Battling 20-knot winds and 8-foot seas, scientists drop a sounding oceanographic Lagrangian observer off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. In an effort to study global climate change and the effect of carbon dioxide storage in the sea, the SOLO descends to 3,280 feet twice a day to measure temperature, salinity, and mid-depth currents. SOLO also tracks marine biomass on the ocean's own biological timeline - a previously impossible feat. "There's no such thing as an old plant in the ocean," says Jim Bishop, codirector of the DOE's Center for Research on Ocean Carbon Sequestration. "Each week the biomass changes." Once on the surface, SOLO communicates its data and position to satellites for real-time forecasting.
ELECTRIC WORD
Naughty Bits
A Sky-High Perspective
Vitamin T
Past Forward
Live Wire
Testing The Waters
