Concept
Unknown RAFOS drifting subsurface float - Rossby et al. (1986)
| URI | http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/B76/current/B7600043/1/ | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Within Vocab | BODC Platform Models | ||
| Alternative Labels | RAFOS float | ||
| Definition | A drifting subsurface float used to map deep ocean currents and deployed at a target range of depths known as the Sound Fixing and Ranging (SOFAR) channel. The RAFOS float acts as a receiver of pongs emitted at designated times by moored acoustic beacons at ranges of hundreds of kilometres away which provide real-time underwater tracking of the float. Widely used by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the floats comprise a 2 m glass tube to house the electronics, an acoustic hydrophone, a ballast weight, and is typically fitted with temperature, pressure, and dissolved oxygen sensors. The float is depth rated to 3000 m and can have a deployment life span of up to 2 years. At the end of its mission, a pre-programmed command from the float's microprocessor releases the ballast weight, allowing it to rise to the surface and transmit the acoustic tracking data to satellites. The RAFOS system for oceanographic current measurements was first developed by T. Rossby, D. Dorson, and J. Fontaine at the University of Rhode Island and published in 1986. Rossby, T., Dorson, D., and Fontaine, J. (1986) The RAFOS System. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 3(4), 672–679. doi: 10.1175/1520-0426(1986)0032.0.CO;2. | ||
| Date | 2025-11-18T10:02:46 | ||
| Identifier | SDN:B76::B7600043 | ||
| Note | accepted | ||
| Is Version Of | B7600043 | ||
| version | 1 | ||
| Broader | L06:44 |
drifting subsurface float | |
| Related | L35:MAN0002 |
Unknown | |
B75:UNSPEC |
Unspecified | ||
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