SCUBA divers as oceanographic samplers: The potential of dive computers to augment aquatic temperature monitoring

Serena Wright,Martin D J Sayer,Tom Hull,Andrew O M Mogg,Steve Gontarek,Kieran Hyder,David B Sivyer,John K Pinnegar,David Pearce,Elaine Azzopardi

doi:10.1038/srep30164

Abstract

Monitoring temperature of aquatic waters is of great importance, with modelled, satellite and in-situ data providing invaluable insights into long-term environmental change. However, there is often a lack of depth-resolved temperature measurements. Recreational dive computers routinely record temperature and depth, so could provide an alternate and highly novel source of oceanographic information to fill this data gap. In this study, a citizen science approach was used to obtain over 7,000 scuba diver temperature profiles. The accuracy, offset and lag of temperature records was assessed by comparing dive computers with scientific conductivity-temperature-depth instruments and existing surface temperature data. Our results show that, with processing, dive computers can provide a useful and novel tool with which to augment existing monitoring systems all over the globe, but especially in under-sampled or highly changeable coastal environments.

Highlights

Monitoring temperature of aquatic waters is of great importance, with modelled, satellite and in-situ data providing invaluable insights into long-term environmental change
There was a good agreement between the lowest temperature recorded by the dive computers and the OSTIA Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data at the corresponding site and day (r2 = 0.95, root mean square error (RMSE) = 1.72, slope = 0.97, intercept = −0.25; Fig. 2a)
Data uploaded to the ‘diveintoscience’ portal were shown to have reasonable accuracy, demonstrated using comparisons with sea and lake surface temperature data, and through direct comparisons with CTDs and water baths

Summary

Introduction

Monitoring temperature of aquatic waters is of great importance, with modelled, satellite and in-situ data providing invaluable insights into long-term environmental change. There is large scale monitoring of sea surface temperature using both remote sensing and in-situ platforms[3,11,12,13], but there is a lack of depth resolved temperature profiles for inshore regions This is a significant data gap as inshore temperatures are important for commercial activities (e.g. aquaculture and fisheries), development of young commercial fish on nursery ground (e.g. seabass14), thresholds for migration and spawning, and long-term trends in the productivity and distribution of species[15]. The scuba diving community represents a huge and novel source of aquatic temperature profile data over large spatial and temporal scales Compilation of these profiles could augment existing monitoring by enhancing the number of inshore temperature profiles, and provide a resource for scientists to better understand the marine environment and organisms’ responses to changes in the environment

Methods

Results

Conclusion