An Ice-Tethered Profiling Instrument for Sustained Observation of the Arctic Ocean

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

P.I. Toole (WHOI) Proposal #: 0324233 Proposal Title: An Ice-Tethered Profiling Instrument for Sustained Observation of the Arctic Ocean Project Summary The PIs propose to design, build, and test an automated, easily deployed Ice-Tethered Profiler (ITP) capable of returning daily high-vertical-resolution measurements of upper ocean temperature and salinity in the Arctic Ocean during all seasons over a three-year lifetime. The buoy will transmit data in near-real time and be low-cost, allowing systems to be considered expendable, avoiding the need for expensive recovery operations. The ITP will be designed to support third-party plug-in modules such as surface meteorological sensors and acoustic systems. This development will build on the past success of ice-tethered drifters supporting multiple discrete subsurface instruments as well as the WHOI-developed Moored Profiler. The PIs envision a loose array of approximately 20 ITPs throughout the Arctic Ocean for observation of annual and interannual variations of the upper ocean. Two systems will be fabricated and deployed on a planned cruise in mid-2004. Based on the performance of these units, the instrument design will be modified if necessary and two more systems will be constructed for deployment on a cruise of opportunity in 2005. During this time, in consultation with the polar research community, the PIs will develop a plan for establishing and maintaining an array of ITPs that will contribute to a sustained Arctic Ocean observing system.