Sample records for oceanic processes program

  1. NASA Oceanic Processes Program, Fiscal Year 1981

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    Summaries are included for Nimbus 7, Seasat, TIROS-N, Altimetry, Color Radiometry, in situ data collection systems, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)/Open Ocean, SAR/Sea Ice, Scatterometry, National Oceanic Satellite System, Free Flying Imaging Radar Experiment, TIROS-N/Scatterometer and/or ocean color scanner, and Ocean Topography Experiment. Summaries of individual research projects sponsored by the Ocean Processes Program are given. Twelve investigations for which contracting services are provided by NOAA are included.

  2. NASA Oceanic Processes Program, fiscal year 1983

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nelson, R. M. (Editor); Pieri, D. C. (Editor)

    1984-01-01

    Accomplishments, activities, and plans are highlighted for studies of ocean circulation, air sea interaction, ocean productivity, and sea ice. Flight projects discussed include TOPEX, the ocean color imager, the advanced RF tracking system, the NASA scatterometer, and the pilot ocean data system. Over 200 papers generated by the program are listed.

  3. GOCI Level-2 Processing Improvements and Cloud Motion Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robinson, Wayne D.

    2015-01-01

    The Ocean Biology Processing Group has been working with the Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) to process geosynchronous ocean color data from the GOCI (Geostationary Ocean Color Instrument) aboard the COMS (Communications, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite). The level-2 processing program, l2gen has GOCI processing as an option. Improvements made to that processing are discussed here as well as a discussion about cloud motion effects.

  4. Connecting Coastal Communities with Ocean Science: A Look at Ocean Sense and the Inclusion of Place-based Indigenous Knowledge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McLean, M. A.; Brown, J.; Hoeberechts, M.

    2016-02-01

    Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, develops, operates, and maintains cabled ocean observatory systems. Technologies developed on the world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS observatories have been adapted for small coastal installations called "community observatories," which enable community members to directly monitor conditions in the local ocean environment. In 2014, ONC pioneered an innovative educational program, Ocean Sense: Local observations, global connections, which introduces students and teachers to the technologies installed on community observatories. The program introduces middle and high school students to research methods in biology, oceanography and ocean engineering through hands-on activities. Ocean Sense includes a variety of resources and opportunities to excite students and spark curiosity about the ocean environment. The program encourages students to connect their local observations to global ocean processes and the observations of students in other geographic regions. The connection to place and local relevance of the program is further enhanced through an emphasis on Indigenous and place-based knowledge. ONC is working with coastal Indigenous communities in a collaborative process to include local knowledge, culture, and language in Ocean Sense materials. For this process to meaningful and culturally appropriate, ONC is relying on the guidance and oversight of Indigenous community educators and knowledge holders. Ocean Sense also includes opportunities for Indigenous youth and teachers in remote communities to connect in person, including an annual Ocean Science Symposium and professional development events for teachers. Building a program which embraces multiple perspectives is effective both in making ocean science more relevant to Indigenous students and in linking Indigenous knowledge and place-based knowledge to ocean science.

  5. Customizing Process to Align with Purpose and Program: The 2003 MS PHD'S in Ocean Sciences Program Evaluative Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williamson, V. A.; Pyrtle, A. J.

    2004-12-01

    How did the 2003 Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success (MS PHD'S) in Ocean Sciences Program customize evaluative methodology and instruments to align with program goals and processes? How is data captured to document cognitive and affective impact? How are words and numbers utilized to accurately illustrate programmatic outcomes? How is compliance with implicit and explicit funding regulations demonstrated? The 2003 MS PHD'S in Ocean Sciences Program case study provides insightful responses to each of these questions. MS PHD'S was developed by and for underrepresented minorities to facilitate increased and sustained participation in Earth system science. Key components of this initiative include development of a community of scholars sustained by face-to-face and virtual mentoring partnerships; establishment of networking activities between and among undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate students, scientists, faculty, professional organization representatives, and federal program officers; and provision of forums to address real world issues as identified by each constituent group. The evaluative case study of the 2003 MS PHD'S in Ocean Sciences Program consists of an analysis of four data sets. Each data set was aligned to document progress in the achievement of the following program goals: Goal 1: The MS PHD'S Ocean Sciences Program will successfully market, recruit, select, and engage underrepresented student and non-student participants with interest/ involvement in Ocean Sciences; Goal 2: The MS PHD'S Ocean Sciences Program will provide meaningful engagement for participants as determined by quantitative analysis of user-feedback; Goal 3: The MS PHD'S Ocean Sciences Program will provide meaningful engagement for participants as determined by qualitative analysis of user-feedback, and; Goal 4: The MS PHD'S Ocean Sciences Program will develop a constituent base adequate to demonstrate evidence of interest, value, need and sustainability in its vision, mission, goals and activities. In addition to the documentation of evaluative process, the case study also provides insight on the establishment of mutually supportive principal investigator and evaluator partnerships as necessary foundations for building effective teams. The study addresses frequently asked questions (FAQ's) on the formation and sustenance of partnerships among visionaries and evaluators and the impact of this partnership on the achievement of program outcomes.

  6. The Coastal Ocean Prediction Systems program: Understanding and managing our coastal ocean

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Eden, H.F.; Mooers, C.N.K.

    1990-06-01

    The goal of COPS is to couple a program of regular observations to numerical models, through techniques of data assimilation, in order to provide a predictive capability for the US coastal ocean including the Great Lakes, estuaries, and the entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The objectives of the program include: determining the predictability of the coastal ocean and the processes that govern the predictability; developing efficient prediction systems for the coastal ocean based on the assimilation of real-time observations into numerical models; and coupling the predictive systems for the physical behavior of the coastal ocean to predictive systems for biological,more » chemical, and geological processes to achieve an interdisciplinary capability. COPS will provide the basis for effective monitoring and prediction of coastal ocean conditions by optimizing the use of increased scientific understanding, improved observations, advanced computer models, and computer graphics to make the best possible estimates of sea level, currents, temperatures, salinities, and other properties of entire coastal regions.« less

  7. NASA oceanic processes program: Status report, fiscal year 1980

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1980-01-01

    Goals, philosophy, and objectives of NASA's Oceanic Processes Program are presented as well as detailed information on flight projects, sensor developments, future prospects, individual investigator tasks, and recent publications. A special feature is a group of brief descriptions prepared by leaders in the oceanographic community of how remote sensing might impact various areas of oceanography during the coming decade.

  8. 75 FR 63441 - Notice of Availability for Public Comment on the Interagency Ocean Observation; Committee...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-15

    ... Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program publishes this notice on behalf of the Interagency Ocean... process mandated by the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (ICOOS Act). The IOOC... Ocean Observing System (System). DATES: Written, faxed or e-mailed comments must be received no later...

  9. Transport processes near coastal ocean outfalls

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Noble, M.A.; Sherwood, C.R.; Lee, Hooi-Ling; Xu, Jie; Dartnell, P.; Robertson, G.; Martini, M.

    2001-01-01

    The central Southern California Bight is an urbanized coastal ocean where complex topography and largescale atmospheric and oceanographic forcing has led to numerous sediment-distribution patterns. Two large embayments, Santa Monica and San Pedro Bays, are connected by the short, very narrow shelf off the Palos Verdes peninsula. Ocean-sewage outfalls are located in the middle of Santa Monica Bay, on the Palos Verdes shelf and at the southeastern edge of San Pedro Bay. In 1992, the US Geological Survey, together with allied agencies, began a series of programs to determine the dominant processes that transport sediment and associated pollutants near the three ocean outfalls. As part of these programs, arrays of instrumented moorings that monitor currents, waves, water clarity, water density and collect resuspended materials were deployed on the continental shelf and slope information was also collected on the sediment and contaminant distributions in the region. The data and models developed for the Palos Verdes shelf suggest that the large reservoir of DDT/DDE in the coastal ocean sediments will continue to be exhumed and transported along the shelf for a long time. On the Santa Monica shelf, very large internal waves, or bores, are generated at the shelf break. The near-bottom currents associated with these waves sweep sediments and the associated contaminants from the shelf onto the continental slope. A new program underway on the San Pedro shelf will determine if water and contaminants from a nearby ocean outfall are transported to the local beaches by coastal ocean processes. The large variety of processes found that transport sediments and contaminants in this small region of the continental margin suggest that in regions with complex topography, local processes change markedly over small spatial scales. One cannot necessarily infer that the dominant transport processes will be similar even in adjacent regions.

  10. A Quality Management Evaluation of the Graduate Education Process for Ocean Engineers in the Civil Engineer Corps

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-12-01

    graduate education required for Ocean Facilities Program (OFP) officers in the Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) of the United States Navy. For the purpose...determined by distributing questionnaires to all officers in the OFP. Statistical analyses of numerical data and judgmental3 analysis of professional...45 B. Ocean Facility Program Officer Graduate Education Questionnaire ....... 47 C. Summary of Questionnaire Responses

  11. Ocean Sense: Student-Led, Real-Time Research at the Bottom of the Ocean - Without Leaving the Classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pelz, M.; Hoeberechts, M.; McLean, M. A.; Riddell, D. J.; Ewing, N.; Brown, J. C.

    2016-12-01

    This presentation outlines the authentic research experiences created by Ocean Networks Canada's Ocean Sense program, a transformative education program that connects students and teachers with place-based, real-time data via the Internet. This program, developed in collaboration with community educators, features student-centric activities, clearly outlined learning outcomes, assessment tools and curriculum aligned content. Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, develops, operates, and maintains cabled ocean observatory systems. Technologies developed on the world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS observatories have been adapted for small coastal installations called "community observatories," which enable community members to directly monitor conditions in the local ocean environment. Data from these observatories are fundamental to lessons and activities in the Ocean Sense program. Marketed as Ocean Sense: Local observations, global connections, the program introduces middle and high school students to research methods in biology, oceanography and ocean engineering. It includes a variety of resources and opportunities to excite students and spark curiosity about the ocean environment. The program encourages students to connect their local observations to global ocean processes and the observations of students in other geographic regions. Connection to place and local relevance of the program is enhanced through an emphasis on Indigenous and place-based knowledge. The program promotes of cross-cultural learning with the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge of the ocean. Ocean Sense provides students with an authentic research experience by connecting them to real-time data, often within their own communities. Using the freely accessible data portal, students can curate the data they need from a range of instruments and time periods. Further, students are not restricted to their local community; if their question requires a greater range of data, they also have access to the other observatories in the network. Our presentation will explore the design, implementation and lessons learned from the ongoing development of the Ocean Sense program, from its inception to its current form today. Sample activities will be made available.

  12. NASA Oceanic Processes Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1986-01-01

    This, the Sixth Annual Report for NASA's Oceanic Processes Program, provides an overview of recent accomplishments, present activities, and future plans. Although the report was prepared for Fiscal Year 1985 (October 1, 1984 to September 30, 1985), the period covered by the Introduction extends into June 1986. Sections following the Introduction provide summaries of current flight projects and definition studies, brief descriptions of individual research activities, and a bibliography of refereed journal articles appearing within the past two years.

  13. SEASAT economic assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hicks, K.; Steele, W.

    1974-01-01

    The SEASAT program will provide scientific and economic benefits from global remote sensing of the ocean's dynamic and physical characteristics. The program as presently envisioned consists of: (1) SEASAT A; (2) SEASAT B; and (3) Operational SEASAT. This economic assessment was to identify, rationalize, quantify and validate the economic benefits evolving from SEASAT. These benefits will arise from improvements in the operating efficiency of systems that interface with the ocean. SEASAT data will be combined with data from other ocean and atmospheric sampling systems and then processed through analytical models of the interaction between oceans and atmosphere to yield accurate global measurements and global long range forecasts of ocean conditions and weather.

  14. Bringing an Ocean to School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacMillan, Mark W.

    1997-01-01

    Describes a school program in which two sixth-grade science classes researched, created, and put together an ocean museum targeted at kindergarten through eighth graders who are geographically distanced from the ocean. Details the process for investigating topical areas, organizing teams of students, researching, writing, creating displays, and…

  15. Sea change: Charting the course for biogeochemical ocean time-series research in a new millennium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Church, Matthew J.; Lomas, Michael W.; Muller-Karger, Frank

    2013-09-01

    Ocean time-series provide vital information needed for assessing ecosystem change. This paper summarizes the historical context, major program objectives, and future research priorities for three contemporary ocean time-series programs: The Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT), the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS), and the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series. These three programs operate in physically and biogeochemically distinct regions of the world's oceans, with HOT and BATS located in the open-ocean waters of the subtropical North Pacific and North Atlantic, respectively, and CARIACO situated in the anoxic Cariaco Basin of the tropical Atlantic. All three programs sustain near-monthly shipboard occupations of their field sampling sites, with HOT and BATS beginning in 1988, and CARIACO initiated in 1996. The resulting data provide some of the only multi-disciplinary, decadal-scale determinations of time-varying ecosystem change in the global ocean. Facilitated by a scoping workshop (September 2010) sponsored by the Ocean Carbon Biogeochemistry (OCB) program, leaders of these time-series programs sought community input on existing program strengths and for future research directions. Themes that emerged from these discussions included: 1. Shipboard time-series programs are key to informing our understanding of the connectivity between changes in ocean-climate and biogeochemistry 2. The scientific and logistical support provided by shipboard time-series programs forms the backbone for numerous research and education programs. Future studies should be encouraged that seek mechanistic understanding of ecological interactions underlying the biogeochemical dynamics at these sites. 3. Detecting time-varying trends in ocean properties and processes requires consistent, high-quality measurements. Time-series must carefully document analytical procedures and, where possible, trace the accuracy of analyses to certified standards and internal reference materials. 4. Leveraged implementation, testing, and validation of autonomous and remote observing technologies at time-series sites provide new insights into spatiotemporal variability underlying ecosystem changes. 5. The value of existing time-series data for formulating and validating ecosystem models should be promoted. In summary, the scientific underpinnings of ocean time-series programs remain as strong and important today as when these programs were initiated. The emerging data inform our knowledge of the ocean's biogeochemistry and ecology, and improve our predictive capacity about planetary change.

  16. The Airborne Ocean Color Imager - System description and image processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wrigley, Robert C.; Slye, Robert E.; Klooster, Steven A.; Freedman, Richard S.; Carle, Mark; Mcgregor, Lloyd F.

    1992-01-01

    The Airborne Ocean Color Imager was developed as an aircraft instrument to simulate the spectral and radiometric characteristics of the next generation of satellite ocean color instrumentation. Data processing programs have been developed as extensions of the Coastal Zone Color Scanner algorithms for atmospheric correction and bio-optical output products. The latter include several bio-optical algorithms for estimating phytoplankton pigment concentration, as well as one for the diffuse attenuation coefficient of the water. Additional programs have been developed to geolocate these products and remap them into a georeferenced data base, using data from the aircraft's inertial navigation system. Examples illustrate the sequential data products generated by the processing system, using data from flightlines near the mouth of the Mississippi River: from raw data to atmospherically corrected data, to bio-optical data, to geolocated data, and, finally, to georeferenced data.

  17. 15 CFR 923.3 - General requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...: resource protection, management of coastal development, and simplification of governmental processes. These...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS General § 923.3 General requirements. (a) The...

  18. 15 CFR 923.3 - General requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...: resource protection, management of coastal development, and simplification of governmental processes. These...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS General § 923.3 General requirements. (a) The...

  19. 15 CFR 923.3 - General requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ...: resource protection, management of coastal development, and simplification of governmental processes. These...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS General § 923.3 General requirements. (a) The...

  20. 15 CFR 923.3 - General requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ...: resource protection, management of coastal development, and simplification of governmental processes. These...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS General § 923.3 General requirements. (a) The...

  1. 15 CFR 923.3 - General requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ...: resource protection, management of coastal development, and simplification of governmental processes. These...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS General § 923.3 General requirements. (a) The...

  2. New Community Education Program on Oceans and Global Climate Change: Results from Our Pilot Year

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bruno, B. C.; Wiener, C.

    2010-12-01

    Ocean FEST (Families Exploring Science Together) engages elementary school students and their parents and teachers in hands-on science. Through this evening program, we educate participants about ocean and earth science issues that are relevant to their local communities. In the process, we hope to inspire more underrepresented students, including Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and girls, to pursue careers in the ocean and earth sciences. Hawaii and the Pacific Islands will be disproportionately affected by the impacts of global climate change, including rising sea levels, coastal erosion, coral reef degradation and ocean acidification. It is therefore critically important to train ocean and earth scientists within these communities. This two-hour program explores ocean properties and timely environmental topics through six hands-on science activities. Activities are designed so students can see how globally important issues (e.g., climate change and ocean acidification) have local effects (e.g., sea level rise, coastal erosion, coral bleaching) which are particularly relevant to island communities. The Ocean FEST program ends with a career component, drawing parallel between the program activities and the activities done by "real scientists" in their jobs. The take-home message is that we are all scientists, we do science every day, and we can choose to do this as a career. Ocean FEST just completed our pilot year. During the 2009-2010 academic year, we conducted 20 events, including 16 formal events held at elementary schools and 4 informal outreach events. Evaluation data were collected at all formal events. Formative feedback from adult participants (parents, teachers, administrators and volunteers) was solicited through written questionnaires. Students were invited to respond to a survey of five questions both before and after the program to see if there were any changes in content knowledge and career attitudes. In our presentation, we will present our evaluation results from the first year and discuss how our program has been informed by this feedback.

  3. SPURS-2: Multi-month and multi-scale observations of upper ocean salinity in a rain-dominated salinity minimum region.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rainville, L.; Farrar, J. T.; Shcherbina, A.; Centurioni, L. R.

    2017-12-01

    The Salinity Processes in the Upper-ocean Regional Study (SPURS) is a program aimed at understanding the patterns and variability of sea surface salinity. Following the first SPURS program in an evaporation-dominated region (2012-2013), the SPURS-2 program targeted wide range of spatial and temporal scales associated with processes controlling salinity in the rain-dominated Eastern Pacific Fresh Pool. Autonomous instruments were delivered in August and September 2016 using research vessels conducted observations over one complete annual cycle. The SPURS-2 field program used coordinated observations from many different autonomous platforms, and a mix of Lagrangian and Eulerian approaches. Here we discuss the motivation, implementation, and the early of SPURS-2.

  4. Myths in funding ocean research at the National Science Foundation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duce, Robert A.; Benoit-Bird, Kelly J.; Ortiz, Joseph; Woodgate, Rebecca A.; Bontempi, Paula; Delaney, Margaret; Gaines, Steven D.; Harper, Scott; Jones, Brandon; White, Lisa D.

    2012-12-01

    Every 3 years the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Advisory Committee on Geosciences, forms a Committee of Visitors (COV) to review different aspects of the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO). This year a COV was formed to review the Biological Oceanography (BO), Chemical Oceanography (CO), and Physical Oceanography (PO) programs in the Ocean Section; the Marine Geology and Geophysics (MGG) and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) science programs in the Marine Geosciences Section; and the Ocean Education and Ocean Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination (OTIC) programs in the Integrative Programs Section of the Ocean Sciences Division (OCE). The 2012 COV assessed the proposal review process for fiscal year (FY) 2009-2011, when 3843 proposal actions were considered, resulting in 1141 awards. To do this, COV evaluated the documents associated with 206 projects that were randomly selected from the following categories: low-rated proposals that were funded, high-rated proposals that were funded, low-rated proposals that were declined, high-rated proposals that were declined, some in the middle (53 awarded, 106 declined), and all (47) proposals submitted to the Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism. NSF provided additional data as requested by the COV in the form of graphs and tables. The full COV report, including graphs and tables, is available at http://www.nsf.gov/geo/acgeo_cov.jsp.

  5. Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-09-04

    NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom talks about the instruments onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass. Various scientific instruments will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6. The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  6. Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-09-04

    NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom inspects an autonomous wave glider onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass. The autonomous gliders will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6. The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  7. Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-09-04

    NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom boards the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass. Lindstrom will depart on Knorr Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS). The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  8. Community Observatories: Fostering Ideas that STEM From Ocean Sense: Local Observations. Global Connections.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pelz, M. S.; Ewing, N.; Hoeberechts, M.; Riddell, D. J.; McLean, M. A.; Brown, J. C. K.

    2015-12-01

    Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) uses education and communication to inspire, engage and educate via innovative "meet them where they are, and take them where they need to go" programs. ONC data are accessible via the internet allowing for the promotion of programs wherever the learners are located. We use technologies such as web portals, mobile apps and citizen science to share ocean science data with many different audiences. Here we focus specifically on one of ONC's most innovative programs: community observatories and the accompanying Ocean Sense program. The approach is based on equipping communities with the same technology enabled on ONC's large cabled observatories. ONC operates the world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS cabled ocean observatories and they collect data on physical, chemical, biological, and geological aspects of the ocean over long time periods, supporting research on complex Earth processes in ways not previously possible. Community observatories allow for similar monitoring on a smaller scale, and support STEM efforts via a teacher-led program: Ocean Sense. This program, based on local observations and global connections improves data-rich teaching and learning via visualization tools, interactive plotting interfaces and lesson plans for teachers that focus on student inquiry and exploration. For example, students use all aspects of STEM by accessing, selecting, and interpreting data in multiple dimensions, from their local community observatories to the larger VENUS and NEPTUNE networks. The students make local observations and global connections in all STEM areas. The first year of the program with teachers and students who use this innovative technology is described. Future community observatories and their technological applications in education, communication and STEM efforts are also described.

  9. Air-Ocean Characteristics During the Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) Program

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-09-01

    high. The largest analyzed and observed differences were found to occur in regions of TC- induced ocean changes. The significance of this comparison...and observed differences were found to occur in regions of TC- induced ocean changes. The significance of this comparison is the contribution to...gift for inducing calm into a stressful process. I would also like to thank CDR J. Dumas for his support and assistance as not only a second reader

  10. Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-09-04

    NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom inspects a sensor-laden buoy prior to it being loaded onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass. The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6. The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  11. Exploring the Oceans With OOI and IODP: A New Partnership in Education and Outreach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gröschel, H.; Robigou, V.; Whitman, J.; Jagoda, S. K.; Randle, D.

    2003-12-01

    The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a new program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), will investigate ocean and Earth processes using deep-sea and coastal observatories, as well as a lithospheric plate-scale cabled observatory that spans most of the geological and oceanographic processes of our planet. October 2003 marked the beginning of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), the third phase of a scientific ocean drilling effort known for its international cooperation, multidisciplinary research, and technological innovation. A workshop exploring the scientific, technical, and educational linkages between OOI and IODP was held in July 2003. Four scientific thematic groups discussed and prioritized common goals of the two programs, and identified experiments and technologies needed to achieve these objectives. The Education and Outreach (E&O) group attended the science sessions and presented seed ideas on activities for all participants to discuss and evaluate. A multidisciplinary dialogue between E&O facilitators, research scientists, and technology specialists was initiated. OOI/IODP participants support the recommendation of the IODP Education Workshop (May 2003) that the IODP and US Science Support Program (USSSP)-successor program have clear commitments to education and outreach. Specific organizational recommendations for OOI/IODP are: (1) E&O should have equal status with science and engineering in the OOI management/planning structure, and enjoy adequate staffing at a US program office; (2) an E&O Advisory Committee of scientists, engineers, technology experts, and educators should be established to develop and implement a viable, vibrant E&O plan; (3) E&O staff and advisors should (a) provide assistance to researchers in fulfilling E&O proposal requirements from preparation to review stages, (b) promote submittal of proposals to government agencies specifically for OOI/IODP-related E&O activities, and (c) identify and foster partners, networks, and funding opportunities. Specific E&O strategies include: (1) present observatory science and ocean drilling content, and the sense of discovery and international cooperation unique to OOI/IODP, to a broad audience; (2) develop and maintain an effective website with distinct resources for K-20 educators, students, and the public; (3) provide pre-service, in-service, and in-residence programs for K-12 teachers that are synergistic with national and local education standards; (4) focus K-12 education efforts on middle school students in grades 5-8; (5) continue and expand existing, successful Ocean Drilling Program activities for undergraduate and graduate students and educators; and (6) try to avoid redundancy with existing E&O efforts within the ocean sciences community by adopting successful models and exploring partnership opportunities with other NSF-funded ocean science education centers and initiatives.

  12. NASA earth science and applications division: The program and plans for FY 1988-1989-1990

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    Described here are the Division's research goals, priorities and emphases for the next several years and an outline of longer term plans. Included are highlights of recent accomplishments, current activities in FY 1988, research emphases in FY 1989, and longer term future plans. Data and information systems, the Geodynamics Program, the Land Processes Program, the Oceanic Processes Program, the Atmospheric Dynamics and Radiation Program, the Atmospheric Chemistry Program, and space flight programs are among the topic covered.

  13. Monitoring and Predicting the Export and Fate of Global Ocean Net Primary Production: The EXPORTS Field Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Exports Science Definition Team

    2016-04-01

    Ocean ecosystems play a critical role in the Earth's carbon cycle and its quantification on global scales remains one of the greatest challenges in global ocean biogeochemistry. The goal of the EXport Processes in the Ocean from Remote Sensing (EXPORTS) science plan is to develop a predictive understanding of the export and fate of global ocean primary production and its implications for the Earth's carbon cycle in present and future climates. NASA's satellite ocean-color data record has revolutionized our understanding of global marine systems. EXPORTS is designed to advance the utility of NASA ocean color assets to predict how changes in ocean primary production will impact the global carbon cycle. EXPORTS will create a predictive understanding of both the export of organic carbon from the euphotic zone and its fate in the underlying "twilight zone" (depths of 500 m or more) where variable fractions of exported organic carbon are respired back to CO2. Ultimately, it is the sequestration of deep organic carbon transport that defines the impact of ocean biota on atmospheric CO2 levels and hence climate. EXPORTS will generate a new, detailed understanding of ocean carbon transport processes and pathways linking upper ocean phytoplankton processes to the export and fate of organic matter in the underlying twilight zone using a combination of field campaigns, remote sensing and numerical modeling. The overarching objective for EXPORTS is to ensure the success of future satellite missions by establishing mechanistic relationships between remotely sensed signals and carbon cycle processes. Through a process-oriented approach, EXPORTS will foster new insights on ocean carbon cycling that will maximize its societal relevance and be a key component in the U.S. investment to understand Earth as an integrated system.

  14. Advances in Understanding Decadal Climate Variability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Busalaacchi, Antonio J.

    1998-01-01

    Recently, a joint Brazil-France-U.S. program, known as PIRATA (Pilot Research moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic), was proposed to begin the deployment of moored measurement platforms in the tropical Atlantic in order to enhance the existing observational data base and subsequent understanding of the processes by which the ocean and atmosphere couple in key regions of the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Empirical studies have suggested that there are strong relationships between tropical Atlantic upper ocean variability, SST, ocean-atmosphere coupling and regional climate variability. During the early 1980's a coordinated set of surface wind, subsurface thermal structure, and subsurface current observations were obtained as part of the U.S.-France SEQUAL- FOCAL process experiment designed to observe the seasonal response of the tropical Atlantic Ocean to surface forcing. Since that time, however, the observational data base for the tropical Atlantic Ocean has disintegrated to a few shiptracks measuring ocean temperatures and a small collection of tide gauge stations measuring sea level. A more comprehensive set of observations, modeling and empirical studies is now in order to make progress on understanding the regional climate variability. The proposed PIRATA program will use mooring platforms similar to the tropical Pacific Ocean TAO array to measure surface fluxes of momentum and heat and the corresponding changes in the upper ocean thermal structure. It is anticipated that the oceanic data from this monitoring array will also be used in a predictive mode for initialization studies of regional coupled climate models. Of particular interest are zonal and meridional modes of ocean-atmosphere variability within the tropical Atlantic basin that have significant impacts on the regional climate of the bordering continents.

  15. Advances in Understanding Decadal Climate Variability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Busalacchi, Antonio J.

