C. Surface Moorings

C. Surface Moorings

C.1 Coastal Surface Moorings

Coastal Surface Moorings (Fig. 4.2) include an instrumented surface buoy with a 4 m tall tower, a near-surface instrument frame deployed at 7 m depth, a mooring riser, and an anchor. For some Coastal moorings, an instrumented seafloor package is used instead of a traditional anchor. The mooring riser on a Coastal Surface Mooring includes specially designed stretch hoses that allow mechanical extension and compression of the mooring riser, while still providing electrical connectivity for power and communication from the buoy to instruments. At Endurance inshore locations, where significant wave heights in winter can exceed 13 m, submersible surface buoys (no meteorological sensors) are used to allow the buoy

FIGURE 4.2 The Oregon shelf surface mooring is released from the crane by EA science party field chief, Walt Waldorf. Credit: OOI Endurance Array Program, Oregon State University.