A 15-year research project has revealed that changes in wind patterns are contributing to rising sea temperatures in the Southern Ocean.
ABC News: 'Research shows Southern Ocean wind currents weakening'
CSIRO Media release: 'Antarctic route highlights new ocean-climate links'
Thanks to Luke for alerting me to this story.
Gavin,
I'm planning an array that will track temperatures at different fixed levels in a column minutes apart over several 24 hour periods.
I'm going to have to build it. I may also want to record air currents as well.
Hey I want to play with some toys and the mechano set no longer satisfies;-)
Thanks for your suggestions.
Jan: Beyond sensor cost, think about junctions, interface, response, display, portability, accuracy that comes with say a cheap hand held digital thermometer used by chefs, gardeners and others. After a quick check they seem to range up from $30 au.
I guess reinventing the wheel with all that electronic stuff including on board compensation for cold junctions etc is the long way round when you can grab something off the shelf in a single package then quickly error check it against pro gear in a lab down the road.
Let’s look on ebay first hey
I found one with a long SS probe, display point 1 C and head about the size of a 20 c piece in a kitchen drawer at a moving sale. Unfortunately the head tilting battery switch has finally worn out.
Gavin,
Your project sounds uncomfortable to say the least. I hope it's worthwhile.
I don't think there will be many EE around that worked in control that doesn't have experience in remote sensing at one stage some 4-20 mA current loop valve position sensors I designed were being exported to Japan.
There is a mildly interesting story attached. I am a registered nurse I through out the years worked casually to keep my hand in. Those sensors I had made in a sheltered workshop where I looked after the people (developmentally delayed) at night who stuffed my boards during the day. You can imagine the surprise of the supervisors when I walked in the workshop one day and half the workers got up to give me a hug.
I love fork lift trucks and their drivers they are responsible for more of my income than than any single group in the my customers labour force.
I don't need to go to the extent of ANU or CSIRO as I expect to be camping with the set up. Can't afford to have the probes made but I'm a fair sort of jeweller so I expect to make them myself.
I'm thinking in terms of something like these
http://www.maxim-ic.com/quick_view2.cfm/qv_pk/3021
or this
http://www.national.com/mpf/LM/LM335.html
I've never used either if you have a suggestion regarding better precision (affordable please) I'm all ears.
Jan: It’s years since I had decent probes made , however I was wondering today about settling the bulbs in a pot of water deliberately half buried in the rubble at the bottom of my dark trench to speed up readings. Whatever way, I’m crouched down there with a torch, squinting at thermometer scales etched in glass while breathing all over them.
Now let me say I was a dab hand at remote sensing.
Regardless of transmission mediums, one of the big problems with all measurements is getting true sensor contact with your target. Some of the places I used platinum resistance elements made in Japan, hams in sealed smokehouses, truckloads of poppy stems and bins of mushroom compost also in sealed growing conditions. Unfortunately fork lift trucks always played havoc with our Teflon coated wires. Elsewhere in those days industry still used capillaries, 3-15 psi, 4-20 ma and telemetry via landline.
Data logging with batch sends in digital came a bit later. These days ANU or CSIRO probably has the Alps from Vic to the ACT plugged into someone’s mobile for their interrogation program to download masses of data.
There was also some good work somewhere on the detection of past climate variation down through layers of earth. The implication also being that landmass, and seafloor, are also solar moderators, and of much greater mass than the total mass of oceans. So long term climate change would also have to change, an albeit variable, terrestrial thermocline and the depth at which it meets heat from the earths core. Will try to find the link.