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Expendable Bathythermograph
Beyond the Blue: Hawai‘i Mapping expedition coordinator Sam Cuellar prepares to conduct an expendable bathythermograph, or "XBT" for short, cast from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
An XBT is a small probe that collects temperature data about the water column and, when combined with historical salinity profiles, allows the mapping team to generate sound velocity profiles that can be applied to multibeam soundings in real time for an accurate measure of bathymetry. Image courtesy of Caitlin Bailey, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration, 2024 Beyond the Blue.
An XBT is a small probe that collects temperature data about the water column and, when combined with historical salinity profiles, allows the mapping team to generate sound velocity profiles that can be applied to multibeam soundings in real time for an accurate measure of bathymetry. Image courtesy of Caitlin Bailey, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration, 2024 Beyond the Blue.