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USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program

Field Activity Details for field activity 1977-023-FA

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Other ID: OC 29

Status: Completed

Organization(s): USGS, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Funding Program(s):

Principal Investigator(s): Bradford Butman

Affiliate Investigator(s):

Information Specialist(s):

Data Type(s): Sampling: Chemistry, Time Series: Mooring (physical oceanography), Environmental Data: CTD, Environmental Data: Temperature, Imagery: Photo, Location-Elevation: Navigation

Scientific Purpose/Goals: 1. Recover 2 and deploy 4 bottom instrument packages as part of a continuing study of currents and sediment transport on the mid-Atlantic shelf and on Georges Bank. 2. Recover 1 current meter mooring and deploy 2 current meter moorings as part of the continuing study of currents and sediment transport. 3. Make underway XBT observations of water temperature structure and obtain profiles of temperature and conductivity (CTD) along selected transects running across shelf and along shelf. Measurements were designed to determine the position of the shelf-slope water front, to aid in interpretation of current meter and bottom tripod data, to map the distribution of cold pool water found on the shelf during summer, and to study mixing through Great South Channel. 4. Replace and relight as necessary surface marker floats at tripod locations. Floats serve to mark instrument locations and deter fishing activity.

Vehicle(s):

Start Port/Location: Woods Hole, MA

End Port/Location: Woods Hole, MA

Start Date: 1977-07-06

End Date: 1977-07-13

Equipment Used: Plessey CTD, XBT, Nansen bottles, Camera- deep sea, Loran-C, Bottom platform

Information to be Derived: Time series data; Samples and chemical analysis;

Summary of Activity and Data Gathered: Preliminary data analysis: The current speed sensor on mooring #122 failed; otherwise data quality for 122 and 126 appears good. Data quality from mooring #118 is excellent. This mooring was deployed in Dec. 1976 and was in the water when the ARGO MERCHANT oil spill occurred. Current data should provide important information on possible fate of spilled oil. Crude anaylsis of XBT temperature observations aboard ship suggest mixing in Great South Channel. The temperature section off NJ showed a distinct cold pool. Hydrographic stations: 217 (XBT = 121, CTD = 88, surface salinity = 8). Moorings recovered: 3 (#118 deployed FA 76047 OCEANUS 17 Dec. 3-10, 1976; #122 and 126 both deployed FA 77009 WHITEFOOT Mar. 8 - Apr. 17, 1977). Moorings deployed: 6 (#128, 129, 130, 131, 132, and 133 (with transmissometer) all recovered FA 77032 ADVANCE II Sep. 7-23, 1977).

Staff: Bradford Butman, Charles E. Deadmon, William Jaworski, Stephanie Pfirman, William J. Strahle, John West, Marlene Noble

Affiliate Staff:
Carol Bloom - tech.
Roberta Rice - tech.; Robert Butman - tech.
MIT Lincoln Lab; John Vermersch - res. assoc.
WHOI; Larry Brand - student
WHOI

Notes: Original Center People field contained: Brad Butman - Ch. Sci., William Strahle - elec. eng., John West - elec. eng., Charles Deadmon - tech., William Jaworski - geophysicist, Marlene Noble - physicist, Stephanie Pfirman - tech., Carol Bloom - tech., Roberta Rice - tech.
Project = Sediment Dynamics, Sediment Dynamics

Location:

Wilmington Canyon, Hudson Canyon, Mid-Atlantic Bight, New Jersey Shelf, Georges Bank, Great South Channel, United States, North America, North Atlantic;

Boundaries
North: 42.2 South: 38.4 West: -73.75 East: -67.25

Platform(s):

photo of Oceanus
Oceanus

Publications

Moody, J.A., and Butman, B., 1980, Semidiurnal bottom pressure and tidal currents on Georges Bank and in the Mid-Atlantic Bight: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-1137, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr801137.

Moody, J.A., Butman, B., Beardsley, R.C., Brown, W.S., Daifuku, P., Irish, J.D., Mayer, D.A., Mofjeld, H.O., Petrie, B., Ramp, S., Smith, P., and Wright, W.R., 1984, Atlas of tidal elevation and current observations on the Northeast American continental shelf and slope: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1611, https://doi.org/10.3133/b1611.

Portals/Viewers

Documents associated with this activity

Title Survey Equipment Description
Cruise report (document not focused on specific equipment) Extensive Chief Scientist's daily log of ship movement, equipment and data acquisition notes, personnel activities, station locations, track maps, and bridge log (loran log).
Cruise report (document not focused on specific equipment) Brief WHOI cruise report.

Data Acquired

Survey EquipmentSurvey InfoData Type(s)Data Collected
Plessey CTD --- CTD
XBT --- Temperature
Nansen bottles --- Temperature
Chemistry
Camera- deep sea --- Photo
1977-023-FA-PH-001 (film collection of TRIPOD 132; 19770709-19770919)
Loran-C --- Navigation
Bottom platform --- Mooring (physical oceanography)

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