Program Update – April 2014
The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) in April deployed the second phase of planned components for the Pioneer Array part of the observatory off the coast south of New England.
The deployment took place April 11 to April 20 on Research Vehicle Knorr. The cruise included recovery of two Wire Following Profiler moorings and the Pioneer Central Surface Mooring and deployment of five Wire Following Profiler Moorings and three Gliders. There are 29 instruments on the moorings and 15 instruments on the gliders. A total of six gliders will be deployed as part of the Pioneer Array, with three of that fleet deployed at this time. In total there will be 44 sensors deployed as part of the array. More information and photos from the cruise soon will be posted to the OOI Website.
The OOI Team in September 2012 deployed three test moorings at two Pioneer Array sites on the continental slope south of Cape Cod. That shelf break is at 39° 55.0’ N, 70° 47.5’ W. At that location, two moorings — a surface mooring and a moored profiler — were placed at approximately 1710 feet (520 meters) water depth. A third mooring was placed at a deep ocean location at 39° 30.0’ N, 70° 47.5’ W. That mooring was placed at 8136 feet (2480 m).
Click Here to read more about the Pioneer Array Initial Deployment and to see Detailed Pioneer Array Instrument Tables. The region of the continental shelf where the Pioneer Array is deployed is characterized by sharp gradients in ocean temperature and other properties across the shelf, currents that flow along the shelf, and strong biological productivity. The data collected from the Pioneer Array will be freely available to all, including researchers seeking to improve understanding of the region.
The coastal component of the OOI is comprised of two arrays: Endurance Array located in the Northeast Pacific and Pioneer Array off the mid-Atlantic coast. Later in the month a cruise initiated off the coast of Oregon to place additional equipment and gliders in the ocean for the Endurance Array. More details will be posted on that work in the next monthly roundup and also on the OOI Website when available. See Detailed Endurance Array Instrument Tables here.
The OOI Team this month participated in the 3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival, the largest science festival in the U.S., features nationwide contests and school programs, to be held in Washington, D.C., April 23-25. Members of the OOI Team will be at a Consortium for Ocean Leadership exhibit to discuss the OOI program and allow students and their teachers and family to conduct hands on experiments demonstrating the capabilities of ocean gliders and ocean observing. For more information visit the Festival Website at:http://www.usasciencefestival.org/
For more information on the OOI program visit the OOI Website or Submit Comments or Question for the OOI Program.
