1. Lesson 12:
Technology I

2. Technology matters
Most of the topics we’ve learned so far rely on measurement and observation:
Ocean acidification
Salinity
Currents
Wind speed and direction
Sea surface temperature

3. Technology matters
Scientists use many instruments for these measurements and observations
Today we’ll learn about:
Satellites
CTD & sonde
Buoys
Drifters
Niskin bottle

4. Different types of satellites
Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES)
Orbit from pole to pole about 14.1 times per day
Key for providing weather forecasts
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES)
Match Earth’s rotational speed so that they appear to hover over a single, fixed spot on Earth
Key for predicting and monitoring storms (e.g., hurricanes)
Satellites capture visible imagery and can be used to measure sea surface temperature, sea surface height, presence of chlorophyll and wind patterns
Teacher’s Note: Sea surface height is measured through a process called ocean altimetry in which the distance between the satellite and sea surface is measured to within an accuracy of a few centimeters

5. Image from a GOES Satellite
These Earth-orbiting spacecraft can monitor:
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Sea surface temperature
Salinity
Phytoplankton blooms
This photo of
Tropical Storm
Ida was taken
by a NOAA
Satellite on 11/9/09
Photo:
Accessed: November 2010

6. Satellites are also used to study climate change and sea-level rise
Just as the land surface has hills and valleys, so does the ocean surface
Ocean surface topography refers to the overall shape of the sea surface
Scientists use satellites to measure sea surface heights on a global scale and study ocean surface topography
Data on sea surface topography help scientists study and model ocean circulation, climate change, hurricanes and sea-level rise

7. Topex/Poseidon Topex/Poseidon: Joint NASA/French mission (1992 – 2005)
Provided first continual global coverage of ocean surface topography.
The satellite's measurements of the hills and valleys of the sea surface led to a
fundamental new understanding of ocean circulation
and its effect on climate.
Teacher’s Notes:
For details on the background for the mission names (Topex/Poseidon, Jason), see and (Both accessed April 2011).
For the latest mission, OSTM, Jason-2 is the actual satellite name. A radar altimeter is mounted aboard Jason-2 to take measurements related to the OSTM.
Radar altimeters aboard a satellite such as Jason-2 measure the distance between the satellite and earth’s surface (the sea surface) to help scientists study ocean surface topography. See (Accessed April 2011) for more details.
For technical accuracy, other satellites preceded those listed on the slide to try and measure ocean surface topography. For example, GEOS, SeaSAT, Geosat and the European ERS all preceded Topex/Poseidon into space. However the Topex/Poseidon mission was really the first to reduce errors to the point where it could produce meaningful information about the status of the ocean.

8. Jason -1 satellite
Jason-1: Joint NASA./French mission launched 2001, Still in operation
is a satellite oceanography mission to
monitor global ocean circulation,
study the ties between the ocean and the atmosphere,
Improve global climate forecasts and predictions,
and monitor events such as El Niño and ocean eddies
was designed to measure climate change through very precise millimeter-per-year measurements of global sea level changes

9. OSTA Jason-2
Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason-2: Joint NASA/ French mission launched in 2008; Still in operation (April 2011)
high-precision ocean altimetry to measure the distance between the satellite and the ocean surface to within a few centimeters

10. Estimates of sea level rise 1992 - 2010 (using data from Jason 2 satellite and its predecessors)
Photo
Accessed: November 2010
Based on this image, how much is sea level rising off the U.S. east coast on average per year?
2-3 mm/yr

11. Ocean color can also be measured from space
Photo: MODIS, 2007
Instruments aboard satellites can measure ocean color
Examples
MODIS (aboard Terra & Aqua satellites)
SeaWiFS (aboard SeaStar satellite)
Ocean color can help scientists study
Phytoplankton (small ocean plants)
Global biogeochemistry
Climate variability
Teacher’s Note:
1. MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer); Terra satellite with MODIS was launched in 1999; Aqua satellite with MODIS was launched in 2002.
SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor ); SeaWiFS was launched in 1997 and initially planned as a 5-year mission. One of the most successful missions to date, SeaWiFS exceeded its goal and lasted a full 13 years completing its run in December 2010.
While the names of the satellites in this lesson may seem cumbersome to students, the names of these satellites often come up at the Ocean Sciences Bowl and are included to give students some familiarity with the satellite names.
Image. The Barents Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Norway and Russia.
Photo:
Accessed: November 2010
Phytoplankton Bloom about size of Wisconsin in Barents Sea

