Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC)
Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC) is an idea to observe the world's oceans, and the ocean climate in particular, using trans-basin acoustic transmissions. Prototype measurements of temperature have been made in the North Pacific Basin and across the Arctic Basin.
The original ATOC program implemented in the North Pacific Ocean formally ended in 2006. Acoustic transmissions were made from 1996 through Fall 2006, when agreed-upon environmental protocols ended. The decade-long deployment of the acoustic source showed that the observations are sustainable on even a modest budget. The transmissions have been verified to provide an accurate measurement of ocean temperature on the acoustic paths, with uncertainties that are far smaller than any other approach to ocean temperature measurement.
Read more about this topic: Ocean Acoustic Tomography
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