Page 34: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2018)

Full-Depth Current Prof ling

Around the Global Ocean

Three Decades of High Pressure for Lowered ADCPs

By Peter Spain Ph.D., Teledyne RD Instruments

INTRODUCTION ? ling offspring revealed deep pathways. solved, full-depth current pro? les since

Ever since the unexpected motions of Current meters on moorings showed the early 1990s.

the ? rst deep-drifting ? oats, oceanog- changes in time. Free-falling probes al- Deep currents store, carry, and redis- raphers have worked to lift the veil on lowed a pro? le view—closely-spaced tribute important properties for life in deep currents. Direct current measure- measurements showing water current and out of the sea. For example, oxy- ments have come in various guises. velocity versus depth. And lowered AD- gen and nutrient levels are vital where

Neutrally-buoyant ? oats and their pro-

CPs (LADCP) have provided well-re- the deep waters upwell to supply the

Fig. 1

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