Feature article
ARGO in the South Pacific
Dr Philip Sutton, NIWA
The ocean has a remarkable capacity to transport and store heat. With 2.5m depth of water having the same heat capacity as the entire depth of the atmosphere, even small changes in ocean temperature can have large impacts on climate. Observations of the distributions of heat and freshwater (through measuring changes in salinity) are essential for understanding the oceans’ role in climate and for forecasting climate and ocean conditions.