Moored instruments are anchored to the ocean floor. This prevents the instruments from drifting in currents, and enables them to take measurements repeatedly at the same location.
Moorings in the Sound
Moorings are often equipped to measure temperature, salinity, and current velocity. The Prince William Sound Observing System employs nearshore moorings as well as ocean moorings.
Nearshore moorings for the Field Experiment
A pilot mooring was installed on an existing oil spill response buoy adjacent and approximately 1 km offshore from a salmon hatchery. Instruments on the mooring measured temperature, conductivity, fluorescence, turbidity; a data logger records measurements. A solar panel and antenna kept the batteries charged. Data were made available to AOOS via the Internet.
The moorings provided water quality data for assimilation into the ROMS model. Nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton (NPZ) modeling and hatchery management also benefited from the data.