Profiler Moorings Today

High seas are forecast at the end of the week when leg 2 was set to be on site at the new Pioneer location in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Taking advantage of sunny skies and smooth seas, leg 1 was extended to deploy two coastal profiler moorings. The Pioneer Team successfully deployed two profilers moorings today, April 8, one at the Northern site, the other at the Southern site of the Array.

The Profiler Moorings have a number of elements, which are assembled on the back deck before deployment.  (See left).

Shown below are the coastal surface buoy, which is submersible, and a 64″sphere that helps keep the mooring in alignment. Once the second mooring was in place, the crew and science party aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong headed north to return to Woods Hole to swap out some team members and reload the ship for leg 2.

Credit: DT Crist © WHOI.