Sailors from U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command and staff from Naval Oceanographic Office launch an Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) instrument from Military Sealift Command oceanographic survey ship USNS Pathfinder (T-AGS 60) to collect ocean data and build models of ocean temperature. An XBT is a small probe that is dropped over the side of a ship. As it falls through the water, it measures temperature. Small wires transmit the temperature data back to the ship where it is recorded for further analysis. Because the probe falls through the water at a known rate, the depth of the probe can be inferred from the time of launch. Scientists then plot temperature as a function of depth to create a temperature profile of the water. The Pathfinder is the oldest of six ships in the Pathfinder Class, and is named for Matthew Fontaine Maury, "Pathfinder of the Seas" and "Father of Modern Oceanography and Naval Meteorology." The ship was delivered to the Navy in October of 1994 and has completed over 250 survey missions. U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC) directs and oversees more than 2,500 globally-distributed military and civilian personnel who collect, process and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to make better decisions faster than the adversary. (US Navy photo by LT Bobby Dixon / Released)
Date Taken: | 01.05.2022 |
Date Posted: | 01.19.2022 14:51 |
Photo ID: | 7015708 |
VIRIN: | 220105-N-FJ553-597 |
Resolution: | 2700x1800 |
Size: | 2.75 MB |
Location: | STENNIS SPACE CENTER, MISSISSIPPI, US |
Web Views: | 5 |
Downloads: | 5 |
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