S-MODE

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Life at Sea: A “First-Timer” Chronicles NASA’s S-MODE Field Campaign

Going to sea for the first time as part of NASA’s S-MODE mission has been an experience like no other. You establish a new normal on the boat and quickly fall into new routines. Perceptions of time even change! I joked with some people on the boat that time is but a label on our samples. Perhaps that’s a bit dramatic, but normal perceptions of time do not apply at sea –especially if you start your day at 2 pm and finish at 2 am.

S-MODE 10/26/22 Mission Daily Schedule

Wednesday, October 26

Aircraft schedule:

  • 0830:  B200 SF16 takeoff
  • NET 1000:  G-III SF7 takeoff
  • 0800-1230 and 1330-1830:  Twin Otter SF10 & SF11 flight windows (weather permitting)
  • 1400:  B200 SF17 takeoff

Ship and in situ plan:

  • Bold Horizon -  Radiometer and W experiment
    • Lagrangian floats  - Redeploy Wednesday AM near Saildrones
    • EcoCTD as possible
    • Biology team - underway sampling, flyovers as possible
  • Saildrones will continue their current line. The data stream stops Thursday AM.
  • Wave Gliders are re-forming themselves to survey the front.

Science team meeting schedule:

Updates:

  • The data from the last few flights has really been extraordinary as exemplified in the figure above, which shows MOSES SST (colors) with coincident DopplerScatt streamlines, and several developing submesoscale eddies.
  • The B200 and Twin Otter conducted successful flights today. The G-III scrubbed their flight due to cloudy conditions over the ops area.
  • The Bold Horizon crew recovered the floats and will redeploy them tomorrow morning and conduct a “W Experiment” to measure vertical velocity.
  • The ship followed the Saildrones for radiometer comparisons.
  • Go to https://smode.whoi.edu/smode_netlink.kml for a Google Earth view of the real time autonomous platform positions.
S-MODE 10/25/22 Mission Daily Schedule

Tuesday, October 25

Aircraft schedule:

  • NET 1030:  B200 SF15 takeoff
  • 1000-1130 (TBD):  Twin Otter SF9 takeoff
  • 1100:  G-III SF7 takeoff

Ship and in situ plan:

  • Bold Horizon
    • Transit to float location while surveying front. Float recovery ends Tues ~10am.
    • Day - Underway sampling during MASS and PRISM overflights - coordination to achieve coincident radiometric sample from BH. Line under MASS desirable.
    • Evening - Deploy ‘W floats’
    • Night - Radiometer & surveys
    • EcoCTD sections as possible
    • Planning/execution of CTD casts according to plan developed with Mara, Andrey, input from others (time/locations/depths TBD).
  • Saildrones continue moving their line to adjust for frontal movement.
  • Wave Glider triangles and lines continue to adjust position to track frontal movement.

Science team meeting schedule:

Updates:

  • Another great day by all accounts. All three aircraft completed flights on a clear day with ship and in situ assets strategically surveying the front.
  • Go to https://smode.whoi.edu/smode_netlink.kml for a Google Earth view of the real time autonomous platform positions.
  • Autonomous platform planned tracks are now incorporated into Google Earth in the KML share folder of the S-MODE Drive
S-MODE 10/24/22 Mission Daily Schedule

Monday, October 24

Aircraft schedule:

  • 1100:  G-III SF6 takeoff
  • NET 1100:  Twin Otter SF8 takeoff
  • 1200:  B200 SF14 takeoff

Ship and in situ plan:

  • Lagrangian floats could be recovered Tuesday and will make one final survey later in the week. There will be a radiometer survey after the floats are recovered.
  • EcoCTD operations to resume after being suspended due to sea-state conditions.
  • Underway sampling during MASS and PRISM overflights. Coordination between BH and MASS for a line directly under one of the MASS lines is highly desired. Luc will provide MASS kml in AM.
  • CTD casts attempted at the location of the float surfacing - at 8h intervals.
  • Radiometric buoy measurement from the Bold Horizon possible.
  • Saildrones continue moving their line to adjust for frontal movement.
  • Wave Glider triangles and lines continue to adjust position to track frontal movement.

