Image

RAFOS floats

August 23, 2018

Scientists deploy a RAFOS float during a research cruise in the Denmark Strait to track the sources of sinking waters of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation—a key component of the Great Ocean Conveyor that influences climate in the North Atlantic region. These instruments passively monitor deep ocean currents for up to two years. Their positions are tracked by underwater sound sources. The floats resurface at the end of their missions and transmit their data via satellite. WHOI physical oceanographer Amy Bower has used RAFOS floats to explore hidden deep-sea currents in the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo courtesy of Sam Levang, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)