Obsolete - AFSC/RACE/EcoFOCI: 2011 Fall Bering Sea Mooring Cruise DY11-04/3DY11

Our scheduled departure time was delayed due to a combination of weather and shipb??s equipment problems (navigation light, engine).  The weather slowed our transit time to Bering Site 2 from approximately 19 hrs to more than 29 hours.  

Bering Sea Site 2 - When we arrived at site 2, we began CTD/chlorophyll/nutrient/oxygen and bongo ops at the southernmost box station.  The station was successfully completed and we slowly b?? due to weather b?? made our way to the westernmost box station b?? averaging between 5 and 6 knots.  This station was also successfully completed, but shipb??s personnel concluded that due to a combination of the weather and personnel inexperience in the challenging sea conditions, operations would be suspended.  After a safety meeting among shipb??s personnel, it was decided that the survey person, would monitor the operations area for safety considerations.  Deployment and recovery of gear that was normally performed by a survey tech and deck hand would now be done by a scientist and a deck hand.  Operations resumed at mid-morning - CTD/chlorophyll/nutrient/oxygen and bongo ops at the remaining box stations were completed.  The center station was completed with 2 CTD/chlorophyll/nutrient/oxygen/DIC casts, a bongo and triplicate CalVET tows.  We waited overnight hoping for improving weather conditions, but in the morning concluded that we should head north to Bering Sea site 5.

Bering Sea Site 5 b?? We deployed 2 subsurface moorings (mooring recoveries at this site had been conducted previously on a contract vessel). A CTD/chlorophyll/nutrient/oxygen/DIC casts, a bongo and triplicate CalVET tows were completed after mooring operations.  We then completed the box of stations surrounding site 5 b?? with a CTD/chlorophyll/nutrient/oxygen and bongo at each station.

Bering Sea Site 4 b?? We deployed 2 subsurface moorings (there were no moorings to be recovered at this site). Two CTD/chlorophyll/nutrient/oxygen/DIC casts, a bongo and triplicate CalVET tows were completed after mooring operations.  We then completed the box of stations surrounding site 4 b?? with a CTD/chlorophyll/nutrient/oxygen and bongo at each station.

Bering Sea Site 2 b?? A small boat was launched to recover the fragile instruments on the surface buoy tower.  A surface mooring and two subsurface moorings were successfully recovered.  Two subsurface moorings were successfully deployed.  Three CTD/chlorophyll/nutrient/oxygen/DIC casts were completed.

CTD and bongo line b?? A line of eight CTD/chlorophyll/nutrient/oxygen and bongo tows - starting at site 2 and working towards site 4 - were completed.  The last seven casts included DIC samples.

Tags: 20cm bongo, 60cm bongo, alaska fisheries science center, arrowtooth flounder, bering sea, biological data, calvet, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, fish, fish larvae, ichthyoplankton, mooring, national marine fisheries service, noaa, northeast pacific ocean, obsolete data set, oceanographic data, pacific cod, plankton, recruitment processes program, rockfish, sablefish, seabird ctd, seabird seacat ctd, u.s. department of commerce, walleye pollock, zooplankton
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce