Narrator: This is Science Today. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography took snapshots of the global oceans using robotic flotation devices called ARGO. Dean Roemmich, a professor of oceanography, says they had the help of 16 countries and adds that the study of the ocean is changing because of such international coalitions.

Roemmich: Initially all of the countries had regions of the oceans they were interested in, often near their coastlines. All of the international partners agreed that what we really needed was a global system. So we begun moving out from the regional arrays, putting floats into open oceans.

Narrator: According to Roemmich the recent tsunami in Asia and Africa indicate that countries should pay attention to ocean observation.

Roemmich: Argo is one element of what I call a comprehensive ocean observing system. And I think what we have to do is look very carefully at the whole range of ocean applications and the new technologies.

Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.