- 7 - 
TEMPERATURE (C) 
Fig. 6: 
Sample XBT graph (expanded) 
with inflection points plotted 
(after McDowell and Dorson, 
1983) 
The inflection points and a preamble containing time, date, 
ship's position, and ship call sign is concatenated to con 
struct a BATHY (JJXX) message according to WMO-FM63 code 
(WMO, 1984) which is then transferred into the data buffer of 
the ' satellite transmitter (data collecting platform). 
Periodically, at scheduled times, the coded messages are 
automatically transmitted to METEOSAT and passed to the 
ground station operated by EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, F.R.G., and 
then via the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) in Offenbach, 
F.R.G. in near real-time to the DHI (Fig. 7) . Finally, the 
DHI enters the BATHY messages into the GTS of the World 
Weather Watch (WWW) to make the data available to users on a 
timely basis. For further information see McDowell and Dorson 
(1983) . 
In addition to the transmission of ocean temperature data the 
SEAS unit aboard CMS "Koln Atlantic" is also used for entry 
and transmission of weather data of six hourly interval 
observations. This has the advantage that weather data are 
transmitted to DWD even if the radio operator is off duty.