12. Other uses for satellite data
Weather foresting
Tropical Storm predictions
Ship routing with winds, eddies and currents.
Marine Mammal research, such as whales and seals
Marine debris tracking
Coral reef research
Measuring Salinity

13. Remote and “in situ” measurement
So far the technology we have seen measure the ocean remotely from space
What do you think are the advantages of taking measurements so far away from the ocean?
Other devices sample the ocean “in situ” or in the actual ocean
What do you think are the advantages of in situ measurement?
Both measurement types have advantages and they are often used to complement one another
Teacher’s Note:
Some advantages to remote measurement are: you can sample many areas at the same time, you can get a wide-range view of the ocean, you can take measurements based on energy that are not perceptible to human senses (e.g. ultraviolet, infrared wavelengths).
-The advantages of in situ measurement include: higher resolution of sampling, access to information that cannot be reached with satellites (e.g. measurements deep beneath the ocean surface).

14. Niskin bottle Used to collect water samples at specific depths
Photo: NOAA
Used to collect water samples at specific depths
Samples are removed from the bottle and analyzed
Scientists can then determine the ocean chemistry of the water
A niskin bottle is designed to collect water samples at a given depth. Once lowered to the desired depth, the door(s) slam shut and collect the water sample at the specific depth. A good site for reference on this process can be found at: Accessed: November 2010
Photo:
NOAA Photo Library
Image ID: corp2534, NOAA At The Ends of the Earth Collection Location: Ross Sea, Antarctica Photo Date: 1999 January Photographer: Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA

15. CTD
Photo: NOAA
A CTD measures Conductivity, Temperature and Depth, which can be used to calculate salinity
A CTD is typically deployed on a frame with several Niskin bottles for water sampling at different depths
The full instrument (CTD and niskin bottles) is called a rosette
A sonde looks similar to a CTD but is more complex and can also be used to measure pH, DO, temperature and turbidity
Teacher’s Note: Conductivity is a measure of how easily an electric current passes through a sample of water. The higher the salinity of the sample, the easier it is to conduct electricity through the sample. A CTD measures conductivity, temperature and depth (which is then used to calculate pressure), which are then used to calculate salinity. See the link below for more information:
Accessed: November 2010
Photo:
Accessed: November 2010
CTD rosette loaded with Niskin bottles

16. 6-Meter Buoy prior to deployment.
Data buoys
This map shows NOAA buoys in the mid-Atlantic region
Photo: NOAA
6-Meter Buoy prior to deployment.
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center
Located in nearshore areas close to lighthouses, piers, and beaches as well as in offshore areas
Collect data on weather, wind, waves, and other variables
Photo:
Generated from the NOAA Data Buoy Center
; Accessed: November 2010

17. DART: NOAA’s U.S. tsunami warning system
NOAA DART buoy locations
Deep ocean Assessment and Reporting of
Tsunamis
A network of buoys provides NOAA researchers with data about tsunamis that could possibly impact the U.S., its territories and other areas of the world
Photo:
Accessed: November 2010
Photo: NOAA

18. Drifters
Photo: NOAA
Simple device suspended a few feet below the water surface, attached to 4 small floats
Measures current data, which is sent to a polar satellite and then relayed to a monitoring station
They can be used to study wind, temperature, pressure, ocean color, salinity, and plankton
Photos:
Drifter sketch
Accessed: November 2010
Deployed drifter
Accessed: November 2010
Shallow-water drifters float on the surface and are carried through currents by their blue “sails”

19. Technology in action
In today’s student activity, we will look at ocean temperature data to identify the presence of hydrothermal vent communities