by Laura de Steur
OSNAP 9: R/V Pelagia (EAST Leg 2)
As mentioned before, the recovery of the first moorings on this cruise was very successful: all but one instrument on the 5 Dutch moorings in the Irminger Current had recorded data for one whole year. The large data return of ocean temperature, salinity and velocity at 15 minutes to one hour intervals at selected depths between 100 m and 2900 m depth allows us to investigate the northward flowing Irminger Current. Earlier estimates were derived from summer data (shipboard data) only. Now we can quantify the total volume and heat transport of the Irminger Current based on these continuous measurements, address seasonality, and investigate variability in relation to e.g. atmospheric patterns. After retrieving our data, the instruments have been serviced, batteries replaced, and the moorings are deployed again on the Reykjanes Ridge – ready to collect another year of data. We are now working our way westward in the Irminger Sea and have reached the English moorings in the Deep Western Boundary Current, the cold and dense current flowing southward. Cross our fingers for another few days with good mooring recoveries!
