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Nervous Parent

It was just 6 degrees in Woods Hole when WHOI scientist Carol Anne Clayson watched the test deployment of a new instrument she helped design. The Expendable Spar (X-spar) Buoy is a 50-foot pole that floats with most of its length submerged to provide a stable, upright platform for instruments that gather atmospheric and surface ocean data. The X-spar is intended for use in regions where scientists have few measurements, either because of location or hazardous conditions, such as the Southern Ocean. Data from X-spar sensors will give Clayson and others a better understanding of how the ocean and atmosphere interact. (Photo by Ken Kostel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)