In-situ CTD Data Acquired by Seals along with Data of Argo Floats & Gridded Argo Rallying Observation of Marginalized Polar Regions

Abstract

Thereis a constant increase of temperature on global scale from north to south. An increase of 0.9 degrees Celsius is monitored since 1906 onward. In addition, this increase of temperature is even more at some particular polar areas both in north of 60°N and south of 60°S. Both Arctic and Antarctic regions require oceanographic observations more than ever now. It is pertinent to mention here that during the past decade, though the temperatures in Antarctic have remained consistent but the Arctic has experienced an increase of 0.75 °C which appears to be much higher than even the global average. Similarly, the Arctic is going through vanishing ice sheets, a gradual rise of traffic in this particular part of the ocean, and, last but not least, a drastic increase in exploration of natural resources. Furthermore, the ice covering protection of Antarctic requires continuous monitoring & persistent measurement. In this regard, polar Argo buoys have initiated collecting data at poles due to technological improvements in buoys. These improvements include the both way communication with the aid of Iridium satellite network, upgraded software to store winter profiles and algorithm development for avoidance of ice. It is recommended to increase Argo standard sampling (3° × 3°) towards poles by enhancing 285 buoys in the sea of Arctic and 360 in the proximity of Antarctic. It is pertinent to mention here that despite the aforementioned improvements, the Argo buoys still experience varying damages caused to their expensive gear on multiple occasions thus limiting their frequent employments. In addition to that, the survivability of Argo floats is compromised in polar regions as compared to the open global oceans. The accumulative effects of such causes make the cost of even a single Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (from now on CTD) profile to be much costly with regard to the profile obtained from open oceans. Similarly, in order to develop gridded fields of salinity & temperature which optimally preserve the temporal and spatial capacities of the profiling buoys for the Argo array, the In-Situ Analysis System (ISAS) was evolved. In 2009, re-analysis on global scale was conducted for the first time. Since then, this particular system has been upgraded to include all kinds of time series along with the profiles of vertical. These gridded spheres of ISAS are utterly comprising in-situ outcomes. This near real-time temperature- salinity gridded data on the global scale is acquired for the upper 2000 meters. An optimum interpolation is the basis of these gridded Argo data sets. These data sets are considered as a source of observation in the bipolar regions of the globe. Finally, animals are equipped with Autonomous CTD-Satellite Relay Data Loggers (from now on CTD-SRDLs) which are mounted on such animals on land. Then, the data is acquired & stored in the form of hydrographic profiles during their foraging travels. The moment these seals return to surface, the data is transmitted by satellite ARGOS. The ARGOS satellites are responsible to ascertain the position of the seals by employing triangulation. On the Southern fronts of the ocean, data is processed and saved by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU). This data is then received by the Global Telecommunication System (GTS) in real-time. This particular CTD data undergoes a post-processing proceeding which involve editing, rectification, & subsequent endorsement of hydrographic measurements. These records are then made public via varying portals. In general, such CTD-borne animals are relentlessly recording and offering vertical temperature-salinity profiles up to the depth of 2000 meters. This particular study is aimed at analyzing multifarious ways to obtain better estimation of both thermal & salinity measurements in and around the surroundings of polar regions. To accomplish this, the study discusses viable data in the proximity of bipolar regions from Argo, gridded Argo data sets, and CTD-borne animals in order to highlight the prospect of covering polar oceans. Consequently, the data from the 03 sources is presented both on individual and comparative charts at 02 core locations in the proximity of the polar regions.