The Northwest Tropical Atlantic Station (NTAS): NTAS-3 Mooring Turnaround Cruise Report
Abstract
The Northwest Tropical Atlantic Station (NTAS) was established to address the need for accurate air-sea flux estimates and upper ocean measurements in a region with strong sea surface temperature anomalies and the likelihood of significant local air-sea interaction on interannual to decadal timescales. The approach is to maintain a surface mooring outfitted for meteorological and oceanographic measurements at a site near 15 deg N, 51 deg W by successive mooring turnarounds. These observations will be used to investigate air-sea interaction processes related to climate variability. Deployment of the first (NTAS-1) and second (NTAS-2) moorings were documented in previous reports (Plueddemann et al., 2001, 2002). This report documents recovery of the NTAS-2 mooring and deployment of the NTAS-3 mooring at the same site. Both moorings used 3-meter discus buoys as the surface element. These buoys were outfitted with two Air-Sea Interaction Meteorology (ASIMET) systems. Each system measures, records, and transmits via Argos satellite the surface meteorological variables necessary to compute air-sea fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum. The upper 150 m of the mooring line were outfitted with oceanographic sensors for the measurement of temperature and velocity. The mooring turnaround was done on the WHOI R/V Ocean us, Cruise OC-385-5, by the Upper Ocean Processes Group of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The cruise took place between 12 and 23 February 2003. Deployment of the NTAS-3 mooring was on 15 February at approximately 14 deg 49.5 min N, 51 deg 01.3 min W in 4977 m of water. A 24-hour intercomparison period followed, after which the NTAS-2 was recovered. This report describes these operations, as well as some of the pre-cruise buoy preparations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA417292
Entities
People
- Albert J. Plueddemann
- James R. Ryder
- Jason C. Smith
- Nancy R. Galbraith
- William M. Ostrom
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution