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Scott Hiller tending to a NOAA buoy.

Scott Hiller tending to a NOAA buoy.
Scott Hiller tending to a NOAA buoy.
Scott Hiller tending to a NOAA buoy.
Scott Hiller tending to a NOAA buoy.
Geolocation data
(57°51′8″N, 168°52′17″W)
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348345
Linder, Christopher L.
Scott Hiller tending to a NOAA buoy.
Still Image
05/08/2009
graphics/PD5_dailys/cl_20090508183635.jpg
As soon as the small boat pulled up to the buoy, technician Scott Hiller jumped on. The buoy sits atop a long chain of instruments. "Today it was so clear you could see instrument after instrument going down into the darkness," Hiller says. He checked the battery, sensors, and radio transmitter on top. "I just looked to see if the cables were misplaced or disconnected or chafed or torn," says Hiller. "Sometimes birds eat stuff." He was prepared to fix it if there was anything obviously wrong, but everything looked fine. The mooring had only been out for a couple of weeks; ice can cut a buoy in half like a bagel slicer, so NOAA only deploys this mooring for the summer months.
Image of The Day caption:
Technician Scott Hiller tends to a buoy in the Bering Sea during a 2009 Polar Discovery expedition. Buoys sit atop a long chain of instruments that monitor ocean conditions, and are regularly checked because the sea ice can destroy them in minutes. On this day, Hiller said the water was so clear that "you could see instrument after instrument going down into the darkness." He checked the battery, sensors and radio transmitter on top. Of course, it's not just the ice that can be a hazard to buoys. "Sometimes birds eat stuff," Hiller said.
Photo by Chris Linder
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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