Living probes into the marine environment – apex predators as oceanographic platforms

The primary obstacles to the collection of oceanographic data are the limitations of sampling i n time and in three-dimensional space. Ship-board surveys are well designed for detailed sampling at depth, but are constrained in horizontal space and limited in time by high costs. Satellite monitoring can produce time-series of data over large horizontal spatial scales, but has only limited ability to obtain data concerning parameters at depth, and can also be constrained by the necessity for calibration and 'ground-truthing' of data. In contrast, fixed platforms can provide high-resolution data over long time periods, but only within limited three-dimensional space. So what is the answer?

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