Current status: At present H2O is not operational.
Update, October, 2003
The Junction Box was upgraded and repaired at Woods Hole, and the H2O Junction
Box Power supply was repaired at SOEST during the summer, 2003. A TG Thompson
cruise to the H2O site sailed from Seattle on Sept. 19 and returned on October
16. The cruise was to reinstall the Junction Box, three new experiments, and
a Small Experiment Module to operate the already-installed seismic package.
The power supply was not operating correctly with the junction box, and repairs
made during transit did not appear to solve the problem. A medical emergency
forced the ship to transit to Honolulu, costing six days, and a hunt for the
Junction Box when it broke off the wire on the way to the bottom cost another
three days. The JBox was redeployed and plugged into the cable, but half of
the power supply modules failed, such that it could only support a subset of
the planned experiments. With time running out, the SEM was installed, and the
seismometer was plugged into the Junction Box. Unfortunately there was neither
time nor power for installation of the biology experiment or the two magnetic
experiments. The ship left the site with the seismic system and a new high-rate
hydrophone and pressure sensor working well.
Three days later, data stopped flowing from H2O. Study of engineering data
from the junction box power supply suggests that there was a shunt fault to
sea water between the power separation filter in the junction box and the power
supply.
Resumption of operations and installation of the new experiments - including
a borehole seismic system to be installed at an ODP drill hole at the site -
will require that the Junction Box again be recovered and repaired. Negotiations
with the National Science Foundation and a system design review are currently
in progress.
Update: May, 2003
A cruise to H2O on the T.G. Thompson recovered the Junction Box for upgrades
and repairs. The Junction Box was replaced temporarily by a Junction Box Bypass
to operate the seismic system during the repair period, but, unfortunately,
the JBB did not function, and it was also recovered.
May 26, 2003 is the last day when seismic data are available from H2O.
Fred Duennebier