Sentinel Gliders: A New Frontier of Ocean Observing

Abstract Buoyancy-driven underwater gliders are essential components of the global ocean observing system. While traditional gliders have demonstrated remarkable endurance and operational reliability across a range of scientific missions, their limited energy and payload capacity constrain their use for complex, long-duration, multisensor deployments. The Teledyne Webb Research Sentinel glider represents a generational advance in this platform lineage. With significantly increased battery capacity, expanded buoyancy control, and support for high-power sensors, Sentinel enables persistent, basin-scale ocean monitoring that integrates physical, chemical, and biological observations within a single platform. Here, we present an overview of the Sentinel platform and discuss a set of hypothetical, yet transformative, applications enabled by recent advances in glider technology, including multisensor ecological monitoring and edge-based adaptive sampling. Sentinel offers a critical step toward globally distributed, intelligent ocean observation. Its inaugural global circumnavigation mission will demonstrate both the technical viability and scientific potential of this next-generation glider class.