Frontiers in Marine Science (Jul 2019)
More Than 50 Years of Successful Continuous Temperature Section Measurements by the Global Expendable Bathythermograph Network, Its Integrability, Societal Benefits, and Future
- Gustavo J. Goni,
- Janet Sprintall,
- Francis Bringas,
- Lijing Cheng,
- Mauro Cirano,
- Shenfu Dong,
- Ricardo Domingues,
- Ricardo Domingues,
- Marlos Goes,
- Marlos Goes,
- Hosmay Lopez,
- Hosmay Lopez,
- Rosemary Morrow,
- Ulises Rivero,
- Thomas Rossby,
- Robert E. Todd,
- Joaquin Trinanes,
- Joaquin Trinanes,
- Joaquin Trinanes,
- Nathalie Zilberman,
- Molly Baringer,
- Tim Boyer,
- Rebecca Cowley,
- Catia M. Domingues,
- Catia M. Domingues,
- Katherine Hutchinson,
- Katherine Hutchinson,
- Martin Kramp,
- Mauricio M. Mata,
- Franco Reseghetti,
- Charles Sun,
- Udaya Bhaskar TVS,
- Denis Volkov,
- Denis Volkov
Affiliations
- Gustavo J. Goni
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Janet Sprintall
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Francis Bringas
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Lijing Cheng
- International Center for Climate and Environment Science, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Mauro Cirano
- Department of Meteorology, Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Shenfu Dong
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Ricardo Domingues
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Ricardo Domingues
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
- Marlos Goes
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Marlos Goes
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
- Hosmay Lopez
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Hosmay Lopez
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
- Rosemary Morrow
- Laboratorie d'Etudes en Geophisique et Oceanographie Spatiales, Toulouse, France
- Ulises Rivero
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Thomas Rossby
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI, United States
- Robert E. Todd
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
- Joaquin Trinanes
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Joaquin Trinanes
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
- Joaquin Trinanes
- Technological Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Nathalie Zilberman
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Molly Baringer
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Tim Boyer
- 0National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information, Silver Spring, MD, United States
- Rebecca Cowley
- 1Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS, Australia
- Catia M. Domingues
- 2ACE CRC, CLEX, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
- Catia M. Domingues
- 3Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
- Katherine Hutchinson
- 4Oceanography Department, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Katherine Hutchinson
- 5Laboratoire LOCEAN/IPSL, Sorbonne Universités (UPMC Universités Paris 06) CNRS-IRD-MNHN, Paris, France
- Martin Kramp
- 6The JCOMM in situ Observations Programme Support Centre, Plouzané, France
- Mauricio M. Mata
- 7Institute of Oceanography, Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande-RS, Brazil
- Franco Reseghetti
- 8ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development, Santa Teresa Research Centre, Lerici, Italy
- Charles Sun
- 0National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information, Silver Spring, MD, United States
- Udaya Bhaskar TVS
- 9Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services, Ministry of Earth Science, Hyderabad, India
- Denis Volkov
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, United States
- Denis Volkov
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00452
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 6
Abstract
The first eXpendable BathyThermographs (XBTs) were deployed in the 1960s in the North Atlantic Ocean. In 1967 XBTs were deployed in operational mode to provide a continuous record of temperature profile data along repeated transects, now known as the Global XBT Network. The current network is designed to monitor ocean circulation and boundary current variability, basin-wide and trans-basin ocean heat transport, and global and regional heat content. The ability of the XBT Network to systematically map the upper ocean thermal field in multiple basins with repeated trans-basin sections at eddy-resolving scales remains unmatched today and cannot be reproduced at present by any other observing platform. Some repeated XBT transects have now been continuously occupied for more than 30 years, providing an unprecedented long-term climate record of temperature, and geostrophic velocity profiles that are used to understand variability in ocean heat content (OHC), sea level change, and meridional ocean heat transport. Here, we present key scientific advances in understanding the changing ocean and climate system supported by XBT observations. Improvement in XBT data quality and its impact on computations, particularly of OHC, are presented. Technology development for probes, launchers, and transmission techniques are also discussed. Finally, we offer new perspectives for the future of the Global XBT Network.
Keywords
- expendable bathythermographs
- surface currents
- subsurface currents
- meridional heat transport
- ocean heat content
- sea level
