Results from the first successful field deployment of the McLane moored profiler

In advance of several anticipated one-year-duration deployments by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution investigators, the authors deployed a production model McLane Moored Profiler (MMP) on January 9, 2001 for a short-duration trial on the southern flank of the Hawaiian Ridge. The mooring was placed in 2600 meters of water and the MMP was programmed to profile continuously between 600 dbars and 1600 dbars pressure. The system completed 62 profiles, as programmed, before recovery on January 13, 2001. The average profile duration was 75 minutes, during which the system logged a complete record of conductivity, temperature, pressure, ocean current, and system engineering information. The MMP and the sensors performed well during the trial, providing greater confidence for the year-long scientific deployments now being conducted. A preliminary analysis of the engineering data gathered during the trial is presented here with discussions of zero-pressure rate detection, Strouhal oscillation, and power consumption. Fortuitously, the sensor data collected during the trial have proven to be scientifically valuable. In particular, the MMP documented striking baroclinic tidal signals that are likely the product of the barotropic tide incident on the bathymetry of the Hawaiian Ridge. A portion of the sensor data will be discussed.