Oceanographic Observation Map
Topic outline
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Numerous oceanographers have been diligently analyzing seawater and accumulating oceanographic data. International research projects have been undertaken to simultaneously obtain keyparameters for entire oceans. Below are the observation lines established in the Pacific Ocean by The Hydrographic Programme of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE).
The ocean observation lines by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) are shown below.
In Japan alone, oceanographic observations have been conducted by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the Fisheries Agency, and university training ships in addition to these. An enormous amount of data has been accumulated. Once each researcher has completed the analysis of his or her individual research and presented the results, the data is made public. By aggregating and numerically calculating such a vast amount of publicly available data, the analyzed values of nutrient, total carbon dioxide, and oxygen concentrations are applied to the three-dimensional grid points of the entire ocean. Seasonal and annual average values are output in the form of a grid, which is called climate value data. Climate data is available worldwide via the Internet.
When analyzing ocean climate data, data for a certain density surface can be selected and subjected to statistical processing all at once. Statistical processing is used to find out the year-to-year variation in the average value of a certain area. From such analysis, changes in the nutrient dynamics of the entire ocean due to climate change can be read. Climatic data is often processed en masse due to the sheer volume of data.
When we extract and plot data with some criteria in place, we may notice minor changes in human appearance that make us wonder, "Why?" We may notice trivial changes in the data. A computer would not be able to ask such questions on its own. The vast amount of data of the oceans is a treasure trove of untapped analytical potential. Everyone is allowed to search for that analytical material. So, here is an example of finding analytical material by extracting climate value data and plotting N/P ratios in the following kMoS.
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