MOOS mooring system
Lead Scientist: Francisco Chavez
Lead Engineer/Project Manager: Mark Chaffey

This project is a direct result of the MBARI ocean observing systems (MOOS) workshop held in February 1999. A major conclusion of the workshop was that a portable mooring system that incorporated bi-directional communications and power feeds to suites of benthic, midwater and surface instruments was a highly desirable MOOS platform.

The plan to accomplish the goal of a mooring system concept design is to:

• Identify the current state-of-the-art in advanced mooring systems and existing technical limitations where MBARI can contribute possible solutions.
• Identify prospective collaborators from outside institutions, especially those with expertise in mooring cable dynamics. MBARI lacks technical experience in the design and deployment of advanced mooring cabling strategies, and could benefit by working with outside collaborators on this aspect of the system.
• Develop a firm concept design for the mooring vertical riser cable and conduct a general review that includes costs, risks, reliability and capability design tradeoffs. 
• In cooperation with the other year 2000 mooring projects, identify the costs, resource requirements and timeline to design, build and deploy an initial MOOS mooring system.