Skip to content

Dispatch 22: Our last mooring recovery

Jennifer Kosty (Yale University)

October 9, 2026

14:30 local, 75.00◦N, 150.01◦W

Conditions:

  • 100% sea ice cover
  • -4.5◦C
  • Sunrise: 10:13 PDT (local)
  • Sunset: 19:19 PDT (local)
  • Day length: 9 hours, 6 minutes

We made it to our last mooring! Last night, we, unfortunately, had to cancel the planned cast at CB5 due to unsafe weather and ice conditions. The combination of high winds and a fast current made it impossible for the bridge team to maintain our position within an opening in the sea ice pack. We, therefore, decided to continue onwards towards Mooring A, with the intention of returning to CB5 later.

We arrived at Mooring A early this morning. At 6 am, the WHOI team and I met in the forward lab to identify Mooring A’s precise location via the usual triangulation procedure. Afterwards, we enjoyed a quick breakfast and got ready for the day’s work. Jeff O’Brien sent the command to release Mooring A from its anchor around 9:30 am. By 10 am, the WHOI team and deck crew had Mooring A’s top sphere recovered on deck and were removing its instruments.

This being our third mooring of the cruise, we have settled into a good routine on recovery days. Lead technician Chris Basque and bosun Ashley are stationed at the A-frame, where they disassemble the mooring system piece-by-piece (i.e., disconnect wire segments, remove instruments/buoyancy balls as they surface, etc.). Eric Hutt assists the recovery process by monitoring the deck equipment and changing out wire reels. Tim McDonough is responsible for recovering the McClane Moored Profilers (MMPs) and downloading their data. The deck crew are also instrumental to the recovery process by operating the ship’s winch/crane and assisting the WHOI team as needed. My job is to document the recovery operation and confirm that the instruments returned high-quality datasets. Finally, the whole day is overseen by Jeff O’Brien, who supervises the deck recovery operations and instrument verification process.

By 2 pm, Mooring A was fully recovered, and we returned inside to enjoy a celebratory meal of chicken heart stew, pork chops, roasted baby potatoes, and fries. We are currently en route to CB5, with the hope that conditions will allow us to complete a rosette cast there tonight. We will then return to Mooring A’s drop location to prepare for tomorrow’s redeployment!

The most recent sea ice concentration map for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas (Source: https://data.seaice.uni-bremen.de/databrowser/).
The most recent sea ice concentration map for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas (Source: https://data.seaice.uni-bremen.de/databrowser/).
Map showing our current location along the planned 2026 cruise track.
Map showing our current location along the planned 2026 cruise track.
Deckhand Chesley about to hook Mooring A’s top sphere into the winch. Photo by Ashley Monster.
Deckhand Chesley about to hook Mooring A’s top sphere into the winch. Photo by Ashley Monster.
Chris Basque (right) and bosun Ashley (left) preparing to reel in the first segment of mooring wire. Photo by Jennifer Kosty.
Chris Basque (right) and bosun Ashley (left) preparing to reel in the first segment of mooring wire. Photo by Jennifer Kosty.
Tim McDonough guiding one of Mooring A’s McClane Moored Profilers (MMPs) as it is lowered into the forward hold. Photo by Jennifer Kosty.
Tim McDonough guiding one of Mooring A’s McClane Moored Profilers (MMPs) as it is lowered into the forward hold. Photo by Jennifer Kosty.
Tim McDonough (left) and Eric Hutt (right) monitoring the mooring wire as it is reeled in. Photo by Jennifer Kosty.
Tim McDonough (left) and Eric Hutt (right) monitoring the mooring wire as it is reeled in. Photo by Jennifer Kosty.
Me all bundled up and ready to take notes on the recovery operations! Photo by Monika Loevenmark.
Me all bundled up and ready to take notes on the recovery operations! Photo by Monika Loevenmark.