Danielle Warren with the Expendable Bathythermograph (or “XBT” for short) launcher during the 2022 Caribbean Mapping Expedition. The XBT is a probe used to measure temperature throughout the water column, generating a temperature profile. Scientists then use software that combines temparture profiles from an XBT with surface salinity data to determine an overall sound speed profile. The sound speed values can then be applied to multibeam soundings in real time for an accurate measure of bathymetry.
XBT Launcher
Image courtesy of Caitlin Bailey, GFOE, 2022 Caribbean Mapping.
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Danielle Warren with the Expendable Bathythermograph (or “XBT” for short) launcher during the 2022 Caribbean Mapping Expedition. The XBT is a probe used to measure temperature throughout the water column, generating a temperature profile. Scientists then use software that combines temperature profiles from an XBT with surface salinity data to determine an overall sound speed profile. The sound speed values can then be applied to multibeam soundings in real time for an accurate measure of bathymetry.