Following on from our recent successful completion of the OSNAP cruise on board RRS Discovery, I made a little animation showing how the objectives of the cruise were completed, and how compliant the weather was throughout. The North Atlantic, not known for respecting cruise schedules during the autumn and winter, allowed us a window just long enough to complete all the mooring turnarounds, CTDs and Argo deployments. Of note is the 3-day run back from IB3 in the Iceland Basin to complete the final mooring and get behind the Hebrides before the next low-pressure system arrived. The following Wednesday, waves up to 29 m were recorded west of Ireland, more or less where we’d been the previous week! Along with getting out during COVID, this seems like another aspect of DY120 worth celebrating.
Also on the animation is SAMS glider “Bowmore”, which was deployed in September and will run transects of the shelf edge current throughout the winter. A classic ‘tortoise and hare’ scenario: she doesn’t get anywhere fast, but who’s still out there gathering data long after we’ve run for shelter!
Sam Jones 