WHOI_MetOcean_Nantucket

This data was collected by Kirincich and Cinquino as part of a Metocean monitoring campaign sponsored by the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC). The campaign was designed to observe key atmospheric parameters at a land based site in the proximity of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Wind Energy Areas for one year. This is part of a longer term effort to collect atmospheric and oceanic data at an existing offshore platform in the vicinity, which can be found here: WHOI_MetOcean.

The campaign supported the purchase and installation of a LIDAR wind profiler at the Nantucket Test Site (NTS). This instrument was installed and operated by WHOI and validated by UL-AWS Truepower following a MetOcean Measurement Plan created by UL-AWST, WHOI, and NOWRDC. The LIDAR was installed at the NTS in November 2021 and operated continuously, as possible, through the end of 2023.

A LEOSPHERE WINDCUBE v2 was acquired from NRG Systems and deployed at the NTS after a previous deployment at WHOI's offshore Air Sea Interaction Tower (ASIT). The WIND-CUBE 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 ground level in an open area and leveled following LEOSPHERE standards. A commissioning report for the lidar deployment are included as part of this repository.