Physical oceanography instrumentation for the polar regions: a review

The development of measurement systems for physical oceanography in polar regions is summarized, and selected instruments are described. Some instruments have been developed simply to provide access to the environment. Since hydrographic data are very sparse for large, inaccessible areas of the Arctic Ocean, hydrographic buoys have been developed that make long-term measurements of water temperature and conductivity as they drift through remote regions. Other instruments have been developed to take advantage of the unique platform the ice provides allowing measurements that cannot be performed in the open ocean. Instrumentation has also been developed to measure processes that are unique to ice-covered regions