by Ocean’s Role in Oceanographic Monitoring System
The ocean plays a vital role in regulating Earth’s climate and weather patterns. Covering over 70% of the planet’s surface, the ocean acts as a giant heat reservoir. It absorbs a significant amount of the sun’s energy and releases it slowly back into the atmosphere, maintaining a relatively stable global temperature. The ocean also circulates heat around the globe through ocean currents, influencing regional climates. Any changes in ocean properties can have widespread implications on global as well as regional weather and climate. Continuous monitoring of the ocean is thus essential to understand climate change phenomena and support weather forecasting.
Oceanographic Monitoring Parameters
Oceanographers mainly monitor various physical, chemical and biological parameters of the ocean to understand climate-related changes and their impacts. Some of the key parameters include:
– Sea surface temperature: The fluctuation in sea surface temperature impacts weather patterns and cyclonic activities. Continuous temperature monitoring helps in seasonal and long-term climate forecasting.
– Ocean currents: Major ocean currents like Gulf Stream and Kuroshio Current redistribute heat globally. Current monitoring provides insights into regional climate changes.
– Sea level: Sea level rise is a direct consequence of warming oceans and melting ice sheets. Precise sea level measurements help assess impacts of climate change.
– Salinity: Changes in precipitation and ice melt alter ocean salinity. Long-term salinity data aids in understanding the land-sea water interaction.
– Dissolved carbon dioxide: The ocean absorbs a significant amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Monitoring CO2 levels helps determine the ocean’s role as a carbon sink.
– Phytoplankton bloom: Ocean color satellites detect phytoplankton blooms which impact fisheries as well as carbon cycle. Such data supports marine ecosystem research.
Oceanographic Monitoring Technologies
Advancements in oceanographic Oceanographic monitoring systems instrumentation and sensors have enabled continuous, real-time monitoring of ocean conditions on a global scale. Some of the widely used monitoring technologies include:
– XBTs/Expendable Bathythermographs: Disposable devices that measure vertical temperature profiles up to 1000m depth, deployed from research and volunteer observing ships. Over 7500 profiles collected monthly provide a detailed view of ocean sub-surface temperature structures.
– Argo Floats: Free-drifting robotic probes that dive to 2000m, drifting for 10 days before surfacing to transmit observed temperature and salinity data via satellite. Over 4000 active floats globally deliver temperature-salinity profiles within top 2000m of the ocean.
– Tide gauges: Water level sensors installed at coastal locations to precisely measure changes in sea levels, important for assessing climate change impacts. Over 200 years of data from select stations provide a long-term sea level record.
– Moored buoys: Anchored to the seafloor, equipped with various sensors to monitor conditions like wind speed, air pressure, sea temperature etc. around the clock for over a year before servicing. Over 50 active global tropical moorings aid weather and climate studies.
– Ship-based observations: Research vessels conduct routine measurements of physical, chemical and biological properties along standard ocean sections using CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) sensors and water samplers. Provide high resolutionsnapshots of the ocean’s status.
– Ocean satellite altimeters: Instruments that bounce radar pulses off the sea surface to precisely measure sea levels, wave heights and wind speeds globally with high spatial resolution. Over 25 years of continuous satellite altimeter records have revolutionized ocean observations.
– Ocean color radiometers: Passive imaging sensors that detect color of ocean waters and derive information on phytoplankton pigment concentration and other water quality parameters with daily global coverage at moderate resolution. Ocean color data since 1997 has found widespread uses.
Coordinated Global Oceanographic Monitoring System
To leverage these diverse technologies towards a common goal of sustainably monitoring the global ocean, the oceanographic community established the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) in 1992 under the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
GOOS facilitates international coordination of observations, data management and product development to generate information products regularly in support of weather forecasting, climate change research and marine ecosystem assessments. It brings together observations from national and regional programs onto common formats and delivery infrastructure.
The Argo Program involving over 25 countries stands out as the largest contribution of GOOS, delivering over 95% of temperature-salinity profiles from the upper 2000m of ice-free global ocean on a routine basis. Similarly, the global tropical moored buoy array, international networks of coastal observing systems, satellite altimetry missions and ocean color sensors together compose an integrated oceanographic monitoring framework.
continuous ocean observations supported through such collaborative frameworks have helped gain unprecedented insights into ocean’s role in climate change, improved weather and climate models, delivery of oceanographic services and supported sustainable management of ocean resources. Advancements in new sensor technologies, autonomous platforms and big data analytics will see ocean monitoring capabilities increase further in coming years.
*Note:
1.Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2.We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
About Author - Ravina Pandya
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