Deep Profiler Moorings V17

During Dive R1862, ROPOS attaches a line to the float on the deep profiler mooring at Axial Base in preparation for its recovery. Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/ISS; V15.

The UW Applied Physics Lab team and the R/V Thompson crew are about to pull in the mooring cable on the Deep Profiler Mooring at the Oregon Offshore site. Credit: University of Washington, V15.

The cabled Deep Profiler vertical mooring hosts an instrumented, Mclane profiler vehicle modified by the UW Applied Physics Laboratory. The vehicle houses an array of instruments to measure ocean properties from ~2900 m to ~ 150 m water depth. Power and data transfer are provided via an inductive couple, augmented by WiFi capabilities for lower data rate transfers. The following instruments are included on the Deep Profiler: CTD, Dissolved Oxygen, 3-D Single Point Current Meter -Temperature, and Fluorometers (CDOM, Chlorophyll-a, Optical Backscatter).

There are three Deep Profiler Vertical Moorings on the Cabled Array. They are each paired with a Shallow Profiler Mooring and a Seafloor Instrument Array. Two are currently installed at the base of the Cascadia Margin (Slope Base -PN1A) and in shallower waters along the Oregon margin west of Newport (Endurance Array Offshore Site  - 600 m). During the VISIONS'17 cruise, we will turn up to two of the already deployed moorings, and install one near the base of Axial Seamount near PN3A (~2700 m).