TAO array consists of the Next Generation ATLAS (Autonomous Temperature Line Acquisition System) moorings. Prior to the Next Generation ATLAS moorings, the standard ATLAS moorings were used for the array. A notable improvement to the Next Generation ATLAS moorings were the inductively coupled sensors for subsurface data which simplified fabrication, and therefore, eliminated the themistor cable and its labor-intensive assembly and deployment procedures.

In a few locations, subsurface Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) moorings