Program Update – January 2015

In 2014, the OOI moved toward completion of its’ construction phase with eight deployment cruises installing 34 moorings, 9 instrumented seafloor sites, 16 gliders, and approximately 550 instruments. These successful deployments occurred in the northern hemisphere Global sites (Station Papa, Irminger Sea), within the coastal domain of the Atlantic and Pacific (Pioneer and Endurance Arrays), and along the Cabled Array on the Juan de Fuca Plate.

December 11-16, 2014, the R/V Knorr was called out of retirement to make one last voyage and deploy three moorings on the Pioneer Array off the coast of New England. The OOI team, led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, deployed Inshore and Offshore Coastal Surface Moorings as well as the Inshore Surface-Piercing Profiler Mooring.

In mid-January 2015, five gliders were deployed at the Pioneer Array from the chartered vessel Scarlett Isabella.

As we enter 2015, work focuses on the final deployment phase of the many instruments and platforms that comprise the OOI, as well as preparing for the delivery of data to the OOI user community.

Moving toward data delivery, Rutgers and the OOI Cyberinfrastructure advertised two positions – one OOI Data Manager and four OOI Data Evaluators. To date, the OOI Data Manager position has been filled, but applications are still being accepted for the four Data Evaluator positions.

Upcoming installations include the remaining two OOI Global Arrays, Southern Ocean and Argentine Basin, planned for February and March 2015, respectively; and completion of the Endurance and Pioneer Array deployments, currently scheduled for April 2015.