    1999-01-01

    Recently, a joint Brazil-France-U.S. program, known as PIRATA (Pilot Research moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic), was proposed to begin the deployment of moored measurement platforms in the tropical Atlantic in order to enhance the existing observational data base and subsequent understanding of the processes by which the ocean and atmosphere couple in key regions of the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Empirical studies have suggested that there are strong relationships between tropical Atlantic upper ocean variability, SST, ocean-atmosphere coupling and regional climate variability. During the early 1980's a coordinated set of surface wind, subsurface thermal structure, and subsurface current observations were obtained as part of the U.S.-France SEQUAL-FOCAL process experiment designed to observe the seasonal response of the tropical Atlantic Ocean to surface forcing. Since that time, however, the observational data base for the tropical Atlantic Ocean has disintegrated to a few ship-tracks measuring ocean temperatures and a small collection of tide gauge stations measuring sea level. A more comprehensive set of observations, modeling and empirical studies is now in order to make progress on understanding the regional climate variability. The proposed PIRATA program will use mooring platforms similar to the tropical Pacific Ocean TAO array to measure surface fluxes of momentum and heat and the corresponding changes in the upper ocean thermal structure. It is anticipated that the oceanic data from this monitoring array will also be used in a predictive mode for initialization studies of regional coupled climate models. Of particular interest are zonal and meridional modes of ocean-atmosphere variability within the tropical Atlantic basin that have significant impacts on the regional climate of the bordering continents.

  16. 76 FR 51346 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-18

    ...: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Title: Alaska Prohibited Species Donation Program... information collection. A prohibited species donation (PSD) program for Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut has... participating in the donation program voluntarily retain and process salmon and halibut bycatch. An authorized...

  17. Ocean Surface Wave Optical Roughness - Analysis of Innovative Measurements

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-30

    goals of the program are to (1) examine time -dependent oceanic radiance distribution in relation to dynamic surface boundary layer (SBL) processes; (2... Analysis of Innovative Measurements 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER...RESULTS An overview of results is provided by Zappa et al. [2012] and Dickey et al. [2012]. TOGA-COARE and Air-sea fluxes Time series

  18. Science opportunities from the Topex/Poseidon mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stewart, R.; Fu, L. L.; Lefebvre, M.

    1986-01-01

    The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) propose to conduct a Topex/Poseidon Mission for studying the global ocean circulation from space. The mission will use the techniques of satellite altimetry to make precise and accurate measurements of sea level for several years. The measurements will then be used by Principal Investigators (selected by NASA and CNES) and by the wider oceanographic community working closely with large international programs for observing the Earth, on studies leading to an improved understanding of global ocean dynamics and the interaction of the ocean with other processes influencing life on Earth. The major elements of the mission include a satellite carrrying an altimetric system for measuring the height of the satellite above the sea surface; a precision orbit determination system for referring the altimetric measurements to geodetic coordinates; a data analysis and distribution system for processing the satellite data, verifying their accuracy, and making them available to the scientific community; and a principal investigator program for scientific studies based on the satellite observations. This document describes the satellite, its sensors, its orbit, the data analysis system, and plans for verifying and distributing the data. It then discusses the expected accuracy of the satellite's measurements and their usefulness to oceanographic, geophysical, and other scientific studies. Finally, it outlines the relationship of the Topex/Poseidon mission to other large programs, including the World Climate Research Program, the U.S. Navy's Remote Ocean Sensing System satellite program and the European Space Agency's ERS-1 satellite program.

  19. Seasat data applications in ocean industries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Montgomery, D. R.

    1985-01-01

    It is pointed out that the world population expansion and resulting shortages of food, minerals, and fuel have focused additional attention on the world's oceans. In this context, aspects of weather prediction and the monitoring/prediction of long-range climatic anomalies become more important. In spite of technological advances, the commercial ocean industry and the naval forces suffer now from inadequate data and forecast products related to the oceans. The Seasat Program and the planned Navy-Remote Oceanographic Satellite System (N-ROSS) represent major contributions to improved observational coverage and the processing needed to achieve better forecasts. The Seasat Program was initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of the remote sensing of oceanographic phenomena from a satellite platform. Possible oceanographic satellite applications are presented in a table, and the impact of Seasat data on industry sectors is discussed. Attention is given to offshore oil development, deep-ocean mining, fishing, and marine transportation.

  20. Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-09-04

    NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom poses for a photograph next to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass. Lindstrom will depart on Knorr Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS). The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  1. Turbulence Observations in the Upper Ocean During the Surface Wave Processes Program in the Northeast Pacific, February to March 1990

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-01-01

    AD-A283 895 S cientific Excellence • Resource Protection & Conservation • Benefits for Canadians Excellence scientifique • Protection et conservation...V8L 4B2 . 1992 Thi- :lci,,-nrit has been approved1 Icr P’--1iC •Lae•_se and sole; its J dIt:isbution is tuoni-ited. Canadian Data Report of...Hydrography and Ocean Sciences No. 106 94-27566 • 94 8 26 116 I I Fisheries Pdches and Oceans et Oceans Ca adc Canadian Data Report Of II’.drographý and Ocean

  2. Ocean Filmmaking Camp @ Duke Marine Lab: Building Community with Ocean Science for a Better World

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Oca, M.; Noll, S.

    2016-02-01

    A democratic society requires that its citizens are informed of everyday's global issues. Out of all issues those related to ocean conservation can be hard to grasp for the general public and especially so for disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups. Opportunity-scarce communities generally have more limited access to the ocean and to science literacy programs. The Ocean Filmmaking Camp @ Duke Marine Lab (OFC@DUML) is an effort to address this gap at the level of high school students in a small coastal town. We designed a six-week summer program to nurture the talents of high school students from under-represented communities in North Carolina with training in filmmaking, marine science and conservation. Our science curriculum is especially designed to present the science in a locally and globally-relevant context. Class discussions, field trips and site visits develop the students' cognitive abilities while they learn the value of the natural environment they live in. Through filmmaking students develop their voice and their media literacy, while connecting with their local community, crossing class and racial barriers. By the end of the summer this program succeeds in encouraging students to engage in the democratic process on ocean conservation, climate change and other everyday affairs affecting their local communities. This presentation will cover the guiding principles followed in the design of the program, and how this high impact-low cost program is implemented. In its first year the program was co-directed by a graduate student and a local high school teacher, who managed more than 20 volunteers with a total budget of $1,500. The program's success was featured in the local newspaper and Duke University's Environment Magazine. This program is an example of how ocean science can play a part in building a better world, knitting diverse communities into the fabric of the larger society with engaged and science-literate citizens living rewarding lives.

  3. Climatic crystal balls

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    What do anchovy and coffee prices have in common? They both are influenced by weather patterns. And so are a lot of other industries in the world of commodities. A new report from the National Research Council says it's time to protect these economic interests. The report outlines a new 15-year global research program that would help scientists make better seasonal and interannual climate predictions. Called the Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System or GOALS, the new program would be an extension of the decade-long international Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program, which comes to an end this year. Besides studying the climatic effects of tropical phenomena such as the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, the program would expand these types of studies to Earth's higher latitudes and to additional physical processes, such as the effects of changes in upper ocean currents, soil moisture, vegetation, and land, snow, and sea-ice cover, among others.

  4. Examining the effects of technology-infused issue investigations on high school students' environmental and ocean literacies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plankis, Brian J.

    The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of technology-infused issue investigations on high school students' environmental and ocean literacies. This study explored the effects of a new educational enrichment program termed Connecting the Ocean, Reefs, Aquariums, Literacy, and Stewardship (CORALS) on high school science students. The study utilized a mixed methods approach combining a quantitative quasi-experimental pre-post test design with qualitative case studies. The CORALS program is a new educational program that combines materials based on the Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions (IEEIA) curriculum program with the digital storytelling process. Over an 18-week period four high school science teachers and their approximately 169 students investigated environmental issues impacting coral reefs through the IEEIA framework. An additional approximately 224 students, taught by the same teachers, were the control group exposed to standard curriculum. Students' environmental literacy was measured through the Secondary School Environmental Literacy Instrument (SSELI) and students' ocean literacy was measured through the Students' Ocean Literacy Viewpoints and Engagement (SOLVE) instrument. Two classrooms were selected as case studies and examined through classroom observations and student and teacher interviews. The results indicated the CORALS program increased the knowledge of ecological principles, knowledge of environmental problems/issues, and environmental attitudes components of environmental literacy for the experimental group students. For ocean literacy, the experimental group students' scores increased for knowledge of ocean literacy principles, ability to identify oceanic environmental problems, and attitudes concerning the ocean. The SSELI measure of Responsible Environmental Behaviors (REB) was found to be significant for the interaction of teacher and class type (experimental or control). The students for Teachers A and B reported a statistically significant increase in the self-reported REB subscales of ecomanagement and consumer/economic action. This indicates the students reported an increase in the REBs they could change within their lifestyles. This study provides baseline data in an area where few quality studies exist to date. Recommendations for practice and administration of the research study instruments are explored. Recommendations for further research include CORALS program modifications, revising the instruments utilized, and what areas of students' environmental and ocean literacies warrant further exploration.

  5. NASA Ocean Altimeter Pathfinder Project. Report 1; Data Processing Handbook

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koblinsky, C. J.; Beckley, Brian D.; Ray, Richard D.; Wang, Yan-Ming; Tsaoussi, Lucia; Brenner, Anita; Williamson, Ron

    1998-01-01

    The NOAA/NASA Pathfinder program was created by the Earth Observing System (EOS) Program Office to determine how satellite-based data sets can be processed and used to study global change. The data sets are designed to be long time-sedes data processed with stable calibration and community consensus algorithms to better assist the research community. The Ocean Altimeter Pathfinder Project involves the reprocessing of all altimeter observations with a consistent set of improved algorithms, based on the results from TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P), into easy-to-use data sets for the oceanographic community for climate research. This report describes the processing schemes used to produce a consistent data set and two of the products derived f rom these data. Other reports have been produced that: a) describe the validation of these data sets against tide gauge measurements and b) evaluate the statistical properties of the data that are relevant to climate change. The use of satellite altimetry for earth observations was proposed in the early 1960s. The first successful space based radar altimeter experiment was flown on SkyLab in 1974. The first successful satellite radar altimeter was flown aboard the Geos-3 spacecraft between 1975 and 1978. While a useful data set was collected from this mission for geophysical studies, the noise in the radar measured and incomplete global coverage precluded ft from inclusion in the Ocean Altimeter Pathfinder program. This program initiated its analysis with the Seasat mission, which was the first satellite radar altimeter flown for oceanography.

  6. Global ocean monitoring for the World Climate Research Programme.

    PubMed

    Revelle, R; Bretherton, F

    1986-07-01

    Oceanic research and modelling for the World Climate Research Program will utilize several recently-developed instruments and measuring techniques as well as well-tested, long-used instruments. Ocean-scanning satellites will map the component of the ocean-surface topography related to ocean currents and mesoscale eddies and to fluctuating water volumes caused by ocean warming and cooling. Other satellite instruments will measure the direction and magnitude of wind stress on the sea surface, surface water temperatures, the distribution of chlorophyll and other photosynthetic pigments, the characteristics of internal waves, and possible precipitation over the ocean. Networks of acoustic transponders will obtain a three-dimensional picture of the distribution of temperature from the surface down to mid-depth and of long-term changes in temperature at depth. Ocean research vessels will determine the distribution and fate of geochemical tracers and will also make high-precision, deep hydrographic casts. Ships of opportunity, using expendable instruments, will measure temperature, salinity and currents in the upper water layers. Drifting and anchored buoys will also measure these properties as well as those of the air above the sea surface. Tide gauges installed on islands and exposed coastal locations will measure variations in monthly and shorter-period mean sea level. These tide gauges will provide 'ground truth' for the satellite maps of sea-surface topography, and will also determine variations in ocean currents and temperature.All these instruments will be used in several major programs, the most ambitious of which is the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) designed to obtain global measurements of major currents throughout the world ocean, greater understanding of the transformation of water masses, and the role of advective, convective, and turbulent processes in exchange of properties between surface and deep-ocean layers.A five- to ten-year experiment-"Tropical Oceans and Global Atmosphere (TOGA)"-will be undertaken to sudy the sequence of events of air-sea interactions in the tropical oceans and their impact on climatic variations on land-for example, variations in the strength and location of the Indian Ocean monsoon, droughts in low latitudes, and climatic fluctuations in temperate latitudes.Experimental and continuing time series will be taken at fixed locations to obtain a better picture of the magnitude and causes of ocean climate variability. National and multinational systematic repeated measurements along selected ocean transects or in specific ocean areas will be taken to determine oceanic variability and teleconnections between oceanic and atmospheric processes. Examples are the long Japanese section along the meridian of 137° E and the 'Sections' program of the USSR and several other countries in Energy-Active zones.The results from this wide range of observations and experiments will be used to guide and define mathematical models of the ocean circulation and its interactions with the atmosphere.It can be shown that biogeochemical processes in the ocean play an important role in determining the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere and thus in causing long-term climatic changes. Variations in the biological productivity of sub-surface waters cause variations in the effectveness of the biological pump which carries organic carbon down into deeper waters where it is oxidized. Studies of ice cores from 20 000 to 30 000 yr before the present indicate that atmospheric carbon dioxide varied by a factor of 2 within times of the order of 100 yr, and these variations were accompanied by large excursions in atmospheric temperature. Thus, ocean climatic monitoring must take into account measurements of both biological and physical variations in the ocean.

  7. GTOOLS: an Interactive Computer Program to Process Gravity Data for High-Resolution Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Battaglia, M.; Poland, M. P.; Kauahikaua, J. P.

    2012-12-01

    An interactive computer program, GTOOLS, has been developed to process gravity data acquired by the Scintrex CG-5 and LaCoste & Romberg EG, G and D gravity meters. The aim of GTOOLS is to provide a validated methodology for computing relative gravity values in a consistent way accounting for as many environmental factors as possible (e.g., tides, ocean loading, solar constraints, etc.), as well as instrument drift. The program has a modular architecture. Each processing step is implemented in a tool (function) that can be either run independently or within an automated task. The tools allow the user to (a) read the gravity data acquired during field surveys completed using different types of gravity meters; (b) compute Earth tides using an improved version of Longman's (1959) model; (c) compute ocean loading using the HARDISP code by Petit and Luzum (2010) and ocean loading harmonics from the TPXO7.2 ocean tide model; (d) estimate the instrument drift using linear functions as appropriate; and (e) compute the weighted least-square-adjusted gravity values and their errors. The corrections are performed up to microGal ( μGal) precision, in accordance with the specifications of high-resolution surveys. The program has the ability to incorporate calibration factors that allow for surveys done using different gravimeters to be compared. Two additional tools (functions) allow the user to (1) estimate the instrument calibration factor by processing data collected by a gravimeter on a calibration range; (2) plot gravity time-series at a chosen benchmark. The interactive procedures and the program output (jpeg plots and text files) have been designed to ease data handling and archiving, to provide useful information for future data interpretation or modeling, and facilitate comparison of gravity surveys conducted at different times. All formulas have been checked for typographical errors in the original reference. GTOOLS, developed using Matlab, is open source and machine independent. We will demonstrate program use and utility with data from multiple microgravity surveys at Kilauea volcano, Hawai'i.

  8. Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-09-04

    Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Senior Scientist Ray Schmitt, left, and NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom pose for a photograph in front of the Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass. Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS). The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  9. Determination and impact of surface radiative processes for TOGA COARE

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Curry, Judith A.; Ackerman, Thomas; Rossow, William B.; Webster, Peter J.

    1991-01-01

    Experiments using atmospheric general circulation models have shown that the atmospheric circulation is very sensitive to small changes in sea surface temperature in the tropical western Pacific Ocean warm pool region. The mutual sensitivity of the ocean and the atmosphere in the warm pool region places stringent requirements on models of the coupled ocean atmosphere system. At present, the situation is such that diagnostic studies using available data sets have been unable to balance the surface energy budget in the warm pool region to better than 50 to 80 W/sq m. The Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) is an observation and modelling program that aims specifically at the elucidation of the physical process which determine the mean and transient state of the warm pool region and the manner in which the warm pool interacts with the global ocean and atmosphere. This project focuses on one very important aspect of the ocean atmosphere interface component of TOGA COARE, namely the temporal and spatial variability of surface radiative fluxes in the warm pool region.

  10. Integrating Data Distribution and Data Assimilation Between the OOI CI and the NOAA DIF

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meisinger, M.; Arrott, M.; Clemesha, A.; Farcas, C.; Farcas, E.; Im, T.; Schofield, O.; Krueger, I.; Klacansky, I.; Orcutt, J.; Peach, C.; Chave, A.; Raymer, D.; Vernon, F.

    2008-12-01

    The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is an NSF funded program to establish the ocean observing infrastructure of the 21st century benefiting research and education. It is currently approaching final design and promises to deliver cyber and physical observatory infrastructure components as well as substantial core instrumentation to study environmental processes of the ocean at various scales, from coastal shelf-slope exchange processes to the deep ocean. The OOI's data distribution network lies at the heart of its cyber- infrastructure, which enables a multitude of science and education applications, ranging from data analysis, to processing, visualization and ontology supported query and mediation. In addition, it fundamentally supports a class of applications exploiting the knowledge gained from analyzing observational data for objective-driven ocean observing applications, such as automatically triggered response to episodic environmental events and interactive instrument tasking and control. The U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA operates the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) providing continuous data in various formats, rates and scales on open oceans and coastal waters to scientists, managers, businesses, governments, and the public to support research and inform decision-making. The NOAA IOOS program initiated development of the Data Integration Framework (DIF) to improve management and delivery of an initial subset of ocean observations with the expectation of achieving improvements in a select set of NOAA's decision-support tools. Both OOI and NOAA through DIF collaborate on an effort to integrate the data distribution, access and analysis needs of both programs. We present details and early findings from this collaboration; one part of it is the development of a demonstrator combining web-based user access to oceanographic data through ERDDAP, efficient science data distribution, and scalable, self-healing deployment in a cloud computing environment. ERDDAP is a web-based front-end application integrating oceanographic data sources of various formats, for instance CDF data files as aggregated through NcML or presented using a THREDDS server. The OOI-designed data distribution network provides global traffic management and computational load balancing for observatory resources; it makes use of the OpenDAP Data Access Protocol (DAP) for efficient canonical science data distribution over the network. A cloud computing strategy is the basis for scalable, self-healing organization of an observatory's computing and storage resources, independent of the physical location and technical implementation of these resources.

  11. Microbial Ecology of the Dark Ocean above, at, and below the Seafloor†

    PubMed Central

    Orcutt, Beth N.; Sylvan, Jason B.; Knab, Nina J.; Edwards, Katrina J.

    2011-01-01

    Summary: The majority of life on Earth—notably, microbial life—occurs in places that do not receive sunlight, with the habitats of the oceans being the largest of these reservoirs. Sunlight penetrates only a few tens to hundreds of meters into the ocean, resulting in large-scale microbial ecosystems that function in the dark. Our knowledge of microbial processes in the dark ocean—the aphotic pelagic ocean, sediments, oceanic crust, hydrothermal vents, etc.—has increased substantially in recent decades. Studies that try to decipher the activity of microorganisms in the dark ocean, where we cannot easily observe them, are yielding paradigm-shifting discoveries that are fundamentally changing our understanding of the role of the dark ocean in the global Earth system and its biogeochemical cycles. New generations of researchers and experimental tools have emerged, in the last decade in particular, owing to dedicated research programs to explore the dark ocean biosphere. This review focuses on our current understanding of microbiology in the dark ocean, outlining salient features of various habitats and discussing known and still unexplored types of microbial metabolism and their consequences in global biogeochemical cycling. We also focus on patterns of microbial diversity in the dark ocean and on processes and communities that are characteristic of the different habitats. PMID:21646433

  12. Basic research and data analysis for the national geodetic satellite program and for the earth and ocean physics applications program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1974-01-01

    Activities related to the National Geodetic Satellite Program are reported and include a discussion of Ohio State University's OSU275 set of tracking station coordinates and transformation parameters, determination of network distortions, and plans for data acquisition and processing. The problems encountered in the development of the LAGEOS satellite are reported in an account of activities related to the Earth and Ocean Physics Applications Program. The LAGEOS problem involves transmission and reception of the laser pulse designed to make accurate determinations of the earth's crustal and rotational motions. Pulse motion, ephemeris, arc range measurements, and accuracy estimates are discussed in view of the problem. Personnel involved in the two programs are also listed, along with travel activities and reports published to date.

  13. Data management for JGOFS: Theory and design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Flierl, Glenn R.; Bishop, James K. B.; Glover, David M.; Paranjpe, Satish

    1992-01-01

    The Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS), currently being organized under the auspices of the Scientific Committee for Ocean Research (SCOR), is intended to be a decade long internationally coordinated program. The main goal of JGOFS is to determine and understand on a global scale the processes controlling the time-varying fluxes of carbon and associated biogenic elements in the ocean and to evaluate the related exchanges with the atmosphere, sea floor and continental boundaries. 'A long-term goal of JGOFS will be to establish strategies for observing, on long time scales, changes in ocean biogeochemical cycles in relation to climate change'. Participation from a large number of U.S. and foreign institutions is expected. JGOFS investigators have begun a set of time-series measurements and global surveys of a wide variety of biological, chemical and physical quantities, detailed process-oriented studies, satellite observations of ocean color and wind stress and modeling of the bio-geochemical processes. These experiments will generate data in amounts unprecedented in the biological and chemical communities; rapid and effortless exchange of these data will be important to the success of JGOFS.

  14. The Oceanic Flux Program: A three decade time-series of particle flux in the deep Sargasso Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weber, J. C.; Conte, M. H.

    2010-12-01

    The Oceanic Flux Program (OFP), 75 km SE of Bermuda, is the longest running time-series of its kind. Initiated in 1978, the OFP has produced an unsurpassed, nearly continuous record of temporal variability in deep ocean fluxes, with a >90% temporal coverage at 3200m depth. The OFP, in conjunction with the co-located Bermuda-Atlantic Time Series (BATS) and the Bermuda Testbed Mooring (BTM) time-series, has provided key observations enabling detailed assessment of how seasonal and non-seasonal variability in the deep ocean is linked with the overlying physical and biogeochemical environment. This talk will focus on the short-term flux variability that overlies the seasonal flux pattern in the Sargasso Sea, emphasizing episodic extreme flux events. Extreme flux events are responsible for much of the year-to-year variability in mean annual flux and are most often observed during early winter and late spring when surface stratification is weak or transient. In addition to biological phenomena (e.g. salp blooms), passage of productive meso-scale features such as eddies, which alter surface water mixing characteristics and surface export fluxes, may initiate some extreme flux events. Yet other productive eddies show a minimal influence on the deep flux, underscoring the importance of upper ocean ecosystem structure and midwater processes on the coupling between the surface ocean environment and deep fluxes. Using key organic and inorganic tracers, causative processes that influence deep flux generation and the strength of the coupling with the surface ocean environment can be identified.

  15. 40 CFR 233.62 - Procedures for processing an Indian Tribe's application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Tribe's application. 233.62 Section 233.62 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING 404 STATE PROGRAM REGULATIONS Eligible Indian Tribes § 233.62 Procedures for processing an Indian Tribe's application. (a) The Regional Administrator shall process an application of an...

  16. 40 CFR 233.62 - Procedures for processing an Indian Tribe's application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Tribe's application. 233.62 Section 233.62 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING 404 STATE PROGRAM REGULATIONS Eligible Indian Tribes § 233.62 Procedures for processing an Indian Tribe's application. (a) The Regional Administrator shall process an application of an...

  17. 40 CFR 233.62 - Procedures for processing an Indian Tribe's application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Tribe's application. 233.62 Section 233.62 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING 404 STATE PROGRAM REGULATIONS Eligible Indian Tribes § 233.62 Procedures for processing an Indian Tribe's application. (a) The Regional Administrator shall process an application of an...

  18. Ocean Drilling Program: Public Information: News

    Science.gov Websites

    site ODP's main web site ODP/TAMU Science Operator Home Ocean Drilling Program News The Ocean Drilling Program was succeeded in 2003 by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). The IODP U.S. Implementing

  19. Community input requested

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fine, Rana A.; Walker, Dan

    In June 1996, the National Research Council (NRC) formed the Committee on Major U.S. Oceanographic Research Programs to foster coordination among the large programs (e.g., World Ocean Circulation Experiment, Ocean Drilling Program, Ridge Interdisciplinary Global Experiment, and others) and examine their role in ocean research. In particular, the committee is charged with (1) enhancing information sharing and the coordinated implementation of the research plans of the major ongoing and future programs; (2) assisting the federal agencies and ocean sciences community in identifying gaps, as well as appropriate followon activities to existing programs; (3) making recommendations on how future major ocean programs should be planned, structured and organized; and (4) evaluating the impact of major ocean programs on the understanding of the oceans, development of research facilities, education, and collegiality in the academic community. The activity was initiated at the request of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences, is overseen by the NRC's Ocean Studies Board (OSB), and is funded by both NSF and the Office of Naval Research.

  20. Hawaii Ocean Mixing Experiment: Program Summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ray, Richard D.; Chao, Benjamin F. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    It is becoming apparent that insufficient mixing occurs in the pelagic ocean to maintain the large scale thermohaline circulation. Observed mixing rates fall a factor of ten short of classical indices such as Munk's "Abyssal Recipe." The growing suspicion is that most of the mixing in the sea occurs near topography. Exciting recent observations by Polzin et al., among others, fuel this speculation. If topographic mixing is indeed important, it must be acknowledged that its geographic distribution, both laterally and vertically, is presently unknown. The vertical distribution of mixing plays a critical role in the Stommel Arons model of the ocean interior circulation. In recent numerical studies, Samelson demonstrates the extreme sensitivity of flow in the abyssal ocean to the spatial distribution of mixing. We propose to study the topographic mixing problem through an integrated program of modeling and observation. We focus on tidally forced mixing as the global energetics of this process have received (and are receiving) considerable study. Also, the well defined frequency of the forcing and the unique geometry of tidal scattering serve to focus the experiment design. The Hawaiian Ridge is selected as a study site. Strong interaction between the barotropic tide and the Ridge is known to take place. The goals of the Hawaiian Ocean Mixing Experiment (HOME) are to quantify the rate of tidal energy loss to mixing at the Ridge and to identify the mechanisms by which energy is lost and mixing generated. We are challenged to develop a sufficiently comprehensive picture that results can be generalized from Hawaii to the global ocean. To achieve these goals, investigators from five institutions have designed HOME, a program of historic data analysis, modeling and field observation. The Analysis and Modeling efforts support the design of the field experiments. As the program progresses, a global model of the barotropic (depth independent) tide, and two models of the baroclinic (depth varying) tide, all validated with near-Ridge data, will be applied, to reveal the mechanisms of tidal energy conversion along the Ridge, and allow spatial and temporal integration of the rate of conversion. Field experiments include a survey to identify "hot spots" of enhanced mixing and barotropic to baroclinic conversion, a Nearfield study identifying the dominant mechanisms responsible for topographic mixing, and a Farfield program which quantifies the barotropic energy flux convergence at the Ridge and the flux divergence associated with low mode baroclinic waves radiation. The difference is a measure of the tidal power available for mixing at the Ridge. Field work is planned from years 2000 through 2002, with analysis and modeling efforts extending through early 2006. If successful, HOME will yield an understanding of the dominant topographic mixing processes applicable throughout the global ocean. It will advance understanding of two central problems in ocean science, the maintenance of the abyssal stratification, and the dissipation of the tides. HOME data will be used to improve the parameterization of dissipation in models which presently assimilate TOPEX-POSEIDON observations. The improved understanding of the dynamics and spatial distribution of mixing processes will benefit future long-term programs such as CLIVAR.

