A new flotilla of floating sensors, underwater gliders and seal-mounted cameras are being used by Australian marine scientists to probe deep into our oceans.

The launch of the new $22 million deep ocean survey was announced today at the Australia-New Zealand Climate Forum being held in Hobart.

It’s hoped the study, which is part of the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), will provide a better understanding of climate and weather extremes, as well as inform offshore industries and defence.

CSIRO oceanographer and leader of the IMOS ocean and climate node, Dr Susan Wijffels, says that so far IMOS has concentrated on what influence the ocean has on climate.

She says the next phase will look more at impacts on ocean ecosystems and the ocean’s role in the carbon cycle. That includes everything from the ocean’s chemistry, to the food chain – from the plankton microfauna right up to the top predators.

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