NEWPORT, Ore. (CN) — A research buoy is something like an ant: A single one might not look like much, but put a bunch together and they can make something truly impressive. In the water, a buoy becomes part of a larger system. Together, they provide all kinds of functions, from conducting ocean and weather research to helping satellites stay calibrated. Buoys can handle almost anything the sea throws at them. William Burnett, a meteorologist who…