  1. "SPURS" in the North Atlantic Salinity Maximum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmitt, Raymond

    2014-05-01

    The North Atlantic Salinity Maximum is the world's saltiest open ocean salinity maximum and was the focus of the recent Salinity Processes Upper-ocean Regional Study (SPURS) program. SPURS was a joint venture between US, French, Irish, and Spanish investigators. Three US and two EU cruises were involved from August, 1012 - October, 2013 as well as surface moorings, glider, drifter and float deployments. Shipboard operations included underway meteorological and oceanic data, hydrographic surveys and turbulence profiling. The goal is to improve our understanding of how the salinity maximum is maintained and how it may be changing. It is formed by an excess of evaporation over precipitation and the wind-driven convergence of the subtropical gyre. Such salty areas are getting saltier with global warming (a record high SSS was observed in SPURS) and it is imperative to determine the relative roles of surface water fluxes and oceanic processes in such trends. The combination of accurate surface flux estimates with new assessments of vertical and horizontal mixing in the ocean will help elucidate the utility of ocean salinity in quantifying the changing global water cycle.

  2. An overview of the NSCAT/N-ROSS program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Martin, B. D.; Freilich, Michael H.; Li, F. K.; Callahan, Phillip S.

    1986-01-01

    The NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) to fly on the U.S. Navy Remote Ocean Sensing System (N-ROSS) mission is presented. The overall N-ROSS mission, the NSCAT flight instrument and groundbased data processing/distribution system, and NASA-supported science and verification activities are described. The N-ROSS system is designed to provide measurements of near-surface wind, ocean topography, wave height, sea-surface temperature, and atmospheric water content over the global oceans. The NSCAT is an improved version of the Seasat scatterometer. It will measure near surface vector winds.

  3. Studies related to ocean dynamics. Task 3.2: Aircraft Field Test Program to investigate the ability of remote sensing methods to measure current/wind-wave interactions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huang, N. E.; Flood, W. A.; Brown, G. S.

    1975-01-01

    The feasibility of remote sensing of current flows in the ocean and the remote sensing of ocean currents by backscattering cross section techniques was studied. It was established that for capillary waves, small scale currents could be accurately measured through observation of wave kinematics. Drastic modifications of waves by changing currents were noted. The development of new methods for the measurement of capillary waves are discussed. Improvement methods to resolve data processing problems are suggested.

  4. Basic research and data analysis for the earth and ocean physics applications program and for the National Geodetic Satellite program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    Data acquisition using single image and seven image data processing is used to provide a precise and accurate geometric description of the earth's surface. Transformation parameters and network distortions are determined, Sea slope along the continental boundaries of the U.S. and earth rotation are examined, along with close grid geodynamic satellite system. Data are derived for a mathematical description of the earth's gravitational field; time variations are determined for geometry of the ocean surface, the solid earth, gravity field, and other geophysical parameters.

  5. NASA Ocean Altimeter Pathfinder Project. Report 2; Data Set Validation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koblinsky, C. J.; Ray, Richard D.; Beckley, Brian D.; Bremmer, Anita; Tsaoussi, Lucia S.; Wang, Yan-Ming

    1999-01-01

    The NOAA/NASA Pathfinder program was created by the Earth Observing System (EOS) Program Office to determine how existing satellite-based data sets can be processed and used to study global change. The data sets are designed to be long time-series data processed with stable calibration and community consensus algorithms to better assist the research community. The Ocean Altimeter Pathfinder Project involves the reprocessing of all altimeter observations with a consistent set of improved algorithms, based on the results from TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P), into easy-to-use data sets for the oceanographic community for climate research. Details are currently presented in two technical reports: Report# 1: Data Processing Handbook Report #2: Data Set Validation This report describes the validation of the data sets against a global network of high quality tide gauge measurements and provides an estimate of the error budget. The first report describes the processing schemes used to produce the geodetic consistent data set comprised of SEASAT, GEOSAT, ERS-1, TOPEX/ POSEIDON, and ERS-2 satellite observations.

  6. Ocean FEST (Families Exploring Science Together)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bruno, B. C.; Wiener, C. S.

    2009-12-01

    Ocean FEST (Families Exploring Science Together) exposes families to cutting-edge ocean science research and technology in a fun, engaging way. Research has shown that family involvement in science education adds significant value to the experience. Our overarching goal is to attract underrepresented students (including Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and girls) to geoscience careers. A second goal is to communicate to diverse audiences that geoscience is directly relevant and applicable to their lives, and critical in solving challenges related to global climate change. Ocean FEST engages elementary school students, parents, teachers, and administrators in family science nights based on a proven model developed by Art and Rene Kimura of the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium. Our content focuses on the role of the oceans in climate change, and is based on the transformative research of the NSF Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) and the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB). Through Ocean FEST, underrepresented students and their parents and teachers learn about new knowledge being generated at Hawaii’s world-renowned ocean research institutes. In the process, they learn about fundamental geoscience concepts and career opportunities. This project is aligned with C-MORE’s goal of increasing the number of underrepresented students pursuing careers in the ocean and earth sciences, and related disciplines. Following a successful round of pilot events at elementary schools on Oahu, funding was obtained through NSF Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences to implement a three-year program at minority-serving elementary schools in Hawaii. Deliverables include 20 Ocean FEST events per year (each preceded by teacher professional development training), a standards-based program that will be disseminated locally and nationally, three workshops to train educators in program delivery, and an Ocean FEST science kit. In addition, we are currently conducting a series of pilot events at the middle school level at underserved schools at neighbor islands, funded through the Hawaii Innovation Initiative (Act 111). Themes addressed include community outreach, capacity building, teacher preparation, and use of technology.

  7. Beyond 2013 - The Future of European Scientific Drilling Research - An introduction.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Camoin, G.; Stein, R.

    2009-04-01

    The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is funded for the period 2003-2013, and is now starting to plan the future of ocean drilling beyond 2013, including the development of new technologies, new emerging research fields as and the societal relevance of this programme. In this context an interdisciplinary and multinational (USA, Europe, Japan, Asian and Oceanian countries), key conference - INVEST IODP New Ventures in Exploring Scientific Targets - addressing all international IODP partners is therefore planned for September 23rd-25th 2009 in Bremen, Germany (more information at http://www.iodp.org and http://marum.de/iodp-invest.html) to discuss future directions of ocean drilling research and related aspects such as ventures with related programmes or with industry. The first critical step of INVEST is to define the scientific research goals of the second phase of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), which is expected to begin in late 2013. INVEST will be open to all interested scientists and students and will be the principal opportunity for the international science community to help shape the future of scientific ocean drilling. The outcome of the conference will be the base to draft a science plan in 2010 and to define new goals and strategies to effectively meet the challenges of society and future ocean drilling. The current EGU Session and the related two days workshop which will be held at the University of Vienna will specifically address the future of European scientific drilling research. The major objectives of those two events are to sharpen the European interests in the future IODP and to prepare the INVEST Conference and are therefore of prime importance to give weight to the European propositions in the program renewal processes, both on science, technology and management, and to provide the participants with information about the status/process of ongoing discussions and negotiations regarding program structure, and provide them with the expected framework (available drilling platforms and anticipated funding levels). The key items that should be addressed during the EGU Session and the workshop will especially include : (1) The future of ECORD (science, technology, management). (2) New research initiatives and emerging fields in scientific drilling (3) Relationships between IODP and other programs (e.g. ICDP, IMAGES etc). (4) Collaboration between academia and industry. (5) New technologies and the Mission Specific Platform approach.

  8. Understanding Science and Technology Interactions Through Ocean Science Exploration: A Summer Course for Science Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baldauf, J.; Denton, J.

    2003-12-01

    In order to replenish the national supply of science and mathematics educators, the National Science Foundation has supported the formation of the Center for Applications of Information Technology in the Teaching and Learning of Science (ITS) at Texas A&M University. The center staff and affiliated faculty work to change in fundamental ways the culture and relationships among scientists, educational researchers, and teachers. ITS is a partnership among the colleges of education, science, geosciences, agriculture and life science at Texas A&M University. Participants (teachers and graduate students) investigate how science is done and how science is taught and learned; how that learning is assessed, and how scholarly networks among all engaged in this work can be encouraged. While the center can offer graduate degrees most students apply as non-degree seekers. ITS participants are schooled on classroom technology applications, experience working on project teams, and access very current research work being conducted by scientists. ITS offers a certificate program consisting of two summer sessions over two years that results in 12 hours of graduate credit that can be applied to a degree. Interdisciplinary project teams spend three intense weeks connecting current research to classroom practices. During the past summer with the beginning of the two-year sequence, a course was implemented that introduced secondary teachers to Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) contributions to major earth science themes, using core and logging data, engineering (technology) tools and processes. Information Technology classroom applications were enhanced through hands-on laboratory exercises, web resources and online databases. The course was structured around the following objectives. 1. Distinguish the purpose and goals of the Ocean Drilling Program from the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and describe the comparable science themes (ocean circulation, marine sedimentation, climate history, sea level change and geological time). This objective will be achieved by correctly answering 8 of 10 multiple choice items on course posttest on science themes of ODP/IODP. 2. Describe the technical tools and processes for determining sea level history by preparing and presenting a multimedia presentation on coring. 3. Describe the processes for describing a drill core and apply those processes to core samples from Leg 194 by developing a laboratory analysis report on core samples based on protocol for analyzing cores. 4. Explain the distinguishing features of scientific from industrial coring processes by developing a paper that contrasts scientific from industrial coring processes. 5. Describe the substructure of the ocean basin and the scientific tools (equipment and processes) used to explore this substructure by preparing and presenting a multimedia presentation on bore hole data interpretation. 6. Analyze and interpret data sets from a bore hole by developing a laboratory analysis report on bore-hole data. Student performance data for objectives indicate a 16% average positive change on the science themes addressed in instruction related to objective one occurred. Similarly, a 12% average positive change occurred on science education topics related to earth science among the students in this class. Ongoing contact between faculty members during the academic year is planned as these summer participants engage in implementing IT interventions and professional development experiences based on ocean science data experienced in the summer experience.

  9. Improving Visual Survey Capabilities for Marine Mammal Studies

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-09-30

    presence of air- breathing mammals, and they can be conducted from ships, aircraft, or land . For ship- and land -based surveys, powerful, pedestal-mounted...part of the ONR-and NRL-funded Air- Sea Interactions in the Northern Indian Ocean Regional Initiative (ASIRI) program, a physical oceanographic...research effort to study upper ocean processes and air- sea interactions that regulate the Asian monsoons. We will use the DURIP-funded big-eye

  10. Past, Present, and Future: A Science Program for the Arctic Ocean Linking Ancient and Contemporary Observations of Change Through Modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coakley, Bernard; Edmonds, Henrietta N.; Frey, Karen; Gascard, Jean-Claude; Grebmeier, Jacqueline M.; Kassens, Heidemarie; Thiede, Jörn; Wegner, Carolyn

    2007-07-01

    A follow-up to the 2nd International Conference on Arctic Research Planning, 19-21 November 2007, Potsdam, Germany The Arctic Ocean is the missing piece for any global model. Records of processes at both long and short timescales will be necessary to predict the future evolution of the Arctic Ocean through what appears to be a period of rapid climate change. Ocean monitoring is impoverished without the long-timescale records available from paleoceanography and the boundary conditions that can be obtained from marine geology and geophysics. The past and the present are the key to our ability to predict the future.

  11. Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Studies: SOLAS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wanninkhof, R.; Dickerson, R.; Barber, R.; Capone, D. G.; Duce, R.; Erickson, D.; Keene, W. C.; Lenschow, D.; Matrai, P. A.; McGillis, W.; McGillicuddy, D.; Penner, J.; Pszenny, A.

    2002-05-01

    The US Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study (US SOLAS) is a component of an international program (SOLAS) with an overall goal: to achieve a quantitative understanding of the key biogeochemical-physical interactions between the ocean and atmosphere, and of how this coupled system affects and is affected by climateand environmental change. There is increasing evidence that the biogeochemical cycles containing the building blocks of life such as carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur have been perturbed. These changes result in appreciable impacts and feedbacks in the SOLA region. The exact nature of the impacts and feedbacks are poorly constrained because of sparse observations, in particular relating to the connectivity and interrelationships between the major biogeochemical cycles and their interaction with physical forcing. It is in these areas that the research and the interdisciplinary research approaches advocated in US SOLAS will provide high returns. The research in US SOLAS will be heavily focused on process studies of the natural variability of key processes, anthropogenic perturbation of the processes, and the positive and negative feedbacks the processes will have on the biogeochemical cycles in the SOLA region. A major objective is to integrate the process study findings with the results from large-scale observations and with small and large- scale modeling and remote sensing efforts to improve our mechanistic understanding of large scale biogeochemical and physical phenomena and feedbacks. US SOLAS held an open workshop in May 2001 to lay the groundwork for the SOLAS program in the United States. Resulting highlights and issues will be summarized around 4 major themes: (1) Boundary-layer Physics, (2) Dynamics of long-lived climate relevant compounds, (3) Dynamics of short-lived climate relevant compounds, and (4) Atmospheric effects on marine biogeochemical processes. Comprehensive reports from the working groups of U.S. SOLAS, and the international science plan which served as overall guidance, can be found at We will explore possible dedicated, interdisciplinary ocean-atmosphere projects as examples of the critical interconnectivity of atmospheric, interfacial, and upper ocean processes to study phenomena of critical importance in understanding the earth's system.

  12. Transforming Ocean Observations of the Carbon Budget, Acidification, Hypoxia, Nutrients, and Biological Productivity: a Global Array of Biogeochemical Argo Floats

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Talley, L. D.; Johnson, K. S.; Claustre, H.; Boss, E.; Emerson, S. R.; Westberry, T. K.; Sarmiento, J. L.; Mazloff, M. R.; Riser, S.; Russell, J. L.

    2017-12-01

    Our ability to detect changes in biogeochemical (BGC) processes in the ocean that may be driven by increasing atmospheric CO2, as well as by natural climate variability, is greatly hindered by undersampling in vast areas of the open ocean. Argo is a major international program that measures ocean heat content and salinity with about 4000 floats distributed throughout the ocean, profiling to 2000 m every 10 days. Extending this approach to a global BGC-Argo float array, using recent, proven sensor technology, and in close synergy with satellite systems, will drive a transformative shift in observing and predicting the effects of climate change on ocean metabolism, carbon uptake, acidification, deoxygenation, and living marine resource management. BGC-Argo will add sensors for pH, oxygen, nitrate, chlorophyll, suspended particles, and downwelling irradiance, with sufficient accuracy for climate studies. Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) using BGC models indicate that 1000 BGC floats would provide sufficient coverage, hence equipping 1/4 of the Argo array. BGC-Argo (http://biogeochemical-argo.org) will enhance current sustained observational programs such as Argo, GO-SHIP, and long-term ocean time series. BGC-Argo will benefit from deployments on GO-SHIP vessels, which provide sensor verification. Empirically derived algorithms that relate the observed BGC float parameters to the carbon system parameters will provide global information on seasonal ocean-atmosphere carbon exchange. BGC Argo measurements could be paired with other emerging technology, such as pCO2 measurements from ships of opportunity and wave gliders, to extend and validate exchange estimates. BGC-Argo prototype programs already show the potential of a global observing system that can measure seasonal to decadal variability. Various countries have developed regional BGC arrays: Southern Ocean (SOCCOM), North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre (remOcean), Mediterranean (NAOS), the Kuroshio (INBOX), and Indian Ocean (IOBioArgo). As examples, bio-optical sensors are identifying regional anomalies in light attenuation/scattering, with implications for ocean productivity and carbon export; SOCCOM floats show high CO2 outgassing in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, due to previously unmeasured winter fluxes.

  13. Ocean Science in a K-12 setting: Promoting Inquiry Based Science though Graduate Student and Teacher Collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lodico, J. M.; Greely, T.; Lodge, A.; Pyrtle, A.; Ivey, S.; Madeiros, A.; Saleem, S.

    2005-12-01

    The University of South Florida, College of Marine Science Oceans: GK-12 Teaching Fellowship Program is successfully enriching science learning via the oceans. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the program provides a unique opportunity among scientists and K-12 teachers to interact with the intention of bringing ocean science concepts and research to the classroom environment enhance the experience of learning and doing science, and to promote `citizen scientists' for the 21st century. The success of the program relies heavily on the extensive summer training program where graduate students develop teaching skills, create inquiry based science activities for a summer Oceanography Camp for Girls program and build a relationship with their mentor teacher. For the last year and a half, two graduate students from the College of Marine Science have worked in cooperation with teachers from the Pinellas county School District, Southside Fundamental Middle School. Successful lesson plans brought into a 6th grade Earth Science classroom include Weather and climate: Global warming, The Geologic timescale: It's all about time, Density: Layering liquids, and Erosion processes: What moves water and sediment. The school and students have benefited greatly from the program experiencing hands-on inquiry based science and the establishment of an after school science club providing opportunities for students to work on their science fair projects and pursuit other science interests. Students are provided scoring rubrics and their progress is creatively assessed through KWL worksheets, concept maps, surveys, oral one on one and classroom discussions and writing samples. The year culminated with a series of hands on lessons at the nearby beach, where students demonstrated their mastery of skills through practical application. Benefits to the graduate student include improved communication of current science research to a diverse audience, a better understanding of the perspective of teachers and their content knowledge, and experience working with children and youth. The GK-12 teacher mentor benefits include a resource of inquiry based ocean science activities and increased knowledge of current scientific ocean research. The K-12 students gain an opportunity to be engage with young passionate scientists, learn about current ocean science research, and experience inquiry based science activities relating to concepts already being taught in their classroom. This program benefits all involved including the graduate students, the teachers, the K-12 students and the community.

  14. ONR Far East Scientific Information Bulletin. Volume 15 Number 1.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-03-01

    Development Agency agency 2-4-1 Hamamatsu-cho Director implements Japan’s of Japan (NASDA) Minato-ku, Tokyo 105 Earth Observation space activities Program ... program will also be used to Satellite (ADEOS) program will follow JERS, develop a Japanese network of data relay probably early in 1994. This...weather and ocean measure- data processing technology, and (4) the ments. development of data analysis/image pro- Other programs include the cooper

  15. Ocean Drilling Program: Cruise Information

    Science.gov Websites

    Morgan. Cruise Information The Ocean Drilling Program ended on 30 September 2003 and has been succeeded by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). The U.S. Implementing Organization (IODP-USIO ) (Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and Texas A&M University) continues to

  16. 77 FR 63293 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Coastal Ocean Program Grants Proposal...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-16

    ... Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal Ocean Program (COP) provides direct financial assistance.... The statutory authority for COP is Public Law 102-567 Section 201 (Coastal Ocean Program). In addition... to file annual progress reports and a project final report using COP formats. All of these...

  17. Advancing Ocean Science Through Coordination, Community Building, and Outreach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benway, H. M.

    2016-02-01

    The US Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program (www.us-ocb.org) is a dynamic network of scientists working across disciplines to understand the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle and how marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles are responding to environmental change. The OCB Project Office, which is based at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), serves as a central information hub for this network, bringing different scientific disciplines together and cultivating partnerships with complementary US and international programs to address high-priority research questions. The OCB Project Office plays multiple important support roles, such as hosting and co-sponsoring workshops, short courses, working groups, and synthesis activities on emerging research issues; engaging with relevant national and international science planning initiatives; and developing education and outreach activities and products with the goal of promoting ocean carbon science to broader audiences. Current scientific focus areas of OCB include ocean observations (shipboard, autonomous, satellite, etc.); changing ocean chemistry (acidification, expanding low-oxygen conditions, etc.); ocean carbon uptake and storage; estuarine and coastal carbon cycling; biological pump and associated biological and biogeochemical processes and carbon fluxes; and marine ecosystem response to environmental and evolutionary changes, including physiological and molecular-level responses of individual organisms, as well as shifts in community structure and function. OCB is a bottom-up organization that responds to the continually evolving priorities and needs of its network and engages marine scientists at all career stages. The scientific leadership of OCB includes a scientific steering committee and subcommittees on ocean time-series, ocean acidification, and ocean fertilization. This presentation will highlight recent OCB activities and products of interest to the ocean science community.

  18. Using DSDP/ODP/IODP core photographs and digital images in the classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pereira, Hélder; Berenguer, Jean-Luc

    2017-04-01

    Since the late 1960's, several scientific ocean drilling programmes have been uncovering the history of the Earth hidden beneath the seafloor. The adventure began in 1968 with the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) and its special drill ship, the Glomar Challenger. The next stage was the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) launched in 1985 with a new drill ship, the JOIDES Resolution. The exploration of the ocean seafloor continued, between 2003 and 2013, through the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). During that time, in addition to the JOIDES Resolution, operated by the US, the scientists had at their service the Chikyu, operated by Japan, and Mission-Specific-Platforms, funded and implemented by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling. Currently, scientific ocean drilling continues through the collaboration of scientists from 25 nations within the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). Over the last 50 years, the scientific ocean drilling expeditions conducted by these programmes have drilled and cored more than 3500 holes. The numerous sediment and rock samples recovered from the ocean floor have provided important insight on the active biological, chemical, and geological processes that have shaped the Earth over millions of years. During an expedition, once the 9.5-meter long cores arrive from the seafloor, the technicians label and cut them into 1.5-meter sections. Next, the shipboard scientists perform several analysis using non-destructive methods. Afterward, the technicians split the cores into two halves, the "working half", which scientists sample and use aboard the drilling platform, and the "archive half", which is kept in untouched condition after being visually described and photographed with a digital imaging system. The shipboard photographer also takes several close-up pictures of the archive-half core sections. This work presents some examples of how teachers can use DSDP/ODP/IODP core photographs and digital images, available through the Janus and LIMS online databases, to develop inquiry-based learning activities for secondary level students.

  19. The Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Indian Ocean Bathymetric Compilation Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wigley, R. A.; Hassan, N.; Chowdhury, M. Z.; Ranaweera, R.; Sy, X. L.; Runghen, H.; Arndt, J. E.

    2014-12-01

    The Indian Ocean Bathymetric Compilation (IOBC) project, undertaken by Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Scholars, is focused on building a regional bathymetric data compilation, of all publically-available bathymetric data within the Indian Ocean region from 30°N to 60° S and 10° to 147° E. One of the objectives of this project is the creation of a network of Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Scholars working together, derived from the thirty Scholars from fourteen nations bordering on the Indian Ocean who have graduated from this Postgraduate Certificate in Ocean Bathymetry (PCOB) training program training program at the University of New Hampshire. The IOBC project has provided students a working example during their course work and has been used as basis for student projects during their visits to another Laboratory at the end of their academic year. This multi-national, multi-disciplinary project team will continue to build on the skills gained during the PCOB program through additional training. The IOBC is being built using the methodology developed for the International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO) compilation (Arndt et al., 2013). This skill was transferred, through training workshops, to further support the ongoing development within the scholar's network. This capacity-building project is envisioned to connect other personnel from within all of the participating nations and organizations, resulting in additional capacity-building in this field of multi-resolution bathymetric grid generation in their home communities. An updated regional bathymetric map and grids of the Indian Ocean will be an invaluable tool for all fields of marine scientific research and resource management. In addition, it has implications for increased public safety by offering the best and most up-to-date depth data for modeling regional-scale oceanographic processes such as tsunami-wave propagation behavior amongst others.

  20. The positive Indian Ocean Dipole-like response in the tropical Indian Ocean to global warming

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Luo, Yiyong; Lu, Jian; Liu, Fukai

    Climate models project a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD)-like SST response in the tropical Indian Ocean to global warming. By employing the Community Earth System Model (CESM) and applying an overriding technique to its ocean component Parallel Ocean Program version 2 (POP2), this study investigates the similarity and difference of the formation mechanisms for the changes in the tropical Indian Ocean during the pIOD versus global warming. Results show that their formation processes and related seasonality are quite similar; in particular, the Bjerknes feedback is the leading mechanism in producing the anomalous cooling over the eastern tropics in both cases.more » Some differences are also found, including that the cooling effect of the vertical advection over the eastern tropical Indian Ocean is dominated by the anomalous vertical velocity during the pIOD while it is dominated by the anomalous upper-ocean stratification under global warming. Lastly, these findings above are further examined with an analysis of the mixed layer heat budget.« less

  1. The positive Indian Ocean Dipole-like response in the tropical Indian Ocean to global warming

    DOE PAGES

    Luo, Yiyong; Lu, Jian; Liu, Fukai; ...

    2016-02-04

    Climate models project a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD)-like SST response in the tropical Indian Ocean to global warming. By employing the Community Earth System Model (CESM) and applying an overriding technique to its ocean component Parallel Ocean Program version 2 (POP2), this study investigates the similarity and difference of the formation mechanisms for the changes in the tropical Indian Ocean during the pIOD versus global warming. Results show that their formation processes and related seasonality are quite similar; in particular, the Bjerknes feedback is the leading mechanism in producing the anomalous cooling over the eastern tropics in both cases.more » Some differences are also found, including that the cooling effect of the vertical advection over the eastern tropical Indian Ocean is dominated by the anomalous vertical velocity during the pIOD while it is dominated by the anomalous upper-ocean stratification under global warming. Lastly, these findings above are further examined with an analysis of the mixed layer heat budget.« less

  2. The Scientific Legacy of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program.

    PubMed

    Muller-Karger, Frank E; Astor, Yrene M; Benitez-Nelson, Claudia R; Buck, Kristen N; Fanning, Kent A; Lorenzoni, Laura; Montes, Enrique; Rueda-Roa, Digna T; Scranton, Mary I; Tappa, Eric; Taylor, Gordon T; Thunell, Robert C; Troccoli, Luis; Varela, Ramon

    2018-06-11

    TheCARIACO(Carbon Retention in a Colored Ocean) Ocean Time-Series Program station, located at 10.50°N, 64.66°W, observed biogeochemical and ecological processes in the Cariaco Basin of the southwestern Caribbean Sea from November 1995 to January 2017. The program completed 232 monthly core cruises, 40 sediment trap deployment cruises, and 40 microbiogeochemical process cruises. Upwelling along the southern Caribbean Sea occurs from approximately November to August. High biological productivity (320-628 g C m -2 y -1 ) leads to large vertical fluxes of particulate organic matter, but only approximately 9-10 g C m -2 y -1 fall to the bottom sediments (∼1-3% of primary production). A diverse community of heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic microorganisms, viruses, and protozoa thrives within the oxic-anoxic interface. A decrease in upwelling intensity from approximately 2003 to 2013 and the simultaneous overfishing of sardines in the region led to diminished phytoplankton bloom intensities, increased phytoplankton diversity, and increased zooplankton densities. The deepest waters of the Cariaco Basin exhibited long-term positive trends in temperature, salinity, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, phosphate, methane, and silica. Earthquakes and coastal flooding also resulted in the delivery of sediment to the seafloor. The program's legacy includes climate-quality data from suboxic and anoxic habitats and lasting relationships between international researchers. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Marine Science Volume 11 is January 3, 2019. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

  3. Ocean Drilling Program: Science Operator

    Science.gov Websites

    : www.odplegacy.org Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP): www.iodp.org IODP U.S. Implementing Organization (IODP -USIO): www.iodp-usio.org The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and 22 international partners (JOIDES) to conduct basic research into the history of the ocean

  4. THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF NOAA'S AIR QUALITY FORECASTING PROGRAM

    EPA Science Inventory

    For many years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has conducted atmospheric research, including chemical and physical measurements, process studies, and the development and evaluation of experimental meteorological and photochemical air quality models. ...

  5. USGS: Building on leadership in mapping oceans and coasts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Myers, M.D.

    2008-01-01

    The US Geological Survey (USGS) offers continuously improving technologies for mapping oceans and coasts providing unique opportunity for characterizing the marine environment and to expand the understanding of coastal and ocean processes, resources, and hazards. USGS, which has been designated as a leader for mapping the Exclusive Economic Zone, has made an advanced strategic plan, Facing Tomorrow's Challenges- US Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007 to 2017. This plan focuses on innovative and transformational themes that serve key clients and customers, expand partnerships, and have long-term national impact. The plan includes several key science directions, including Understanding Ecosystems and Predicting Ecosystem Change, Energy and Minerals for America's Future, and A National Hazards, Risk, and Resilience Assessment Program. USGS has also collaborated with diverse partners to incorporate mapping and monitoring within interdisciplinary research programs, addressing the system-scale response of coastal and marine ecosystems.

