Oceanographic Measurements with Microprocessors

• Main Authors: Bucca, Paul J., Meredith, Roger W.
• Other Authors: NAVAL OCEAN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY STENNIS SPACE CENTER MS
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1988
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; Computer Programming and Software; *DATA ACQUISITION; *MICROPROCESSORS; *OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA; *RUGGEDIZED EQUIPMENT; *COLD WEATHER TESTS; OCEAN CURRENTS; CONDUCTIVITY; INTERFACES; REPORTS; SHIPBOARD; USER NEEDS; MICROCOMPUTERS; OCEANS; SALINITY; ACOUSTIC VELOCITY; ARCTIC REGIONS; DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT; OCEANOGRAPHY; RECOVERY; PROBES; MEASUREMENT; DATA PROCESSING; VELOCITY; COMPUTER PROGRAMS; REPRINTS; Arctic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA197100; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA197100

Oceanographic data acquisition is usually done with instrumentation that has taken many hours to configure, program, and learn to use. The advent of self-recording oceanographic data collection systems based on microprocessors has greatly facilitated the acquisition of oceanographic data from ships of opportunity and in harsh environments. Two notable examples are the Ocean Data Equipment (ODEC) model 302A CSTD unit, which measures ocean conductivity, salinity, and temperature as a function of depth from which acoustic sound speed is calculated, and the InterOcean Model S4 current meter, which measures ocean current speed and direction as a function of depth or time. Networked with Apple Corporation's Macintosh microcomputer, the acquisition, processing, and analysis of CSTD and current data become dependable and virtually automatic. Communication between the Macintosh and the oceanographic probes, as well as data processing, is accomplished with commercially available software. Ease of use is accomplished in both instruments through probe features and the Macintosh user interface. Both systems have a proven at-sea track record and are ideally suited to Arctic applications by virtue of their portability, ability to fit through a small 8-in ice hole, and ruggedness. The Macintosh has been modified to run on dc, and the entire suite of instrumentation can be operated entirely from battery power. The commercially available software described here enables the user to collect, reduce, analyze, and even report results in the field minutes after probe recovery. Pub. in IEEE Jnl. of Oceanic Engineering, v13 n1 p1- 4 Jan 1988. No copies furnished by DTIC/NTIS.