A Microcomputer-Controlled Digital Acquisition and Analysis System for the Expendable Bathythermograph
Abstract
The expandable bathythermograph (XBT) has been an important tool for basic and applied oceanographic survey work. This has led to a significant body of work being done on the accuracy of the XBT system as a whole. One of the most important limitations has been the analogue recording and manual digitization of the profiles. A digital interface is described that replaces the standard deck unit and removes this problem. The interface is controlled through an IEEE-488 interface bus by a microcomputer or a minicomputer. The data is stored with 12 bit precision 10 times a second. As many as 115 profiles, each recording to 450 m in depth, may be stored on a single cassette. The microcomputer and plotter may be used for a number of analytical tasks including isotherm following, contour plotting, and sound speed or density calculations. The profiles may also be automatically compressed by a most reversible algorithm and coded to standard format for radio transmission. The bibliography contains presently available research reports on the XBT. Keywords: Bathythermograph data; Electrical conductivity-temperature-depth profile; Contour plotting; Density; Digital expendable bathythermograph; Horizontal variability; Salinity-temperature-depth profile; Sippican Mk-9, T5, and T7; Sonar performance; Sound speed; Temporal variability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA188234
Entities
People
- Brian Wannamaker
- Paolo Saia
- Philip Nesfield
- Roberto Rossi
Organizations
- SACLANT ASW Research Centre