Inverse Echo Sounding: Using measured water depth to calculate water temperature and its variation over time

Abstract

Inverse echo sounding is a new method that, in this investigation, has been used to calculate average temperature difference in the water column over time using the difference in the recorded depth of points on the sea floor. The study took place over Cross Seamount, an inactive seamount, 300km southwest of the Islands of Hawaii and occurred between 27th December 2010 and 4th January 2011 on the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. The aim was to test the hypothesis that the method of inverse echo sounding is an accurate technique in being able to identify changes in average temperature of the water column over time.