Spring buoy deployment in Hood Canal

What a week in Hood Canal!  Spring is definitely making it's way through the Pacific Northwest and our team from the University of Washington's Applied Physics Lab and School of Oceanography experienced both sun and showers while deploying new ORCA (Oceanic Remote Chemical Analyzer) buoys in Twanoh and Dabob Bay.

The new buoy tied up alongside R/V Robertson

First, the original buoys had to be recovered aboard the R/V Robertson and brought to shore where our team of engineers could remove the existing platform and scientific instruments and transfer to the shiny new buoys.  We also added new housing for the carbon system from NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) which will add to our understanding of acidification in Hood Canal.

Removing the instrument platform from the old buoy

The new Dabob buoy, populated and ready to go

The whole operation was then hoisted onto the aft deck and motored back out to the Canal.  Each buoy was returned to it's original location where new anchors were deployed and a sea lion fence was installed.

Leaving Pleasant Harbor to deploy the new Dabob buoy

Setting one of three anchors

Installing the sea lion fence

These new buoys will make maintenance easier and allow for more oceanographic instrumentation, adding to the efficiency and functionality of the ORCA buoy system.