  6. Ocean Drilling Science Plan to be released soon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Showstack, Randy

    2011-04-01

    The upcoming International Ocean Discovery Program, which is slated to operate from 2013 to 2023 and calls for an internationally funded program focused around four science themes, will pick up right where its predecessor, the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, ends, explained Kiyoshi Suyehiro, president and chief executive officer of IODP, a convenient acronym that covers both programs. At a 5 April briefing at the 2011 European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna, Austria, he outlined four general themes the new program will address. IODP involves 24 nations and utilizes different ocean drilling platforms that complement each other in drilling in different environments in the oceans.

  7. 75 FR 64737 - Automated Commercial Environment (ACE): Announcement of a National Customs Automation Program...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-20

    ... Commissioner of CBP with authority to conduct limited test programs or procedures designed to evaluate planned.... Specifically, CBP is looking for test participants to include: 2-3 Ocean Carriers. At least one must be filing... their software ready to test with CBP once CBP begins the certification process. CBP will post the...

  8. Federal Ocean Energy Technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1987-10-01

    The Department of Energy's (DOE) Ocean Energy Technology (OET) Program is looking for cost-effective ways to harness ocean energy to help power tomorrow's world. Federally sponsored researchers are studying methods to transform the solar heat stored in the ocean's surface waters into electricity as well as new ways to convert wave energy into mechanical energy or electricity. This report provides a summary of research completed during FY86. Four major research areas are addressed in the work covered by this report: Thermodynamic Research and Analysis addresses the process and system analyses which provide the underlying understanding of physical effects which constitute the energy conversion processes, Experimental Verification and Testing provides confirmation of the analytical projections and empirical relationships, Materials and Structural Research addresses special materials compatibility issues related to operation in the sea. Much of its focus is on concepts for the system CWP which is a major technology cost driver, and Oceanographic, Environmental, and Geotechnical Research addresss those unique design requirements imposed by construction in steep slope coastal areas.

  9. The First Seasat-A Industrial Users Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hicks, K. W.

    1978-01-01

    The purpose of this workshop was to begin the process of definition and development of the SEASAT-A Demonstration Program, leading to the implementation of a set of experiments which would begin during the latter part of 1978 following the launch of SEASAT-A (now scheduled for May 1978). NASA through the SEASAT-A program, has encouraged the planning of cooperative experiments by industry and government agencies that operate in areas of ocean activity that could benefit from improved measurements and forecasts of weather and ocean conditions. The objectives of these experiments are to: (1) evaluate the significance of SEASAT-A data to commercial user organizations; (2) assist in identifying those characteristics of follow-on systems that are important to industrial users; (3) obtain experimental evidence that could be used to refine estimates of the economic potential of an operational system; and (4) begin the technology transfer process to the industrial users.

  10. 77 FR 8219 - Coastal Zone Management Program: Illinois

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-14

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Zone Management Program: Illinois AGENCY: Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), National Oceanic and... of Decision (ROD) for Federal Approval of the Illinois Coastal Management Program (ICMP). SUMMARY...

  11. Creating Research/STEM Opportunities for Students - A Case for Collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baker, R. W.; Sprenger, A.

    2016-02-01

    A unique collaboration between a Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System, the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems, (NANOOS), a boat-based ocean science education non-profit organization, the Ocean Inquiry Project (OIP), an informal environmental education center, the Whidbey Watershed Stewards (WWS), and the South Whidbey School District, has resulted in an incredible STEM learning opportunity for middle school students. The year-long program challenges 200 6th and 7th graders at Langley Middle School on Whidbey Island WA, to investigate the fragile connection between the biotic and abiotic ocean, with a focus on ocean acidification, a growing environmental, economic concern in the school's local waters of Puget Sound. Students use a variety of field research techniques to collect original ocean data at a local marina, building an oceanographic time-series, over a 6 month time period (Nov - Apr) as the earth and ocean transition from winter into spring. Students have named their study "SWOOS" - the South Whidbey Ocean Observing Station. Every month, students measure parameters in seawater including temperature, salinity, pH, oxygen, and nitrates from their research site. Plankton samples are also collected and brought back to their science classroom to be analyzed. Students design and build their own "student buoys", which are deployed near the Langley Marina to collect temperature and light data throughout the 6-month research project. Students work with NANOOS staff to compare their data with data from other shore stations and buoys throughout Puget Sound and along the WA coast. The program culminates with a one-day oceanography cruise aboard a research vessel with state of the art equipment collecting data and working alongside University of Washington graduate students and scientists. Our program uses students' local environment, a variety of ocean research techniques and a compelling environmental issue to give students comprehensive knowledge of the scientific process, conceptual knowledge about current environmental threats and critical thinking skills so they will be armed with the fundamental 21stcentury skills needed to be able to make informed decisions into the future.

  12. 76 FR 80342 - Coastal Zone Management Program: Illinois

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Zone Management Program: Illinois AGENCY: Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), National Oceanic and... Environmental Impact Statement. SUMMARY: NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) announces...

  13. Understanding and Improving Ocean Mixing Parameterizations for modeling Climate Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howard, A. M.; Fells, J.; Clarke, J.; Cheng, Y.; Canuto, V.; Dubovikov, M. S.

    2017-12-01

    Climate is vital. Earth is only habitable due to the atmosphere&oceans' distribution of energy. Our Greenhouse Gas emissions shift overall the balance between absorbed and emitted radiation causing Global Warming. How much of these emissions are stored in the ocean vs. entering the atmosphere to cause warming and how the extra heat is distributed depends on atmosphere&ocean dynamics, which we must understand to know risks of both progressive Climate Change and Climate Variability which affect us all in many ways including extreme weather, floods, droughts, sea-level rise and ecosystem disruption. Citizens must be informed to make decisions such as "business as usual" vs. mitigating emissions to avert catastrophe. Simulations of Climate Change provide needed knowledge but in turn need reliable parameterizations of key physical processes, including ocean mixing, which greatly impacts transport&storage of heat and dissolved CO2. The turbulence group at NASA-GISS seeks to use physical theory to improve parameterizations of ocean mixing, including smallscale convective, shear driven, double diffusive, internal wave and tidal driven vertical mixing, as well as mixing by submesoscale eddies, and lateral mixing along isopycnals by mesoscale eddies. Medgar Evers undergraduates aid NASA research while learning climate science and developing computer&math skills. We write our own programs in MATLAB and FORTRAN to visualize and process output of ocean simulations including producing statistics to help judge impacts of different parameterizations on fidelity in reproducing realistic temperatures&salinities, diffusivities and turbulent power. The results can help upgrade the parameterizations. Students are introduced to complex system modeling and gain deeper appreciation of climate science and programming skills, while furthering climate science. We are incorporating climate projects into the Medgar Evers college curriculum. The PI is both a member of the turbulence group at NASA-GISS and an associate professor at Medgar Evers College of CUNY, an urban minority serving institution in central Brooklyn. Supported by NSF Award AGS-1359293 And NASA Award NNX17AC81G.

  14. SeaWiFS Postlaunch Technical Report Series. Volume 2; AMT-5 Cruise Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hooker, Stanford B. (Editor); Firestone, Elaine R. (Editor); Aiken, James; Cummings, Denise G.; Gibb, Stuart W.; Rees, Nigel W.; Woodd-Walker, Rachel; Woodward, E. Malcolm S.; Woolfenden, James; Berthon, Jean-Francois; hide

    1998-01-01

    This report documents the scientific activities on board the Royal Research Ship (RRS) James Clark Ross (JCR) during the fifth Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT-5), 14 September to 17 October 1997. There are three objectives of the AMT Program. The first is to derive an improved understanding of the links between biogeochemical processes, biogenic gas exchange, air-sea interactions, and the effects on, and responses of, oceanic ecosystems to climate change. The second is to investigate the functional roles of biological particles and processes that influence ocean color in ecosystem dynamics. The Program relates directly to algorithm development and the validation of remotely-sensed observations of ocean color. Because the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument achieved operational status during the cruise (on 18 September), AMT-5 was designated the SeaWiFS Atlantic Characterization Experiment (SeaACE) and was the only major research cruise involved in the validation of SeaWiFS data during the first 100 days of operations. The third objective involved the near-real time reporting of in situ light and pigment observations to the SeaWiFS Project, so the performance of the satellite sensor could be determined.

  15. The Information Super Seaway: Networking the Seafloor for Interactive Scientific Discovery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Daly, K. L.; Isern, A. R.

    2006-05-01

    Ship-based expeditionary research and satellite observations have provided basic descriptions of ocean processes and their interactions with terrestrial and atmospheric systems. Many critical processes, however, occur at temporal and spatial scales that cannot be effectively sampled or studied with these traditional techniques. Ship-based studies are particularly limited in their ability to investigate the onset and immediate aftermath of episodic events and non-linear processes. Enabled by technological advances and made timely by societal need, a wide range of ocean and earth observing systems are being planned, proposed, deployed and operated within the U.S. These systems will utilize real-time datasets for event detection and adaptive sampling, well-sampled spatial and temporal contexts for limited duration or process-study experiments, and sustained observations to observe long-term trends and capture rare episodic events. Recent developments in sensor technology, cyberinfrastructure, and modeling capabilities will enable scientists to consider an entirely new set of interdisciplinary science questions. In response to the need for long term in situ oceanographic data, the U.S. National Science Foundation has established the Ocean Research Interactive Observatory Networks (ORION) Program within which the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) will provide the essential infrastructure to address high priority science questions outlined in the OOI Science Plan. This infrastructure will utilize electro-optical cables and moored buoys to enable real-time, high bandwidth transmissions of scientific data and images from key scientific sites in the coastal and open ocean. The OOI is an integrated observatory with three elements: 1) a regional cabled network consisting of interconnected sites on the seafloor spanning several geological and oceanographic features and processes, 2) relocatable deep-sea buoys that could also be deployed in harsh environments such as the Southern Ocean, and 3) new construction or enhancements to existing facilities leading to an expanded network of coastal observatories. The ORION Program will coordinate the science driving the construction of this research observing network as well as the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure; development of instrumentation and mobile platforms and their incorporation into the observatory network; and planning, coordination, and implementation of educational and public outreach activities. A critical integrating element of the seafloor observatory network will be a robust cyberinfrastructure system that can collect large volumes of heterogeneous data. This system is being developed to collect, manage, archive and distribute data; have mechanisms and protocols for rapid data transmission; have protocols for two-way communication with sensors and dynamic control of sensor networks; have access to remote computing resources for processing and visualization of data; have software tools for analysis of multidisciplinary, spatially extended, intermittent datasets; have knowledge representation software to ensure that these data are easily accessible and effortlessly shared across disciplines; have integrity between communications and control systems and data management and archiving systems; and have automated data quality control. The ORION Program will be the most complex initiative that ocean scientists have undertaken within the U.S. and will revolutionize the way that oceanographers study the sea.

  16. Innovations in Ocean Sciences Education at the University of Washington

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robigou, V.

    2003-12-01

    A new wave of education collaborations began when the national science education reform documents (AAAS Project 2061 and National Science Education Standards) recommended that scientific researchers become engaged stakeholders in science education. Collaborations between research institutions, universities, nonprofits, corporations, parent groups, and school districts can provide scientists original avenues to contribute to education for all. The University of Washington strongly responded to the national call by promoting partnerships between the university research community, the K-12 community and the general public. The College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences and the School of Oceanography spearheaded the creation of several innovative programs in ocean sciences to contribute to the improvement of Earth science education. Two of these programs are the REVEL Project and the Marine Science Student Mobility (MSSM) program that share the philosophy of involving school districts, K-12 science teachers, their students and undergraduate students in current, international, cutting-edge oceanographic research. The REVEL Project (Research and Education: Volcanoes, Exploration and Life) is an NSF-funded, professional development program for middle and high school science teachers that are determined to use deep-sea research and seafloor exploration as tools to implement inquiry-based science in their classrooms, schools, and districts, and to share their experiences with their communities. Initiated in 1996 as a regional program for Northwest science educators, REVEL evolved into a multi-institutional program inviting teachers to practice doing research on sea-going research expeditions. Today, in its 7th year, the project offers teachers throughout the U. S. an opportunity to participate and contribute to international, multidisciplinary, deep-sea research in the Northeast Pacific ocean to study the relationship between geological processes such as earthquakes and volcanism, fluid circulation and life on our planet. http://www.ocean.washington.edu/outreach/revel/ The Marine Science Student Mobility program is a FIPSE-funded program that fosters communication and collaboration across cultural and linguistic boundaries for undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in marine sciences. A consortium of six universities in Florida, Hawaii, Washington, Belgium, Spain and France offers a unique way to study abroad. During a six month exchange, students acquire foreign language skills, cultural awareness and ocean sciences field study in one of the four major oceanographic areas: the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean. The program not only promotes cultural understanding among the participant students but among faculty members from different educational systems, and even among language and science faculty members. Understanding how different cultures approach, implement, and interpret scientific research to better study the world's oceans is the cornerstone of this educational approach. http://www.marine-language-exch.org/ Similar collaborative, educational activities could be adapted by other research institutions on many campuses to provide many opportunities for students, teachers and the general public to get involved in Earth and ocean sciences.

  17. Project Report: Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gavin, Patricia

    2011-01-01

    To better understand geochemical processes occurring on Europa's seafloor, we investigated the effects of varying Fe?content in the seafloor rock and varying temperature. Iron is important in such geochemical processes as the production of methane through serpentinization (e.g. Allen and Seyfried, 2003) and can be a nutrient for microbes (Russell and Hall, 2006; Park and Kim, 2001). It can also offer clues as to the state of differentiation of Europa's core/mantle. If Europa is fully differentiated and contains an iron core, we would expect there to be little iron in the mantle and ocean floor whereas a homogeneous Europa would have iron evenly dispersed throughout the ocean floor. Furthermore, the composition of the ocean is a result of water?rock interactions at the seafloor. This project investigated the effects of temperature on geochemical processes, comparing high temperature (> 250oC) hydrothermal vents (Kelley et al., 2001) to lower temperature (20oC) cold seeps (e.g. Orphan et al., 2002).

  18. Collaborative Oceanographic Research Opportunities with Schmidt Ocean Institute

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zykov, V.

    2014-12-01

    Schmidt Ocean Institute (http://www.schmidtocean.org/) was founded by Dr. Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt in 2009 to support frontier oceanographic research and exploration to expand the understanding of the world's oceans through technological advancement, intelligent, data-rich observation and analysis, and open sharing of information. Schmidt Ocean Institute operates a state-of-the-art globally capable research vessel Falkor (http://www.schmidtocean.org/story/show/47). After two years of scientific operations in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Eastern and Central Pacific, R/V Falkor is now preparing to support research in the Western Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans in 2015 and 2016. As part of the long term research program development for Schmidt Ocean Institute, we aim to identify initiatives and projects that demonstrate strong alignment with our strategic interests. We focus on scientific opportunities that highlight effective use of innovative technologies to better understand the oceans, such as, for example, research enabled with remotely operated and autonomous vehicles, acoustics, in-situ sensing, telepresence, etc. Our technology-first approach to ocean science gave rise to infrastructure development initiatives, such as the development of a new full ocean depth Hybrid Remotely Operated Vehicle, new 6000m scientific Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, live HD video streaming from the ship to YouTube, shipboard high performance supercomputing, etc. We also support projects focusing on oceanographic technology research and development onboard R/V Falkor. We provide our collaborators with access to all of R/V Falkor's facilities and instrumentation in exchange for a commitment to make the resulting scientific data openly available to the international oceanographic community. This presentation aims to expand awareness about the interests and capabilities of Schmidt Ocean Institute and R/V Falkor among our scientific audiences and further develop the network of our research collaborations. We would also like to inform interested scientists and technology developers about our program development and proposal selection processes and explain how they can participate in future collaborations with Schmidt Ocean Institute.

  19. The REVEL Project: Long-Term Investment in K-12 Education at a RIDGE 2000 Integrated Study Site

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robigou, V.

    2005-12-01

    The REVEL Project has provided dozens of science teachers from throughout the U.S. an opportunity to explore the links between mid-ocean ridge processes and life along the RIDGE 2000 Juan de Fuca Ridge Integrated Study Site. In turn, these educators have facilitated deep-sea, research-based teaching and learning in hundreds of classrooms, contributed to mid-ocean ridge curriculum and programs development ranging from IMAX movies and museum exhibits to the R2K-SEAS (Student Experiment At Sea) program. In addition, the REVEL educators take on the mission to champion the importance of science in education and to bring ocean sciences into their local and regional communities. For the scientific community, research in an environment as large, dynamic and remote as the ocean intrinsically requires long-term investment to advance the understanding of the interactions between the processes shaping our planet. Similarly, research-based education requires long-term investment to incrementally change the way science is taught in schools, informal settings or even at home. It takes even longer to perceptibly measure the result of new teaching methods on students' learning and the impact of these methods on citizens' scientific literacy. Research-based education involving teachers practicing research in the field, and collaborating with scientists to experience and understand the process of science is still in its infancy - despite 20 years of NSF's efforts in teachers' professional development. This poster reports on strategies that the REVEL Project has designed over 9 years to help teachers that adopt research-based education transform their way of teaching in the classroom and bring cutting-edge, exciting science into schools through rigorous science learning. Their teaching approaches encourage students' interest in science, and engage students in the life-long skills of reasoning and decision making through the practice of science. Evaluation results of how the research-based teacher development program REVEL contributes to changing the way teachers view the scientific process once they have 'done' science and how the program supports teachers to change their teaching methods will be presented. The REVEL Project is funded by the National Science Foundation and receives additional support from the University of Washington and private donors. REVEL - Research and Education: Volcanoes-Exploration-Life.

  20. 1980 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics - Coherent Features in Geophysical Flows.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-11-01

    odei un a inplii.ude motions on the beta plane. He extended the analysis to more complex flows in the ocean and the atmosphere and in the process...Technology Maxworthy, Anthony University of Southern California McWilliams, James National Center for Atmospheric Reserch Nelkin, Mark Cornell University...Nortweg-de Vries equation via a model of finite amplitude motions on the beta plane. He extended the analysis to more complex flows in the ocean and the

  1. Edge systems in the deep ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coon, Andrew; Earp, Samuel L.

    2010-04-01

    DARPA has initiated a program to explore persistent presence in the deep ocean. The deep ocean is difficult to access and presents a hostile environment. Persistent operations in the deep ocean will require new technology for energy, communications and autonomous operations. Several fundamental characteristics of the deep ocean shape any potential system architecture. The deep sea presents acoustic sensing opportunities that may provide significantly enhanced sensing footprints relative to sensors deployed at traditional depths. Communication limitations drive solutions towards autonomous operation of the platforms and automation of data collection and processing. Access to the seabed presents an opportunity for fixed infrastructure with no important limitations on size and weight. Difficult access and persistence impose requirements for long-life energy sources and potentially energy harvesting. The ocean is immense, so there is a need to scale the system footprint for presence over tens of thousands and perhaps hundreds of thousands of square nautical miles. This paper focuses on the aspect of distributed sensing, and the engineering of networks of sensors to cover the required footprint.

  2. The Lenfest Ocean Program's experience in building institutional support for connecting science and decision-making in marine systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bednarek, A.; Close, S.; Curran, K.; Hudson, C.

    2017-12-01

    Addressing contemporary sustainability challenges requires attention to the integration of scientific knowledge into decision-making and deliberation. However, this remains a challenge in practice. We contend that careful stewardship of this process of integration can result in positive, durable outcomes by reconciling the production and use of scientific knowledge, and improve its relevance and utility to decision-makers. We will share lessons learned from a grantmaking program that has addressed this challenge through programmatic innovations, including by supporting staff devoted to an intermediary role. Over the past 13 years, the Lenfest Ocean Program served in a boundary spanning role by integrating decision-makers into the scoping and outreach of program supported scientific research grants. Program staff engage with decision-makers and influencers to identify policy-relevant research questions and approaches, ensuring that the research direction addresses users' needs. As research progresses, the staff monitor the grant's progress to improve the match between the research and user needs. The process is resource-intensive, however, and raises interesting questions about the role and development of this kind of specialist within different kinds of institutions, including funding agencies. We suggest that nurturing this role as a practice and profession could ultimately help the scientific community more efficiently respond to sustainability challenges.

  3. Ocean Sciences as a Foundation for Curriculum Design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rakhmenkulova, I.; Gorshkalev, S.; Odriozola, A.; Dominguez, A.; Greely, T.; Pyrtle, A.; Keiper, T.; Watkins, J.

    2005-05-01

    The GK-12 OCEANS program is an initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF). This program provides marine science graduate students within the College of Marine Science, USF, weekly interactions with K-12 teachers and students in Pinellas County schools with the overall purpose of enhancing the quality and effectiveness of science teaching. The GK-12 OCEANS program provides hands-on and minds-on ocean science learning inquiries. Campbell Park Elementary is a Marine Science attractor school designed to provide a child-centered approach to learning that integrates marine science activities into the daily curriculum while meeting the required state education standards. In 2003-04 a GK-12 Fellow helped third and fourth grade teachers design new teaching curricula that integrated ocean sciences. The current 2004-04 Fellow and teachers are implementing the new curriculum, assessing feasibility and impact on students' learning. One characteristic of the new curriculum includes several field trips to local natural settings during which students have the opportunity to collect data the way scientists do, and use real scientific instruments and approaches. The information collected is then used in different activities within the classroom. These activities encourage the students to use inquiry as the basis of their learning experience, in which the application of scientific thinking and methods are keys. This process also requires the students to apply skills from other disciplines such as writing, reading, and math. Towards the end of the school year the students have the opportunity to highlight their accomplishments through two projects, 1) a hall display of different ocean zones, which includes habitat characteristics and species adaptations, and 2) a marine science experiment presented at the school science fair. The results and accomplishments from the implementation of these new curricula will be presented at the conference.

  4. Continuing and New Measurements at the Abyssal ALOHA Cabled Observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howe, B. M.; Potemra, J. T.; Butler, R.; Santiago-Mandujano, F.; Lukas, R.; Duennebier, F. K.; Karl, D. M.; Aucan, J.

    2016-02-01

    The ALOHA Cabled Observatory (ACO) is a general purpose "node" providing power, communications and timing connectivity for science use at Station ALOHA 100 km north of Oahu. Included are a suite of basic sensors making core measurements, some local and some sensing the water column. At 4728 m deep, it is the deepest scientific outpost on the planet with power and Internet. Importantly, Station ALOHA is the field site of the NSF-funded Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program that has investigated temporal dynamics in biology, physics, and chemistry since 1988, at a site that is representative of roughly 70% of the world ocean, sampling the ocean from top to bottom to monitor and study changes on scales of months to decades. The co-located Woods Hole mooring (WHOTS) provides meteorological and upper ocean physical data. The CMORE (Center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education) and SCOPE (Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology) programs address their respective science topics at ALOHA. Together these programs provide a truly unique means for observing the ocean across all disciplines and regimes (deep sea, near surface, etc.). ACO has been operating in the abyss since June 2011, collecting temperature, salinity, velocity, acoustic, and video data (see for instance the abstract by Lukas et al., Spatial Analysis of Abyssal Temperature Variations Observed from the ALOHA Cabled Observatory and WHOTS Moorings). Using the University of Hawaii remotely operated vehicle ROV Lu`ukai, a basic sensor package was recently installed equipped with a Paroscientific nano-resolution pressure sensor, a WetLabs fluorometer/turbidity sensor, and a Seabird CTDO2 instrument. These data will be presented and described.

  5. Automated in situ observations of upper ocean biogeochemistry, bio-optics, and physics and their potential use for global studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dickey, Tommy D.; Granata, Timothy C.; Taupier-Letage, Isabelle

    1992-01-01

    The processes controlling the flux of carbon in the upper ocean have dynamic ranges in space and time of at least nine orders of magnitude. These processes depend on a broad suite of inter-related biogeochemical, bio-optical, and physical variables. These variables should be sampled on scales matching the relevant phenomena. Traditional ship-based sampling, while critical for detailed and more comprehensive observations, can span only limited portions of these ranges because of logistical and financial constraints. Further, remote observations from satellite platforms enable broad horizontal coverage which is restricted to the upper few meters of the ocean. For these main reasons, automated subsurface measurement systems are important for the fulfillment of research goals related to the regional and global estimation and modeling of time varying biogeochemical fluxes. Within the past few years, new sensors and systems capable of autonomously measuring several of the critical variables have been developed. The platforms for deploying these systems now include moorings and drifters and it is likely that autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV's) will become available for use in the future. Each of these platforms satisfies particular sampling needs and can be used to complement both shipboard and satellite observations. In the present review, (1) sampling considerations will be summarized, (2) examples of data obtained from some of the existing automated in situ sampling systems will be highlighted, (3) future sensors and systems will be discussed, (4) data management issues for present and future automated systems will be considered, and (5) the status of near real-time data telemetry will be outlined. Finally, we wish to make it clear at the outset that the perspectives presented here are those of the authors and are not intended to represent those of the United States JGOFS program, the International JGOFS program, NOAA's C&GC program, or other global ocean programs.

  6. Commercial Use of Space: a New Economic Strength for America

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1989-01-01

    Space commerce is composed of diverse activities which fall into four broad areas: satellite communications, earth and ocean observations, materials research and processing, and space transportation and industrial services. Space has become an industrial laboratory for materials research and processing. NASA's role in the commercial use of space is discussed through its commercial development program.

  7. Report of the EOS oceans panel to the payload panel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abbott, Mark R.; Freilich, Michael H.

    1992-11-01

    The atmosphere and the ocean are the two great fluids of the earth system. Changes in the coupling of these two fluids will have a profound impact on the Earth's climate and biogeochemical systems. Although changes in atmospheric composition and dynamics are the usual focus of global climate models, it is apparent that the ocean plays a critical role in modulating the magnitude and rate of these changes. The ocean is responsible for nearly half of the poleward heat flux as well as for a significant portion of the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, the processes governing the flux of materials and energy between the ocean atmosphere are poorly understood. Such processes include not only physical and chemical dynamics, but also biological processes which act to modify the chemical composition of the ocean as well as the trapping of solar energy as heat in the upper water column. Thus it is essential that the ocean be studied as a complete system of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Overlapping measurements must be made for at least 10-15 years to resolve critical low frequency fluctuations. The present EOS plan relies heavily on non-EOS entities to provide critical data sets for ocean studies. Although such partnerships are usually beneficial, there are risks that must be considered in terms of data coverage, quality, resolution, and availability. A simple replacement of an EOS sensor with a non-EOS sensor based on the fact that they both measure the same quantities will not guarantee that critical measurements will be made to address IPCC priorities in the area of ocean processes. EOS must continue to pursue appropriate methods to ensure that such partner — provided measurements meet scientific requirements. Such methods are analogous to contigencies applied in the area of schedules, cost, and performance for instrument projects. EOS must foster strong ties between US scientists and their foreign counterparts, in order to develop partnerships based on science, rather than just based on financial or administrative considerations. Effective international programs are necessary for a truly globally-based study, and they must begin with working scientists. In the area of ocean sciences, several opportunities exist in the early EOS era, such as ERS-1, TOPEX/Poseidon, and NSCAT / OCTS / SeaWiFS. We strongly encourage EOS to contribute to these efforts.

  8. The Climate Variability & Predictability (CVP) Program at NOAA - DYNAMO Recent Project Advancements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lucas, S. E.; Todd, J. F.; Higgins, W.

