title: SCUBA divers as oceanographic samplers: The potential of dive computers to augment aquatic temperature monitoring.
abstract: Monitoring temperature of aquatic waters is of great importance, with modelled, satellite and in-situ data providing invaluable insights into long-term environmental change. However, there is often a lack of depth-resolved temperature measurements. Recreational dive computers routinely record temperature and depth, so could provide an alternate and highly novel source of oceanographic information to fill this data gap. In this study, a citizen science approach was used to obtain over 7,000 scuba diver temperature profiles. The accuracy, offset and lag of temperature records was assessed by comparing dive computers with scientific conductivity-temperature-depth instruments and existing surface temperature data. Our results show that, with processing, dive computers can provide a useful and novel tool with which to augment existing monitoring systems all over the globe, but especially in under-sampled or highly changeable coastal environments.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environment, Fisheries &Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environment, Fisheries &Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hull
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environment, Fisheries &Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Sivyer
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environment, Fisheries &Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pearce
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environment, Fisheries &Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK.|School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Pinnegar
authors.affiliation: Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK.|NERC National Facility for Scientific Diving, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Martin D J
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Sayer
authors.affiliation: Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK.|NERC National Facility for Scientific Diving, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew O M
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Mogg
authors.affiliation: Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK.|NERC National Facility for Scientific Diving, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azzopardi
authors.affiliation: Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gontarek
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environment, Fisheries &Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: Kieran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hyder