Lecture
23: Instrumentation and Experimentation
Chapter 16 of Descriptive Physical Oceanography by Talley (2011) focuses on methods and instrumentation
for measuring the large-scale circulation and water properties of the ocean. Chereskin
and Howe (2007) provide a compendium of in situ and satellite
instrumentation and their uses in modern research oceanography
(see link below). The instrumentation and experimentation they
describe are for dynamical measurements of the ocean,
including temperature, salinity, and pressure for density.
Following is a brief list of some of the more common
instrumentation in physical oceanography.
CTD
- “Conductivity Temperature Depth” - measures salinity (S),
temperature (T), and pressure (P). The true workhorse of
physical oceanography. Usually combined with sampling bottle
rosette, as seen in the photo to the right.
ADCP
- “Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler” - measures velocity. Can
be deployed on a mooring, on a CTD package, or mounted in the
hull of a ship. All US research vessels have hull-mounted
ADCPs.
Argo
float - floats with the currents at a fixed pressure
(typically 1000 m) for a number of days (typically 10 days),
then dips to 2000 m before rising to the surface, collecting a
T,S,P profile. Once at the surface, floats transmit data to
Argos system of satellites, before sinking again to repeat
their mission. The Argo observation system consists of over
3000 floats worldwide.
CPIES
- “Current meter and Pressure sensor equipped Inverted Echo
Sounder” - measures velocity, pressure, and acoustic travel
time. Moored on the bottom of the ocean. Typically used to
estimate dynamic height and oceanic heat content.