    2013-12-01

    The Climate Variability & Predictability (CVP) Program supports research aimed at providing process-level understanding of the climate system through observation, modeling, analysis, and field studies. This vital knowledge is needed to improve climate models and predictions so that scientists can better anticipate the impacts of future climate variability and change. To achieve its mission, the CVP Program supports research carried out at NOAA and other federal laboratories, NOAA Cooperative Institutes, and academic institutions. The Program also coordinates its sponsored projects with major national and international scientific bodies including the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), and the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The CVP program sits within the Earth System Science (ESS) Division at NOAA's Climate Program Office. Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO): The Indian Ocean is one of Earth's most sensitive regions because the interactions between ocean and atmosphere there have a discernable effect on global climate patterns. The tropical weather that brews in that region can move eastward along the equator and reverberate around the globe, shaping weather and climate in far-off places. The vehicle for this variability is a phenomenon called the Madden-Julian Oscillation, or MJO. The MJO, which originates over the Indian Ocean roughly every 30 to 90 days, is known to influence the Asian and Australian monsoons. It can also enhance hurricane activity in the northeast Pacific and Gulf of Mexico, trigger torrential rainfall along the west coast of North America, and affect the onset of El Niño. CVP-funded scientists participated in the DYNAMO field campaign in 2011-12. Results from this international campaign are expected to improve researcher's insights into this influential phenomenon. A better understanding of the processes governing MJO is an essential step toward improving their representations in numerical models and improving MJO simulation and prediction. Recent results from CVP-funded projects will be summarized in this poster.

  9. Promoting Ocean Literacy through American Meteorological Society Programs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Passow, Michael; Abshire, Wendy; Weinbeck, Robert; Geer, Ira; Mills, Elizabeth

    2017-04-01

    American Meteorological Society Education Programs provide course materials, online and physical resources, educator instruction, and specialized training in ocean, weather, and climate sciences (https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/education-careers/education-program/k-12-teachers/). Ocean Science literacy efforts are supported through the Maury Project, DataStreme Ocean, and AMS Ocean Studies. The Maury Project is a summer professional development program held at the US Naval Academy designed to enhance effective teaching of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics of oceanography. DataStreme Ocean is a semester-long course offered twice a year to participants nationwide. Created and sustained with major support from NOAA, DS Ocean explores key concepts in marine geology, physical and chemical oceanography, marine biology, and climate change. It utilizes electronically-transmitted text readings, investigations and current environmental data. AMS Ocean Studies provides complete packages for undergraduate courses. These include online textbooks, investigations manuals, RealTime Ocean Portal (course website), and course management system-compatible files. It can be offered in traditional lecture/laboratory, completely online, and hybrid learning environments. Assistance from AMS staff and other course users is available.

  10. NASA Oceanic Processes Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    An overview of the recent accomplishments, present activities, and future plans is provided. Sections following the introduction provides summaries of current flight projects and definition studies, brief descriptions of individual research activities, and a bibliography of referred Journal Articles appearing within the last three years.

  11. Partner-built ecosystem science - The National Ocean Partnership Program as a builder of EBM Tools and Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoffman, P. L.; Green, R. E.; Kohanowich, K. M.

    2016-02-01

    The National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP) was created in 1997 by federal public law to identify "and carry out partnerships among federal agencies, academia, industry, and other members of the oceanographic scientific community in the areas of data, resources, education, and communications." Since that time, numerous federal agencies have pooled talent, funding, and scientific resources (e.g. ships, aircraft, remote sensors and computing capability) to address pressing ocean science needs which no one entity can manage alone. In this presentation, we will address the ways the National Ocean Policy identifies ecosystem-based management (EBM) as a foundation for providing sound science-based and adaptable management to maintain the health, productivity, and resilience of U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems. Because EBM is an important approach for efficient and effective interagency, multi-jurisdictional, and cross-sectoral marine planning and management, ocean science partnerships such as those provided by NOPP create a pool of regionally-pertinent, nationally-available data from which EBM decision makers can draw to address critical management issues. Specifically, we will provide examples drawn from the last five years of funding to illustrate how the NOPP process works, how it is managed by a federal Interagency Working Group (IWG-OP), and how EBM practitioners can both partner with others through the NOPP and offer guidance on the implementation of projects beneficial to the regional needs of the EBM community. Projects to be discussed have been carried out under the following themes: Arctic Cumulative Impacts: Marine Arctic Ecosystem Study (MARES) - Ecosystem Dynamics and Monitoring of the Beaufort Sea: An Integrated Science Approach. Biodiversity Indicators: Demonstration of a U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (Marine BON) Long-Term Observations: Coordinated Regional Efforts That Further the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Best Practices: Developing Environmental Protocols and Monitoring to Support Ocean Renewable Energy and Stewardship. We intend to leave the EBM community with a recognition that the NOPP already serves as a valuable partner source for science to inform EBM and to encourage participation in the process.

  12. Partner-built ecosystem science - The National Ocean Partnership Program as a builder of EBM Tools and Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoffman, P. L.; Green, R. E.; Kohanowich, K. M.

    2016-12-01

    The National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP) was created in 1997 by federal public law to identify "and carry out partnerships among federal agencies, academia, industry, and other members of the oceanographic scientific community in the areas of data, resources, education, and communications." Since that time, numerous federal agencies have pooled talent, funding, and scientific resources (e.g. ships, aircraft, remote sensors and computing capability) to address pressing ocean science needs which no one entity can manage alone. In this presentation, we will address the ways the National Ocean Policy identifies ecosystem-based management (EBM) as a foundation for providing sound science-based and adaptable management to maintain the health, productivity, and resilience of U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems. Because EBM is an important approach for efficient and effective interagency, multi-jurisdictional, and cross-sectoral marine planning and management, ocean science partnerships such as those provided by NOPP create a pool of regionally-pertinent, nationally-available data from which EBM decision makers can draw to address critical management issues. Specifically, we will provide examples drawn from the last five years of funding to illustrate how the NOPP process works, how it is managed by a federal Interagency Working Group (IWG-OP), and how EBM practitioners can both partner with others through the NOPP and offer guidance on the implementation of projects beneficial to the regional needs of the EBM community. Projects to be discussed have been carried out under the following themes: Arctic Cumulative Impacts: Marine Arctic Ecosystem Study (MARES) - Ecosystem Dynamics and Monitoring of the Beaufort Sea: An Integrated Science Approach. Biodiversity Indicators: Demonstration of a U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (Marine BON) Long-Term Observations: Coordinated Regional Efforts That Further the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Best Practices: Developing Environmental Protocols and Monitoring to Support Ocean Renewable Energy and Stewardship. We intend to leave the EBM community with a recognition that the NOPP already serves as a valuable partner source for science to inform EBM and to encourage participation in the process.

  13. The Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allison, M. D.; Chandler, C. L.; Groman, R. C.; Wiebe, P. H.; Glover, D. M.; Gegg, S. R.

    2011-12-01

    Oceanography and marine ecosystem research are inherently interdisciplinary fields of study that generate and require access to a wide variety of measurements. In late 2006 the Biological and Chemical Oceanography Sections of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Geosciences Directorate Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) funded the Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). In late 2010 additional funding was contributed to support management of research data from the NSF Office of Polar Programs Antarctic Organisms & Ecosystems Program. The BCO-DMO is recognized in the 2011 Division of Ocean Sciences Sample and Data Policy as one of several program specific data offices that support NSF OCE funded researchers. BCO-DMO staff members offer data management support throughout the project life cycle to investigators from large national programs and medium-sized collaborative research projects, as well as researchers from single investigator awards. The office manages and serves all types of oceanographic data and information generated during the research process and contributed by the originating investigators. BCO-DMO has built a data system that includes the legacy data from several large ocean research programs (e.g. United States Joint Global Ocean Flux Study and United States GLOBal Ocean ECosystems Dynamics), to which data have been contributed from recently granted NSF OCE and OPP awards. The BCO-DMO data system can accommodate many different types of data including: in situ and experimental biological, chemical, and physical measurements; modeling results and synthesis data products. The system enables reuse of oceanographic data for new research endeavors, supports synthesis and modeling activities, provides availability of "real data" for K-12 and college level use, and provides decision-support field data for policy-relevant investigations. We will present an overview of the data management system capabilities including: map-based and text-based data discovery and access systems; recent enhancements to data search tools; data export and download utilities; and strategic use of controlled vocabularies to facilitate data integration and to improve data system interoperability.

  14. The Second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cowie, Greg; Hood, Raleigh

    2015-04-01

    The International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) was one of the greatest international, interdisciplinary oceanographic research efforts of all time. Planning for the IIOE began in 1959 and the project officially continued through 1965, with forty-six research vessels participating under fourteen different flags. The IIOE motivated an unprecedented number of hydrographic surveys (and repeat surveys) over the course of the expedition covering the entire Indian Ocean basin. And it was an interdisciplinary endeavor that embraced physical oceanography, chemical oceanography, meteorology, marine biology, marine geology and geophysics. The end of 2015 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the completion of the IIOE. SCOR and the IOC are working to stimulate a new phase of coordinated international research focused on the Indian Ocean for a 5-year period beginning in late 2015 and continuing through 2020. The goal is to help to organize ongoing research and stimulate new initiatives in the 2015-2020 time frame as part of a larger expedition. Several International programs that have research ongoing or planned in the Indian Ocean during this time period and many countries are planning cruises in this time frame as well. These programs and national cruises will serve as a core for the new Indian Ocean research focus, which has been dubbed "IIOE-2." The overarching goal of the IIOE-2 is to advance our understanding of interactions between geological, oceanic and atmospheric processes that give rise to the complex physical dynamics of the Indian Ocean region, and to determine how those dynamics affect climate, extreme events, marine biogeochemical cycles, ecosystems and human populations. This understanding is required to predict the impacts of climate change, pollution, and increased fish harvesting on the Indian Ocean and its nations, as well as the influence of the Indian Ocean on other components of the Earth System. New understanding is also fundamental to policy makers for the development of sustainable coastal zone, ecosystem, and fisheries management strategies for the Indian Ocean. Other goals of IIOE-2 include helping to build research capacity and improving availability and accessibility of oceanographic data from the region. The IIOE-2 Science Plan is structured around six scientific themes. Each theme comprises a set of core questions fundamental to our need to understand the forcings, processes, and resultant variability of the Indian Ocean and to develop the capacity to predict how this variability will impact human populations in the future. In this presentation we will report on current efforts to motivate an IIOE-2 and we will present the draft science plan that has been commissioned by SCOR.

  15. Validation Test Report for the Automated Optical Processing System (AOPS) Version 4.8

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-06-28

    be familiar with UNIX; BASH shell programming; and remote sensing, particularly regarding computer processing of satellite data. The system memory ...and storage requirements are difficult to gauge. The amount of memory needed is dependent upon the amount and type of satellite data you wish to...process; the larger the area, the larger the memory requirement. For example, the entire Atlantic Ocean will require more processing power than the

  16. Undergraduate Research Experience in Ocean/Marine Science (URE-OMS) with African Student Component

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-01

    The Undergraduate Research Experience in Ocean/Marine Science program supports active participation by underrepresented undergraduate students in remote sensing and Ocean/Marine Science research training activities. The program is based on a model for undergraduate research programs supported by the National Science Foundation . The

  17. 75 FR 8649 - Evaluation of State Coastal Management Programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-25

    ... Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) announces a rescheduled site visit and time for a public... Management Programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Ocean Service, Commerce. ACTION...

  18. Marine Sciences in CMEA Countries: Programme and Results of Co-operation. Unesco Reports in Marine Science No. 38.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aksionov, A. A.

    In 1971, the 25th Session of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) adopted a Programme for the Development of Socialist Economic Integration. Later, part of this program became a program of cooperation in the field of oceanography, particularly the chemical, physical, and biological processes of certain important areas of the ocean. To…

  19. Europa's Habitability follows from Classical Dynamical Astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greenberg, R.

    2001-11-01

    Celestial mechanics is responsible for Jupiter's satellite Europa being a possible site for life in the solar system. The Laplace orbital resonance drives a substantial eccentricity. The mutually dependent relationship between orbital and rotational evolution and tidal processes in turn controls Europa's heating and stress. Heat is likely adequate to maintain a liquid water ocean, and to keep the surface ice thin. Tidal stress can explain characteristic and ubiquitous crack patterns (global and cycloidal), as well as drive observed shear displacement features. The characteristic ridge sets that cover tectonic terrain are likely built by tidal pumping of oceanic fluid and slush through cracks to the surface on a daily basis. Nearly half the surface is chaotic terrain, with morphology and other characteristics indicative of melt-through from below. Formation of both chaotic and tectonic terrains has continually resurfaced the satellite, while connecting the ocean to the surface and providing a variety of evolving environmental niches. As a result of tides, liquid water would daily bathe crustal cracks and surfaces with heat, transporting and mixing substances vertically. Thus a variety of habitable environments likely exist in the crust. Moreover, exposure of the ocean to the surface in the ways described here satisfies a necessary condition for life in the ocean as well, by providing access to oxidants which are available near the surface. These processes were recent, and thus most likely continue today. Longer term changes in environmental conditions in the crust, such as deactivation of individual cracks after thousands of years (due to non-synchronous rotation) and later crustal thawing (releasing any trapped organisms), provided drivers for adaptation, as well as opportunity for evolution. This work is supported by the NASA Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program and the NSF Life in Extreme Environments Program.

  20. Using High-Resolution Swath Mapping Data and Other Underway Geophysical Measurements Collected during Transit Cruises of RV Isabu to Map Deep Sea Floor of the Pacific and Indian Oceans

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hong, G. H.; Lee, S. M.; Kim, D. J.; Lee, Y. H.; Kim, S. S.

    2017-12-01

    Detail images of the seafloor are often the first collection of clues that set one towards a path that leads to a new discovery. The mapping of unchartered seafloor is like exploring the surface of an unknown planet for the first time. The launch of new global-ocean-class RV Isabu operated by Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) in November 2016 has reinvigorated the ongoing open ocean research in Korea. The location of the KIOST research vessels can be found at http://www.kiost.net/. Here we present a new collaborative research and education program which utilizes onboard measurements taken during the transit cruises. The measurements include high-resolution swath mapping bathymetric data, underway geophysical measurements (3.5 kHz subbottom profile, sea surface gravity and magnetic field) which are gathered semi-automatically during a scientific operation. The acquisition of data alone is not sufficient for meaningful scientific knowledge as the initial measurements must be cleaned and processed during or after the cruise. As in any scientific endeavor, planning is important. Prior to the cruise, preliminary study will be carried out by carefully examining the previously collected data from various global databases. Whenever possible, a small offset will be made of the ship track lines crossing the region so that important new measurements can be obtained systematically over the years. We anticipate that the program will not only contribute to fill the gap in the high-resolution bathymetry in some part of the Indian Ocean and Pacific. The processed and analyzed data will be available to other scientific communities for further understanding via download from KIOST website.

  1. Evolution of organic carbon burial in the Global Ocean during the Neogene

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    LI, Z.; Zhang, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Although only a small fraction of the organic carbon (OC) that rains from surface waters is eventually buried in the sediments, it is a process that controls the organic sub-cycle of the long-term carbon cycle, and the key for atmospheric O2, CO2 and nutrient cycling. Here we constrain the spatiotemporal variability of OC burial by quantifying the total organic carbon (TOC) mass accumulation rate (MAR) over the Neogene (23.0-2.6 Ma) by compiling the TOC, age model and sediment density data from sites retrieved by the Deep Sea Drilling Program, Ocean Drilling Program, and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. We screened all available sites which yielded 80 sites with adequate data quality, covering all major ocean basins and sedimentary depositional environments. All age models are updated to the GTS 2012 timescale so the TOC MAR records from different sites are comparable. Preliminary results show a clear early Miocene peak of OC burial in many sites related to high sediment flux which might reflect the orogenic uplift and/or glacier erosion. Places that receive high influx of terrigenous inputs become "hotspots" for Neogene burial of OC. At "open ocean" sites, OC burial seems to be more impacted by marine productivity changes, with a pronounced increase during the middle Miocene "Monterey Formation" and late Miocene - early Pliocene "Biogenic Bloom". Upon the completion of the data collection, we will further explore the regional and global OC burial in the context of tectonic uplift, climate change and the evolution of primary producers and consumers during the last 23 million years of Earth history.

  2. The Global Ocean Observing System: One perspective

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, J. Ron

    1992-01-01

    This document presents a possible organization for a Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) within the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the joint ocean programs with the World Meteorological Organization. The document and the organization presented here is not intended to be definitive, complete or the best possible organization for such an observation program. It is presented at this time to demonstrate three points. The first point to be made is that an international program office for GOOS along the lines of the WOCE and TOGA IPOs is essential. The second point is that national programs will have to continue to collect data at the scale of WOCE plus TOGA and more. The third point is that there are many existing groups and committees within the IOC and joint IOC/WMO ocean programs that can contribute essential experience to and form part of the basis of a Global Ocean Observing System. It is particularly important to learn from what has worked and what has not worked in the past if a successful ocean observing system is to result.

  3. NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program - Funding Studies of Species' Responses to Ocean Acidification Since 2012

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ombres, E. H.

    2016-02-01

    NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) was created as a mandate of the 2009 Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act and has been directly funding species response research since 2012. Although OA species response is a relatively young field of science, this program built on research already underway across NOAA. That research platform included experimental facilities in the Fishery Sciences Centers of the National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS), `wet' labs of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), and the coral reef monitoring studies within the National Ocean Service (NOS). The diversity of research across NOAA allows the program to make interdisciplinary connections among chemists, biologists and oceanographers and creates a more comprehensive and robust approach to understanding species response to this change in the carbon cycle. To date, the program has studied a range of taxa including phytoplankton, molluscs, crustaceans, and fish. This poster describes representative results from the collection of OAP-funded species at nationwide NOAA facilities.

  4. Recent Multidisciplinary Research Initiatives and IODP Drilling in the South China Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, J.; Li, C. F.; Wang, P.; Kulhanek, D. K.

    2016-12-01

    The South China Sea (SCS) is the largest low-latitude marginal sea in the world. Its formation and evolution are linked to the complex continental-oceanic tectonic interaction of the Eurasian, Pacific, and Indo-Australian plates. Despite its relatively small size and short history, the SCS has undergone nearly a complete Wilson cycle from continental break-up to seafloor spreading to subduction, serving as a natural laboratory for studying the linkages between tectonic, volcanic, and oceanic processes. The last several years have witnessed significant progress in investigation of the SCS through comprehensive research programs using multidisciplinary approaches and enhanced international collaboration. The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349 drilled and cored five sites in the SCS in 2014. The expedition successfully obtained the first basaltic rock samples of the SCS relict spreading center, discovered large and frequent deep-sea turbidity events, and sampled multiple seamount volcaniclastic layers. In addition, high-resolution near-seafloor magnetic surveys were conducted in the SCS with survey lines passing near some of the IODP drilling sites. Together the IODP drilling and deep-tow magnetic survey results confirmed, for the first time, that the entire SCS basin might have stopped seafloor spreading at similar ages in early Miocene, providing important constraints on marginal sea geodynamic models. In 2007, IODP Expeditions 367 and 368 will drill the northern margin of the SCS to investigate the mechanisms of rifting to spreading processes. Meanwhile, major progress in studying the SCS processes has also been made through comprehensive multidisciplinary programs, for example, the eight-year-long "South China Sea Deep" initiative, which also supports and encourages strong international collaboration. This presentation will highlight the recent multidisciplinary research initiatives in investigation of the SCS and the important role of international collaboration.

  5. Increasing Capacity for Stewardship of Oceans and Coasts: Findings of the National Research Council Report

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roberts, S. J.; Feeley, M. H.

    2008-05-01

    With the increasing stress on ocean and coastal resources, ocean resource management will require greater capacity in terms of people, institutions, technology and tools. Successful capacity-building efforts address the needs of a specific locale or region and include plans to maintain and expand capacity after the project ends. In 2008, the US National Research Council published a report that assesses past and current capacity-building efforts to identify barriers to effective management of coastal and marine resources. The report recommends ways that governments and organizations can strengthen marine conservation and management capacity. Capacity building programs instill the tools, knowledge, skills, and attitudes that address: ecosystem function and change; processes of governance that influence societal and ecosystem change; and assembling and managing interdisciplinary teams. Programs require efforts beyond traditional sector-by-sector planning because marine ecosystems range from the open ocean to coastal waters and land use practices. Collaboration among sectors, scaling from local community-based management to international ocean policies, and ranging from inland to offshore areas, will be required to establish coordinated and efficient governance of ocean and coastal ecosystems. Barriers Most capacity building activities have been initiated to address particular issues such as overfishing or coral reef degradation, or they target a particular region or country facing threats to their marine resources. This fragmentation inhibits the sharing of information and experience and makes it more difficult to design and implement management approaches at appropriate scales. Additional barriers that have limited the effectiveness of capacity building programs include: lack of an adequate needs assessment prior to program design and implementation; exclusion of targeted populations in decision- making efforts; mismanagement, corruption, or both; incomplete or inappropriate evaluation procedures; and, lack of a coordinated and strategic approach among donors. A New Framework Improving ocean stewardship and ending the fragmentation of current capacity building programs will require a new, broadly adopted framework for capacity building that emphasizes cooperation, sustainability, and knowledge transfer within and among communities. The report identifies four specific features of capacity building that would increase the effectiveness and efficiency of future programs: 1. Regional action plans based on periodic program assessments to guide investments in capacity and set realistic milestones and performance measures. 2. Long-term support to establish self-sustaining programs. Sustained capacity building programs require a diversity of sources and coordinated investments from local, regional, and international donors. 3. Development of leadership and political will. One of the most commonly cited reasons for failure and lack of progress in ocean and coastal governance initiatives is lack of political will. One strategy for strengthening support is to identify, develop, mentor, and reward leaders. 4. Establishment of networks and mechanisms for regional collaboration. Networks bring together those working in the same or similar ecosystems with comparable management or governance challenges to share information, pool resources, and learn from one another. The report also recommends the establishment of regional centers to encourage and support collaboration among neighboring countries.

  6. Surface boundary layer turbulence in the Southern ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Merrifield, Sophia; St. Laurent, Louis; Owens, Breck; Naveira Garabato, Alberto

    2015-04-01

    Due to the remote location and harsh conditions, few direct measurements of turbulence have been collected in the Southern Ocean. This region experiences some of the strongest wind forcing of the global ocean, leading to large inertial energy input. While mixed layers are known to have a strong seasonality and reach 500m depth, the depth structure of near-surface turbulent dissipation and diffusivity have not been examined using direct measurements. We present data collected during the Diapycnal and Isopycnal Mixing Experiment in the Southern Ocean (DIMES) field program. In a range of wind conditions, the wave affected surface layer (WASL), where surface wave physics are actively forcing turbulence, is contained to the upper 15-20m. The lag-correlation between wind stress and turbulence shows a strong relationship up to 6 hours (˜1/2 inertial period), with the winds leading the oceanic turbulent response, in the depth range between 20-50m. We find the following characterize the data: i) Profiles that have a well-defined hydrographic mixed layer show that dissipation decays in the mixed layer inversely with depth, ii) WASLs are typically 15 meters deep and 30% of mixed layer depth, iii) Subject to strong winds, the value of dissipation as a function of depth is significantly lower than predicted by theory. Many dynamical processes are known to be missing from upper-ocean parameterizations of mixing in global models. These include surface-wave driven processes such as Langmuir turbulence, submesocale frontal processes, and nonlocal representations of mixing. Using velocity, hydrographic, and turbulence measurements, the existence of coherent structures in the boundary layer are investigated.

  7. Using Interdisciplinary research to enrich teachers and classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Warburton, J.; Timm, K.; Huffman, L. T.; Peart, L. W.; Hammond, J.; McMahon, E.

    2011-12-01

    Imagine being on the stern of a ship in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New England as the crew dumps thousands of scallops on the deck, searching the Greenland ice sheet for a remote weather station, or uncovering secrets to past climates as you join an ocean sediment drilling team in Antarctica. So you ask yourself, what would you be doing in all of these places? What you would be doing is what hundreds of educators from around the world have done for over 20 years, participating in field-based Teacher Research Experience (TRE) programs. Teacher Research Experiences involve educators from varying grade levels and backgrounds in hands-on research as a member of a scientific research team. The teacher works side by side with actual research scientists, often on tasks similar to a field assistant or graduate student. As an important member of the research team teachers learn more about science content and the process of science. Subsequently, the educators play a key role in digesting and communicating the science to their students and the general public. TRE programs vary in many ways. Programs take place in a variety of settings-from laboratories to field camps, and from university campuses to aircraft or ships. The primary commonality of the TRE programs in this presentation-PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating), ANDRILL (ANtarctic geological DRILLing) Research Immersion for Science Educators (ARISE); Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) School of Rock (SOR); and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Teacher at Sea (TAS) program-is that these programs provide an authentic field-based research experience for teachers outside of a laboratory setting, frequently in harsh, remote, or unusual settings. In addition, each of these programs is federally funded, possess dedicated program management staff, leverage existing scientific and programmatic resources, and are usually national, and sometimes international, in scope. Sharing their unique lessons learned and program results, authors will describe how TRE's improve and enrich interdisciplinary science education by connecting teachers, researchers, students, and the public around the globe for involvement in scientific research and global issues.

  8. Hess Deep Interactive Lab: Exploring the Structure and Formation of the Oceanic Crust through Hands-On Models and Online Tools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurtz, N.; Marks, N.; Cooper, S. K.

    2014-12-01

    Scientific ocean drilling through the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) has contributed extensively to our knowledge of Earth systems science. However, many of its methods and discoveries can seem abstract and complicated for students. Collaborations between scientists and educators/artists to create accurate yet engaging demonstrations and activities have been crucial to increasing understanding and stimulating interest in fascinating geological topics. One such collaboration, which came out of Expedition 345 to the Hess Deep Rift, resulted in an interactive lab to explore sampling rocks from the usually inacessible lower oceanic crust, offering an insight into the geological processes that form the structure of the Earth's crust. This Hess Deep Interactive Lab aims to explain several significant discoveries made by oceanic drilling utilizing images of actual thin sections and core samples recovered from IODP expeditions. . Participants can interact with a physical model to learn about the coring and drilling processes, and gain an understanding of seafloor structures. The collaboration of this lab developed as a need to explain fundamental notions of the ocean crust formed at fast-spreading ridges. A complementary interactive online lab can be accessed at www.joidesresolution.org for students to engage further with these concepts. This project explores the relationship between physical and on-line models to further understanding, including what we can learn from the pros and cons of each.

  9. Early Entry for Youth into the Ocean Science Pipeline Through Ocean Science School Camp and Summer Camp Programs: A Key Strategy for Enhancing Diversity in the Ocean Sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crane, N. L.; Wasser, A.; Weiss, T.; Sullivan, M.; Jones, A.

    2004-12-01

    Educators, policymakers, employers and other stakeholders in ocean and other geo-science fields face the continuing challenge of a lack of diversity in these fields. A particular challenge for educators and geo-science professionals promoting ocean sciences is to create programs that have broad access, including access for underrepresented youth. Experiential learning in environments such as intensive multi-day science and summer camps can be a critical captivator and motivator for young people. Our data suggest that youth, especially underrepresented youth, may benefit from exposure to the oceans and ocean science through intensive, sustained (eg more than just an afternoon), hands-on, science-based experiences. Data from the more than 570 youth who have participated in Camp SEA Lab's academically based experiential ocean science camp and summer programs provide compelling evidence for the importance of such programs in motivating young people. We have paid special attention to factors that might play a role in recruiting and retaining these young people in ocean science fields. Over 50% of program attendees were underrepresented youth and on scholarship, which gives us a closer look at the impact of such programs on youth who would otherwise not have the opportunity to participate. Both cognitive (knowledge) and affective (personal growth and motivation) indicators were assessed through surveys and questionnaires. Major themes drawn from the data for knowledge growth and personal growth in Camp SEA Lab youth attendees will be presented. These will be placed into the larger context of critical factors that enhance recruitment and retention in the geo-science pipeline. Successful strategies and challenges for involving families and broadening access to specialized programs such as Camp SEA Lab will also be discussed.

  10. Earth and ocean dynamics program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vonbun, F. O.

    1976-01-01

    The objectives and requirements of the Earth and Ocean Dynamics Programs are outlined along with major goals and experiments. Spaceborne as well as ground systems needed to accomplish program goals are listed and discussed along with program accomplishments.

