EH612 - Ocean & Global Change

EH612: Ocean & Global Change
Ocean Instruments
Sayan Biswas 19110165
Introduction
- CTD
- Tide Gauges
Used to measure Physical,
Oceanographic - Sediment Traps
Chemical and Biological
Instruments - And many more!
characteristics of the ocean.
- For a complete comprehension of our globe, one must first grasp

Measured Units:
the ocean.
- Depth
- The ocean is a key source of oxygen and food for the globe, and it
- Temperature
also plays a significant role in regulating the climate and weather
- Salinity
patterns on Earth.
- pH
- With shipping routes and ports connecting the economies of the
- Density
world, the ocean also plays a significant part in international trade
- Water Clarity
and transportation.
- Sound or Ambient Noise
- Natural resources including minerals, gas, and oil are abundant in
- Sound Speed
the water.
- Bioluminescence
- A wide variety of plants and animals, many of which have not yet
- Seabed sediment
been identified, can be found in the water. Finding out more about
- Current
marine life can help us understand evolution, ecology, and
- Waves
biodiversity.
CTD (aka sonde)
- CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) an oceanographic
instrument, is commonly used to measure the conductivity, temperature,
and depth of the ocean. A sensor package installed on a frame or
"rosette" that is lowered into the water using a rope or winch commonly
makes up this type of device.
- The shipboard CTD consists of several little probes that are fastened to a
big metal rosette wheel. A connection linking the CTD to a computer on
the ship allows scientists to monitor the water characteristics in real time
while the rosette is lowered on a cable to the ocean floor.
- As the instrument ascends, a remotely controlled system enables the
water bottles to be closed selectively. Depending on the water depth, a
typical CTD cast takes two to five hours to gather all the necessary data.
- It is common practise to sample water at specified depths so that
scientists can determine the physical characteristics of the water column
at that exact location and time.
- The sound speed and density of the ocean are two additional
oceanographic characteristics that can be calculated using CTD data.
Understanding the circulation, mixing, and thermohaline structure of the
oceans depends heavily on the data gathered by CTD devices.
- Additionally, it aids in the observation and forecasting of oceanographic
phenomena like El Nino, the ocean's response to climate change, and the
ocean's function in the world's carbon cycle.
Tide Gauges
- One element of a contemporary water level monitoring station, the tide
gauge, is equipped with sensors that continuously record the height of
the surrounding water level.
- Numerous coastal activities, such as risk-free navigation, sound
engineering, and the preservation and restoration of habitat, depend on
this information.
- Mechanical and electronic tidal gauges are the two main categories of
tide gauges. Manual reading is required for mechanical tide gauges,
which use a float or weight mechanism that rises and falls in response to
the tide. Electronic tide gauges measure the water level and store the
information electronically using sensors, such as pressure or ultrasonic
ones.
- Ocean tides, which are brought on by the Moon and Sun's gravitational
pull on the Earth's oceans, can also be studied using tide gauge data. The
tides and ocean circulation can be studied and predicted using this
knowledge.
Sediment Traps
- Sediment traps are oceanographic instruments used to measure the flux
or amount of particulate material, such as sediment and plankton, that
sinks from the ocean surface to the deep sea.
- The classic sediment trap consists of a broad funnel with a collecting jar
at the bottom. The funnel opening covers a conventional area, and
contains baffles at the top to keep out very big things that can clog the
funnel.
- The trap clamps at a set depth to a fixed cable tied to an anchor or buoy.
Traps are often set very deep, where they can trap silt at the ocean floor.
- When a ship returns to fetch the trap, the crew activates a
remote-controlled device called an acoustic release. The release severs
the line between the trap and its anchor, and the trap floats to the surface
with its samples.
- There are many sorts of sediment traps, including time-integrating traps,
which are used to collect particles over a defined period of time, usually
a few weeks or months, and event traps, which are used to capture
particles during a single event, such as a phytoplankton bloom.
- Sediment trap data can be used to examine ocean productivity, nitrogen cycle, and carbon
sequestration.
- They also provide information on the function of the ocean in the global carbon cycle and how
ocean activities influence the distribution of nutrients and other components in the ocean.
- The data acquired by sediment traps can also be used to examine the ocean's food chain, the
movement of contaminants and the distribution of microorganisms in the ocean.
Conclusion
- In summary, oceanographic
instrumentation is
continuously improving with
the use of autonomous
systems, downsizing, sensor
networks, artificial
intelligence and machine
learning, and micro-satellites.
These technologies will assist
us to better understand the
ocean and its processes, and to
monitor ocean health and
detect changes over time.
- Micro-satellites are becoming more popular in oceanography. They are much cheaper than regular
satellites, and they can offer data on ocean processes and conditions from orbit. In the future, we
should expect to see more advanced micro-satellites that can offer high-resolution data and cover
wider areas.

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- For a complete comprehension of our globe, one must first grasp

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