Science team meeting schedule:

Updates:

  • This was a spectacular day for S-MODE science. There is an outstanding target - a sharp front in the southeastern part of the ops area - that all in situ assets are well-positioned to survey. Additionally, all three aircraft surveyed the area on a cloud-free day.
  • The S-MODE team is diligently tracking the feature to set up for another great science day tomorrow.
  • Go to https://smode.whoi.edu/smode_netlink.kml for a Google Earth view of the real time autonomous platform positions.
  • Autonomous platform planned tracks are now incorporated into Google Earth in the KML share folder of the S-MODE Drive
S-MODE 10/23/22 Mission Daily Schedule

Sunday, October 23

Aircraft schedule:

  • 0800:  G-III PRISM preflight begins
  • NET 1030:  G-III SF5 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • 1100:  Preflight meeting for B200 SF13
  • NET 1200:  Twin Otter SF7 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • NET 1200:  B200 SF13 takeoff

Ship and in situ plan:

  • CTD casts every 8 hours as floats periodically surface. Floats to be recovered Monday completing the fourth drift survey.
  • EcoCTD sections as possible.
  • Underway sampling during MASS and PRISM overflights. Coordination between BH and MASS for a line directly under one of the MASS lines is highly desired. Luc will provide MASS kml in AM.
  • Saildrones are setting up farther “downstream” (to the east).
  • Wave Gliders will continue conducting cross-front surveys and will set up a triangular array (perhaps on the south side of the front).

Science team meeting schedule:

Updates:

  • With sea state conditions not as bad as expected, Bold Horizon will remain deployed in the ops area. However, science operations may be reduced.
  • Go to https://smode.whoi.edu/smode_netlink.kml for a Google Earth view of the real time autonomous platform positions.
  • Autonomous platform planned tracks are now incorporated into Google Earth in the KML share folder of the S-MODE Drive
S-MODE 10/22/22 Mission Daily Schedule

Saturday, October 22

Aircraft schedule:

  • B200, Twin Otter, and G-III are hard down.
  • All aircraft are planning midday flights for Sunday (weather permitting).

Ship and in situ plan:

  • Bold Horizon will likely be in port over the weekend.
  • Saildrones are moving east to survey frontal decay processes.
  • Seagliders will maintain their lines, but have begun gathering together for recovery next week.

Science team meeting schedule:

Updates:

  • The B200 (SF12), Twin Otter (SF6), and G-III (SF4) all flew today. This was a great, cloud-free day for the optical instruments with multiple overpasses of the ship by both MASS and PRISM. Due to a computer glitch, MOSES only collected a partial data set, but it should be over the front. DopplerScatt collected coincident radar data.
  • The Bold Horizon continues to survey the frontal area. A fourth drift survey will commence tonight after the floats are deployed. Due to forecast wave height, the team expects that the ship will head to port early Saturday and return to the ops area on Monday.
  • Go to https://smode.whoi.edu/smode_netlink.kml for a Google Earth view of the real time autonomous platform positions.
  • Autonomous platform planned tracks are now incorporated into Google Earth in the KML share folder of the S-MODE Drive
S-MODE 10/21/22 Mission Daily Schedule

Friday, October 21

Aircraft schedule:

  • 0800:  G-III PRISM preflight begins
  • NET 1030:  G-III SF4 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • 1100:  Preflight meeting for B200 SF12
  • NET 1200:  Twin Otter SF6 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • NET 1200:  B200 SF12 takeoff

Ship and in situ plan:

  • Floats will be picked up and redeployed tomorrow. Gliders will take over the responsibility of float tracking if the ship needs to go to port over the weekend.
  • The biology team will coordinate sampling with PRISM/MASS flights during EcoCTD surveys. A BH line under a MASS line (same heading) is strongly recommended to get good overlap under their swath. This will involve coordination between the BH and the MASS team.
  • Wave Gliders and Saildrones will continue surveying the frontal area in submesoscale arrays.

Science team meeting schedule:

Updates:

  • The B200 flew its 11th flight of the campaign today, but only with DopplerScatt. MOSES, PRISM, and MASS did not fly today due to poor conditions for optics.
  • The Bold Horizon continues to run long survey transects. Wave conditions are still expected to be strong over the weekend and the Bold Horizon may go into port.
  • Go to https://smode.whoi.edu/smode_netlink.kml for a Google Earth view of the real time autonomous platform positions.
  • Autonomous platform planned tracks are now incorporated into Google Earth in the KML share folder of the S-MODE Drive
S-MODE 10/20/22 Mission Daily Schedule

Thursday, October 20

Aircraft schedule:

  • 0900:  G-III PRISM preflight begins
  • NET 1130:  G-III SF4 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • 1130:  Preflight meeting for B200 SF11
  • NET 1200:  Twin Otter SF6 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • NET 1230:  B200 SF11 takeoff

Ship and in situ plan:

  • The second Lagrangian drift survey has been completed and the BH Science Party plans to deploy floats this evening to begin the third survey.
  • The biology team will coordinate sampling with PRISM/MASS flights during EcoCTD surveys. A BH line under a MASS line (same heading) is strongly recommended to get good overlap under their swath. This will involve coordination between the BH and the MASS team.
  • Wave Gliders and Saildrones will continue surveying the frontal area in submesoscale arrays.