  11. Experimental and Seismological Constraints on the Rheology, Evolution, and Alteration of the Lithosphere at Oceanic Spreading Centers

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-02-01

    MPa and is constrained by calibrating the two electronic pressure gauges against a Heise gauge . Axial displacement during melt extraction is measured...105 (B 12), 28,411- 28,425, 2000. Cannat, M., et al., Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Initial Reports, Ocean Drilling Program, College...Kane transform zone (MARK), Proc. Ocean Drill . Program, Sci. Results, 153, 5-21, 1997. Karson, J.A., G. Thompson, S.E. Humphris, S.E. Edmond, J.M

  12. 30 CFR 582.23 - Testing Plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER... detailed Mining Plan than is obtainable under an approved Delineation Plan, to prepare feasibility studies, to carry out a pilot program to evaluate processing techniques or technology or mining equipment, or...

  13. 30 CFR 582.23 - Testing Plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER... detailed Mining Plan than is obtainable under an approved Delineation Plan, to prepare feasibility studies, to carry out a pilot program to evaluate processing techniques or technology or mining equipment, or...

  14. 30 CFR 582.23 - Testing Plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER... detailed Mining Plan than is obtainable under an approved Delineation Plan, to prepare feasibility studies, to carry out a pilot program to evaluate processing techniques or technology or mining equipment, or...

  15. 15 CFR Appendix A to Subpart C of... - Certification Application Templates

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... as to the purpose of its products as described in this requirement. (15) Quality management system... certification of compliance with an equivalent program of quality management that covers the processes described... Trade (Continued) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE QUALITY...

  16. 76 FR 57022 - Coastal Zone Management Program: Illinois

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration Coastal Zone Management Program: Illinois AGENCY: Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), National Oceanic and... Resource Management. The DEIS assesses the environmental impacts associated with approval of the Illinois...

  17. TOPEX/POSEIDON - Mapping the ocean surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yamarone, C. A.; Rosell, S.; Farless, D. L.

    1986-01-01

    Global efforts are under way to model the earth as a complete planet so that weather patterns may be predicted on time scales of months and years. A major limitation in developing models of global weather is the inability to model the circulation of the oceans including the geostrophic surface currents. NASA will soon be initiating a satellite program to correct this deficiency by directly measuring these currents using the science of radar altimetry. Measurement of the ocean topography with broad, frequent coverage of all ocean basins for a long period of time will allow the derivation of the spatial and temporal behavior of surface ocean currents. The TOPEX/POSEIDON mission is a cooperative effort between NASA and the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales. This paper describes the goals of this research mission, the data type to be acquired, the satellite and sensors to be used to acquire the data, and the methods by which the data are to be processed and utilized.

  18. Processing Ocean Images to Detect Large Drift Nets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Veenstra, Tim

    2009-01-01

    A computer program processes the digitized outputs of a set of downward-looking video cameras aboard an aircraft flying over the ocean. The purpose served by this software is to facilitate the detection of large drift nets that have been lost, abandoned, or jettisoned. The development of this software and of the associated imaging hardware is part of a larger effort to develop means of detecting and removing large drift nets before they cause further environmental damage to the ocean and to shores on which they sometimes impinge. The software is capable of near-realtime processing of as many as three video feeds at a rate of 30 frames per second. After a user sets the parameters of an adjustable algorithm, the software analyzes each video stream, detects any anomaly, issues a command to point a high-resolution camera toward the location of the anomaly, and, once the camera has been so aimed, issues a command to trigger the camera shutter. The resulting high-resolution image is digitized, and the resulting data are automatically uploaded to the operator s computer for analysis.

  19. Characterizing marine particles and their impact on biogeochemical cycles in the GEOTRACES program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, Robert F.; Hayes, Christopher T.

    2015-04-01

    Trace elements and their isotopes (TEIs) are of priority interest in several subdisciplines of oceanography. For example, the vital role of trace element micronutrients in regulating the growth of marine organisms, which, in turn, may influence the structure and composition of marine ecosystems, is now well established (Morel and Price, 2003; Twining and Baines, 2013). Natural distributions of some TEIs have been severely impacted by anthropogenic emissions, leading to substantial perturbations of natural ocean inventories. Pb and Hg, for example, (Lamborg et al., 2002; Schaule and Patterson, 1981), may represent a significant threat to human food supply. Furthermore, much of our knowledge of past variability in the ocean environment, including the ocean's role in climate change, has been developed using TEI proxies archived in marine substrates such as sediments, corals and microfossils. Research in each of these areas relies on a comprehensive knowledge of the distributions of TEIs in the ocean, and on the sensitivity of these distributions to changing environmental conditions. With numerous processes affecting the regional supply and removal of TEIs in the ocean, a comprehensive understanding of the marine biogeochemical cycles of TEIs can be attained only by a global, coordinated, international effort. GEOTRACES, an international program designed to study the marine biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and their isotopes (Anderson et al., 2014; Henderson et al., 2007), aims to achieve these goals.

  20. Vessel-Mounted ADCP Data Calibration and Correction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Andrade, A. F.; Barreira, L. M.; Violante-Carvalho, N.

    2013-05-01

    A set of scripts for vessel-mounted ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) data processing is presented. The need for corrections in the data measured by a ship-mounted ADCP and the complexities found during installation, implementation and identification of tasks performed by currently available systems for data processing consist the main motivating factors for the development of a system that would be more practical in manipulation, open code and more manageable for the user. The proposed processing system consists of a set of scripts developed in Matlab TM programming language. The system is able to read the binary files provided by the data acquisition program VMDAS (Vessel Mounted Data Acquisition System), Teledyne RDInstruments proprietary, and calculate calibration factors to correct the data and visualize them after correction. For use the new system, it is only necessary that the ADCP data collected with VMDAS program is in a processing diretory and Matlab TM software be installed on the user's computer. Developed algorithms were extensively tested with ADCP data obtained during Oceano Sul III (Southern Ocean III - OSIII) cruise, conducted by Brazilian Navy aboard the R/V "Antares", from March 26th to May 10th 2007, in the oceanic region between the states of São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. For read the data the function rdradcp.m, developed by Rich Pawlowicz and available on his website (http://www.eos.ubc.ca/~rich/#RDADCP), was used. To calculate the calibration factors, alignment error (α) and sensitivity error (β) in Water Tracking and Bottom Tracking Modes, equations deduced by Joyce (1998), Pollard & Read (1989) and Trump & Marmorino (1996) were implemented in Matlab. To validate the calibration factors obtained in the processing system developed, the parameters were compared with the factors provided by CODAS (Common Ocean Data Access System, available at http://currents.soest.hawaii.edu/docs/doc/index.html), post-processing program. For the same data analyzed, the factors provided by both systems were similar. Thereafter, the values obtained were used to correct the data and finally matrices were saved with data corrected and they can be plotted. The values of volume transport of the Brazil Current (BC) were calculated using the corrected data by the two systems and proved quite close, confirming the quality of the correction of the system.

  1. Ocean energy program summary. Volume 2: Research summaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1990-01-01

    The oceans are the world's largest solar energy collector and storage system. Covering 71 percent of the earth's surface, this stored energy is realized as waves, currents, and thermal salinity gradients. The purpose of the Federal Ocean Energy Technology (OET) Program is to develop techniques that harness this ocean energy in a cost effective and environmentally acceptable manner. The OET Program seeks to develop ocean energy technology to a point where the commercial sector can assess whether applications of the technology are viable energy conversion alternatives or supplements to systems. Past studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have identified ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) as the largest potential contributor to United States energy supplies from the ocean resource. As a result, the OET Program concentrates on research to advance OTEC technology. Current program emphasis has shifted to open-cycle OTEC power system research because the closed-cycle OTEC system is at a more advanced stage of development and has already attracted industrial interest. During FY 1989, the OET Program focused primarily on the technical uncertainties associated with near-shore open-cycle OTEC systems ranging in size from 2 to 15 MW(sub e). Activities were performed under three major program elements: thermodynamic research and analysis, experimental verification and testing, and materials and structures research. These efforts addressed a variety of technical problems whose resolution is crucial to demonstrating the viability of open-cycle OTEC technology. This publications is one of a series of documents on the Renewable Energy programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. An overview of all the programs is available, entitled Programs in Renewable Energy.

  2. AURORA BOREALIS: a polar-dedicated European Research Platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wolff-Boenisch, Bonnie; Egerton, Paul; Thiede, Joern; Roberto, Azzolini; Lembke-Jene, Lester

    2010-05-01

    Polar research and in particular the properties of northern and southern high latitude oceans are currently a subject of intense scientific debate and investigations, because they are subject to rapid and dramatic climatic variations. Polar regions react more rapidly and intensively to global change than other regions of the earth. A shrinking of the Arctic sea-ice cover, potentially leading to an opening of sea passages to the north of North America and Eurasia, on the long to a "blue" Arctic Ocean would additionally have a strong impact on transport, commerce and tourism bearing potential risk for humans and complex ecosystems in the future. In spite of their critical role processes and feedbacks, especially in winter but not exclusively, are virtually unknown: The Arctic Ocean for example, it is the only basin of the world's oceans that has essentially not been sampled by the drill ships of the Deep-Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) or the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and its long-term environmental history and tectonic structure is therefore poorly known. Exceptions are the ODP Leg 151 and the more recent very successful ACEX-expedition of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) in 2004. To help to address the most pressing questions regarding climate change and related processes, a Pan-European initiative in the field of Earth system science has been put in place: AURORA BOREALIS is the largest environmental research infrastructure on the ESFRI roadmap of the European Community. AURORA BOREALIS is a very powerful research icebreaker, which will enable year-round operations in the Arctic and the Antarctic as well as in the adjacent ocean basins. Equipped with its drilling rig, the vessel is also capable to explore the presently completely unknown Arctic deep-sea floor. Last but not least, the ship is a floating observatory and mobile monitoring platform that permits to measure on a long-term basis comprehensive time series in all research fields relevant to global climate change. Chances and challenges rest in securing the construction and operation costs that need a dedicated consortium of interested countries and institutions to help tackling the biggest challenges of the next decades.

  3. Nested ocean models: Work in progress

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Perkins, A. Louise

    1991-01-01

    The ongoing work of combining three existing software programs into a nested grid oceanography model is detailed. The HYPER domain decomposition program, the SPEM ocean modeling program, and a quasi-geostrophic model written in England are being combined into a general ocean modeling facility. This facility will be used to test the viability and the capability of two-way nested grids in the North Atlantic.

  4. Remote sensing of atmosphere and oceans; Proceedings of Symposium 1 and of the Topical Meeting of the 27th COSPAR Plenary Meeting, Espoo, Finland, July 18-29, 1988

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Raschke, E. (Editor); Ghazi, A. (Editor); Gower, J. F. R. (Editor); Mccormick, P. (Editor); Gruber, A. (Editor); Hasler, A. F. (Editor)

    1989-01-01

    Papers are presented on the contribution of space remote sensing observations to the World Climate Research Program and the Global Change Program, covering topics such as space observations for global environmental monitoring, experiments related to land surface fluxes, studies of atmospheric composition, structure, motions, and precipitation, and remote sensing for oceanography, observational studies of the atmosphere, clouds, and the earth radiation budget. Also, papers are given on results from space observations for meteorology, oceanography, and mesoscale atmospheric and ocean processes. The topics include vertical atmospheric soundings, surface water temperature determination, sea level variability, data on the prehurricane atmosphere, linear and circular mesoscale convective systems, Karman vortex clouds, and temporal patterns of phytoplankton abundance.

  5. Intra-seasonal Mixed Layer Process Variability from the ECCO Ocean Data Assimilation Product: Preliminary Analysis Relevant to DYNAMO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Halkides, D. J.; Waliser, D. E.; Lee, T.; Lucas, L. E.; Murtugudde, R. G.

    2010-12-01

    The Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO), the dominant feature of 30-90 day variability in the tropical Indian (IO) and Pacific (PO) Oceans, plays an important role in air-sea interactions and affects multi-scale phenomena ranging from hurricanes to ENSO. Understanding the MJO requires knowledge of ocean mixed layer (ML) heat budgets. As part of a model-data intercomparison planned for 2011-13 to support the Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) project (a US branch of the CINDY2011 international field program), we perform ML heat budget calculations using a heat-conserving assimilation product from the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) project to study the onset and evolution of MJO scale anomalies in the tropics. For the IO, we focus on the western equatorial basin and the southwest IO thermocline ridge. Here, upwelling processes are very important, indicating a slab or 1-D ocean model is insufficient for accurate MJO simulation. We also examine several locations across the equatorial PO. For example, in the eastern PO, we compare results from ECCO to prior studies with different findings: one based on incomplete mooring data indicating vertical processes dominate, another based on model output that indicates meridional advection dominates in the same area. In ECCO, subsurface process and horizontal advection terms are both important, but their relationships to the net tendency vary spatially. This work has implications for understanding MJO onset and development, associated air-sea interactions, ramifications for multi-scale cross-equatorial heat transport (especially in the IO), and, it is likely to be important in constructing a predictive index for MJO onset. We present budgets in terms of variability of the atmospheric and oceanic circulations, as well as mixed layer and barrier layer depths, and we address DYNAMO’s third hypothesis: “The barrier-layer, wind and shear driven mixing, shallow thermocline, and mixing-layer entrainment all play essential roles in MJO initiation in the Indian Ocean by controlling the upper-ocean heat content and SST, and thereby surface flux feedback.”

  6. The role of clouds and oceans in global greenhouse warming. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hoffert, M.I.

    1996-10-01

    This research focuses on assessing connections between anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and global climatic change. it has been supported since the early 1990s in part by the DOE ``Quantitative Links`` Program (QLP). A three-year effort was originally proposed to the QLP to investigate effects f global cloudiness on global climate and its implications for cloud feedback; and to continue the development and application of climate/ocean models, with emphasis on coupled effects of greenhouse warming and feedbacks by clouds and oceans. It is well-known that cloud and ocean processes are major sources of uncertainty in the ability to predict climatic changemore » from humankind`s greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions. And it has always been the objective to develop timely and useful analytical tools for addressing real world policy issues stemming from anthropogenic climate change.« less

  7. Rapid hydrothermal cooling above the axial melt lens at fast-spreading mid-ocean ridge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Chao; Koepke, Juergen; Kirchner, Clemens; Götze, Niko; Behrens, Harald

    2014-09-01

    Axial melt lenses sandwiched between the lower oceanic crust and the sheeted dike sequences at fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges are assumed to be the major magma source of oceanic crust accretion. According to the widely discussed ``gabbro glacier'' model, the formation of the lower oceanic crust requires efficient cooling of the axial melt lens, leading to partial crystallization and crystal-melt mush subsiding down to lower crust. These processes are believed to be controlled by periodical magma replenishment and hydrothermal circulation above the melt lens. Here we quantify the cooling rate above melt lens using chemical zoning of plagioclase from hornfelsic recrystallized sheeted dikes drilled from the East Pacific at the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Hole 1256D. We estimate the cooling rate using a forward modelling approach based on CaAl-NaSi interdiffusion in plagioclase. The results show that cooling from the peak thermal overprint at 1000-1050°C to 600°C are yielded within about 10-30 years as a result of hydrothermal circulation above melt lens during magma starvation. The estimated rapid hydrothermal cooling explains how the effective heat extraction from melt lens is achieved at fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges.

  8. Building on IPY Data, Collaborations and Infrastructure to Understand the Changing Poles (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bell, R. E.; Krupnik, I.; Hik, D.; Alverson, K. D.; Drinkwater, M. R.

    2010-12-01

    In contrast to previous IPY programs that were driven by a central organizing group, the 2007-9 IPY emerged from more than 1000 ideas provided by the global science community. This global IPY planning process produced six major themes that framed the IPY programs. Three themes focused on change at the poles, one focused on probing the frontiers of the polar science, one targeted on using the polar regions as vantage points to look beyond into space and a sixth theme targeted integrated studies of polar cultural, historical and social processes. The results of the IPY 2007-9 are just beginning to emerge. Benchmark data sets were acquired such as coordinated imaging of the poles from space, systematic ocean measurements and a census of marine life. IPY programs have documented how ongoing polar change from permafrost to ecosystems varies regionally depending on local conditions. Analysis of past change in ecosystems, sediment cores and numeric models indicate that during periods with elevated temperatures and atmospheric CO2, the West Antarctic ice sheet can collapse repeatedly. Studies of the polar oceans have confirmed a strong connection between the mid-latitudes and polar processes. The efforts to explore the poles have revealed explosive volcanism beneath the Arctic Ocean, strong genetic similarities between microbes at the two poles and dynamic processes at the base of the East Antarctic ice sheet. IPY programs looking beyond the poles imaged new galaxies and identified new linkages between solar output and weather. The early insights from IPY 2007-9 are remarkable. Building on these will be a challenge for the science community and science agencies over the next decade. The IPY data must be archived and made available to the broad science community to ensure it is preserved as a vital benchmark. The collaborations between scientists, agencies, Arctic residents and institutions initiated by the IPY structure must be fostered and continued. Successful scientific programs in the poles continue to necessitate shared resources, ideas and infrastructure. Goals for the post IPY 2007-9 polar science should include: (1) securing a robust, internationally-coordinated polar-observing infrastructure by sustaining existing IPY elements, complemented by critical new observations to fill identified gaps; (2) building complete ice, ocean, terrestrial and atmospheric data sets to facilitate accurate models of earth systems that will enable prediction and adaptation to future change; (3) recognition that fundamental exploratory science is necessary to ensure our ideas are not too narrow and entrenched; (4) interdisciplinary work must be encouraged to understand the complexity of coupled systems; (5) building on the IPY education and outreach efforts to ensure a vibrant new cohort of polar scientists ready to address polar change and its global ramifications.

  9. NOAA's Approach to Community Building and Governance for Data Integration and Standards Within IOOS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willis, Z.; Shuford, R.

    2007-12-01

    This presentation will review NOAA's current approach to the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) at a national and regional level within the context of our United States Federal and Non-Federal partners. Further, it will discuss the context of integrating data and the necessary standards definition that must be done not only within the United States but in a larger global context. IOOS is the U.S. contribution to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), which itself is the ocean contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). IOOS is a nationally important network of distributed systems that forms an infrastructure providing many different users with the diverse information they require to characterize, understand, predict, and monitor changes in dynamic coastal and open ocean environments. NOAA recently established an IOOS Program Office to provide a focal point for its ocean observation programs and assist with coordination of regional and national IOOS activities. One of the Program's initial priorities is the development of a data integration framework (DIF) proof-of-concept for IOOS data. The initial effort will focus on NOAA sources of data and be implemented incrementally over the course of three years. The first phase will focus on the integration of five core IOOS variables being collected, and disseminated, for independent purposes and goals by multiple NOAA observing sources. The goal is to ensure that data from different sources is interoperable to enable rapid and routine use by multiple NOAA decision-support tool developers and other end users. During the second phase we expect to ingest these integrated variables into four specific NOAA data products used for decision-support. Finally, we will systematically test and evaluate enhancements to these products, and verify, validate, and benchmark new performance specifications. The outcome will be an extensible product for operational use that allows for broader community applicability to include additional variables, applications, and non-NOAA sources of data. NOAA is working with Ocean.US to implement an interagency process for the submission, proposal, and recommendation of IOOS data standards. In order to achieve the broader goals of data interoperability of GEOSS, communication of this process and the identified standards needs to be coordinated at the international level. NOAA is participating in the development of a series of IODE workshops with the objective to achieve broad agreement and commitment to ocean data management and exchange standards. The first of these meetings will use the five core variables identified by the NOAA DIF as a focus.

  10. How To Promote Data Quality And Access? Publish It!

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carlson, D. J.; Pfeiffenberger, H.

    2011-12-01

    Started during IPY 2007-2008, the Earth System Science Data journal (Copernicus) has now 'tested the waters' of earth system data publishing for approximately 2 years with some success. The journal has published more than 30 data sets, of remarkable breadth and variety, all under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Users can now find well-described, quality-controlled and freely accessible data on soils, permafrost, sediment transport, ice sheets, surface radiation, ocean-atmosphere fluxes, ocean chemistry, gravity fields, and combined radar and web cam observations of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption plume. Several of the data sets derive specifically from IPY or from polar regions, but a large portion, including a substantial special issue on ocean carbon, cover broad temporal and geographic domains; the contributors themselves come from leading science institutions around the world. ESSD has attracted the particular interest of international research teams, particularly those who, as in the case of ocean carbon data, have spent many years gathering, collating and calibrating global data sets under long-term named programs, but who lack within those programs the mechanisms to distribute those data sets widely outside their specialist teams and to ensure proper citation credit for those remarkable collaborative data processing efforts. An in-progress special issue on global ocean plankton function types, again representing years of international data collaboration, provides a further example of ESSD utility to large research programs. We anticipate an interesting test case of parallel special issues with companion science journals - data sets in ESSD to accompany science publications in a prominent research journal. We see the ESSD practices and products as useful steps to increase quality of and access to important data sets.

  11. Scientific Drilling in the Arctic Ocean: A challenge for the next decades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stein, R.; Coakley, B.

    2009-04-01

    Although major progress in Arctic Ocean research has been made during the last decades, the knowledge of its short- and long-term paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic history as well as its plate-tectonic evolution is much behind that from the other world's oceans. That means - despite the importance of the Arctic in the climate system - the data base we have from this area is still very weak, and large parts of the climate history have not been recovered at all in sedimentary sections. This lack of knowledge is mainly caused by the major technological/ logistic problems in reaching this permanently ice-covered region with normal research vessels and in retrieving long and undisturbed sediment cores. With the successful completion of IODP Expedition 302 ("Arctic Coring Expedition" - ACEX), the first Mission Specific Platform (MSP) expedition within the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program - IODP, a new era in Arctic research has begun. For the first time, a scientific drilling in the permanently ice-covered Arctic Ocean was carried out, penetrating about 430 meters of Quaternary, Neogene, Paleogene and Campanian sediment on the crest of Lomonosov Ridge close to the North Pole. The success of ACEX has certainly opened the door for further scientific drilling in the Arctic Ocean, and will frame the next round of questions to be answered from new drill holes to be taken during the next decades. In order to discuss and plan the future of scientific drilling in the Arctic Ocean, an international workshop was held at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven/Germany, (Nov 03-05, 2008; convenors: Bernard Coakley/University of Alaska Fairbanks and Ruediger Stein/AWI Bremerhaven). About 95 scientists from Europe, US, Canada, Russia, Japan, and Korea, and observers from oil companies participated in the workshop. Funding of the workshop was provided by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (US), the European Science Foundation, the Arctic Ocean Sciences Board, and the Nansen Arctic Drilling Program as well as by sponsorships from British Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, StatoilHydro, and Shell International. The major targets of the workshop were: (1) to bring together an international group of Arctic scientists, young scientists and ocean drilling scientists to learn and exchange ideas, experience and enthusiasm about the Arctic Ocean; (2) to develop a scientific drilling strategy to investigate the tectonic and paleoceanographic history of the Arctic Ocean and its role in influencing the global climate system; (3) to summarize the technical needs, opportunities, and limitations of drilling in the Arctic; (4) to define scientific and drilling targets for specific IODP-type campaigns in Arctic Ocean key areas to be finalized in the development of drilling proposals. Following overview presentations about the history of the Arctic Ocean, legacy of high-latitude ocean drilling, existing site-survey database, technical needs for high-latitude drilling, possibilities of collaboration with industry, and the process of developing ocean-drilling legs through IODP, the main part of the workshop was spent in thematic and regional break-out groups discussing the particular questions to be addressed by drilling and the particular targets for Arctic scientific drilling. Within the working groups, key scientific questions (related to the overall themes paleoceanography, tectonic evolution, petrology/geochemistry of basement, and gas hydrates) and strategies for reaching the overall goals were discussed and - as one of the main results - core groups for further developing drilling proposals were formed. Based on discussions at this workshop, approximately ten new pre-proposals are planned to be submitted to IODP for the April 01- 2009 deadline. We hope that the development of new scientific objectives through the pre-proposal process will help reshape plans for scientific ocean drilling beyond 2013 and direct the program north towards these critical priorities and advance exploration of the Arctic.

  12. A Shifting Baseline: Higher Degrees and Career Options for Ocean Scientists

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoder, J. A.; Briscoe, M. G.; Glickson, D.; Roberts, S.; Spinrad, R. W.

    2016-02-01

    As for other fields of science, a Ph.D. degree in the ocean sciences no longer guarantees an academic position. In fact, recent studies show that while most earning a Ph.D. in the ocean sciences today may start in academia as a postdoc, an undetermined number of postdocs may not move into university faculty positions or comparable positions at basic research institutions. Although the data are few, some believe that most of those now earning Ph.D. degrees in ocean science are eventually employed outside of academia. Changes to the career path for those entering ocean science graduate programs today is both a challenge and an opportunity for graduate programs. Some graduates of course do continue in academia. For those students who are determined to follow that path, graduate programs need to prepare them for that choice. On the other hand, graduate programs also have an obligation to provide students with the information they need to make educated career decisions - there are interesting career choices other than academia for those earning a Ph.D. or finishing with a terminal M.S. degree. Furthermore, graduate programs need to encourage students to think hard about their career expectations early in their graduate program to ensure they acquire the skills needed to keep career options open. This talk will briefly review some of the recent studies related to the career paths of those who recently acquired a Ph.D. in ocean sciences and other fields; describe possible career options for those who enter ocean science graduate programs; encourage more attention on the career possibilities of a terminal ocean science M.S. degree perhaps combined with another higher degree in a different field; and discuss the skills a graduate student can acquire that increase the breadth of career path opportunities.

  13. Insights on How NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Monitors Our World Environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    King, Michael D.

    2000-01-01

    The Earth Observing System (EOS) is a space-based observing system comprised of a series of satellite sensors by which scientists can monitor the Earth, a Data and Information System (EOSDIS) enabling researchers worldwide to access the satellite data, and an interdisciplinary science research program to interpret the satellite data. During this year, four EOS science missions were launched, representing observations of (1) total solar irradiance, (2) Earth radiation budget, (3) land cover and land use change, (4) ocean processes (vector wind, sea surface temperature, and ocean color), (5) atmospheric processes (aerosol and cloud properties, water vapor, and temperature and moisture profiles), and (6) tropospheric chemistry. In succeeding years many more satellites will be launched that will contribute immeasurably to our understanding of the Earth's environment. In this presentation I will describe how scientists are using EOS data to examine land use and natural hazards, environmental air quality, including dust storms over the world's deserts, cloud and radiation properties, sea surface temperature, and winds over the ocean.

  14. A critical review of existing innovative science and drilling proposals within IODP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Behrmann, J. H.

