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data for the next six months.

Buoy E is located in a transition region between the Eastern and Western branches of the Gulf of Maine Coastal Current system. This location serves as an important sentinel for detecting the degree of through-flow from the eastern Maine shelf to the western Maine shelf.

This buoy is one of ten oceanographic buoys that make up the Gulf of

Maine Ocean Observation System (GOMOOS). The buoys are replaced every six months in October and in April. This is the fifth season of oper- ations for the system. The buoys are strategically placed throughout the region to provide a wide array of weather and oceanographic data. Each buoy has standard weather monitoring sensors for wind speed and direc- tion; air and water temperature; wave height and period, and visibility.

They differ in what is deployed underwater and that depends on what the scientific mission is for each buoy. However, all buoys measure surface cur- rents and temperature a several depths. The RV Argo Maine left the dock in Castine with one completely refurbished buoy instrumented exactly like the buoy it would replace later in the day. Owned by Captain Randy

Flood, Lance Burton, and Don Bradford, the Argo Maine is equipped with a huge crane for lifting the buoys, a winch handling system that feeds

Visit www.maritimeequipment.com/mt & Click No. 212

Refurbished replacement buoy for "E" on deck of RV Argo Maine in

Castine, Maine.

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