SeaSoar CTD Observations During the Coastal Mixing and Optics Experiment: R/V Endeavor Cruises from 14 August to 1 September 1996 and 25 April to 15 May 1997

Abstract : Two physical oceanography cruises on the R/V Endeavor were conducted by the co-PIs Jack Barth and Mike Kosro as part of the ONR-sponsored Coastal Mixing and Optics (CMO) Accelerated Research Initiative. The objective was to rapidly survey a region around 40.5N, 70.5W where a set of moorings and a stationary vessel conducting profiling operations were located. The first cruise took place during a period of strong summer stratification (14 August to 01 September 1996); the second cruise was conducted in the following spring (25 April to 15 May 1997) as water over the shelf restratified after mixing by winter storms. The water column was sampled by towing the undulating vehicle SeaSoar from the surface to within 5-7 m of the bottom. The vehicle was equipped with a standard SeaBird 9/11+ CTD sensor to measure conductivity, temperature, and depth; a nine-wavelength light absorption and attenuation meter (WETLabs ac-9); and a new microstructure instrument developed by OSU (MicroSoar) which measured conductivity and temperature at a very high frequency sampling rate using robust, fast-response probes.