    2009-04-01

    In the present phase of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) activities are guided by the Initial Science Plan that identified three major themes: The Deep Biosphere and the Subseafloor Ocean; Environmental Change, Processes and Effects; and Solid Earth Cycles and Geodynamics. New initiatives and complex drilling proposals were developed that required major advances in drilling platforms and technologies, and expansion of the drilling community into new areas of specialization. The guiding themes in the Initial Science Plan are instrumental for the proposal development and evaluation, and will continue to represent the goals of IODP until 2013. A number of innovative and highly ranked individual proposals and coordinated sets of proposals ready to be drilled has been forwarded by the Science Planning Committee (SPC) to the IODP Operations Task Force (OTF) for scoping, planning and scheduling. For the Deep Biosphere theme these include proposals to drill targets in the Central Atlantic, the Okinawa Trough, and the Southern Pacific. The Environmental Change, Processes and Effects theme is proposed to - among others - be studied by a coordinated approach regarding the Southeast Asian Monsoon, but also by proposals addressing sdimentation, facies evolution and the paleoclimate record in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The Solid Earth Cycles and Geodynamics theme is represented by several proposals addressing subduction processes, seismogenesis, and oceanic crust formation mainly in the Pacific. Some of these have shaped drilling programs that are already in the process of being carried out, such as drilling in the Nankai Trough off Japan (the NantroSEIZE project), or drilling in oceanic crust created in a superfast spreading environment in the Eastern Pacific. There are many remaining issues to be addressed, and drilling programs to be completed before the end of the present phase of IODP in 2013. Planning of expeditions needs to be done in such a way that a balance between risk, cost, and scientific impact is achieved. At least part of the dilling also is required to be a necessary precursor for future investigations in coming phases of Ocean Drilling. Presently IODP faces the challenges of tight budgetary constraints, increasing operating costs of their platforms, and the need to develop drilling schedules that allow off-contract work of the R/V Chikyu and R/V Joides Resolution drilling vessels. Chikyu will operate within IODP for an average of 7 months per year over a 5-year period with the goals of achieving major milestones in NantroSEIZE, maximizing the use of the vessel for riser drilling, and start a new IODP project that requires riser drilling. Joides Resolution will also operate an average of 7 months per year with the goal of optimizing operating days within the restrictions imposed by the prioritized science. Mission Specific Platform expeditions will be carried out once every two years on average, with the goal of pioneering drilling in new, challenging environments. For the first time in IODP history, operations of Chikyu, Joides Resolution and Mission Specific Platform expeditions will be conducted simultaneously in 2009. This new phase of operations provides an unprecedented chance of progress in scientific ocean drilling.

  15. Modeling of subaqueous melting in Petermann Fjord, Northwestern Greenland using an ocean general circulation model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cai, C.; Rignot, E. J.; Xu, Y.; An, L.; Tinto, K. J.; van den Broeke, M. R.

    2014-12-01

    Basal melting of the floating tongue of Petermann Glacier, in northwestern Greenland is by far the largest process of mass ablation. Melting of the floating tongue is controlled by the buoyancy of the melt water plume, the pressure-dependence of the melting point of sea ice, and the mixing of warm subsurface water with fresh buoyant subglacial discharge. In prior simulations of this melting process, the role of subglacial discharge has been neglected because in similar configurations (floating ice shelves) in the Antarctic, surface runoff is negligible; this is however not true in Greenland. Here, we use the Mass Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) at a high spatial resolution (10 m x 10 m) to simulate the melting process of the ice shelf in 2-D. The model is constrained by ice shelf bathymetry and ice thickness (refined model in the immediate vicinity of the grounding line) from NASA Operation IceBridge (2011), ocean temperature/salinity data from Johnson et al. (2011), ocean tide height and current from the Arctic Ocean Tidal Inverse Model (AOTIM-5) by Padman and Erofeeva (2004) and subglacial discharge at the grounding line calculated by the hydrostatic potential of the ice from estimated products of the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO) of Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). We compare the results obtained in winter (no runoff) with summer, and the sensitivity of the results to thermal forcing from the ocean, and to the variation of tide height and current, and to the magnitude of subglacial runoff. We conclude on the impact of the ocean and surface melting on the melting regime of the floating ice tongue of Petermann. The basal melt rate increases ~20% with summer surface runoff. This work is performed under a contract with NASA Cryosphere Program.

  16. 75 FR 51419 - Requirements for Intermodal Equipment Providers and for Motor Carriers and Drivers Operating...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-20

    ... inspection, repair, and maintenance of intermodal equipment (IME), specifically with respect to the..., by the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association (OCEMA) and the Institute of International... equipment providers (IEPs) to have in place inspection, repair and maintenance programs, and a process for...

  17. Submarine Volcanic Eruptions and Potential Analogs for Venus

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, L.; Mouginismark, P. J.; Fryer, P.; Gaddis, L. R.

    1985-01-01

    As part of an analysis program to better understand the diversity of volcanic processes on the terrestrial planets, an investigation of the volcanic landforms which exist on the Earth's ocean floor was initiated. In part, this analysis is focused toward gaining a better understanding of submarine volcanic landforms in their own right, but also it is hoped that these features may show similarities to volcanic landforms on Venus, due to the high ambient water (Earth) and atmospheric (Venus) pressures. A series of numerical modelling experiments was performed to investigate the relative importance of such attributes as water pressure and temperature on the eruption process, and to determine the rate of cooling and emplacement of lava flows in the submarine environment. Investigations to date show that the confining water pressure and the buoyancy effects of the surrounding water significantly affect the styles of volcanism on the ocean floor. In the case of Venusian volcanism, confining pressures will not be as great as that found at the ocean's abyssal plains, but nevertheless the general trend toward reducing magma vesiculation will hold true for Venus as well as the ocean floor. Furthermore, other analogs may also be found between submarine volcanism and Venusian activity.

  18. Educational Experiences in Oceanography through Hands-On Involvement with Surface Drifters: an Introduction to Ocean Currents, Engineering, Data Collection, and Computer Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, T.

    2015-12-01

    The Northeast Fisheries Science Center's (NEFSC) Student Drifters Program is providing education opportunities for students of all ages. Using GPS-tracked ocean drifters, various educational institutions can provide students with hands-on experience in physical oceanography, engineering, and computer science. In building drifters many high school and undergraduate students may focus on drifter construction, sometimes designing their own drifter or attempting to improve current NEFSC models. While learning basic oceanography younger students can build drifters with the help of an educator and directions available on the studentdrifters.org website. Once drifters are deployed, often by a local mariner or oceanographic partner, drifter tracks can be visualised on maps provided at http://nefsc.noaa.gov/drifter. With the lesson plans available for those interested in computer science, students may download, process, and plot the drifter position data with basic Python code provided. Drifter tracks help students to visualize ocean currents, and also allow them to understand real particle tracking applications such as in search and rescue, oil spill dispersion, larval transport, and the movement of injured sea animals. Additionally, ocean circulation modelers can use student drifter paths to validate their models. The Student Drifters Program has worked with over 100 schools, several of them having deployed drifters on the West Coast. Funding for the program often comes from individual schools and small grants but in the future will preferably come from larger government grants. NSF, Sea-Grant, NOAA, and EPA are all possible sources of funding, especially with the support of multiple schools and large marine education associations. The Student Drifters Program is a unique resource for educators, students, and scientists alike.

  19. Understanding the El Niño-like Oceanic Response in the Tropical Pacific to Global Warming

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Luo, Yiyong; Lu, Jian; Liu, Fukai

    The enhanced central and eastern Pacific SST warming and the associated ocean processes under global warming are investigated using the ocean component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM), Parallel Ocean Program version 2 (POP2). The tropical SST warming pattern in the coupled CESM can be faithfully reproduced by the POP2 forced with surface fluxes computed using the aerodynamic bulk formula. By prescribing the wind stress and/or wind speed through the bulk formula, the effects of wind stress change and/or the wind-evaporation-SST (WES) feedback are isolated and their linearity is evaluated in this ocean-alone setting. Result shows that, although themore » weakening of the equatorial easterlies contributes positively to the El Niño-like SST warming, 80% of which can be simulated by the POP2 without considering the effects of wind change in both mechanical and thermodynamic fluxes. This result points to the importance of the air-sea thermal interaction and the relative feebleness of the ocean dynamical process in the El Niño-like equatorial Pacific SST response to global warming. On the other hand, the wind stress change is found to play a dominant role in the oceanic response in the tropical Pacific, accounting for most of the changes in the equatorial ocean current system and thermal structures, including the weakening of the surface westward currents, the enhancement of the near-surface stratification and the shoaling of the equatorial thermocline. Interestingly, greenhouse gas warming in the absence of wind stress change and WES feedback also contributes substantially to the changes at the subsurface equatorial Pacific. Further, this warming impact can be largely replicated by an idealized ocean experiment forced by a uniform surface heat flux, whereby, arguably, a purest form of oceanic dynamical thermostat is revealed.« less

  20. Assessing ocean vertical mixing schemes for the study of climate change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howard, A. M.; Lindo, F.; Fells, J.; Tulsee, V.; Cheng, Y.; Canuto, V.

    2014-12-01

    Climate change is a burning issue of our time. It is critical to know the consequences of choosing "business as usual" vs. mitigating our emissions for impacts e.g. ecosystem disruption, sea-level rise, floods and droughts. To make predictions we must model realistically each component of the climate system. The ocean must be modeled carefully as it plays a critical role, including transporting heat and storing heat and dissolved carbon dioxide. Modeling the ocean realistically in turn requires physically based parameterizations of key processes in it that cannot be explicitly represented in a global climate model. One such process is vertical mixing. The turbulence group at NASA-GISS has developed a comprehensive new vertical mixing scheme (GISSVM) based on turbulence theory, including surface convection and wind shear, interior waves and double-diffusion, and bottom tides. The GISSVM is tested in stand-alone ocean simulations before being used in coupled climate models. It is also being upgraded to more faithfully represent the physical processes. To help assess mixing schemes, students use data from NASA-GISS to create visualizations and calculate statistics including mean bias and rms differences and correlations of fields. These are created and programmed with MATLAB. Results with the commonly used KPP mixing scheme and the present GISSVM and candidate improved variants of GISSVM will be compared between stand-alone ocean models and coupled models and observations. This project introduces students to modeling of a complex system, an important theme in contemporary science and helps them gain a better appreciation of climate science and a new perspective on it. They also gain familiarity with MATLAB, a widely used tool, and develop skills in writing and understanding programs. Moreover they contribute to the advancement of science by providing information that will help guide the improvement of the GISSVM and hence of ocean and climate models and ultimately our understanding and prediction of climate. The PI is both a member of the turbulence group at NASA-GISS and an associate professor at Medgar Evers College of CUNY, a minority serving institution in an urban setting in central Brooklyn. This Project is supported by NSF award AGS-1359293 REU site: CUNY/GISS Center for Global Climate Research.

  1. 15 CFR 923.96 - Grant amendments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Applications for Program Development or Implementation Grants...

  2. 15 CFR 923.96 - Grant amendments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Applications for Program Development or Implementation Grants...

  3. Ocean Literacy: Tools for Scientists and Educators to use in the Development of Education and Outreach Programs About the Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strang, C.; Lemus, J.; Schoedinger, S.

    2006-12-01

    Ocean sciences were idiosyncratically left out of the National Science Education Standards and most state standards, resulting in a decline in the public's attention to ocean issues. Concepts about the ocean are hardly taught in K-12 schools, and hardly appear in K-12 curriculum materials, textbooks, assessments or standards. NGS, COSEE, NMEA, NOAA, the US Commission on Ocean Policy, the Pew Ocean Commission have all urgently called for inclusion of the ocean in science standards as a means to increase ocean literacy nationwide. There has never been consensus, however, about what ocean literacy is or what concepts should be included in future standards. Scientists interested in education and outreach activities have not had a framework to guide them in prioritizing the content they present or in determining how that content fits into the context of what K-12 students and the public need to know about science in general. In 2004, an on-line workshop on Ocean Literacy Through Science Standards began the process of developing consensus about what that framework should include. Approximately 100 ocean scientists and educators participated in the workshop, followed by a series of meetings and extensive review by leading scientists, resulting in a series of draft documents and statements. The importance of community-wide involvement and consensus was reinforced through circulation of the draft documents for public comment April -May, 2005. The community agreed on an Ocean Literacy definition, tagline, seven ocean principles, 44 concepts and a matrix aligning the concepts to the National Science Education Standards (NSES). The elements are described in more detail in the final Ocean Literacy brochure. Broad ownership of the resulting documents is a tribute to the inclusiveness of the process used to develop them. The emerging consensus on Ocean Literacy has become an instrument for change, and has served as an important tool guiding the ocean sciences education efforts of scientists, educators, and most importantly, has provided a common language for scientists and educators working together. In this past year, a similar community-wide effort has been mounted to develop an "Ocean Literacy Scope and Sequence" to serve as a critical companion to "Ocean Literacy: The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences Grades K-12." The Scope and Sequence shows how the principles and concepts develop and build in logical and developmentally sound learning progressions across grade spans K-12. This document will provide further guidance to teachers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, and ocean scientists, as to what concepts about the ocean are appropriate to introduce at various grade spans. It will show the relationship between the new discoveries of cutting edge science and the basic science concepts on which they are built and which students are accountable to understand. Those concerned about science education and about the future health of the ocean must be poised to influence the development of science standards by local educational agencies, state departments of education and professional societies and associations. In order to be effective, we must have tools, products, documents, web sites that contain agreed upon science content and processes related to the ocean.

  4. Global Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Coordination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Telszewski, Maciej; Tanhua, Toste; Palacz, Artur

    2016-04-01

    The complexity of the marine carbon cycle and its numerous connections to carbon's atmospheric and terrestrial pathways means that a wide range of approaches have to be used in order to establish it's qualitative and quantitative role in the global climate system. Ocean carbon and biogeochemistry research, observations, and modelling are conducted at national, regional, and global levels to quantify the global ocean uptake of atmospheric CO2 and to understand controls of this process, the variability of uptake and vulnerability of carbon fluxes into the ocean. These science activities require support by a sustained, international effort that provides a central communication forum and coordination services to facilitate the compatibility and comparability of results from individual efforts and development of the ocean carbon data products that can be integrated with the terrestrial, atmospheric and human dimensions components of the global carbon cycle. The International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP) was created in 2005 by the IOC of UNESCO and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research. IOCCP provides an international, program-independent forum for global coordination of ocean carbon and biogeochemistry observations and integration with global carbon cycle science programs. The IOCCP coordinates an ever-increasing set of observations-related activities in the following domains: underway observations of biogeochemical water properties, ocean interior observations, ship-based time-series observations, large-scale ocean acidification monitoring, inorganic nutrients observations, biogeochemical instruments and autonomous sensors and data and information creation. Our contribution is through the facilitation of the development of globally acceptable strategies, methodologies, practices and standards homogenizing efforts of the research community and scientific advisory groups as well as integrating the ocean biogeochemistry observations with the multidisciplinary global ocean observing system. Over the past 4-5 years IOCCP's long standing experience in coordinating biogeochemical observations and data flows globally, resulted in assuming a leadership role during the design and implementation of the biogeochemistry portion of the Framework for Ocean Observing (FOO, 2012). To optimize and enhance the global ocean observing system IOCCP started to implement major elements of the system's approach outlined in the FOO. Starting by setting of ocean observing requirements representing the needs of societal and scientific stakeholders, followed by development of a set of essential ocean variables (EOVs) with spatial and temporal resolution specifications to best meet current demands for data and information services given current and potential national capabilities. The IOCCP works directly with projects and programs programmatically connected to GOOS as well as the WMO-IOC JCOMM to integrate ocean carbon and biogeochemistry observation information into the plans of the Global Climate Observing System in support of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Group on Earth Observations, and other international and intergovernmental strategies. We would like to update our partners across disciplines and domains on our short- and long-term strategies as well as learn from their combined experience and knowledge so that our individual activities align more with those undertaken by our counterparts in biological and physical oceanography as well as in terrestrial and atmospheric domains.

  5. Monsoons: Processes, predictability, and the prospects for prediction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Webster, P. J.; Magaña, V. O.; Palmer, T. N.; Shukla, J.; Thomas, R. A.; Yanai, M.; Yasunari, T.

    1998-06-01

    The Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program sought to determine the predictability of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system. The World Climate Research Programme's (WCRP) Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System (GOALS) program seeks to explore predictability of the global climate system through investigation of the major planetary heat sources and sinks, and interactions between them. The Asian-Australian monsoon system, which undergoes aperiodic and high amplitude variations on intraseasonal, annual, biennial and interannual timescales is a major focus of GOALS. Empirical seasonal forecasts of the monsoon have been made with moderate success for over 100 years. More recent modeling efforts have not been successful. Even simulation of the mean structure of the Asian monsoon has proven elusive and the observed ENSO-monsoon relationships has been difficult to replicate. Divergence in simulation skill occurs between integrations by different models or between members of ensembles of the same model. This degree of spread is surprising given the relative success of empirical forecast techniques. Two possible explanations are presented: difficulty in modeling the monsoon regions and nonlinear error growth due to regional hydrodynamical instabilities. It is argued that the reconciliation of these explanations is imperative for prediction of the monsoon to be improved. To this end, a thorough description of observed monsoon variability and the physical processes that are thought to be important is presented. Prospects of improving prediction and some strategies that may help achieve improvement are discussed.

  6. Modeling of submarine melting in Petermann Fjord, Northwestern Greenland using an ocean general circulation model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cai, C.; Rignot, E. J.; Xu, Y.; An, L.

    2013-12-01

    Basal melting of the floating tongue of Petermann Glacier, in northwestern Greenland is by far the largest process of mass ablation. Melting of the floating tongue is controlled by the buoyancy of the melt water plume, the pressure-dependence of the melting point of sea ice, and the mixing of warm subsurface water with fresh buoyant subglacial discharge. In prior simulations of this melting process, the role of subglacial discharge has been neglected because in similar configurations (floating ice shelves) in the Antarctic, surface runoff is negligible; this is however not true in Greenland. Here, we use the Mass Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) at a high spatial resolution (10 m x 10 m) to simulate the melting process of the ice shelf in 2-D. the model is constrained by ice shelf bathymetry and ice thickness from NASA Operation IceBridge, ocean temperature/salinity data from Johnson et al. (2011), and subglacial discharge estimated from output products of the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO). We compare the results obtained in winter (no runoff) with summer, and the sensitivity of the results to thermal forcing from the ocean, and to the magnitude of subglacial runoff. We conclude on the impact of the ocean and surface melting on the melting regime of the floating ice tongue of Petermann. This work is performed under a contract with NASA Cryosphere Program.

  7. Massive Cloud-Based Big Data Processing for Ocean Sensor Networks and Remote Sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schwehr, K. D.

    2017-12-01

    Until recently, the work required to integrate and analyze data for global-scale environmental issues was prohibitive both in cost and availability. Traditional desktop processing systems are not able to effectively store and process all the data, and super computer solutions are financially out of the reach of most people. The availability of large-scale cloud computing has created tools that are usable by small groups and individuals regardless of financial resources or locally available computational resources. These systems give scientists and policymakers the ability to see how critical resources are being used across the globe with little or no barrier to entry. Google Earth Engine has the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra, MODIS Aqua, and Global Land Data Assimilation Systems (GLDAS) data catalogs available live online. Here we demonstrate these data to calculate the correlation between lagged chlorophyll and rainfall to identify areas of eutrophication, matching these events to ocean currents from datasets like HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) to check if there are constraints from oceanographic configurations. The system can provide addition ground truth with observations from sensor networks like the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set / Voluntary Observing Ship (ICOADS/VOS) and Argo floats. This presentation is intended to introduce users to the datasets, programming idioms, and functionality of Earth Engine for large-scale, data-driven oceanography.

  8. Engineering studies related to the Skylab program. Task H: Microwave/optical/infrared image processing for ocean current recognition. [from radar altimeter data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, A. G.

    1974-01-01

    Images from the Skylab S-193 radar altimeter were selected from data obtained on appropriate passes made by Skylabs 2, 3, and 4 missions for the following three objectives: (1) to serve as a precursor to an investigation for the planned GEOS-C mission, in which radar altimeter data will be analyzed to reveal ocean current related to surface topography; (2) to determine the value of satellite infrared and visual radiometer data as potential sources of ground truth data, the results of which be incorporated in the planning of the SEASAT program; and (3) to determine whether optimal data reduction techniques are useful for revealing clues on Gulf Stream topographic signature characteristics. The results obtained which apply to the stated objectives are discussed.

  9. North Pacific Mesoscale Coupled Air-Ocean Simulations Compared with Observations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Koracin, Darko; Cerovecki, Ivana; Vellore, Ramesh

    2013-04-11

    Executive summary The main objective of the study was to investigate atmospheric and ocean interaction processes in the western Pacific and, in particular, effects of significant ocean heat loss in the Kuroshio and Kuroshio Extension regions on the lower and upper atmosphere. It is yet to be determined how significant are these processes are on climate scales. The understanding of these processes led us also to development of the methodology of coupling the Weather and Research Forecasting model with the Parallel Ocean Program model for western Pacific regional weather and climate simulations. We tested NCAR-developed research software Coupler 7 formore » coupling of the WRF and POP models and assessed its usability for regional-scale applications. We completed test simulations using the Coupler 7 framework, but implemented a standard WRF model code with options for both one- and two-way mode coupling. This type of coupling will allow us to seamlessly incorporate new WRF updates and versions in the future. We also performed a long-term WRF simulation (15 years) covering the entire North Pacific as well as high-resolution simulations of a case study which included extreme ocean heat losses in the Kuroshio and Kuroshio Extension regions. Since the extreme ocean heat loss occurs during winter cold air outbreaks (CAO), we simulated and analyzed a case study of a severe CAO event in January 2000 in detail. We found that the ocean heat loss induced by CAOs is amplified by additional advection from mesocyclones forming on the southern part of the Japan Sea. Large scale synoptic patterns with anomalously strong anticyclone over Siberia and Mongolia, deep Aleutian Low, and the Pacific subtropical ridge are a crucial setup for the CAO. It was found that the onset of the CAO is related to the breaking of atmospheric Rossby waves and vertical transport of vorticity that facilitates meridional advection. The study also indicates that intrinsic parameterization of the surface fluxes within the WRF model needs more evaluation and analysis.« less

  10. 15 CFR 923.91 - State responsibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Applications for Program Development or Implementation... development of the State's coastal management program. The designee need not be that entity designated by the...

  11. 15 CFR 923.91 - State responsibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Applications for Program Development or Implementation... development of the State's coastal management program. The designee need not be that entity designated by the...

  12. 15 CFR 923.84 - Routine program changes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Amendments to and Termination of Approved Management...

  13. 15 CFR 923.84 - Routine program changes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Amendments to and Termination of Approved Management...

  14. 77 FR 57074 - Indirect Cost Rates for the Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program for Fiscal...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-17

    ... Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program for Fiscal Year 2011 AGENCY: National Oceanic and..., Remediation, and Restoration Program for Fiscal Year 2011. SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP) is announcing new...

  15. Communicating Ocean & Climate Science: Promoting Knowledge, Responsible Decision-making and Interest in Geoscience Careers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bruno, B. C.; Hsia, M.; Wiener, C.

    2012-12-01

    Climate change is not just an atmospheric phenomenon. It has serious impacts on the ocean, such as sea level rise, ocean acidification, and coral bleaching. Ocean FEST (Families Exploring Science Together) aims to educate participants about how increasing carbon dioxide is affecting our oceans, and to inspire students to pursue ocean, earth and environmental science careers. Throughout the program, participants examine their everyday decisions and the impact of their choices on the planet's climate and oceans. Ocean FEST is a two-hour program that explores the ocean and relevant environmental topics through six hands-on science activities. Activities are designed so students can see how globally important issues (e.g., climate change and ocean acidification) have local effects (e.g., sea level rise, coastal erosion, coral bleaching). The program ends with a career component, drawing parallels between the program activities and the activities done by "real scientists" in their jobs. Over the past three years, we have conducted over 60 Ocean FEST events. Evaluations are conducted at selected events using electronic surveys, which students and parents complete immediately prior to (pre-survey) and following (post-survey) the program. Survey items were developed and cognitively tested in collaboration with professional evaluators from the American Institute of Research. The nine-item survey includes items on science content knowledge, personal responsibility, and career interest. For each survey item, participants are asked to indicate agreement (coded as 2.0), disagreement (1.0) or don't know (1.5). By comparing the pre- and post-survey results, we can evaluate program efficacy. For example, one survey item is: "I can do something every day to help fight global climate change." Student mean data moved from 1.78 pre-survey to 1.89 post-survey, which is a statistically significant gain at p<.000. Mean parent data for this same item moved from 1.90 pre-survey to 1.96 post-survey, which is again a statistically significant gain at p<.000. In summary, we have found positive statistically significant gains on all survey items for students, and on all but one survey item for parents. These results strongly indicate program efficacy. For more information, please visit our web site: oceanfest.soest.hawaii.edu

  16. International Search for Life in Ocean Worlds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sherwood, B.

    2015-12-01

    We now know that our solar system contains diverse "ocean worlds." One has abundant surface water and life; another had significant surface water in the distant past and has drawn significant exploration attention; several contain large amounts of water beneath ice shells; and several others evince unexpected, diverse transient or dynamic water-related processes. In this century, humanity will explore these worlds, searching for life beyond Earth and seeking thereby to understand the limits of habitability. Of our ocean worlds, Enceladus presents a unique combination of attributes: large reservoir of subsurface water already known to contain salts, organics, and silica nanoparticles originating from hydrothermal activity; and able to be sampled via a plume predictably expressed into space. These special circumstances immediately tag Enceladus as a key destination for potential missions to search for evidence of non-Earth life, and lead to a range of potential mission concepts: for orbital reconnaissance; in situ and returned-sample analysis of plume and surface-fallback material; and direct sulcus, vent, cavern, and ocean exploration. Each mission type can address a unique set of science questions, and would require a unique set of capabilities, most of which are not yet developed. Both the questions and the capability developments can be sequenced into a programmatic precedence network, the realization of which requires international cooperation. Three factors make this true: exploring remote oceans autonomously will cost a lot; the Outer Space Treaty governs planetary protection; and discovery of non-Earth life is an epochal human imperative. Results of current planning will be presented in AGU session 8599: how ocean-world science questions and capability requirements can be parsed into programmatically acceptable mission increments; how one mission proposed into the Discovery program in 2015 would take the next step on this path; the Decadal calendar of decision points and program options that will constrain ocean-world exploration through mid-century; and findings of the COSPAR Planetary Protection Panel colloquium for ocean-world exploration held in September 2015.

  17. Satellite Observations of Coastal Processes from a Geostationary Orbit: Application to estuarine, coastal, and ocean resource management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tzortziou, M.; Mannino, A.; Schaeffer, B. A.

    2016-02-01

    Coastal areas are among the most vulnerable yet economically valuable ecosystems on Earth. Estuaries and coastal oceans are critically important as essential habitat for marine life, as highly productive ecosystems and a rich source of food for human consumption, as a strong economic driver for coastal communities, and as a highly dynamic interface between land and ocean carbon and nutrient cycles. Still, our present capabilities to remotely observe coastal ocean processes from space are limited in their temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution. These limitations, in turn, constrain our ability to observe and understand biogeochemical processes in highly dynamic coastal ecosystems, or predict their response and resilience to current and future pressures including sea level rise, coastal urbanization, and anthropogenic pollution.On a geostationary orbit, and with high spatial resolution and hyper-spectral capabilities, NASA's Decadal Survey mission GEO-CAPE (GEO-stationary for Coastal and Air Pollution Events) will provide, for the first time, a satellite view of the short-term changes and evolution of processes along the economically invaluable but, simultaneously, particularly vulnerable near-shore waters of the United States. GEO-CAPE will observe U.S. lakes, estuaries, and coastal regions at sufficient temporal and spatial scales to resolve near-shore processes, tides, coastal fronts, and eddies, track sediments and pollutants, capture diurnal biogeochemical processes and rates of transformation, monitor harmful algal blooms and large oil spills, observe episodic events and coastal hazards. Here we discuss the GEO-CAPE applications program and the new capabilities afforded by this future satellite mission, to identify potential user communities, incorporate end-user needs into future mission planning, and allow integration of science and management at the coastal interface.

  18. Satellite Observations of Coastal Processes from a Geostationary Orbit: Application to estuarine, coastal, and ocean resource management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tzortziou, M.; Mannino, A.; Schaeffer, B. A.

