Appendix II - Parameters of Importance for Understanding the Ocean's Role in Global Change
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PARAMETER |
TOOLS |
SOCIETAL BENEFIT |
GENERAL ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN MEASUREMENTS |
||
wind air temperature humidity precipitation sea state |
ships buoys satellites aircraft coastal stations |
shipping; structures; search & rescue; offshore operations; meteorological models; weather forecasts; recreation |
PROFILING ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN MEASUREMENTS |
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ballon profiles acoustic profiles optical profiles |
ships buoys |
weather forecasts; air quality; air-sea chemical fluxes |
SEA-LEVEL |
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sea-level |
tide gauges bottom pressure guages |
tides; storm surge; navigation; coastal zone management; coastal development; salt water intrusion; climate change; recreation |
CURRENTS |
||
currents |
ships buoys drifters |
navigation; search and rescue; emergency response; beach erosion; sediment and pollutant transport; global circulation models |
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Adapted from a table in First Steps Toward a U.S. GOOS (see Appendix III) |
PARAMETER |
TOOLS |
SOCIETAL BENEFIT |
TEMPERATURE |
||
sea-surface temperature subsurface temperature |
ships buoys VOS |
climate change; coastal meteorology; environmental quality; sea-level change; fisheries |
SALINITY |
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surface salinity deep salinity |
ships buoys |
ecosystem health; fisheries; environmental quality; recreation coastal ocean models |
ICE |
||
ice edge and extent coastal observations |
satellites aircraft |
navigation; climate change; meteorology; climate models; ecosystem health; fisheries |
SHORT AND LONG WAVE RADIATION |
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aerosols gas exchange chemical precipitation photosynthetically available radiation |
satellites ground stations ships |
climate change; water quality; ecosystems health; status and trends; fisheries |
OPTICAL MEASUREMENTS |
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pigment detritus clarity sediment load spectral properties |
buoys ships satellites |
water quality; ecosystem health; eutrophication; navigation; toxic blooms |
PARAMETER |
TOOLS |
SOCIETAL BENEFIT |
NUTRIENTS |
||
NO3, PO4, NH3, NO2, and O2 |
ships buoys satellites |
water quality; ecosystem health; eutrophication; fisheries; recreation; status and trends |
PLANKTON |
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phytoplankton fluorometric measurements species identification growth |
ships buoys biochemical and molecular techniques |
environmental quality (blooms); ecosystem health; recreation; fisheries; global change |
ZOOPLANKTON |
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biomass abundance species identification |
ships (incl. VOS) acoustics optics biochemical and molecular techniques |
ecosystem health; fisheries; global change; fisheries |
CHEMISTRY |
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POC, DOC, PCO2, DIC |
ships submersibles ROVs, AUVs |
environmental quality; ecosystem health; living resources; recreation; human health |
GEOLOGY |
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sediment types grain size, porosity movement, morphology bathymetry-topography benthic biology coastal erosion-run off |
cores grab samples echo sounder nets landers-incubators |
coastal zone management; environmental quality; ecosystem health; navigation; living resources |