AHERC Researchers to Conduct Oceanographic Surveys on North Slope

ACEP’s Alaska Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center team is heading to the North Slope this week to conduct oceanographic fieldwork.

During their 18-day project, research engineers Nick Konefal and Paul Duvoy, along with AHERC director Jeremy Kasper, will deploy moorings and conduct oceanographic surveys from aboard the research vessel Ukpik.

Moorings will be equipped with oceanographic instruments to measure water velocity, current, temperature, conductivity, salinity and depth. The team will also cast instrument rosettes along the ship's route and perform a multibeam bathymetric survey. This information will be used to characterize ocean conditions around the nearshore Beaufort Sea.

Funding for this research is provided by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management  and Sandia National Labs.

AHERC research engineers Nick Konefal and Paul Duvoy work on equipment for the Tanana River Test Site. ACEP staff photo.