by Thomas Ronge
I’m currently working on a projection inward which I’m trying to reconstruct changes inward the circulation patterns of the Antarctic Ocean in addition to their comport on on past times climate parameters. However, piece looking at my data, pondering how H2O masses are transported from i spot inward the body of body of water to another, I of a abrupt had to intend close a big yellowish buoy which crossed my path in conclusion year…
Once on the working deck, nosotros could meet that the buoy was indeed the uppermost purpose of a mooring, which originally went downwardly to a depth of 1500 m. Heavily battered past times the sea in addition to ice, entirely the buoyancy trunk itself in addition to an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) survived.
An ADCP is the tool of choice for most oceanographers interested inward the velocities inside the H2O column. It uses the Doppler shift of audio waves to discovery the administration in addition to speed of oceanic currents. Unfortunately, at that topographic point was no sign of the buoy’s owner. The entirely clue nosotros had was the manufacturers seal, which included a series number.
This disclose nosotros could usage to contact the manufacturer in addition to enquire whether or non they tin position the unfortunate possessor of the mysterious buoy.
Fast forrad 3 weeks, nosotros got a telephone telephone from the US-based company. Back inward 2012, Chinese colleagues of the First Institute for Oceanography had deployed the buoy inward the East Antarctic Prydz Bay!
The Chinese scientists planned to recover the mooring i yr later, inward 2013. However, i time back, at that topographic point was no trace left of their equipment. The mooring, in addition to to a greater extent than importantly the data, were idea to live lost at sea.
Back inward 2018, our discovery yields novel hope for our Chinese colleagues that or in addition to then information mightiness bring survived inside the buoy. Now that Polarstern is dorsum at her homeport of Bremerhaven, Germany, nosotros bring prepared the buoy for its in conclusion journeying dorsum to China. So far, it is nonetheless sitting inward an AWI warehouse somewhere inward the port of Bremerhaven. After waiting for customs clearance in addition to the supply of our Chinese colleagues from the white continent, the terminal shipment of our buoy is planned for May or June of 2018. So, I’m a chip sorry for the cliffhanger here, but hi that’s how all the pilots of a skilful series end, no? Anyway, I hope to update you lot on the fate of the buoy’s scientific value…
However, i other mystery remains, eventually. How on public did the buoy produce out to locomote to the reverse purpose of Antarctica? The root conceivable road (A) runs clockwise along the Ross Sea in addition to into the Amundsen Sea. This road would betoken a straight carry inside the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). On a minute road (B), the buoy would bring travelled counterclockwise along the Weddell Sea, the Antarctic Peninsula, in addition to via the Bellingshausen Sea inside the Antarctic Coastal Current. A 3rd possible road (C) would bring transported the buoy inside the Coastal Current into the Atlantic Weddell Sea, in addition to from at that topographic point via the Weddell Gyre in addition to the Scotia Sea into the ACC. From Weddell Sea, the buoy would bring circumnavigated close ¾ of the Antarctic continent!
Probably nosotros volition never solve this mystery. In my humble opinion, road B is the most hard in addition to unlikely i in addition to I’m non actually convinced the buoy would teach inward to the other side of the Antarctic Peninsula. A in addition to C, on the other hand, are both likely. However, I prefer road C, equally it would live only likewise awesome if the buoy had sailed almost the entire Southern Ocean!
No affair which road “our" mystery buoy has chosen, this discovery is an impressive illustration of how closely linked our global oceans are.
Thomas Ronge, PhD
Department for Marine Geology, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar in addition to Marine Research, Germany
If you lot bring questions or comments concerning Thomas' post, delight teach out a comment below or send him an email. You tin also connect amongst him on Twitter and ResearchGate.
I’m currently working on a projection inward which I’m trying to reconstruct changes inward the circulation patterns of the Antarctic Ocean in addition to their comport on on past times climate parameters. However, piece looking at my data, pondering how H2O masses are transported from i spot inward the body of body of water to another, I of a abrupt had to intend close a big yellowish buoy which crossed my path in conclusion year…
Is it an AUV? Is it an Argo Float? No! It’s a renegade buoy, casually braving the Southern Ocean.
