WHOI scientist, Dr. Lou St. Laurent, reports the successful launch of the Expendable Microstructure Profiler, XMP during the DIMES experiment that is currently under way in the Southern Pacific. The XMP reached a depth of 3800 m and showed a noise level of dissipation below 10-10 W/kg.
Four additional XMP casts are planned for deployment in Drake passage later on during this cruise. For cruise updates, visit the cruise progress log by clicking here. For more information on the XMP, click here or send us an email (info_at_rocklandscientific.com).
The XMP used on this cruise features a new deployment system, shown in the pictures below. The expendable portion of the profiler (black, lower section) is connected to a launch platform (grey, upper section) that contains a spool of fibre optic wire through which the XMP communicates the data to the ship-board data acquisition system. The launch platform is connected to the ship by a Kevlar-reinforced cable. After deployment, the XMP separates from the launcher, which remains floating at the surface and feeds out the fibre optic wire.
