R/V Endeavor is ready to depart tomorrow morning from Ponta Delgada, Azores, for the third and final SPURS cruise in the tropical Atlantic. The crew and science party have worked hard over the past several days to prepare the ship and the instrumentation for the work ahead. We've also had time to enjoy beautiful scenery, friendly people, and excellent food.
The primary objective of this cruise is the final recovery of the various moorings and robots that have been measuring the Atlantic salinity maximum region for the past 12 months. Following departure we will head southwest. The first major piece of work will be the replacement of a sensor on the northernmost PIRATA mooring near 20N, 38W. We will then steam towards the SPURS site to recover the bulk of our gear including moorings, gliders, Wave Gliders, and a mixed layer float. One of the moorings parted a few weeks ago so we'll have to chase the rapidly-drifting surface buoy to the west before heading to Rhode Island.
The figure below is a rough sketch of our initial cruise plan. The plan will probably change daily as dictated by weather and mechanical complications.
The figure below is a rough sketch of our initial cruise plan. The plan will probably change daily as dictated by weather and mechanical complications.
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