Waters around Bermuda are being used as testing grounds for "thermometers'' which could revolutionise global warming experiments worldwide.

The huge acoustic thermometers will be placed in the Atlantic Ocean over the next two weeks while tests are carried out at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research.

It is another boost for the Station which has attracted some of the world's top environmental brains in recent weeks.

Scientists from the Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institution will be carrying out the tests over the coming weeks.

Research Specialist Mr. Dan Frye pointed out that two experiments would be carried out during their stay at the biological station.

The main project concerns the acoustic instruments which have in the past been placed in fixed points. Acoustic thermometers are able to accurately measure ocean temperatures by the speed that sound pulses travel through the ocean.

So far the thermometers have been placed in different points in the Pacific Ocean and measurements have been taken over large expanses of ocean.

An accurate measure of the ocean temperature can provide direct evidence of global climate changes caused by greenhouse gases.

Mr. Frye said most global temperature can be found in the oceans with atmospheric temperature giving only a small percentage.

He said the Bermuda experiments were dealing with free-moving devices which would enable random temperatures to be taken over a much wider expanse of ocean instead of the recordings covering the same area.

Mr. Frye said: "This is a fairly speculative endeavour. It is very difficult to measure the global temperature.

"If we find it is successful in Bermuda this will be used to measure temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.

"There are two different prototypes and we will probably test them again in late October in case there are any problems.

"Bermuda is the perfect place to test because we are so close to deep water and we have the facilities of the Biological Station.'' The thermometers are huge buoys attached to thousands of metres of cable and the acoustic instruments.

The project in the Pacific has also included studies of the effects of noise on whales.

GLOBAL WARMING TESTS -- Mr. Dan Frye with the buoy which will float at the top of thousands of feet of cable which make up an acoustic thermometer.