Gradual but Persistent Quest for the Ocean Observation by Employing Multifarious Sensing Gadgets: A Preview

The Oceans cover around 70 percent of entire earth's surface and contain a volume of 1.3 billion cubic kilometers. According to few analysts roughly 95 percent of the world ocean and 99 percent of ocean floor are yet to be explored. The more interesting fact is that mid-water which is the region between ocean's surface and sea bottom is least explored. This study is aimed at various sensors, system, and platforms involved in measuring ocean autonomously and providing in situ data in real-time or near real-time. The study encompasses the working and types of such systems which provide atmospheric, physical, and ocean measurements. The systems include, but not limited to, various buoys, drifters, gliders, sailing drones, aerial drones, and ocean observing satellites. These measuring devices, gadgets, and systems are providing data both in the recorded and in-situ form. As an example, the 90% collected data from the Argo buoys is freely available online within 24 hours of its collection. This Core Argo program have covered the ocean globally since 2007 and have collected over 1.6 million temperature/salinity profiles and trajectories. Similar to Core Argo, there are various other global coverage program such as Deep Argo, Biogeochemical (BGC) Argo, Polar Argo, and Global Drifter Program (GDP). Then, this study proceeds with systems providing ocean observations on autonomous scales. These systems comprise of Underwater Gliders, Wave Gliders, Sail Drones, X-spar Buoys, Sonobuoys, and Sensors equipped to live marine mammals. Finally, the study explores the systems involved in aerial observations of the ocean. These aerial observations are being carried out with Global Hawk Drone and multifarious satellites working in collaboration with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These satellites are responsible for providing data of near ocean's surface salinity, temperature, winds, and ocean color. This study has taken into consideration varying systems and devices involved in exploring global oceans as comprehensive as possible.