Mark Abbott; Oregon State University

"Mesoscale Processes and Primary Productivity at the Polar Front"

We plan an array of twelve moorings with 30 km spacing to measure spectral irradiance, temperature, pressure, and current velocity. The array will be deployed in austral spring 1997 and will be released in austral autumn 1998. Data will be relayed to shore via Argos. Quasilagrangian drifters (some equipped with biooptical sensors) will be deployed during two high resolution surveys in 1997-1998. A test deployment of the biooptical drifters is planned for the August 1996 cruise across the Polar Front. All of the data sets will be analyzed in conjunction with high resolution SeaSoar surveys and high temporal resolution sediment traps planned by other investigators to study the effects of mesoscale processes on productivity and horizontal and vertical fluxes of biological properties.