Updates
Winch Ready
March 7, 2023
Aaron Davis (SIO) from the UNOLS West Coast Winch Pool trains OOI team members on the portable Hawboldt winch installed on the deck of R/V Sikuliaq. The team is looking forward to using this winch for the first time on the spring 2023 OOI Endurance Array cruise. This winch offers several advantages over the TSE spooler previously employed. It can measure tension, its speed and braking strength can be more…
Technical Improvements
March 6, 2023
One technical improvements that will be deployed during Endurance 18 is a new steel frame over the solar panels to prevent damage caused by frequent sea lion visitors. This is one of many incremental technical improvements that are made to OOI arrays to optimize their operations while at sea.
Snow, Snow, Snow
March 2, 2023
And it snowed! Preparations were underway to move OOI’s ocean observing equipment to the dock in Newport to load them onto the @rvsikuliaq when snow appeared. The Endurance Team is set to leave for the 18th turn of the Endurance Array in early March.
It’s a Wrap!
March 2, 2023
Wrapping up a successful cruise. The iconic Ravenel Bridge welcomes the R/V Neil Armstrong back to Charlestown to mark the end of a successful Pioneer Mid-Atlantic Bight cruise.
Mission Accomplished
March 2, 2023
Beautiful skies to mark the end of a successful cruise! The OOI-CGSN team and the RV Neil Armstrong completed their transit into Charleston, SC and commenced offloading all the deployment equipment. The boat following the Armstrong was for the harbor pilot, required for large ships entering Charleston Harbor. The boat came alongside as the Armstrong entered the controlled waterway and the pilot boarded from a Jacob’s ladder. .
Teamwork
March 2, 2023
It takes a team to do oceanography. Here James Kuo prepares an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler for deployment, along with other team members from OOI-CGSN, WHOI Mooring Operations & Engineering, and the RV Neil Armstrong crew.
Profiler Mooring Deployed
March 1, 2023
The Coastal Profiler Mooring was successfully deployed in 600m water depth at MAB. The test deployment will verify the mooring and buoy design, as well as the operation of the profiling vehicle, in the MAB environment.
CPM Deployment
February 28, 2023
A profiler mooring deployment starts with the buoy going over the transom. The Armstrong’s Bos’n (right) signals for the hauling winch to come up slowly to begin the process. OOI Team member Kris Newhall (left) and Armstrong crew members (background) assist.
ROV Control Station
February 24, 2023
ROV dive operations are controlled and monitored from a station in the ship’s lab. A darkened room provides better contrast for the monitors, which allow the pilot to view ROV operating information and seafloor conditions.
ROV Dive Prep
February 24, 2023
CGSN Team Members Irene Duran (foreground) and James Kuo (background) prepare the OOI ROV for operations on the back deck of the Armstrong. The ROV camera and sonar are used to assess conditions on the sea floor prior to mooring deployments.