Wash Day

The research vessel Neil Armstrong ducked into Prince Christian Sound last week to take advantage of the calm seas. The ship is currently on a mission to replace a set of moorings that are part of the Overturning in the Subpolar Northern Atlantic Program (OSNAP). Here, mooring technician Andy Davies power-washes a seafloor tripod to remove growth that had accumulated on it over the past two years. The tripod holds instruments safely away from icebergs that are a common hazard southwest of Greenland, where OSNAP is monitoring physical, chemical, and biological conditions in the ocean as part of an international, multi-year effort to study a critical link in Earth’s global ocean circulation and climate systems. (Photo by Bob Pickart, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)