ATLAS buoy-reengineered for the next decade

Abstract

The ATLAS buoy system was developed under modest auspices in the early 1980s to measure upper ocean heat content and surface meteorological parameters in support of air-sea interaction studies in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Since that time, the array has been the centerpiece of an international climate study with nearly 70 surface buoys in the TAO array spanning the Pacific from approximately 8/spl deg/N to 8/spl deg/S from longitudes 137/spl deg/E to 95/spl deg/W. The moorings and data system have proven to be robust and reliable but have changed little from the original design, which was limited by the technology available at the time. An engineering effort to improve the system with enhanced sensor capabilities and modified cable telemetry has been implemented and several prototype moorings have been successfully deployed.