Abstract:
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Hawaii Ocean Timeseries (HOT) Site
(WHOTS), 100 km north of Oahu, Hawaii, is intended to provide long-term, high-quality air-sea
fluxes as a part of the NOAA Climate Observation Program. The WHOTS mooring also serves
as a coordinated part of the HOT program, contributing to the goals of observing heat, fresh
water and chemical fluxes at a site representative of the oligotrophic North Pacific Ocean. The
approach is to maintain a surface mooring outfitted for meteorological and oceanographic
measurements at a site near 22.75°N, 158°W by successive mooring turnarounds. These
observations will be used to investigate air–sea interaction processes related to climate
variability.
This report documents recovery of the seventh WHOTS mooring (WHOTS-7) and deployment
of the eighth mooring (WHOTS-8). Both moorings used Surlyn foam buoys as the surface
element and were outfitted with two Air–Sea Interaction Meteorology (ASIMET) systems. Each
ASIMET 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 155
m of the moorings were outfitted with oceanographic sensors for the measurement of
temperature, conductivity and velocity in a cooperative effort with R. Lukas of the University of
Hawaii. A pCO2 system was installed on the WHOTS-8 buoy in a cooperative effort with Chris
Sabine at the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. A set of radiometers were installed in
cooperation with Sam Laney at WHOI.
The WHOTS mooring turnaround was done on the NOAA ship Hi’ialakai by the Upper Ocean
Processes Group of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The cruise took place between 5
July and 13 July 2011. Operations began with deployment of the WHOTS-8 mooring on 6 July.
This was followed by meteorological intercomparisons and CTDs. Recovery of WHOTS-7 took
place on 11 July 2011. This report describes these cruise operations, as well as some of the in-port
operations and pre-cruise buoy preparations.
