Mixing Zephyr Program
Unusual Terminology

CTD-T

An acronym for conductivity-temperature-depth-transmissivity, the CTD-T is a particular type of instrument package, commonly used during oceanographic water column surveys.

fish

Any array of instruments packaged within a protective cage and towed behind a surface ship. The fish "swims" through the water: it is raised and lowered on its cable by a winch as it is dragged behind the ship, usually at a velocity of about 1 knot.

tow-yo

The noun form is the activity in which a package of instruments is raised up and down through the water column (like a yo-yo) while simultaneously being pulled (towed) horizontally by a surface ship. The tow-yo is juxtaposed with the vertical cast (which might be called a yo-yo, if the world were full of consistency). The verb is simply the act of pulling a package in the resultant saw-tooth pattern.

SRV, 8/15