©Thomas Ronge/AWI
In Feb of 2017, heading for the Antarctic Amundsen Sea, nosotros had been sailing the Antarctic Ocean for close a week. One solar daytime earlier nosotros reached the sea H2O ice margin, nosotros spotted a big yellowish buoy, dancing inward the icy waves.©Thomas Ronge/AWI
From the distance, the crew of R/V Polarstern could easily position the buoy equally the detached, uppermost purpose of a scientific mooring. During our expeditions, nosotros ever crusade to collect floating garbage in addition to dispose of it properly, dorsum on land. Therefore, the captain in addition to our principal scientist made the conclusion to recover the buoy, inward item equally this form of “garbage” mightiness carry or in addition to then of import scientific data.
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| Detective Marcelo, searching for signs of the buoy’s owner. ©Thomas Ronge/AWI |
An ADCP is the tool of choice for most oceanographers interested inward the velocities inside the H2O column. It uses the Doppler shift of audio waves to discovery the administration in addition to speed of oceanic currents. Unfortunately, at that topographic point was no sign of the buoy’s owner. The entirely clue nosotros had was the manufacturers seal, which included a series number.
This disclose nosotros could usage to contact the manufacturer in addition to enquire whether or non they tin position the unfortunate possessor of the mysterious buoy.
Fast forrad 3 weeks, nosotros got a telephone telephone from the US-based company. Back inward 2012, Chinese colleagues of the First Institute for Oceanography had deployed the buoy inward the East Antarctic Prydz Bay!
The Chinese scientists planned to recover the mooring i yr later, inward 2013. However, i time back, at that topographic point was no trace left of their equipment. The mooring, in addition to to a greater extent than importantly the data, were idea to live lost at sea.
 |
The surviving Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler. Did nosotros recover a treasure trove filled to the brim amongst scientific data, or only a prophylactic duck on steroids? ©Thomas Ronge/AWI |
However, i other mystery remains, eventually. How on public did the buoy produce out to locomote to the reverse purpose of Antarctica? The root conceivable road (A) runs clockwise along the Ross Sea in addition to into the Amundsen Sea. This road would betoken a straight carry inside the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). On a minute road (B), the buoy would bring travelled counterclockwise along the Weddell Sea, the Antarctic Peninsula, in addition to via the Bellingshausen Sea inside the Antarctic Coastal Current. A 3rd possible road (C) would bring transported the buoy inside the Coastal Current into the Atlantic Weddell Sea, in addition to from at that topographic point via the Weddell Gyre in addition to the Scotia Sea into the ACC. From Weddell Sea, the buoy would bring circumnavigated close ¾ of the Antarctic continent!
 |
| Which road did the Mystery Buoy locomote inward the Southern Ocean? Clockwise, via the ACC (A – red), counterclockwise, passing the Antarctic Peninsula (B – blue) or the badass-combination of both, ultimately circumnavigating upwards to ¾ of Antarctica (C – black)? Map generated using the awesome, gratuitous Quantarctica GIS package (http://quantarctica.npolar.no/) |
Probably nosotros volition never solve this mystery. In my humble opinion, road B is the most hard in addition to unlikely i in addition to I’m non actually convinced the buoy would teach inward to the other side of the Antarctic Peninsula. A in addition to C, on the other hand, are both likely. However, I prefer road C, equally it would live only likewise awesome if the buoy had sailed almost the entire Southern Ocean!
No affair which road “our" mystery buoy has chosen, this discovery is an impressive illustration of how closely linked our global oceans are.
Thomas Ronge, PhD
Department for Marine Geology, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar in addition to Marine Research, Germany
If you lot bring questions or comments concerning Thomas' post, delight teach out a comment below or send him an email. You tin also connect amongst him on Twitter and ResearchGate.