McBoatface," which instantly became popular and won the majority votes. However, NERC opted to disregard the public's preference and eventually named the ship the Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough, after the namesake naturalist and broadcaster.
Instead, a smaller autonomous underwater vehicle was later named Boaty McBoatface to allow room for silliness and humor while respecting the public's votes. British Antarctic Survey explains that Boaty will travel with the DynOPO (Dynamics of the Orkney Passage Outflow) as part of an expedition that begins on Friday.
The Antarctic Bottom Water is cold and dense contributing to the movement of the ocean circulation worldwide. But over time the abyssal waters of the world ocean have been warming, and researchers are eager to know more, hence, Boaty McBoatface's journey.
It will serve as a tool for scientists to gather information on the intensity of turbulence in the Orkney Passage, which, in turn, will help in improving climate change models. "Establishing the causes of this warming is important because the warming plays an important role in moderating the ongoing (and likely future) increases in atmospheric temperature and sea level around the globe," Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato wrote in the press release.
Meanwhile, the UK's National Oceanography Center has created a cartoon version of Boaty McBoatface to help children know more about marine research. A full-sized inflatable of the submarine will travel to events across the country.