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Oceanographic Research
last update: Jul 20, 2007 06:01 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.
