Oceanography

Science @Sea
Practical Ship-based Training for Students
of Marine Science
 Introduction to Oceanography
What is Oceanography?
It is the study of the physical, biological, geological and chemical
processes that take place in the seas and oceans of the world, and
how they are related.

Four main branches of oceanography:

• Biological oceanography
• Chemical oceanography
• Geological oceanography
• Physical oceanography
 Oceanographic Measurements
Different ways to measure:
• Point in time:
Research vessels
• Continuous:
Moored platforms
Remote sensing

Dynamic parameters measured:

• Currents
Oceanographic parameters measured:
• Temperature, salinity, oxygen, nutrients,
phytoplankton biomass and certain
tracers
Research vessels are the most complete multi-
purpose observing platform

Deploy and operate sampling equipment from

these vessels
 Oceanography at the Marine Institute
Oceanographic Services provide
comprehensive services within
the Marine Institute and
externally to industry, third level
partners and the public who have
an interest in our oceans.

Some Responsibilities:

• National Weather Buoy Network

• The Irish Tide Gauge Network
• Argo Float / Glider Deployments
• West Ireland Wave Forecasts
•The Marine Institute Integrated Mapping Observation page
 Weather Buoys
What do the buoys measure?
• Wind speed & direction
• Significant wave height & period
• Air pressure & humidity
• Air & sea temperature
• High precision sea temperature &
conductivity

Image courtesy of Ocean Science Services, Marine Institute.

 The Weather Buoy Network
• Initiated following a report in 1996
• Report highlighted the need for real
time data from the Irish coast
• First deployment of the weather buoy M1 in
2000

Core aim:
To provide real time observations to weather
forecasters to improve accuracy & hence
improve safety in Irish waters.

Provides vital real time data for:

Weather forecasts, shipping bulletins & gale &
swell warnings.

Users of the service:

Fishermen, air-sea rescue teams, ferries, ships
exporting live export & people involved in water
sports (frequently used by surfers). Weather Buoy Locations
Image courtesy of Ocean Science Services, Marine Institute.
Data also contributes to:
Formation of a long term climate data base.
 The Irish Tide Gauge Network
• Development involving the MI and a
number of organisations in the public
and private sectors

• Aim is to develop a permanent tidal

monitoring infrastructure (35 to 40
stations).

• Entering year 5 of an anticipated 10 year

program.

Principle objectives:
• To involve local organisations to assist
them with local issues related to water
level monitoring.
Tide Gauge Locations
• To bring all operational tide gauges into
Image courtesy of Ocean Science Services, Marine Institute.
a centrally managed national
infrastructure.
 The Irish Tide Gauge Network

Benefits of tidal monitoring:

• Real-time data to support
recreational users, navigation and Telecoms / instruments
100% redundancy

commercial activities. Kish bank Lighthouse

In-water
• Tidal predictions equipment

• Flood warning.
• Long term sea level
variability.
Images courtesy of Ocean Science Services, Marine Institute and Irish Lights.

- 18 operational gauges in 2008

- Anticipate 20 more (post 2008)
 Argo Floats

• 3000+ currently deployed

• Measures temperature and salinity of the upper 2000m of the ocean
• Coverage west of Ireland is poor Follow link to
• Data assimilated into Global Models Google Earth

• Ireland uses these models to downscale activities to local areas

C:\Documents and
ettings\slyons\Deskto
• Target to keep the global array at 3000 floats
 Gliders

- Hull Diameter: 21.3 cm

- Vehicle Length: 1.50 m

• Capable of moving to specific locations & depths

• Moves horizontally & vertically
• Suited for subsurface sampling at the regional scale
• Patrol for weeks at a time (typically 30 days)
• Substantial cost savings compared to traditional surface ships
 Glider Trials (2009)
• MI to carry out inshore trials
in near future
• Glider deployments in 2009