Science team meeting schedule:

Updates:

  • The latest DopplerScatt data (confirmed by in situ assets) shows that the ocean platforms are centered on a strong front with significant submesoscale activity.
  • The plan for the coming days is to characterize the physical features of this frontal area with all science tools in our arsenal. This is especially critical since the weekend may usher in sea-state conditions that bring the Bold Horizon into port.
  • The G-III had its third science flight today, and clear skies and clear ocean were surveyed by the PRISM instrument on the eastern part of their planned ops area.
  • The B200 had its tenth flight today and the science team eagerly awaits the latest DopplerScatt surface velocity map to see how the frontal area has evolved in the past 24 hours
  • The Twin Otter flew its fifth flight, focusing on the east part of its planned ops area due to a quick moving fog layer that swooped in later in the day. Good data collocated with DopplerScatt was collected for much of the flight.
  • Go to https://smode.whoi.edu/smode_netlink.kml for a Google Earth view of the real time autonomous platform positions.
  • Autonomous platform planned tracks are now incorporated into Google Earth in the KML share folder of the S-MODE Drive

 

S-MODE 10/19/22 Mission Daily Schedule

Wednesday, October 19

Aircraft schedule:

  • 0830:  G-III PRISM preflight begins
  • NET 1100:  G-III SF3 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • 1200:  Preflight meeting for B200 SF10
  • NET 1200:  Twin Otter SF5 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • 1300:  B200 SF10 takeoff (only a ‘go’ if Otter flies)

Ship and in situ plan:

  • Bold Horizon will continue tracking the second Lagrangian drift survey while collecting EcoCTD data. Floats may be recovered tomorrow.
  • The biology team will conduct a small-scale CTD section tonight. Bio-team may be able to take coordinated samples if MASS and/or PRISM fly tomorrow, but need to take a hard down (to sleep) depending on the CTD transect timing.
  • Wave Gliders will continue with some vehicle swaps and potentially form a second triangle data collection pattern.

Science team meeting schedule:

Updates:

  • Bold Horizon is continuing on long transects across the experimental region while tracking the Lagrangian floats, which are on their second drift survey.
  • The B200 had its ninth flight today, the Twin Otter flew its fourth flight, which was cut short due to heavy fog and low clouds in the experimental area, and the G-III was a late no-go due to suboptimal data collection conditions.
  • Go to https://smode.whoi.edu/smode_netlink.kml for a Google Earth view of the real time autonomous platform positions.
  • Autonomous platform planned tracks are now incorporated into Google Earth in the KML share folder of the S-MODE Drive
S-MODE 10/18/22 Mission Daily Schedule

Tuesday, October 18

Aircraft schedule:

  • 0800:  G-III PRISM preflight begins
  • NET 1100:  G-III SF3 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • 1200:  Preflight meeting for B200 SF9
  • NET 1200:  Twin Otter SF4 takeoff (weather permitting)
  • 1300:  B200 SF9 takeoff

Ship and in situ plan:

  • The Bold Horizon will continue tracking the second Lagrangian drift survey while collecting EcoCTD data. The biology team will take coordinated samples during likely overpasses by MASS and PRISM tomorrow. Sometime over the next 24h Mara and Andrey will choose a time/place for a CTD cast
  • Salidrones to continue collecting data in a submesoscale array along a similar line.
  • Wave Gliders will attempt to reform triangle patterns and continue surveying across the front. Kelvin will be redeployed from Bold Horizon and start a survey around the floats.

Science team meeting schedule:

Updates:
  • Bold Horizon is surveying on long transects across the experimental region while tracking the Lagrangian floats, which are on their second drift survey.
  • The Twin Otter flew its third flight today while the biology team on the Bold Horizon collected coordinated samples of Chl, POC, and HPLC.
  • The B200 had a hard down day today and the G-III did not fly due to clouds.
  • Go to https://smode.whoi.edu/smode_netlink.kml for a Google Earth view of the real time autonomous platform positions.
  • Autonomous platform planned tracks are now incorporated into Google Earth in the KML share folder of the S-MODE Drive
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