Oceanographic measurements

Abstract

This chapter describes various methods to measure the oceanographic variables that are dynamically significant. After a brief overview of the various motions and their temporal and spatial scales, the challenges of making measurements in a vast, inhospitable, and unforgiving environment are described. Then point measurements (pressure, temperature, salinity, sound speed, density, and velocity), Lagrangian measurements (floats and dye dispersion), and remote sensing methods (acoustic and electromagnetic) are described. Because many of the practical problems of oceanographic measurements are associated with the complete measurement system, examples of these and illustrative case studies of several experiments are given.