Scientists enlist cruise ships to collect oceans data

Speaking of the ocean, AP reports:

Scientists are enlisting cargo ships to measure water temperatures, ocean currents and even the height of clouds in the hope of revealing the oceans' secrets.

Peter Ortner, chief scientist with the Atlantic Ocean Marine Laboratory of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said that in order to address questions such as the changing path of the Gulf Stream scientists need more than the few years of data most missions can provide.

The long-term data that commercial ships can yield is what has been historically so difficult to obtain and what the latest project hopes to achieve.

And did we mention that the current issue of Mother Jones has a special report on the fate of the oceans?