Atlas-B: Development and Testing of a Brazilian Deep-Ocean Moored Buoy for Climate Research

The PIRATA-SWE (Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic-Southwest Extension) was conceived in the early 2000s to gather observations necessary to improve the understanding of the variability of ocean-atmosphere interactions in the SACZ (South Atlantic Convergence Zone), which are believed to influence South American climate. To properly monitor the SACZ, the preliminary design for the PIRATA-SWE array considered the mooring of four buoys, with the southernmost one in the sub-tropics. In 2005, three buoys were deployed in the tropical region. Four years later, in 2009, efforts were started to assemble and deploy a Brazilian prototype of the TAO/PIRATA Atlas (autonomous temperature line acquisition system) buoy-the Atlas-B. Finally, in April 2013 the first Atlas-B, nicknamed "Guariroba", was moored for a testing period at 28.5° S, 44° W, which is the site originally planned for the fourth PIRATA-SWE buoy. In early November 2013, after being detected adrift, the buoy with the upper 700 m part of the mooring line was rescued in an emergency operation. In June 2014, the bottom part was successfully recovered. A new deployment is planned for late 2014. This paper describes part of the learning process of adapting and building the Atlas-B buoy and presents a brief discussion of the data collected during the pilot deployment.