Will enable small fleets of gliders to study and map the dynamic
(temporal and spatial) features of our subsurface coastal waters.
 West Ireland Wave Forecasts

• Wave model SWAN

• Updated twice a week with a 6 day
forecast
• Wind data is derived from GFS
• The forecast is generated for research
• Purposes and for comparison with
measured wave parameters
• Frequently used by surfers
 Integrated Marine Observations

• The Marine Institute Integrated

Mapping Observation page

• Uses the Microsoft Virtual

Earth Mapping interface

• Display real time readings

from sensors and instruments
managed by the Marine
Institute:
Databuoys
Tide Gauges
Tidbit Probes
MI Locations
Furnace Weather Station
 Sampling Survey Design
55

• Sampling stations positioned

along horizontal and vertical
transects or grids.
54

• Vertical profiles taken here

provide a 3-D picture of the
variables within the study

Latitude (deg N)
area. 53

Important parameters:
• Temperature 52

• Salinity
• Fluorescence
• Current speed & direction 51
12 11 10
Longitude (deg W)
9 8
 Recording Scientific Operations

Record data from DataViz screens into station log sheets.

Include:
• Time, Date, Station Positions, Depth, Details of Samples Collected,
Met Data
 CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth)

CTD measures the 3 most

important oceanographic
parameters: temperature
salinity and pressure.

CTD is supplied with sensors:

• Conductivity sensor
• Temperature sensor Underwater
• Pressure sensor Unit
• Auxiliary sensors
- dissolved 02 sensor
- transmissometer Recorder
and Auto
- fluorometer etc. Fire Module

Why measure these physical parameters?

Niskin Bottles and Reversing Thermometer

Reversing thermometer
mounted on a Niskin bottle

Preparation of a Niskin bottle

for use

CTD rosette: a frame fitted with a

number of large water-collecting
bottles called Niskins
Deployment and Recovery of the CTD

Temperature, Salinity, Density, Oxygen,

Fluorescence, Transmissivity

CTD Physical
sampling data readout
 CTD Water Sample Collection

Salinity (200 ml)

Phytoplankton
(55 ml)

Water sample Chlorophyll

collection from CTD and Nutrients
(1 l)

Water samples for lab analysis

 Deployment of Plankton Net

Deployment of phytoplankton net Recovery & wash down of net

Sample transferred to bottles

Deployment of zooplankton net and preserved
 Secchi Disc
This device is used to measure water transparency in
open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean

• Lower disc vertically into the water until it disappears

• Lower it a little further until out of sight
• Raise it until it can just be seen
• The depth of the disc at this point is known as the Secchi Depth
Processing Water Samples (Chlorophyll & Nutrients)
Chlorophyll samples (1 litre) are filtered through GF/F filters,
stored in 15 ml centrifuge tubes and frozen prior to analysis

50 ml of filtrate, resulting form the chlorophyll filtration, will be

used for nutrient analysis back in the lab.
 Plankton Composition
Diatoms Dinoflagellates

Net
Sample
n
kto
n
p la
yto
Ph

Coccolithophores Microflagellates

Gelatinous
Zooplankt
on

Microscopy
 What are Phytoplankton?
Microscopic plants that live in
the ocean
Primary producers of the sea
Foundation of the marine food
chain

Small fish, and some species

of whales, eat phytoplankton
as food → larger fish then eat
the smaller fish → humans
catch and eat many of these
larger fish
Primary Interest to Oceanographers:

• Good indicator of change in their environment

• Exert a global-scale influence on climate

 Phytoplankton Taxonomy
Taxonomy: biological organisms are classified
into groups based on their natural relationships

Phytoplankton taxonomy is based on:

• Cell morphology (shape)

• Surface ornamentation
Commonest phytoplankton forms:
• Colour
• Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae)
• Food reserves
• Dinoflagellates (Pyrrophyceae)
• Coccolithophores (Prymnesiophyceae)
• Microflagellates
 Diatom Taxonomy
Valve Valve mantle

