Behind every research project at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) are a suite of instruments. Whether descending to depths or weathering storms, these technologies are paramount to oceanic and atmospheric observations.
Get to know 12 of these instruments with a new social media series: 12 Days of teKNOWLEDGEy!
On the 1st day of TeKNOWLEDGEy AOML sent to me: a SASe!
SASe, which stands for Subsurface Automated Sampler for Environmental DNA (eDNA), is an important device for understanding the biodiversity of certain ecosystems. The SASe collects water samples which pick up on eDNA, DNA that has been shed by an animal into its environment. Understanding what species are present in marine ecosystems can be very important for the management of endangered species, invasive species, and overall ecosystem health.
On the 2nd day of teKNOWLEDGEy, AOML sent to me: a PIRATA buoy!
The Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA) is an multinational network of ocean buoys that serves as the backbone of the tropical Atlantic observing system. PIRATA buoys measure subsurface ocean temperature, salinity, velocity and sea surface variables like wind direction and speed, air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and rainfall. Buoys in the PIRATA array provide critical real-time data for models of the Atlantic climate system, which are used globally for ocean and weather prediction.
On the 3rd day of TeKNOWLEDGEy AOML sent to me: a GPS dropsonde!
Scientists release sensors tethered to parachutes, known as GPS dropsondes, which gather profiles of atmospheric data, recording wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity, and pressure. Dropsondes are deployed from NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter aircraft over data-sparse oceanic areas at specific altitudes and measure storm conditions as they fall to the ocean’s surface. Dropsonde measurements provide a detailed look at a tropical storm’s structure and intensity, enabling forecasters to map the steering currents that influence its movement. Wind observations from dropsondes also help properly characterize a storm’s wind field structure.
On the 4th day of teKNOWLEDGEy, AOML sent to me: an Ocean Glider!
A glider is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that uses small changes in buoyancy to propel itself by converting vertical motion into horizontal motion as it travels through the ocean. The gliders are battery-powered and deployed during hurricane season. Gliders are commanded remotely via satellite and data transmissions of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll concentration, and Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter are performed in near real-time. At the end of hurricane season, the gliders are recovered so they can be reused the following season.
On the 5th day of teKNOWLEDGEY, AOML sent to me: a BGC Argo Float!
Biogeochemical Argo Floats, or BGC Argos, are an incredible instrument used to collect a wide array of data from the water column. These untethered floats can move between the surface and 2,000 meters in depth, taking measurements using 6 or more delicate sensors. They simultaneously measure oxygen, nitrate, pH, chlorophyll-a, irradiance, particles, temperature, and salinity. Forecasts generated by these near real-time floats have the potential to serve marine resource managers of fisheries, protected species, and coral reef ecosystems, as well as researchers, by providing environmental data to understand links with dynamics like distribution, recruitment, catch, and disease.
On the 6th day of teKNOWLEDGEy, AOML sent to me: a Saildrone!
Saildrones are uncrewed surface vehicles powered by wind and solar energy and are remotely piloted. They concurrently collect measurements including wind speed, wave height, temperature, pressure, and salinity. They are equipped with a special “hurricane wing” that looks like a hard sail to withstand the extreme wind conditions encountered in storms. The data are used to improve our understanding and prediction of tropical cyclone intensity changes and advance our knowledge of the ocean-atmosphere interactions that fuel them.
On the 7th day of teKNOWLEDGEy, AOML sent to me: a CTD!
CTD stands for conductivity, temperature, and depth, and refers to a package of electronic instruments that measure these properties. A CTD’s primary function is to detect how the conductivity and temperature of the water column changes relative to depth. These devices also have the ability to take water samples at varying depths which is important for studying the physical and chemical properties of seawater. Biological processes are also uncovered with this data and can give scientists a look into the distribution of species and changing environmental conditions.
On the 8th day of teKNOWLEDGEy, AOML sent to me: a small uncrewed aircraft system!
Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (sUAS) are deployed from NOAA’s P-3 Hurricane Hunter aircraft into tropical cyclone environments. The autonomous nature of these small drones, such as the Blackswift S0, provides a unique observation platform that is capable of accurately measuring atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, winds & sea surface temperature at altitudes that manned aircraft are unable to fly. Using sUAS technology allows scientists to collect measurements at low altitudes within storms and can provide insight into processes that influence hurricane intensity. Advances in technology like these are improving hurricane forecasts.
On the 9th day of teKNOWLEDGEy, AOML sent to me: a Tail Doppler Radar (TDR)!
The Tail Doppler Radar (TDR) system is located at the back end of both NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft. As the plane flies through a storm, the TDR continuously measures cross-sections of precipitation and winds. By piecing together these cross-sections, scientists can create a three-dimensional image of the storm. This three-dimensional “CAT scan” can show where the strongest winds are, how far the strong winds extend out from the storm center and where the most intense rainfall occurs.
On the 10th day of teKNOWLEDGEy, AOML sent to me: a Drifter!
Drifters drift with the ocean currents and send their location back to scientists via satellites. Drifters used for the Global Drifter Program at AOML measure sea surface temperature using a thermistor at the base of the float, but most are also equipped to measure other variables. As the drifter moves around, guided by ocean currents, measurements of atmospheric pressure, winds, wave height, and salinity can be taken. A drifter’s drogue, also known as a sea anchor, extends 20 meters (or 65 feet) deep and is designed to move with the near-surface ocean currents. The drogue and surface float move together, connected by a long tether. Without a drogue, the drifter will be transported by wind and waves, much as a beach ball is pushed across the surface of a pool.
On the 11th day of teKNOWLEDGEy, AOML sent to me: a Water Quality Sensor!
Located near the navigation channel in Port Everglades, this water quality sensor uses acoustic modems to transmit data collected at the seafloor to a surface buoy. Data is then sent to a computer server via cell communications in near real-time! The water quality instrument at the seafloor is surrounded by corals and sponges that form vital benthic habitats for many fish and invertebrate species. Placing this sensor here allows for measurements of turbidity, temperature, salinity, the amount of solar radiation that reaches the seafloor, current velocity/direction, wave action, and changes in sediment accumulation on the seabed. By collecting these different kinds of data, scientists at AOML are able to determine whether corals near the port’s navigation channel are being negatively impacted by ongoing dredging activity at the port.
On the 12th day of teKNOWLEDGEy, AOML sent to me: an eXpendable BathyThermograph (XBT)!
An eXpendable BathyThermograph (XBT) is a probe that is deployed from a ship along fixed routes that are referred to as “transects”. It measures the temperature as it falls through the water and transmits the data via a very thin wire to the ship where it is recorded for later analysis. XBTs do not measure depth directly. Instead, fall-rate equations are used to derive the depth of the XBT as a function of time after deployment. Data collected from XBTs are transmitted in real-time to data distribution centers (e.g. The Global Telecommunication System). These XBT measurements are used to monitor changes of key surface and subsurface currents, to study meridional heat transport in all ocean basins, and assess the variability of the upper ocean heat content.
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