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Oceanographic Research
last update: Aug 20, 2008 01:30 PM
Information about temperature, salinity, density etc play a vital part
of our understanding of the cceans and in turn about the animals and
their environment. Nowhere is this more true than in Antarctica, where
the Antarctic convergence offers a unique environment under which some
species flourish, while others would die.
It is an understanding of
these factors that allow us to understand the conditions that need to
be preserved if we wish to conserve these animals.
One of the
instruments used for measuring this data is called a CTD. The CTD
records data at regular intervals while being lowered and then raised
in to the sea. The CTD is lowered at a steady rate into the water
either to the bottom or to a specified depth and then raised up again.
During this period the ship needs to remain in a constant position. The
data is then extracted using a handheld computer device for transfer to
larger computers for analysis and plotting. The comparison of data
taken at various points helps scientists map these changes and
undertand the environment.
