TRW Antenna and Argo floats - 2023 ARGO

This project was split into 2 different cruises because instrumentation was not ready for a 2023 deployment. SME 21/662 - 2023 - 6 days mostly ARGO deployments - Heather Furey is PI & Chief Scientist SME 21/2624 - 2024 - 6 days - Randy Watts PI & Chief Sci SME 21/663 - 2026 - Randy Watts PI & Chief Sci This is Cruise 1 2023 - ARGO Strong near-bottom currents have been observed in deep water approaching the northern Gulf of Mexico. They have characteristics like Topographic Rossby Waves (TRWs) and intensify particularly along Sigsbee Escarpment, where oil and gas (O&G) operations are impacted. The strong near-bottom currents are undetectable or difficult to detect from observations near the sea surface. We propose to deploy an array of ten bottom-mounted CPIES and ADCP-PIES arranged within the incoming pathway for TRWs, and to demonstrate a method to retrieve the data adaptively when needed in near real time. From the propagation group speed of TRWs and the distance to the "moored TRW-antenna" back along the pathways of propagation of TRWs, we estimate that energetic packets of TRWs will take 10-14 days to reach the north-eastern Sigsbee Escarpment and an additional 10-17 days to the south-western Sigsbee Escarpment. This can potentially provide 14-30 days warning of approaching strong-current packets to O&G rigs along the Sigsbee Escarpment. Argo floats will be deployed to maintain a steady population in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.