3.5.1 Video Beyond satellite measurements: navigation and communications

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From the course by Universitat de Barcelona

Oceanography: a key to better understand our world

24 ratings

Universitat de Barcelona

Oceanography: a key to better understand our world

24 ratings

The course for a round the world regatta leads the boats through the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic, Southern Indian and South Pacific Oceans. On their voyage, the skippers come across a large variety of oceanographic situations: strong currents, floating ice, wave formations of every kind and biological diversity. In this course the student will learn about the foundations of the science of oceanography. You'll learn about the classification and formation of the ocean floor, how current sea satellite analysis systems work, the chemistry of the oceans and the processes that led to its formation. To follow this course does not require previous knowledge of oceanography.

From the lesson

3B. Satellite oceanography: All eyes on the planet (II)

This new module will expand the study of oceanography satellite, and microwave as for obtaining information are used. What are they and what is the importance of active sensors. And finally, other applications of satellites and their importance.

3.5.1 Video Beyond satellite measurements: navigation and communications7:00

3.5.2 Video The Argo array of profiling floats1:44

3.5.3 Video Operational oceanography12:57

Meet the Instructors

Jordi Serra
Dr.
Grupo de Geociencias Marinas

[MUSIC]

Let's recall that the SMOS mission was the first attempt to measure from

satellite the salinity of the ocean.

So to have to validate the information given

by the satellite we need to take measurements of salinity on

the surface of the ocean at the same time that

the satellite is flying above the ocean.

So, what kind of instrument?

We can use either buoys that have an instrument,

an instrument buoy with measure,

a system to measure salinity, here is.

And also there are big buoys that also do the same at fixed point.

These are drifting buoys, they move.

And we need to know also the position of the buoys.

So it has to have in addition to the sensor of salinity,

it has to have also a GPS to tell you this information.

This is the kind of buoy that we are developing at

the Physical Technological Oceanography Department at

the Institut de Ciències Del Mar.

When Barcelona World Race in 2010 gave us the opportunity to

install one sensor here in one of the participants,

Forum Maritim Català, this ship.

We install one of the sensors here in

the place where the keel which is underwater.

And this instrument is measuring the salinity and

transmitting the information to a satellite that is

getting the information by the boat during the race.

Here is the section of salinity.

Here's salinity versus time from Barcelona to Wellington in New Zealand.

And from Wellington to Barcelona, back to Barcelona.

You can see that the highest salinity is in the Mediterranean, then the intermediate

salinity in the Atlantic, then lower salinity in the Indian and Pacific.

Again the Pacific and then again to the southern Atlantic.

The ecuatorial waters have a lower salinity, then higher salinity

in the north Atlantic, and even higher in the salinity here.

You can see that these different colors, the red dots

are those values transmitted by the system.

The blue, which are more, there are several you can

see that in several parts the blue have the value 0, is the whole data transmitted,

the whole data story acquired by the instrument.

What happens is that in most occasions, the water

going into the boat had some bubbles because of the,

you can see that typically there are bubbles.

And when there are bubbles, the salinity measurement is failing.

And finally the green ones are those values that are validated,

that have been validated after making sure that the values are good.

Here this is a map of salinity.

A color scale here from 33 to 37, 38, almost.

And the different colors, you can see the older track of

the Forum Maritim Català along the race.

And here's the view from the Atlantic and here's the view from the Antarctic.

You can see this is how the Atlantic, the Indian, the Indian, the Pacific,

and back to the Atlantic.

And see the lower values are near the lower latitudes

in the Pacific, but also here in the Indian.

And higher values in the central zones of the southern Atlantic,

northern Atlantic, and, of course, the Mediterranean.

Now, we can see here, here is the TS diagram of the different

TS relationships of waters found in the Indian Ocean

from the southern Atlantic to New Zealand.

And you can see the difference.

And the color codes here are time.

So it starts here, the day 25 after leaving Barcelona and

they arrive to Wellington at day 60 after leaving Barcelona.

This color corresponds to the Cook site here.

This is the water mass of the Cook Strait and here is, for example,

the southern Atlantic.

Then you have the eastern Atlantic and which is the current flowing here.

Here is the position, more or less, the position of the South Tropical front.

South Tropical front is located more or

less parallel to the trajectory of the ship.

The eastern Indian Ocean, the zone of Caribbean islands,

Caribbean islands are here.

And this is, of course, the Cook Strait as I told you.

And here you can find the salinity along the path.

And here's the temperature, also along the path.

And of course, here is also the same code, the same color code of time.

So from day 25 to day 60.

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