Reaching a Compromise Environmentalists and scientists compromised in June 1995. Marine mammal studies were added to the project, and the scientists agreed to go through the entire permitting process again if they wanted to continue the project after two years. As for the ocean temperatures, Spindel presented some of the first results Monday at the Acoustical Society of America meeting in Seattle. The ATOC results also give scientists something ponder. To date, researchers have deduced ocean temperatures indirectly from satellite data on sea levels.
Warm water expands, meaning a higher sea level.
However, ATOC data indicates that only about half of the change in sea levels can be attributed to temperature change, much less than had been thought. You should be able to reconcile them eventually. By measuring how long it takes sound to travel through the ocean, scientists can measure its temperature to within one-fiftieth of a degree Fahrenheit. Copyright 1999 ABC News and Starwave Corporation. All rights reserved.