Successful deployment of the marine optical observation buoy system in the Xisha Islands
Just in the afternoon of September 3rd ，2010, everybody was immersed in the happiness because the marine optical observation buoy was successfully dropped in the northern South China Sea.
This marine optical observation system has two parts observing both above and below the sea level. The above sea cell observes the sun irradiance and some atmosphere factors including wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity and air pressure; the below sea cell observes upwards and downwards spectrums irradiance at different depth levels. The marine optical observation buoy adopts fibre-optical technology, buoy’ technology, automatic technology and long-range communication technology. It carries out continuous real- time optical observations above and below the sea. It provides data in time series to do multi-disciplinary associated research of marine biology, optics and physical process, and can also test the remote sensing products in the South China Sea.
As an indispensable part of the observation system in the Xisha Islands, the optical observation system has given its support to monitor the west current in the northern South China Sea and the effect of the geographical condition around the Xisha Islands on marine ecosystem with the sediment trap system deployed in September 2007, and won achievements of the marine environmental time-serial data station in the northern South China Sea.
After the successful deployment of the optical observation system during the 7th opening voyage over the northern South China Sea of the South China Sea Institute, the Xisha Islands marine environment observation system that has six cells includes optical observation system, marine environment observation buoy system, wave and tidal level observation system near the island, automatic atmosphere station, sitting-on-bottom observation system and multi-disciplinary sediment-trap observation system. It makes the gain of the multi-element of environment under the sea level come true. It is the basic information to study how the marine ecosystem changes with the environment, the climate change and the biotic resource change. It should take deep infect with the marine science investigation, marine security and serves economic construction.
