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
15°N, 51°W 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) and second (NTAS-2) moorings were
documented in previous reports (Plueddemann et al., 2001, 2002). This report documents
recovery of the NTAS-2 mooring and deployment of the NTAS-3 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 WHOI R/V Oceanus, Cruise OC-385-5,
by the Upper Ocean Processes Group of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The
cruise took place between 12 and 23 February 2003. Deployment of the NTAS-3 mooring
was on 15 February at approximately 14°49.5¢ N, 51°01.3¢ W in 4977 m of water. A 24-
hour intercomparison period followed, after which the NTAS-2 mooring was recovered.
This report describes these operations, as well as some of the pre-cruise buoy
preparations.
