Dispatch 15: "A" Redeployed

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Rick Krishfield

September 29, 2010

After a quick overnight turnaround (to make up for some of the time lost to fueling) of the instruments and mooring hardware, the mooring team and deck crew are back on deck before sunrise preparing to redeploy Mooring A. The acoustic releases for recovery are attached to the anchor, and Bottom Pressure Recorder is installed in the aluminum chute on the 4500 lb anchor, and that assemblage is lowered over the side first. Then the backup buoyancy of 50 glass spheres protected by yellow hardhats are attached sequentially in groups of 4, and then wire rope is spooled out. The various scientific instruments are added in-line at the appropriate depths.

The conditions improve as the morning progresses, until the wind picks up reducing the wind chill. But, especially at this time of year weather in the Arctic is extremely variable, and the conditions improve again by the end of the deployment. Five hours after beginning the operation, the top flotation sphere is released, and the acoustic releases are interrogated and put to sleep. The mooring is planted again so that the scientific instruments can acquire time series data for another year until we return and service it again.

Last updated: October 7, 2019