CTD Sensors for Ocean Investigation Including State of Art and Commercially Available

Over 70% of the earth's surface is covered by oceans; globally, oceans provides a huge source of wealth to humans. In the literature, several sensors have been developed to investigate oceans. Electrical conductivity temperature depth (CTD) sensors were used frequently and extensively. Long-term accurate CTD data is important for the study and utilization of oceans, e.g., for weather forecasting, ecological evolution, fishery, and shipping. Several kinds of CTD sensors based on electrics, optical, acoustic wave and radio waves have been developed. CTD sensors are often utilized by measuring electrical signals. The latest progress of CTD sensors will be presented in order of performance. The principles, structure, materials and properties of many CTD sensors were discussed in detail. The commercially available CTD sensors were involved and their respective performances were compared. Some possible development directions of CTD sensors for ocean investigation are proposed.

Structural Design of Ocean Temperature and Depth Sensor with Quick Response and High Sensitivity

The electrical sensing elements used in the traditional XBT (Expendable Bathythermograph) have problems such as low sensitivity and slow response time, and it is difficult to overcome the complex marine environment using the time-depth formula. In this paper, an ocean temperature depth sensor based on brass diaphragm and liquid filling is designed. The stress response time of FBGs with different lengths and the heat transfer time of different liquid materials are compared, and it is found that a fast response of 51 ms can be obtained by using GaInSn liquid for temperature sensing. The center deflection changes of brass diaphragms with different radii are analyzed, and the brass diaphragms with radius and thickness of 10 mm and 1 mm are selected, which still have good elastic properties under the pressure of 5 MPa. The influence of the inner metal shell section radius on the temperature and depth sensitivity is analyzed. When the final section radius is 3 mm, the temperature sensitivity of the sensor is 1.065 nm/°C, the pressure sensitivity is 1.245 nm/MPa, and the response time of temperature and depth is relatively close. Compared with the traditional temperature and depth sensors using empirical formulas for calculation, the data accuracy is improved, and a wide range of sensitivity can be tuned by adjusting the size of the internal metal shell, which can meet the needs of ocean temperature and depth data detection with high sensitivity and fast response time.

Sounding out life in the deep using acoustic data from ships of opportunity

Shedding light on the distribution and ecosystem function of mesopelagic communities in the twilight zone (~200–1000 m depth) of global oceans can bridge the gap in estimates of species biomass, trophic linkages, and carbon sequestration role. Ocean basin-scale bioacoustic data from ships of opportunity programs are increasingly improving this situation by providing spatio-temporal calibrated acoustic snapshots of mesopelagic communities that can mutually complement established global ecosystem, carbon, and biogeochemical models. This data descriptor provides an overview of such bioacoustic data from Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) Ships of Opportunity (SOOP) Bioacoustics sub-Facility. Until 30 September 2020, more than 600,000 km of data from 22 platforms were processed and made available to a publicly accessible Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) Portal. Approximately 67% of total data holdings were collected by 13 commercial fishing vessels, fostering collaborations between researchers and ocean industry. IMOS Bioacoustics sub-Facility offers the prospect of acquiring new data, improved insights, and delving into new research challenges for investigating status and trend of mesopelagic ecosystems.

Measurement(s)	bioacoustic data • sound quality
Technology Type(s)	echosounder • data processing software
Sample Characteristic - Organism	macro-zooplankton • micronekton
Sample Characteristic - Environment	ocean
Sample Characteristic - Location	Tasman Sea • Southern Ocean • Indian Ocean • South Pacific Ocean • North Pacific Ocean • Coral Sea • North Atlantic Ocean

Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.13172516

Surface ocean carbon dioxide variability in South Pacific boundary currents and Subantarctic waters

To improve estimates of the long-term response of the marine carbon system to climate change a better understanding of the seasonal and interannual variability is needed. We use high-frequency multi-year data at three locations identified as climate change hotspots: two sites located close to South Pacific boundary currents and one in the Subantarctic Zone (SAZ). We investigate and identify the main drivers involved in the seasonal an interannual (2012-2016) variability of the carbon system. The seasonal variability at boundary current sites is temporally different and highly controlled by sea surface temperature. Advection processes also play a significant role on the monthly changes of the carbon system at the western boundary current site. The interannual variability at these sites most likely responds to long-term variability in oceanic circulation ultimately related to climatic indices such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). In the SAZ, advection and entrainment processes drive most of the seasonality, augmented by the action of biological processes in spring. Given the relevance of advection and entrainment processes at SAZ, the interannual variability is most probably modulated by changes in the regional winds linked to the variability of the SAM.