The Northwest Tropical Atlantic Station (NTAS): NTAS-4 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 150N, 510W 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), second (NTAS-2) and third (NTAS-3) moorings were documented in previous reports (Plueddemann et al., 2001; 2002; 2003). This report documents recovery of the NTAS-3 mooring and deployment of the NTAS-4 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 NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown, Cruise RB-04-01, by the Upper Ocean Processes Group of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA456288
Entities
People
- Albert J. Plueddemann
- Brandon R. Wasnewski
- Brian P. Hogue
- M. A. Alsh
- Nancy R. Gaibraith
- Paul R. Bouchard
- William M. Ostrom
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution