LaTTE will incorporate an assortment of technologies and instrumentation. Scientists will use mooring arrays, HF radar systems, L-band & X-band satellite systems, autonomous underwater gliding vehicles, and research vessel boats. Below are backgrounders for each technology and equipment that will be used for the LaTTE project.

Mooring Arrays |  R/V Cape Hatteras | R/V Connecticut | HF Radar 

L-Band Satellite System | X-Band Satellite System | Autonomous Underwater Gliding Vehicles

MOORING ARRAYS

Three bottom moorings and two CT (conductivity/temperature) mooring will be deployed April 16. 

One CT mooring will be at 15 meters depth, and the other will be at 28 meters depth. Both CT moorings will have one Aquadopp current meter mounted near surface, and two Sea-Bird Electronics 16plus SEACATs with OBS mounter near surface. The SEACats will record  temperature and conductivity. Furthermore, both  CT moorings will  have two Sea-Bird Electronics  37-SM MicroCATs distributed in the water column. These MicroCATs  are high-accuracy conductivity and temperature recorders with internal battery and memory. They will be used to measure the stratification in the Hudson River plume. 

We will have one bottom mooring with a Sontek ADP (Acoustic Doppler Profiler), which is a water current profiler that can make very near-boundary (surface or bottom) current measurements. This ADP will be mounted at 15 meters.

A secondary bottom mooring will have a 1200hHz Workhorse Sentinel ADCP from RD Instruments. This ADCP provides us with up to 165 meters of profiling range. It will use RDI's mode 12 to measure stress in the water column. The mooring will also have a Sea-Bird 16plus with a digi-quartz pressure sensor. Having a highly accurate pressure sensor at both 15 meters depth and 28 meters depth will allow the determination of sea level tilt.

The third bottom mooring will have a 600hHz Workhorse Sentinel ADCP from RD Instruments. This ADCP will also use RDI's mode 12 to measure stress in the water column, however it will be in deeper water. This ADCP will be placed out at 28 meters depth.

RESEARCH VESSEL, CAPE HATTERAS

She will be used for LaTTE's field work operations. Scientists will be on board with various instrumentation to track test dye in the Hudson River, and later track the Hudson River plume.

She will be accompanied by another research vessel, R/V Connecticut.

RESEARCH VESSEL, CONNECTICUT

The R/V Connecticut is a steel hull, single screw, diesel powered research vessel, outfitted for year-round coastal and near continental shelf service.  Built by Washburn and Doughty Associates, Inc., East Boothbay, Maine, the vessel was launched in July 1998 and is home ported at the Marine Sciences & Technology Center in Groton, CT. 

The vessel can accommodate up to 30 people for day trips and up to 12 people for overnight and extended science missions. Endurance is 7-10 days. The design favors stability and precise low speed handling and positioning capability which is accomplished with bow and stern pump jet thrusters.

The ship features wet and dry laboratory spaces and a mid-ship mounted, 20" diameter, instrument wet well which allows transducers or sampling gear to be installed through a main deck access hatch. Hardwire connections can be routed to all science spaces. Science vans up to 20' in length can be placed on the large work deck and a full suite of deck machinery is available to perform a wide variety of oceanographic tasks.

Both the Connecticut and Cape Hatteras will be used for field operations for the LaTTE experiment.

High-Frequency Radar System (CODAR)

CODAR is used to measure the surface currents of the coastal ocean. A transmitter sends out a radio frequency that scatters off the ocean surface and back to a receive antenna. Using this information and the principles of the Doppler shift, CODAR is able to calculate the speed and direction of the surface current. 

We have to types of HF Radar (CODAR) systems, a long-range system and a standard system. The long-range system consists of four sites along the New Jersey coast. These sites are in Sandy Hook, Loveladies, Tuckerton, and Wildwood. This network provides current measurements out beyond the shelf break, approximately 100 nm offshore.

The standard-range system consists of two sites that have been setup in Brant Beach and Brigantine New Jersey for our LEO-15 based research and Sandy Hook, NJ and Breezy Point, NY to support our upcoming Hudson River research. This system provides higher-resolution current maps out about 20 nm. 

L-Band Satellite System

 
Our L-Band Satellite System will be used for the LaTTE experiment, and will provide AVHRR sea surface temperature images and FY1-D ocean color (chlorophyll) images for the LaTTE region.

X-Band Satellite System

In addition, we will use our X-Band Satellite System for the LaTTE experiment. The X-Band system will provide the research scientists the following data products: MODIS Chlorophyll, MODIS Normalized Water Leaving Radiance at 678nm, MODIS SST, MODIS 250-m RGB imagery, OCM Chlorophyll, OCM Total Suspended Sediment, and OCM 360-m RGB imagery. Thus, as can be seen, the X-band system will provide a suite of products that will be very useful for the research scientists both on the research vessels as well as in the laboratory.

 Autonomous Underwater Gliding Vehicles (Gliders)

During LaTTE, we will have one Glider flying off the southern coast of New Jersey from our Tuckerton Field Station. Simultaneously, we will have two gliders fly out in the LaTTE study region. These gliders will survey the water area first before the study dye will be released, and during the experiment the gliders will be tracking the plume. 

Various data products will be collected with these two gliders. Data that will be used and collected are salinity, temperature, density, fluorescence, backscatter, depth of the water column, etc. While the three gliders are flying off the coast of New Jersey, the fourth glider will be prepped for other research efforts that will take place after the LaTTE pilot study.