INTRODUCTION 



There is a serious need for improvement in techniques of 

 acquiring and recording oceanographic data. Improvements in 

 both the quantity and quality of such data are needed, as well 

 as extension of the range of depths to which measurements can 

 be taken. This is particularly true with respect to measurement 

 of temperature distribution. 



An obvious method for increasing the rate (and thus the 

 quantity) of data acquisition consists of spacing appropriate 

 measuring devices at intervals along a line normal to the 

 surface of the water, and then moving the entire array through 

 the area of interest, continually monitoring the instrumentation. 

 Several systems based on this principle have been designed, the 

 best known being the "thermistor chain" (2) developed by the 

 Commercial Engineering Company in conjunction with the Woods 

 Hole Oceanographic Institute, 



While these systems represent a significant technologi- 

 cal advance, the extreme weight and bulk involved to attain 



Numbers in parentheses refer to the list of references 

 on page 94, 



4 



