- While satellites provide global coverage of the seas, Ocean buoys collect accurate data that is required for weather forecasting, climate modelling and other data regarding the environment under the ocean surface and relayed back the data via satellite links.
- The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in Chennai designs buoys, carry out their final integration and testing, deploys them out in the ocean and maintains them in working condition.
- The Met. ocean buoys measure atmospheric parameters (such as wind speed and atmospheric pressure) and ocean data (like sea surface temperature and speed and direction of ocean currents) using sensors.
- Some buoys make measurements below the ocean surface to a depth of 500 metres.
- Tsunami buoys can predict an oncoming tsunami.
- Drift buoys, unlike the usual buoys that are anchored, are carried along by ocean currents and make regular recordings of the sea’s temperature and other parameters thereby adding to the sparse ocean data that is now available.
- Last year, NIOT conducted a trial on one of its drift buoys which measured sea surface temperature every minute and transmitted the average temperature every 5 mins, transmitted its position every hour using GPS, all of which were relayed back to shore over Insat-3C satellite.
- This higher frequency of measurements revealed peaks in sea surface temperature which have otherwise been missed, and could also be used to detect smaller swirls in the ocean.
- Read at: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sci-tech-and-agri/ocean-buoys-collect-vital-data/article5920653.ece
Exams Perspective:
- Buoys
- Sonar
- Ocean Currents