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Pioneer Mid-Atlantic Bight
At-Sea Tests

October Expedition to Deploy and Recover Test Moorings in Prep for  Move to Mid-Atlantic Bight

A team of scientists and engineers will leave Woods Hole, MA aboard the R/V Armstrong on October 23, 2023 to conduct a variety of at-sea tests to continue preparations for the anticipated move of the Coastal Pioneer Array to the Mid-Atlantic Bight, off Cape Hatteras, NC. The team has a very busy agenda. First will be the deployment of a newly designed shallow water mooring off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, for easy access and recovery and to test its suitability in a shallow environment. From there, the team will head to the mid-Atlantic Bight to recover a mooring and two anchors that have been in place since spring 2023. Other activities will include a site survey, an ROV inspection of alternate locations, water and CTD sampling to ensure the new array is properly sited. The public comment period on the environmental assessment of the new location is open until October 30, 2023.

EXPEDITION UPDATES

All
  • All
  • Endurance 16
  • Endurance 17
  • Endurance 18
  • Endurance 19
  • Irminger 10
  • Irminger 9
  • Pioneer 17
  • Pioneer 18
  • Pioneer 19
  • Pioneer MAB At-Sea Tests
  • Pioneer MAB Test Deployment
  • RCA VISIONS 22
  • RCA VISIONS 23
  • Station Papa 10
  • Station Papa 9

Seabed Survey


The OOI-CGSN team surveyed the seabed to better understand the layout of the proposed moorings sites.  The RV Neil Armstrong operated a hull-mounted acoustic equipment…

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Big Eyes Along the Mid-Atlantic Coast


Large binoculars called “big eyes” are used to help marine mammal observers detect and identify distant sightings.  Personnel from the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service were…

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Safe and Sound


Here the test Coastal Surface Mooring is safely on deck after ~8 months operating at the proposed Pioneer Mid-Atlantic Bight location.  The mooring was deployed…

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Surface Mooring Recovery


It may seem calm at the surface, but there’s a lot of action below…The OOI-CGSN team used the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to inspect the…

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Sunrise at Sea


Chris Basque, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution deck lead, takes advantage of the calm seas and bright sunrise to survey the work area and plan the…

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As Seen from Below


Everything looks good! The Remotely Operated Vehicle was deployed by the OOI-CGSN team to inspect the underwater components of the Shallow Water Mooring after deployment….

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As Seen from the Air


And here’s what the successful deployment of OOI’s experimental surface mooring off Martha’s Vineyard looked like from the air.

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Test is Underway


  The OOI-CGSN team and the R/V Neil Armstrong successfully deployed the Shallow Water Mooring which will now collect engineering data so the team can…

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Armstrong on the Way


The OOI-Coastal and Global Scale Node (CGSN) team will deploy the Shallow Water Mooring south of Martha’s Vineyard enroute to the proposed Pioneer Mid-Atlantic Bight…

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Loaded and Ready to Go!


The Shallow Water Mooring has been loaded on the R/V Neil Armstrong and fully integrated.  This means the buoy, riser, multi-function node, and profiling vehicle…

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Safety First


Safety is always a key aspect of going to sea.  One of the first things we do is have a safety drill so that we…

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Preparing the Test Mooring


At-Sea Test 4 cruise will include the first deployment of new Shallow Water Mooring (SWM) components. The mooring will be deployed for a few months…

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Armstrong-and-Iceberg

R/V Neil Armstrong


The R/V Neil Armstrong is a state-of-the-art oceangoing research vessel. The ship is 238 feet long, can sustain speeds of 10 knots, has a range of 11,500 nautical miles, and can remain at sea for up to 40 days. Named for the American hero whose “small step” provided humanity with a new perspective on our planet, this vessel carries on its namesake’s legacy of exploration.

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