SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
To summarize our experience with THETIS-2 and ATOC data, acoustic thermometry has many features which make it a good candidate for becoming an intrinsic part of a global ocean circulation observing system. The particular strength of the acoustic data is the ability to provide direct, time-continuous measurements of the interior temperature at the relevant scales for global estimation studies. We also found that the information content of tomographyis, to a large extent, orthogonal, and hence complementary to that of TOPEX/POSEIDON.
The combination of satellite observations with modem numerical circulation models brings us closer to the goal of accurately depicting the large scale circulation. But surface boundary conditions, as provided by satellite data, are note sufficient to adequately constrain the circulation. We also need systematic and continuous measurement of the interior ocean. And this is where acoustic thermometry, in combination with other types of in situ measurements, such as floats, XBTs, and moored arrays, can play an important role.
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