Updates
Build in Reykjavik
The Irminger cruise team continues to make progress building the moorings in Reykjavik, Iceland. The mooring systems are integrated and then “burned in.” This is a test period for the power, data, telemetry, and instrument systems to ensure everything is operational prior to loading the vessel. Above James Kuo and Irene Duran verify the operation…
Read MoreDemob and Mobilization
August 23-24, 2023: Demobilization of Leg 1 and mobilization for Leg 2 have been completed. Some personnel have been swapped. Eight new VISIONS students have arrived and are settling in onboard, ready to acquire their “sea legs.” And the Leg 1 infrastructure was offloaded to be replaced by lots of gear for Leg 2. The…
Read MoreMobilization Started
The Irminger mobilization has begun! The team is in Reykjavik, Iceland building and testing the Irminger Array Global Surface Mooring, Hybrid Profiler Mooring, and Flanking Moorings. John Lund, the cruise Chief Scientist, and his team are assembling the Global Surface Mooring buoy well and tower. The well houses the power, data collection, and telemetry systems…
Read MoreEnd of Leg One
August 22, 2023: Leg 1 came to an end under calm seas and blue skies, as compared to four days of weather during the leg, with winds up to 35 knots (40 mph). Despite the weather, the RCA team had multiple successes. They turned two science platforms on each of the Shallow Profiler Moorings at…
Read MoreWork Continues in Spite of Weather
August 18th, 2023: The attempt to dodge the weather fronts continues for the science team aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. With a break in the weather, Jason went into the water at 0936 for a naked dive (Dive J2-1524) to clean the digital still camera. There was a short loss of power. The team…
Read MoreSlight Weather Delay
After a one-day weather delay, the RCA team will be departing aboard the R/V Thompson today, August 14th at ~1315 to head out to the Oregon Shelf site at 80 m water depth. It is a short steam of ~ 1 hr. The first Jason dive (J2-1512) will be to test the Jason winch and to clean and…
Read MoreHomeward Bound after Successful Mission
The RV Sikuliaq is returning to Seward, Alaska after completing a successful Papa 10 cruise. The vessel is loaded down with recovered Papa 9 moorings and the recovered University of Washington/Applied Physics Laboratory Waverider system. The Papa moorings will be shipped back to Woods Hole, Massachusetts for refurbishment and deployment next year.
Read MoreAnchor Away!
The final step in a flanking mooring deployment….Jim Dunn cuts away and deploys the 6000 lb mace anchor.
Read MorePitching In
Everyone pitches in where they’re needed most…Kris Newhall is the Chief Scientist on Papa 10, supports deck operations, and here acts as a mobile desk for James Kuo as he completes final comms checks on a flanking mooring. (Kris is holding laptop).
Read MoreCheck, Double Check
Mooring and instrument systems are checked multiple times prior to deployment. Here Dan Bogorff and James Kuo perform one last communications check on the hybrid profiler mooring sphere and controller cage prior to overboarding.
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