Updates

  The OOI version of a pit crew.  As the Papa Team brings the hybrid profiler mooring onboard, the profiling vehicle is removed before continuing with the recovery.

Here Carmen Greto, an RV Sikuliaq technician, monitors the deployment of a conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) rosette.  The CTD measures salinity, temperature, and pressure at multiple depths along with taking water samples.  These measurements provide a baseline comparison for the newly deployed Papa instruments.

An Alaskan local stops by for a visit…a seal dropped by the RV Sikuliaq to give the Papa team some advice on buoy recoveries.

The RV Sikuliaq is on site at the Papa array.  Surrounded by the deck and instrument teams, and vessel crew, Jim Dunn gives a briefing on the deployment of the hybrid profiler mooring.  It is always important to make sure everyone understands the operation and their roles, to ensure a successful and safe deployment.

Shipboard safety is always a priority.  Early in the cruise all Papa personnel must go through the safety briefing and drills, including how to put on the immersion suit.  Here Dan Bogorff and the team try on their suits and discuss emergency scenarios with Capt. Diego and other members of RV Sikuliaq crew.

Most people think about the instrumentation and the electronics on the OOI moorings.  But the moorings wouldn’t hold position for 12 months through stormy weather without these pieces of equipment!  These are the subsurface mooring 6000 lb mace anchors needed to keep everything in place.