How is Acoustics Contributing to the Study of the Upper Ocean?
David M. Farmer farmerd@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Institute of Ocean Sciences 9860 West Saanich Road Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4B2 Popular version of paper 1aPLb Presented Monday morning, June 22, 1998 ICA/ASA ’98, Seattle, WA The ocean surface is the most climatically sensitive boundary on the planet. Less than 3m of water has the same heat capacity as the entire atmosphere above it, so the transfer of heat and other properties through the air-sea interface, such as moisture, gas and momentum is of great importance. Satellite measurements using radar and optical measurements have revolutionized our view of the oceans by providing surface observations over vast scales. But they are just surface measurements. We might infer what goes on beneath from these surface signatures, but the ocean is essentially opaque to radar and optical wavelengths. That is why acoustical measurement complements the satellite observations so well. We can use acoustical instruments to probe the small scale processes be