Girdle
a) Centric
Valve view
Diatom

Intact
frustule Girdle view
Two half frustules

Valve view
b) Pennate
Diatom
Girdle view Centric Diatom: Thalassiosira

• Unicellular alga with siliceous frustules

• Each half of the frustule consists of a valve
and a connecting or girdle band
• Valve view (full view of valve surface)
• Girdle view (side view of valve)
• Two groups (centric and pennate)
• Centric diatoms - radially symmetrical
• Pennate diatoms - bilaterally symmetrical Pennate Diatom: Thalassionema
 Dinoflagellate Taxonomy
VENTRALVIEW DORSAL VIEW

epicone
apex

girdle

hypocone antapex
sulcus
Naked Dino: Gymnodinium

VENTRALVIEW DORSAL VIEW

epitheca apex PLATES

apical
intercalary
girdle precingular

postcingular
s
l
hypotheca antapical
antapex Armoured Dino: Alexandrium

• Single celled organisms

• Two flagella (whip-like processes)
• Transverse girdle (cingulum) & a longitudinal furrow (sulcus)
• Cingulum and sulcus meet on the ventral
• Species are either thecate (armoured) or athecate (naked)
 Coccolithophore Taxonomy
Micrograph courtesy of Pauhla McGrane (MI)
• Unicellular phytoplankton
• Very small cells (<20 µm)
• External shell composed of coccoliths
• Shape and arrangement of these
coccoliths used to identify species
• Capacity to occur in massive blooms

Courtesy Plymouth Marine Laboratory Remote Sensing Group, UK

Coccolithophorid bloom 9-15 May 2008 as Emiliania huxleyi

viewed from space

Q for students - what causes the change in water colour during these blooms?
 Microflagellate Taxonomy

Common Classes of Microflagellates

Cryptophytes: tear shaped with two flagella at the widest

end.

Euglenophytes: long and thin, with two flagella coming from

the top of the cell. Large, often prominent
nucleus.

Prasinophytes: cells variable in shape but often quite square

and compressed, up to sixteen flagella
arising from small depression in the cell.

Chloropyhtes: round or ovoid cells with (usually) two

flagella. One single chloroplast.
 Underway Data Acquisition
Pumps water from just below the
ocean’s surface and run it 18

through a series of sensors to

Hull Temperature (C)

17

16

measure 15

14

• Temperature 13
-5 -4 -3 -2

• Salinity 35.0
Longitude

• Fluorescence (a proxy for

Salinity
phytoplankton productivity)
• Turbidity
34.5
-5 -4 -3 -2
Longitude
20

15

F lu o resc en ce
10

0
-5 -4 -3 -2
Longitude

Underway temperature (°C), salinity

(ppt) and fluorescence sections

Ships onboard data display

 DAS Sub-surface Measurements
• Time series data are collected continuously as the ship moves along
• This data is then translated into geographic maps of sea surface
conditions along the ship’s route.
51.0 51.0

50.0 50.0 35.3

19

35.2
Latitude (N)

Latitude (N)
18
35.1

17
35

49.0 16 49.0 34.9

34.8
15
34.7

14
34.6

48.0 13 48.0 34.5

-7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2
Longitude (W) Longitude (W)

Sub-surface temperature (°C) and salinity (ppt) contours, Western

English Channel, 29th June to 8th July, 2003
ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler)

ADCP
beams
Vessel mounted ADCP

• Instrument measures how fast water is moving

across an entire water column

• ADCP mounted in the structure of the ship

• Provides detailed maps of the distributions of water

currents
 ADCP Data Acquisition
Detailed maps of the distributions of water currents

ADCP profiles and processed sections

 Science@Sea
Oceanography

All material unless otherwise credited is supplied

courtesy of the Ocean Science Services division
of the Marine Institute. This presentation is not
intended as a source for reference, copying or
redistribution.

Queries on content or context should be addressed to imep@marine.ie