Developing technologies for regional ocean observing systems

摘要

The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association (GCOOS-RA) takes a continuing and proactive role in in-situ monitoring and characterization of the marine environment. In many ways the Gulf is the ideal integrated ocean observing environment, its complex and extreme meteorological and oceanic conditions make it an ideal test bed for characterization of such technologies. This paper identifies some of the more useful techniques that have been adopted in understanding the Gulf. We also identify approaches, as yet untried, that could provide vital data for operational support and the provision of data for initialization, assimilation, and verification of ocean forecast models.