Floating disk gathers data

Citation

(1998), "Floating disk gathers data", Sensor Review, Vol. 18 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.1998.08718aaf.003

Floating disk gathers data

Floating disk gathers data

Data on heat flow from ocean to atmosphere, a primary driver of weather and climate, could yield valuable insights into such meteorological events as hurricanes and winter storms. Traditionally, however, this parameter has been very difficult to measure because gathering meaningful information on heat convection, which is turbulent at the ocean's surface, requires high-rate, long-term sampling ­ every second for days or weeks. To solve the problem, researchers at The National Science Foundation in Arlington and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are collecting the data in the water instead of the air. Measuring heat flux 2mm below the surface is close enough to get accurate information on the heat that is transferred to the air. In the water, heat is transferred via conduction rather than convection; as a result, heat flux can be measured directly using a commercially available heat-flux sensor. More important, the sensor needs to take a measurement only once every 20 minutes. The sensor is mounted in fibre-glass mesh surrounded by a floating ring. Surface tension keeps the sensor at the correct depth. The measurements are sent via a 30ft long floating tether to a buoy that houses batteries, a computer, and a transmitter that periodically relays data.