PiNC Project Update: First Splash

Alex Simpsonprojects, research

The Plumes in Nearshore Conditions (PiNC) project is underway with our first field deployment. On Thursday and Friday (Dec 8-9, 2022) the field crew at SIO placed five outer-surfzone stations at 8m water depth, and one deeper 30m station offshore of Los Peñasquitos Lagoon. Both the R/V Sally Ann and R/V Bob and Betty Beyster were used – a two ship endeavor! The outer 8m stations stretch 1km of coastline centered at LPL with the anticipation of observing escaped river plumes, with two additional stations spanning 7km southward, which connect LPL to the SIO pier for a larger alongshore study led by SIO PhD student Sierra Byrne. The 8m stations have bottom-mounted frames, largely designed by field crew member Shane Finnerty, that include a combination of ADCPs, CTDs, fluorometers, and miniDOTs for measuring currents, temp/salinity, dye concentration, and oxygen, respectively. These were placed on the seafloor and jetted into place by the field crew divers. The 30m station used a special bottom frame called a Sea Spider; included GoPro photo was taken by field crew member/diver Rob Grenzeback at 30m depth during its deployment. The surface floats of each station additionally have CTDs and fluorometers for observing the buoyant (and during our intensive ops, dye-filled) plume. Several stations additionally have surface miniDOTs, and thermistor chains throughout the water column. The crew reports that it was a great day on the water, with up to 50ft visibility while diving. These stations will be out for 2 months, and additional stations in the surfzone will be added in the coming weeks. To be continued…