Dispatch 17: Another fine day

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Rick Krishfield

October 1, 2010

Recovery of Mooring B at 78° N, 150° W commenced early on another cold day with scattered snow showers. Fortunately, the acoustic survey to triangulate the mooring location can be done from the warmth of the forward lab by connecting our deck unit to the ship's transducer, so we are spared the chore of lowering our own transducer over the side of the ship in the early morning darkness. The survey pinpoints the location of the releases at the bottom of the mooring and the top float near the surface. In this case, it appears that the mooring is standing rather straight in the absence of strong currents.

While new ice is already being formed in the area, fortunately there is not a lot of multiyear ice to hinder the mooring from surfacing. Regardless, the Captain and officers of the Louis still work for several hours to clear ice in the area where we expect the package to surface to ensure a successful recovery. The float does surface as expected, and the recovery proceeds smoothly. All instruments are returned to the warmth of the ship where the data will be downloaded, and they will shipped home to be prepared for redeployment another year. New refurbished instruments will replace the recovered instruments when the mooring is redeployed in a couple of days.

Last updated: October 7, 2019