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Floating Computers Keep an Eye on the Oceans

Posted by samzenpus on from the somewhere-upon-the-sea dept.

mightysquirrel81 writes "This fascinating picture story shows the tech behind the global Argo progamme set up to monitor the world's oceans. Using 3,000 floating computers and a network of satellites, researchers measure sea temperature and ocean currents to predict climate change."

7 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. Can they *affect* the climate? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    In Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars , the terraformer Sax Russell releases little wind-powered heaters all over the surface of the Red Planet in order to raise the temperature. Over the course of the novel, they end up heating the planet by about 1 degree Celcius. Would such a similar trick work on our planet, could global warming or cooling be tamed by the action of thousands of dispersed devices?

  2. better idea by ILuvRamen · · Score: 1, Interesting

    So why not look for Nessy aka the Loch Ness Monster with them as a test? Now THAT would be scientifically productive to me at least :D

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  3. If they keep drifting around by RuBLed · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Wouldn't that mean they would wash up on shore sooner or later much like what happened to the rubber duckies spill incident? If so they would end up constantly replacing those things but they seem to be cheap to make though.

  4. A short history of the OSU Buoy Group by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My father has been dropping computers into the ocean for 30 years. Learn more here: http://cmrecords.net/osu/history.htm

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    1. Re:A short history of the OSU Buoy Group by birdwithoneleg · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I was part of a team that designed instrumentation that does the same thing: http://www-ccs.ucsd.edu/research/sbcsmb/drifters/

  5. sensors that are unmaintained by timmarhy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How do they calibrate and test the accuracy of these sensors?

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  6. Re:Still more on prediction, no more on action by projektdotnet · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Agreed. How long have we kept accurate historical documentation on world climate? What is to say in 2000 years it won't be back to the return of the ice age?

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