Posts Tagged ‘Coastal Pioneer Array’
Final Recovery
This expedition is not a typical one. Rather than being loaded to the brim, the R/V Neil Armstrong will leave the dock with a fairly empty back deck. This open area will allow for the recovery of three surface moorings, five profiler moorings, four gliders, and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle over the course of the…
Read MoreLast deployment
As we wrap up the Pioneer 18 cruise and head back to port in Woods Hole, it is a time to thank all those responsible for the great success of the Pioneer array, and reflect on the fact that the Coastal Profiler Mooring shown here, PMUI-17, will be the last Pioneer mooring deployed on the…
Read MoreLinepack at sunrise
Coastal Profiler Mooring (CPM) line packs are tested early in the morning on deployment days. CPM anchors are recovered by means of an acoustic release. The release frees a float which rises to the surface pulling the line pack – an aluminum frame wound with thin, strong synthetic line- which unspools as the float rises.…
Read MoreMarine life making homes on buoys
The Northeast US Shelf is a biodiverse area that leads to some fascinating meetings with nature. The Pioneer Array’s mooring platforms on the shelf provide a solid structure that becomes home for many marine species like barnacles, mussels, and scallops. I never knew what barnacles actually looked like until I saw them on our buoys.…
Read MoreMaking the connection
A Coastal Profiler Mooring buoy is connected to a hauling line for recovery. The deck team uses snap hook on the end of a pole to clip into a bale on the buoy deck. The pole and hook are designed to pull apart, leaving the line connected to the buoy. The line is fed through…
Read MoreMorning coffee
The Pioneer 18 deck team is up early to prepare for mooring deployments. Handling gear needs to be prepared, equipment needs to be tested, and the environmental conditions need to be assessed. A cup of coffee can get lost in the shuffle. This one sits between the termination of the 403.7 m section of wire…
Read MoreWelcome visitors
Leg 2 of the Spring Pioneer cruise got some unexpected visitors! A group of 6-7 pilot whales swam by to say hi and see what cool science OOI and NES-LTER are doing at the New England Shelf.
Read MoreOff at sunrise
After waiting out a late-season nor’easter during the in-port period between legs, the second leg of Pioneer began this morning at sunrise. The R/V Neil Armstrong left the dock at Woods Hole as the sun peeked through the sky for another nine days at sea. While the sun was rising, the air still cool and…
Read MoreFrom ship to shore
Offloading of Leg 1 of Pioneer 18. It’s always exciting to see a fully loaded vessel like the R/V Neil Armstrong be unloaded, cleaned, restocked, and mobilized for another leg. The WHOI dock was busy with crane, people, and equipment moves that were all carefully orchestrated from the ship’s bridge and the land-based team.
Read MoreBig eyes
Large, deck-mounted binoculars known as “big eyes” are used for marine mammal observations. NOAA Research Wildlife Biologist Peter Duley joined Leg 1 of the Pioneer-18 cruise and brought the big eyes along. Stationed on the bow for nearly all available daylight hours, Peter was able to make 43 different marine mammals sightings, including Bottlenose, Common,…
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