Integrating the Ocean Observing System: Mobile Platforms

Abstract

Potential extensions to each of the ocean observing system's mobile platform networks, made possible by new technologies, are examined with respect to the value of the complete observing system. The autonomous instrument networks now have the potential for the truly global scope that will come from extensions to high latitudes, into marginal seas and the deep ocean, and by high-resolution sampling in boundary currents. The autonomous networks can accommodate new sensors, including oxygen, chlorophyll-A, and particulate organic carbon, and coordination with shipboard and moored platform programs will enable studies of the impacts of climate variability and change on biogeochemistry and ecosystems. The systems required to observe ocean surface properties, surface circulation, and air-sea exchanges merit further study since improvements in these areas will come not only from new instrumentation but through better coordination between networks and better use of research and commercial vessels. The observing system infrastructure must evolve in parallel with the system's scope and complexity. Expanded roles are seen for smaller research vessels, including instrument deployment and recovery, reference-quality profile measurements and underway surface observations. The data management system must provide the rigorous control needed for the production of research quality datasets. The challenge in providing these enhancements to the ocean observing system is to define and achieve an optimal mix of shipboard and autonomous observations to deliver climate-quality datasets in a cost-efficient manner that exploits the synergies between satellite and in situ observations.

Sustaining observations of the unsteady ocean circulation

“…The depth coverage of Argo supplements the spatial and temporal resolution of altimetry. Eulerian timeseries from moorings complement the slowly profiling but high vertical resolution of glider data [49], whereas the spatial evolution from satellite data compensates for the slow translational speeds of gliders [46,62]. In a hybrid between point measurements and spatial coverage, a recent experiment used gliders to analyse the ocean from a Lagrangian frame of reference.…”

“…As noted above, Argo floats only measure the top 2000 m in water and away from boundaries. New measurements will extend both to the deep ocean (below 2000 m) and to the marginal seas (regions between 0 and 2000 m deep), and will need to address the challenges associated with each [49]. The deep ocean observations are critical for estimating decadal changes in Earth's radiation balance [50], but are currently limited to ship-based hydrography.…”

In Situ Sustained Eulerian Observatories

“…Cronin (5) , K.L. Hill (6) , Y. Kaneda (7) , D.M. Karl (4) , A.H. Knap (8) , M.J. McPhaden (5) , K.A.…”

Initial set of oceanographic data from Bay of Bengal using an underwater glider as mobile sensor node

“…The unique features of the Slocum electric glider are operating depth (1000 m), horizontal speed (0.35 m/s), small size and Iridium communication system with global range. Only a few technical groups in the world manufacture and operate underwater gliders 27 . However, gliders have not been operated in the Indian Ocean so far [28][29][30] .…”