Wind and Waves

After a successful day Friday and recovery of the Surface and Profiler moorings in the balmy 70+ degree North Atlantic, post-tropical storm Nicole’s winds and rain forced the Armstrong team to head North to shelter from the worst of the storm expected Saturday morning at the array. Not to trek North to Vineyard Sound empty-handed, the crew and science team braved 15’ seas and 25 knot winds to stop and take CTD casts every 5-10 miles, from the L11 NES-LTER line, south of Pioneer, heading north to L1 just outside Vineyard Sound. Graduate Student Lukas Lobert led the team, which also used Armstrong’s Underway Thermosalinograph and ADCP to fill in data between stations. Friday night’s mission checked three boxes — casts on the full NES-LTER line, working with the ship’s instrumentation, and sheltering ship, crew, and science team from the worst of the night’s weather. On arrival in Vineyard Sound off Tarpaulin Cove and the Tarpaulin Cove Light, the ceiling was low and visibility short, while the science deck team power washed recovered mooring components. Text and photos by Mark Hanson.

Credit: Mark Hanson © WHOI

Credit: Mark Hanson © WHOI.

Credit: Mark Hanson © WHOI.

Credit: Mark Hanson © WHOI