This RAPID proposal seeks funding to complete the work originally proposed. Due to ship problems, the first of 2 cruises scheduled as part of this project could not be completed. The RAPID funding is required to allow the PI's to be ready to deploy the HOT profiler as soon as a cruise can be fit into the ship schedule.
Broader Impacts:
The HOT profiler project seeks to substantially improve our ability to observe the ocean on long time scales at locations not serviced by cabled observatories by supplying power and bandwidth to profiling vehicles. If successful, the technology will greatly benefit both of these groups. Additionally, the scientific knowledge gained will likely improve our understanding of the seasonal cycles of internal waves, which are of great import to the improvement of circulation models.
This award enabled an additional cruise for the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) profiler project, which sought to develop and deploy a full-ocean-depth profiler capable of conducting sustained, deep and repeated profiles for O(1 year) and transmitting the data back to shore. Data are from a modified McLane profiler that recharges itself by docking every few days and receiving power inductively from large subsurface battery packs at the top of the mooring. The additional cruise was necessitated by a hole that developed in the hull of the Kilo Moana during the intended deployment cruise in January 2012, which halted science operations and prevented deployment. Requested funds were for salary, sea pay, and shipping of equipment to Honolulu to conduct the cruise. Five people flew to Hawaii, prepared the instruments and rigging, and participated in the cruise. Weather was good and the deployment went very smoothly. Following deployment, we were able to verify that communications were intact and that the instrument was profiling and charging as intended. Later, Iridium communications were lost, but acoustic communications continued for the entire deployment. The instrument was recovered later the same year under funds from the original project, and will be reported on in that final report.
