METEOR-20240910

METEOR-20240910#

Summary#

RV Meteor is continuing to head SSE towards the oceanographic instruments that we deployed a few days ago. Our buoy has drifted far to the East, following the equatorial counter current (you can track it here). We intend to arrive near its location late tonight and retrieve it at first light tomorrow. We will then head a bit west to retrieve the glider that has been following that buoy (though failing to keep up with it). We will then head yet further west to find the WireWalker and retrieve it and the glider that has been following it. Since the WireWalker is attached to a cable below a drift buoy, it is drifting following weaker currents in a deeper layer than the other drift buoy, and thus has not drifted as far East. We will then return to the Pirata mooring at 8N, 38W to retrieve the third and final glider, which has stayed near the mooring, the following morning.

While tomorrow promises to be a busy day of instrument retrieval, today was an active day for the SEA-POL radar. Widespread stratiform rain with embedded deeper convection kept the radar operators busy all day. While the radar is running continuously with an automated scan pattern, a part of the scan cycle is reserved for user-selected scans to target specific convective features. This requires constant attention from the radar operator, who needs to select the specific azimuth and elevation angles to scan with an RHI during each 10-minute cycle. We also sometimes adjust the distribution of elevation angles in the volume scan depending on the structure of the convection to make sure that we are resolving it well. This again requires monitoring by the radar operator, who must examine the data coming in and make a judgement call as to the most effective scan strategy. Beyond the radar lab, the rainy day meant that we were limited to indoor activities during free time between work shifts, so it was a good day for table tennis to make its first appearance of the cruise. If early indications are correct, it will be a popular and competitive activity on board.

Remarks#

  • Meteor is in the UTC-2 time zone.

  • Radiosondes were launched on the normal 3-hourly schedule.

  • STRINQS has ceased operations.

Plans#

  • 11.09 - 12.09: Recover the deployed oceanographic instruments at 8N, between 35.5 and 38W

  • 12.09 - 16.09: Head west towards 10N, 47W

Events#

Time (Local)

Comment

08:57 - 09:28

MSS

09:37 - 10:54

CTD

10:20

Meeting led by D. Klocke

11:00 - 11:20

SEA-POL spin

20:57 - 21:27

MSS

21:40 - 22:37

CTD

22:40 - 23:00

SEA-POL circle
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