Instrumentation

a) Multidisciplinary Underway Network

This activity links complex physical, biogeochemical and biological observing systems in Australian regional seas and the Southern Ocean. To monitor the major boundary currents around Australia the project will operate 5 major (HRX) high-resolution expendable bathythermograph (XBT) lines. The lines are typically repeated 4 -6 times per year. All transects will be upgraded to full real-time transmission of the data. The biogeochemical observing program currently uses ships in the Tasman Sea and in the Southern Ocean – they will be maintained and measurements upgraded. These are the only biogeochemical observing systems in Australian offshore waters. They sample the critical regions of the Southern Ocean and the East Australian Current, which have a major impact on CO2 uptake by the ocean and are regions where biogeochemical cycling is predicted to be particularly sensitive to a changing climate. Biogeochemical and air-sea flux (see below) observations will also be added to the research ship, Southern Surveyor. To monitor plankton, the proven technology of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) will be used. This is the only platform that can assess plankton species and be towed behind ships of opportunity unaccompanied by research staff. Two seasonal routes will be run on existing XBT lines in the Southern Ocean and the Coral Sea

b) Sensors on Tropical Research Ships

In this activity, fixed sensor sets will be installed on the two AIMS research vessels (Cape Ferguson, Solander (soon to be built)) and the James Cook University research vessel (Kirby). The instruments will obtain underway observations of temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, light absorption, and irradiance. Data will be collected in both GBR waters and the western Coral Sea within repeated transects and individual voyage tracks.

c) Sea Surface temperature Sensors 
The activity covers the purchase, installation, calibration, maintenance, ongoing quality control and data management of sea surface temperature (SST) sensors on the existing Australian Volunteer Observing Fleet (11 to a projected 14 in total). The SST data will be quality assured, and fed into the Bureau of Meteorology’s near real-time satellite SST data validation system. The SST data will also be made immediately available and archived for use by the research community.

d) Research Vessel Real Time Air-Sea Fluxes

This activity will equip the Marine National Facility (Research Vessel Southern Surveyor) and the Research and Antarctic Supply Vessel, Aurora Australis with “climate quality” meteorological measurement systems, capable of providing high quality air-sea flux measurements on a near real-time basis. Data streams will be fed into the existing ship data management systems, and broadcast via satellite back to Australia daily. Meteorological data will be quality assured and processed to generate air-sea bulk fluxes which will be made immediately available and archived for use by the research community.