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Mr. Fix-it

December 29, 2012

When an o-ring failed during a research cruise on R/V Knorr in October, WHOI engineer Ken Decoteau found himself assembling a new wiring harness to keep the data flowing. The instrument in question is a micro-structure profiler, which on this cruise, was used to map very fine changes in salinity as it moved through the water. On a large scale, salinity patterns can reveal where evaporation exceeds precipitation, or visa versa. Recent changes in salinity patterns around the world point to possible changes in the global water cycle.(Photo courtesy of Ken Decoteau, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)