Oceanographic Instruments

Tender description

For research in the field of physical oceanography of the sea ice-covered Southern Ocean, OES has a requirement to procure 6 temperature-profiling drifting buoys. The buoys will be deployed in the region of the Weddell Sea (Maud Rise) where open-ocean polynyas form in some winters, leading to intense deep-ocean ventilation and Antarctic bottom water formation. Their purpose will be to measure the evolution of the upper-ocean hydrographic structure at high temporal resolution during a 1-year deployment between early 2021 and early 2022. Data from the buoys will be integrated with measurements from moorings and profiling floats deployed in the same area in a study of the atmosphere and ocean dynamics that control the emergence and persistence of open-ocean polynyas in the region. All proposals should include delivery of the units (as fully-integrated system), an operating manual and the ability to provide remote technical support during at-sea operations.