WHOI MetOcean Data Initiative

This data was collected by a team led by Kirincich as part of a Metocean monitoring campaign sponsored by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). The campaign was designed to observe key atmospheric and ocean parameters at an existing offshore platform in the proximity of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Wind Energy Areas. The campaign supported the purchase and installation of a LIDAR wind profiler, two cup anemometers and a wind direction vane at the MVCO Air-Sea Interaction Tower (ASIT). These instruments were installed and operated by WHOI and validated by UL-AWS Truepower following a MetOcean Measurement Plan created by UL-AWST, WHOI, and the MassCEC. All instruments were installed on WHOI's offshore tower in the fall of 2016 and operated continuously, as possible, through the end of 2020. After this time the project transitioned to become the MetOcean Reference Site (MORS-1), supported by the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC).

A LEOSPHERE WINDCUBE v2 was acquired from NRG Systems and deployed at WHOI's Air Sea Interaction Tower (ASIT). The WINDCUBE instrument is an industry approved LIDAR system for use in Wind Energy Resource Characterization studies. The choice of sensor was made in consultation with UL-AWS Truepower, the wind energy consultant advising MassCEC on its MetOcean Initiative. The lidar, serial number WLS7-436, was a leased model owned by NRG, the U.S. distributor for Leosphere. The instrument was installed at the platform level of the tower along an existing walkway that extends to the southwest, into the prevailing summer time wind direction relative to the center of the tower structure. The lidar connects directly to the ASIT's power and communications systems. Two separate deployments of the lidar were made as part of the study period. The first deployment spanned Oct. 7, 2016 to Dec. 28, 2018. The second deployment spanned Oct. 20, 2019 to present. During the campaign period, the lidar was validated three times by NRG and once against an approved Tall Tower (see validation information). One deployment of the metocean sensors was made, spanning Nov. 2016 to present. Data from the two cup anemometers (at 26m amsl) and single wind direction vane (at 23m amsl) were combined with additional sensor data of air temperature, pressure, and Relative humidity (at 18m amsl) and ocean temperature and salinity (at 4m bmsl). These additional data were collected by various sensors and were maintained by WHOI or other ASIT users. Commissioning reports for both of the lidar deployments and the metocean sensors are included as part of this repository. See below or the commissioning reports for details of the sensors and sensor orientations, which differed between deployments.