Image caption
Buoys in the Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean (TAO) Array in the equatorial Pacific are anchored to the bottom of the ocean in a series of parallel lines of longitude. (Drawing is not to scale). The buoys along a given longitude are spaced more than 100 miles apart. The new versions of the TAO buoys have temperature sensors at more depths than previous ones, giving a more detailed picture of the upper ocean heat content. NOAA Climate.gov drawing.