Expendable Bathythermographs
Expendable Bathythermographs
Expendable Bathythermographs (XBTs) are single-use instruments that are used to measure temperature profiles of the ocean. XBTs are launched from hand-held units, connected to the XBT itself by a thin copper wire that allows temperature data to be directly transmitted as the XBT sinks (up to 800 m). After the length of the copper wire has been expelled, the XBT is released and sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Rebecca Cowley
Why it’s important
Able to be deployed from any ship, XBTs provide a quick and inexpensive means of collecting temperature data and a vital tool of the Ships of Opportunity Facility. Using ships that undertake the same path on a regular basis allows the collection of high-density transects, capturing high-resolution and temporal information that allows for smaller-scale oceanic features, including fronts and eddies to be resolved.
Useful information
Operating institution
Co-investors
Bureau of Meteorology ∙ Royal Australian Navy ∙ Scripps Institution of Oceanography ∙ Laboratory of Space Geophysical and Oceanographic Studies
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Acknowledging IMOS
Users of IMOS data are required to clearly acknowledge the source material by including the following statement:
Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). It is operated by a consortium of institutions as an unincorporated joint venture, with the University of Tasmania as Lead Agent.