    2016-12-01

    Coastal areas are among the most vulnerable yet economically valuable ecosystems on Earth. Estuaries and coastal oceans are critically important as essential habitat for marine life, as highly productive ecosystems and a rich source of food for human consumption, as a strong economic driver for coastal communities, and as a highly dynamic interface between land and ocean carbon and nutrient cycles. Still, our present capabilities to remotely observe coastal ocean processes from space are limited in their temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution. These limitations, in turn, constrain our ability to observe and understand biogeochemical processes in highly dynamic coastal ecosystems, or predict their response and resilience to current and future pressures including sea level rise, coastal urbanization, and anthropogenic pollution.On a geostationary orbit, and with high spatial resolution and hyper-spectral capabilities, NASA's Decadal Survey mission GEO-CAPE (GEO-stationary for Coastal and Air Pollution Events) will provide, for the first time, a satellite view of the short-term changes and evolution of processes along the economically invaluable but, simultaneously, particularly vulnerable near-shore waters of the United States. GEO-CAPE will observe U.S. lakes, estuaries, and coastal regions at sufficient temporal and spatial scales to resolve near-shore processes, tides, coastal fronts, and eddies, track sediments and pollutants, capture diurnal biogeochemical processes and rates of transformation, monitor harmful algal blooms and large oil spills, observe episodic events and coastal hazards. Here we discuss the GEO-CAPE applications program and the new capabilities afforded by this future satellite mission, to identify potential user communities, incorporate end-user needs into future mission planning, and allow integration of science and management at the coastal interface.

  19. PMEL Contributions to the OceanSITES Program

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-09-01

    System and international research programs. PMEL is a major contribu- tor to OceanSITES in the context of the Tropical Ocean At- mosphere/ Triangle ...include five TAO moorings, the KEO mooring, and non- PMEL moorings off of Hawaii and Bermuda (Fig. 1, Table 3). The prototype for the moored CO2 system was

  20. The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Program's Algorithm Change Process (ACP): Past, Present and Future

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Griffin, Ashley

    2017-01-01

    The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Program Office is the supporting organization for the Suomi National Polar Orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) and JPSS-1 satellites. S-NPP carries the following sensors: VIIRS, CrIS, ATMS, OMPS, and CERES with instruments that ultimately produce over 25 data products that cover the Earths weather, oceans, and atmosphere. A team of scientists and engineers from all over the United States document, monitor and fix errors in operational software code or documentation with the algorithm change process (ACP) to ensure the success of the S-NPP and JPSS 1 missions by maintaining quality and accuracy of the data products the scientific community relies on. This poster will outline the programs algorithm change process (ACP), identify the various users and scientific applications of our operational data products and highlight changes that have been made to the ACP to accommodate operating system upgrades to the JPSS programs Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS), so that the program is ready for the transition to the 2017 JPSS-1 satellite mission and beyond.

  1. A Coupled Epipelagic-Meso/Bathypelagic Particle Flux Model for the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Station (BATS)/Oceanic Flux Program (OFP) Site

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glover, D. M.; Conte, M.

    2002-12-01

    Of considerable scientific interest is the role remineralization plays in the global carbon cycle. It is the ``biological pump'' that fixes carbon in the upper water column and exports it for long time periods to the deep ocean. From a global carbon cycle point-of-view, it is the processes that govern remineralization in the mid- to deep-ocean waters that provide the feedback to the biogeochemical carbon cycle. In this study we construct an ecosystem model that serves as a mechanistic link between euphotic processes and mesopelagic and bathypelagic processes. We then use this prognostic model to further our understanding of the unparalleled time-series of deep-water sediment traps (21+ years) at the Oceanic Flux Program (OFP) and the euphotic zone measurements (10+ years) at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Site (BATS). At the core of this mechanistic ecosystem model of the mesopelagic zone is a model that consists of an active feeding habit zooplankton, a passive feeding habit zooplankton, large detritus (sinks), small detritus (non-sinking), and a nutrient pool. As the detritus, the primary source of food, moves through the water column it is fed upon by the active/passive zooplankton pair and undergoes bacterially mediated remineralization into nutrients. The large detritus pool at depth gains material from the formation of fecal pellets from the passive and active zooplankton. Sloppy feeding habits of the active zooplankton contribute to the small detrital pool. Zooplankton mortality (both classes) also contribute directly to the large detritus pool. Aggregation and disaggregation transform detrital particles from one pool to the other and back again. The nutrients at each depth will gain from detrital remineralization and zooplankton excretion. The equations that model the active zooplankton, passive zooplankton, large detritus, small detritus, and nutrients will be reviewed, results shown and future model modifications discussed.

  2. 50 CFR 403.04 - Determinations and hearings under section 109(c) of the MMPA.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE); ENDANGERED SPECIES COMMITTEE REGULATIONS... management program the state must provide for a process, consistent with section 109(c) of the Act, to determine the optimum sustainable population of the species and the maximum number of animals that may be...

  3. 50 CFR 403.04 - Determinations and hearings under section 109(c) of the MMPA.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE); ENDANGERED SPECIES COMMITTEE REGULATIONS... management program the state must provide for a process, consistent with section 109(c) of the Act, to determine the optimum sustainable population of the species and the maximum number of animals that may be...

  4. 50 CFR 403.04 - Determinations and hearings under section 109(c) of the MMPA.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE); ENDANGERED SPECIES COMMITTEE REGULATIONS... management program the state must provide for a process, consistent with section 109(c) of the Act, to determine the optimum sustainable population of the species and the maximum number of animals that may be...

  5. 50 CFR 403.04 - Determinations and hearings under section 109(c) of the MMPA.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE); ENDANGERED SPECIES COMMITTEE REGULATIONS... management program the state must provide for a process, consistent with section 109(c) of the Act, to determine the optimum sustainable population of the species and the maximum number of animals that may be...

  6. Energy Transfer to Upper Trophic Levels on a Small Offshore Bank

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-01-01

    other feeding hotspots in the Gulf of Maine show that they are ephemeral—sometimes very active, often not. Our goals are to understand the factors that...focused on defining patterns of biodiversity in the oceans and the processes that shape them. The Gulf of Maine program has the additional aim of

  7. OBIS-USA and Ocean Acidification: Chemical and Biological Observation Data, Integrated for Discovery and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fornwall, M.; Jewett, L.; Yates, K.; Goldstein, P.

    2012-12-01

    OBIS-USA (usgs.gov/obis-usa), a program of USGS Core Science, Analytics and Synthesis, is the US Regional node of the International Ocean Biogeographic Information System (iobis.org). OBIS data records observations of biological occurrences - identifiable species - at known time and coordinates. Within US research and operational communities, OBIS-USA serves an expanding range of applications by capturing details to accompany each observation: information to understand record quality and suitability for applications, details about observation circumstances such as sampling method and sampling conditions, and biological details such as sex, life stage, behavior and other characteristics. The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program and its associated data management effort (led by National Oceanographic Data Center) aim to enable users to locate, understand and use marine data from multiple sources and of multiple types to address questions related to ocean acidification and it impacts on marine ecosystems. By the nature of researching ocean acidification, data-driven applications require users to find and apply datasets that represent different disciplines as well as different researchers, organizations, agencies, funding models, data management practices and formats, and survey and observation methods. We refer to any collection(s) of data having diverse characteristics on these and other dimensions as "heterogeneous data". However, data management and Internet technologies enable the data itself and many of its diverse characteristics to be discoverable and understandable enough for users to build effective models, applications, and solutions. While it may not be simple to make heterogeneous data uniform or "seamless", current technologies enable at least the data characteristics to be sufficiently well-understood that users can consume data and accommodate its diverse characteristics in their process of generating outputs. Via this abstract and accompanying poster presentation, OBIS-USA and the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program describe proposed methods for obtaining diverse data, such as both chemical observations (those necessary to derive calcium carbonate saturation state) and biological marine observations (species occurrence, abundance), in order to use these sources of information in combined analysis for current and future research on ocean acidification and its relation to observed biology. Current OBIS-USA biological observations represent in-situ observations of marine taxa, and in the context of Ocean Acidification and this poster presentation, OBIS-USA shows a path toward including experimental biology observations as well as in-situ.

  8. Incorporating Hot Topics in Ocean Sciences to Outreach Activities in Marine and Environmental Science Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bergondo, D. L.; Mrakovcich, K. L.; Vlietstra, L.; Tebeau, P.; Verlinden, C.; Allen, L. A.; James, R.

    2016-02-01

    The US Coast Guard Academy, an undergraduate military Academy, in New London CT, provides STEM education programs to the local community that engage the public on hot topics in ocean sciences. Outreach efforts include classroom, lab, and field-based activities at the Academy as well as at local schools. In one course, we partner with a STEM high school collecting fish and environmental data on board a research vessel and subsequently students present the results of their project. In another course, cadets develop and present interactive demonstrations of marine science to local school groups. In addition, the Academy develops In another course, cadets develop and present interactive demonstrations of marine science to local school groups. In addition, the Academy develops and/or participates in outreach programs including Science Partnership for Innovation in Learning (SPIL), Women in Science, Physics of the Sea, and the Ocean Exploration Trust Honors Research Program. As part of the programs, instructors and cadets create interactive and collaborative activities that focus on hot topics in ocean sciences such as oil spill clean-up, ocean exploration, tsunamis, marine biodiversity, and conservation of aquatic habitats. Innovative science demonstrations such as real-time interactions with the Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus, rotating tank simulations of ocean circulation, wave tank demonstrations, and determining what materials work best to contain and clean-up oil, are used to enhance ocean literacy. Children's books, posters and videos are some creative ways students summarize their understanding of ocean sciences and marine conservation. Despite time limitations of students and faculty, and challenges associated with securing funding to keep these programs sustainable, the impact of the programs is overwhelmingly positive. We have built stronger relationships with local community, enhanced ocean literacy, facilitated communication and mentorship between young students and scientists, and encouraged interest of underrepresented minorities in STEM education.

  9. Ecosystems and Climate Change. Research Priorities for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-06-01

    ORION, NSF’s proposed NEON network) to gain quantitative understanding of ecosystem processes in representative systems and across gradients of...these interactions and subsequent effects expected to vary across gradients of land use (i.e., from unmanaged to managed or urban ecosystems) and...ecosystem processes along a gradient of managed to unmanaged landscapes? How will changes in freshwater inputs affect the coastal oceans? 2.4 How

  10. SWIM: A Semi-Analytical Ocean Color Inversion Algorithm for Optically Shallow Waters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McKinna, Lachlan I. W.; Werdell, P. Jeremy; Fearns, Peter R. C. S.; Weeks, Scarla J.; Reichstetter, Martina; Franz, Bryan A.; Shea, Donald M.; Feldman, Gene C.

    2014-01-01

    Ocean color remote sensing provides synoptic-scale, near-daily observations of marine inherent optical properties (IOPs). Whilst contemporary ocean color algorithms are known to perform well in deep oceanic waters, they have difficulty operating in optically clear, shallow marine environments where light reflected from the seafloor contributes to the water-leaving radiance. The effect of benthic reflectance in optically shallow waters is known to adversely affect algorithms developed for optically deep waters [1, 2]. Whilst adapted versions of optically deep ocean color algorithms have been applied to optically shallow regions with reasonable success [3], there is presently no approach that directly corrects for bottom reflectance using existing knowledge of bathymetry and benthic albedo.To address the issue of optically shallow waters, we have developed a semi-analytical ocean color inversion algorithm: the Shallow Water Inversion Model (SWIM). SWIM uses existing bathymetry and a derived benthic albedo map to correct for bottom reflectance using the semi-analytical model of Lee et al [4]. The algorithm was incorporated into the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Groups L2GEN program and tested in optically shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. In-lieu of readily available in situ matchup data, we present a comparison between SWIM and two contemporary ocean color algorithms, the Generalized Inherent Optical Property Algorithm (GIOP) and the Quasi-Analytical Algorithm (QAA).

  11. Role of the ocean in climate changes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gulev, Sergey K.

    1992-01-01

    The present program aimed at the study of ocean climate change is prepared by a group of scientists from State Oceanographic Institute, Academy of Science of Russia, Academy of Science of Ukraine and Moscow State University. It appears to be a natural evolution of ideas and achievements that have been developed under national and international ocean research projects such as SECTIONS, WOCE, TOGA, JGOFS and others. The two primary goals are set in the program ROCC. (1) Quantitative description of the global interoceanic 'conveyor' and it's role in formation of the large scale anomalies in the North Atlantic. The objectives on the way to this goal are: to get the reliable estimates of year-to-year variations of heat and water exchange between the Atlantic Ocean and the atmosphere; to establish and understand the physics of long period variations in meridianal heat and fresh water transport (MHT and MFWT) in the Atlantic Ocean; to analyze the general mechanisms, that form the MHT and MFWT in low latitudes (Ekman flux), middle latitudes (western boundary currents) and high latitudes (deep convection) of the North Atlantic; to establish and to give quantitative description of the realization of global changes in SST, surface salinity, sea level and sea ice data. (2) Development of the observational system pointed at tracing the climate changes in the North Atlantic. This goal merges the following objectives: to find the proper sites that form the inter annual variations of MHT; to study the deep circulation in the 'key' points; to develop the circulation models reflecting the principle features of interoceanic circulation; and to define global and local response of the atmosphere circulation to large scale processes in the Atlantic Ocean.

  12. IODP Expedition 335: Deep Sampling in ODP Hole 1256D

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teagle, D. A. H.; Ildefonse, B.; Blum, P.; IODP Expedition 335 Scientists, the

    2012-04-01

    Observations of the gabbroic layers of untectonized ocean crust are essential to test theoretical models of the accretion of new crust at mid-ocean ridges. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 335 ("Superfast Spreading Rate Crust 4") returned to Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 1256D with the intention of deepening this reference penetration of intact ocean crust a significant distance (~350 m) into cumulate gabbros. Three earlier cruises to Hole 1256D (ODP 206, IODP 309/312) have drilled through the sediments, lavas, and dikes and 100 m into a complex dike-gabbro transition zone. Operations on IODP Expedition 335 proved challenging throughout, with almost three weeks spent re-opening and securing unstable sections of the hole. When coring commenced, the comprehensive destruction of the coring bit required further remedial operations to remove junk and huge volumes of accumulated drill cuttings. Hole-cleaning operations using junk baskets were successful, and they recovered large irregular samples that document a hitherto unseen sequence of evolving geological conditions and the intimate coupling between temporally and spatially intercalated intrusive, hydrothermal, contact-metamorphic, partial melting, and retrogressive processes. Hole 1256D is now clean of junk, and it has been thoroughly cleared of the drill cuttings that hampered operations during this and previous expeditions. At the end of Expedition 335, we briefly resumed coring before undertaking cementing operations to secure problematic intervals. To ensure the greatest scientific return from the huge efforts to stabilize this primary ocean lithosphere reference site, it would be prudent to resume the deepening of Hole 1256D in the nearest possible future while it is open to full depth. doi:10.2204/iodp.sd.13.04.2011

  13. Learn about Ocean Dumping

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Ocean dumping is regulated by the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA). Learn about ocean dumping regulation including what materials can and cannot be dumped, the Ocean Dumping Management Program, and MPRSA history and accomplishments.

  14. 75 FR 13537 - Clean Water Act Section 303(d): Notice of Call for Public Comment on 303(d) Program and Ocean...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-22

    ...), Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST), National Research Council report on Marine p... ideas for effective strategies for Federal, State, and local officials to use to address the potential... particularly suited to gathering information about acidification of ocean waters? ii. Are there new programs...

  15. Pop Up/Drill Down: A Traveling Exhibit Designed to Reach Underserved Communities through Art and Geosciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurtz, N.

    2017-12-01

    Scientists observe the world around them in an attempt to understand it. Artists observe the world around them in an attempt to create a reflection or response to the environment. It is critical for the two fields to work together in order to engage and inform the general population. The Consortium for Ocean Leadership, the International Ocean Discovery Program and a series of collaborators are designing a traveling exhibit that will inspire underserved communities in the excitement of exploration, the process of science, and the people and tools required to get there. The project aims to learn more about how to increase access to and awareness of ocean/earth science by bringing a pop-up style museum exhibit to local libraries and public events. As an artist with a science and education background and the graphic designer for this exhibit, this author will highlight the ways this project utilizes art and design to educate underserved populations in ocean and geosciences.

  16. MeltMigrator: A MATLAB-based software for modeling three-dimensional melt migration and crustal thickness variations at mid-ocean ridges following a rules-based approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bai, Hailong; Montési, Laurent G. J.; Behn, Mark D.

    2017-01-01

    MeltMigrator is a MATLAB®-based melt migration software developed to process three-dimensional mantle temperature and velocity data from user-supplied numerical models of mid-ocean ridges, calculate melt production and melt migration trajectories in the mantle, estimate melt flux along plate boundaries, and predict crustal thickness distribution on the seafloor. MeltMigrator is also capable of calculating compositional evolution depending on the choice of petrologic melting model. Programmed in modules, MeltMigrator is highly customizable and can be expanded to a wide range of applications. We have applied it to complex mid-ocean ridge model settings, including transform faults, oblique segments, ridge migration, asymmetrical spreading, background mantle flow, and ridge-plume interaction. In this technical report, we include an example application to a segmented mid-ocean ridge. MeltMigrator is available as a supplement to this paper, and it is also available from GitHub and the University of Maryland Geodynamics Group website.

  17. 78 FR 67128 - Coral Reef Conservation Program; Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coral Reef Conservation Program; Meeting AGENCY: Coral Reef Conservation Program, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management... meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF). The meeting will be held in Christiansted, U.S. Virgin...

  18. Graduate Training Program in Ocean Engineering. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frey, Henry R.

    Activities during the first three years of New York University's Ocean Engineering Program are described including the development of new courses and summaries of graduate research projects. This interdepartmental program at the master's level includes aeronautics, chemical engineering, metallurgy, and physical oceanography. Eleven courses were…

  19. The Distribution of Dissolved Iron in the West Atlantic Ocean

    PubMed Central

    Rijkenberg, Micha J. A.; Middag, Rob; Laan, Patrick; Gerringa, Loes J. A.; van Aken, Hendrik M.; Schoemann, Véronique; de Jong, Jeroen T. M.; de Baar, Hein J. W.

    2014-01-01

    Iron (Fe) is an essential trace element for marine life. Extremely low Fe concentrations limit primary production and nitrogen fixation in large parts of the oceans and consequently influence ocean ecosystem functioning. The importance of Fe for ocean ecosystems makes Fe one of the core chemical trace elements in the international GEOTRACES program. Despite the recognized importance of Fe, our present knowledge of its supply and biogeochemical cycle has been limited by mostly fragmentary datasets. Here, we present highly accurate dissolved Fe (DFe) values measured at an unprecedented high intensity (1407 samples) along the longest full ocean depth transect (17500 kilometers) covering the entire western Atlantic Ocean. DFe measurements along this transect unveiled details about the supply and cycling of Fe. External sources of Fe identified included off-shelf and river supply, hydrothermal vents and aeolian dust. Nevertheless, vertical processes such as the recycling of Fe resulting from the remineralization of sinking organic matter and the removal of Fe by scavenging still dominated the distribution of DFe. In the northern West Atlantic Ocean, Fe recycling and lateral transport from the eastern tropical North Atlantic Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) dominated the DFe-distribution. Finally, our measurements showed that the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), the major driver of the so-called ocean conveyor belt, contains excess DFe relative to phosphate after full biological utilization and is therefore an important source of Fe for biological production in the global ocean. PMID:24978190

  20. Using Controlled Vocabularies and Semantics to Improve Ocean Data Discovery (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chandler, C. L.; Groman, R. C.; Shepherd, A.; Allison, M. D.; Kinkade, D.; Rauch, S.; Wiebe, P. H.; Glover, D. M.

    2013-12-01

    The Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO) was created in late 2006, by combining the formerly independent data management offices for the U.S. GLOBal Ocean ECosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC) and U.S. Joint Global Ocean flux Study (JGOFS) programs. BCO-DMO staff members work with investigators to publish data from research projects funded by the NSF Geosciences Directorate (GEO) Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) Biological and Chemical Oceanography Sections and Polar Programs (PLR) Antarctic Sciences Organisms & Ecosystems Program (ANT). Since 2006, researchers have been contributing new data to the BCO-DMO data system. As the data from new research efforts have been added to the data previously shared by U.S. GLOBEC and U.S. JGOFS researchers, the BCO-DMO system has developed into a rich repository of data from ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes research programs. The metadata records for the original research program data (prior to 2006) were stored in human-readable flat files of text, translated on-demand to Web-retrievable files. Beginning in 2006, the metadata records from multiple data systems managed by BCO-DMO were ingested into a relational database (MySQL). Since that time, efforts have been made to incorporate lists of controlled vocabulary terms for key information concepts stored in the MySQL database (e.g. names of research programs, deployments, instruments and measurements). This presents a challenge for a data system that includes legacy data and is continually expanding with the addition of new contributions. Over the years, BCO-DMO has developed a series of data delivery systems driven by the supporting metadata. Improved access to research data, a primary goal of the BCO-DMO project, is achieved through geospatial and text-based data access systems that support data discovery, access, display, assessment, integration, and export of data resources. The addition of a semantically-enabled search capability improves data discovery options particularly for those investigators whose research interests are cross-domain and multi-disciplinary. Current efforts by BCO-DMO staff members are focused on identifying globally unique, persistent identifiers to unambiguously identify resources of interest curated by and available from BCO-DMO. The process involves several essential components: (1) identifying a trusted authoritative source of complementary content and the appropriate contact; (2) determining the globally unique, persistent identifier system for resources of interest and (3) negotiating the requisite syntactic and semantic exchange systems. A variety of technologies have been deployed including: (1) controlled vocabulary term lists for some of the essential concepts/classes; (2) the Ocean Data Ontology; (3) publishing content as Linked Open Data and (4) SPARQL queries and inference. The final results are emerging as a semantic layer comprising domain-specific controlled vocabularies typed to community standard definitions, an ontology with the concepts and relationships needed to describe ocean data, a semantically-enabled faceted search, and inferencing services. We are exploring use of these technologies to improve the accuracy of the BCO-DMO data collection and to facilitate exchange of information with complementary ocean data repositories. Integrating a semantic layer into the BCO-DMO data system architecture improves data and information resource discovery, access and integration.

  1. The Ocean Observatories Initiative Data Management and QA/QC: Lessons Learned and the Path Ahead

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vardaro, M.; Belabbassi, L.; Garzio, L. M.; Knuth, F.; Smith, M. J.; Kerfoot, J.; Crowley, M. F.

    2016-02-01

    The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is a multi-decadal, NSF-funded program that will provide long-term, near real-time cabled and telemetered measurements of climate variability, ocean circulation, ecosystem dynamics, air-sea exchange, seafloor processes, and plate-scale geodynamics. The OOI platforms consist of seafloor sensors, fixed moorings, and mobile assets containing over 700 operational instruments in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Rutgers University operates the Cyberinfrastructure (CI) component of the OOI, which acquires, processes and distributes data to scientists, researchers, educators and the public. It will also provide observatory mission command and control, data assessment and distribution, and long-term data management. The Rutgers Data Management Team consists of a data manager and four data evaluators, who are tasked with ensuring data completeness and quality, as well as interaction with OOI users to facilitate data delivery and utility. Here we will discuss the procedures developed to guide the data team workflow, the automated QC algorithms and human-in-the-loop (HITL) annotations that are used to flag suspect data (whether due to instrument failures, biofouling, or unanticipated events), system alerts and alarms, long-term data storage and CF (Climate and Forecast) standard compliance, and the lessons learned during construction and the first several months of OOI operations.

  2. The Artistic Oceanographer Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haley, Sheean T.; Dyhrman, Sonya T.

    2009-01-01

    The Artistic Oceanographer Program (AOP) was designed to engage elementary school students in ocean sciences and to illustrate basic fifth-grade science and art standards with ocean-based examples. The program combines short science lessons, hands-on observational science, and art, and focuses on phytoplankton, the tiny marine organisms that form…

  3. Naval EarthMap Observer (NEMO) science and naval products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davis, Curtiss O.; Kappus, Mary E.; Gao, Bo-Cai; Bissett, W. Paul; Snyder, William A.

    1998-11-01

    A wide variety of applications of imaging spectrometry have been demonstrated using data from aircraft systems. Based on this experience the Navy is pursuing the Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Technology (HRST) Program to use hyperspectral imagery to characterize the littoral environment, for scientific and environmental studies and to meet Naval needs. To obtain the required space based hyperspectral imagery the Navy has joined in a partnership with industry to build and fly the Naval EarthMap Observer (NEMO). The NEMO spacecraft has the Coastal Ocean Imaging Spectrometer (COIS) a hyperspectral imager with adequate spectral and spatial resolution and a high signal-to- noise ratio to provide long term monitoring and real-time characterization of the coastal environment. It includes on- board processing for rapid data analysis and data compression, a large volume recorder, and high speed downlink to handle the required large volumes of data. This paper describes the algorithms for processing the COIS data to provide at-launch ocean data products and the research and modeling that are planned to use COIS data to advance our understanding of the dynamics of the coastal ocean.

  4. NOAA activities in support of in situ validation observations for satellite ocean color products and related ocean science research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lance, V. P.; DiGiacomo, P. M.; Ondrusek, M.; Stengel, E.; Soracco, M.; Wang, M.

    2016-02-01

    The NOAA/STAR ocean color program is focused on "end-to-end" production of high quality satellite ocean color products. In situ validation of satellite data is essential to produce the high quality, "fit for purpose" ocean color products that support users and applications in all NOAA line offices, as well as external (both applied and research) users. The first NOAA/OMAO (Office of Marine and Aviation Operations) sponsored research cruise dedicated to VIIRS SNPP validation was completed aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in November 2014. The goals and objectives of the 2014 cruise are highlighted in the recently published NOAA/NESDIS Technical Report. A second dedicated validation cruise is planned for December 2015 and will have been completed by the time of this meeting. The goals and objectives of the 2015 cruise will be discussed in the presentation. Participants and observations made will be reported. The NOAA Ocean Color Calibration/Validation (Cal/Val) team also works collaboratively with others programs. A recent collaboration with the NOAA Ocean Acidification program on the East Coast Ocean Acidification (ECOA) cruise during June-July 2015, where biogeochemical and optical measurements were made together, allows for the leveraging of in situ observations for satellite validation and for their use in the development of future ocean acidification satellite products. Datasets from these cruises will be formally archived at NOAA and Digital Object Identifier (DOI) numbers will be assigned. In addition, the NOAA Coast/OceanWatch Program is working to establish a searchable database. The beta version will begin with cruise data and additional in situ calibration/validation related data collected by the NOAA Ocean Color Cal/Val team members. A more comprehensive searchable NOAA database, with contributions from other NOAA ocean observation platforms and cruise collaborations is envisioned. Progress on these activities will be reported.

  5. Environmental programs for ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wilde, P.

    1981-07-01

    The environmental research effort in support of the US Department of Energy's Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) program has the goal of providing documented information on the effect of proposed operations on the ocean and the effect of oceanic conditions on the plant. The associated environment program consists of archival studies in potential areas serial oceanographic cruises to sites or regions of interest, studies from various fixed platforms at sites, and compilation of such information for appropriate legal compliance and permit requirements and for use in progressive design of OTEC plants. Site/regions investigated are south of Mobile and west ofmore » Tampa, Gulf of Mexico; Punta Tuna, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, Virgin Islands; Kahe Point, Oahu and Keahole Point, Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands; and off the Brazilian south Equatorial Coast. Four classes of environmental concerns identified are: redistribution of oceanic properties (ocean water mixing, impingement/entrainment etc.); chemical pollution (biocides, working fluid leaks, etc.); structural effects (artificial reef, aggregation, nesting/migration, etc.); socio-legal-economic (worker safety, enviromaritime law, etc.).« less

  6. Remote sensing of chlorophyll in an atmosphere-ocean environment: a theoretical study.

    PubMed

    Kattawar, G W; Humphreys, T J

    1976-01-01

    A Monte Carlo program was written to compute the effect of chlorophyll on the ratio of upwelling to down-welling radiance and irradiance as a function of wavelength, height above the ocean, and depth within the ocean. This program simulates the actual physical situation, since a real atmospheric model was used, i.e., one that contained both aerosol and Rayleigh scattering as well as ozone absorption. The complete interaction of the radiation field with the ocean was also taken into account. The chlorophyll was assumed to be uniformly mixed in the ocean and was also assumed to act only as an absorbing agent. For the ocean model both scattering and absorption by hydrosols was included. Results have been obtained for both a very clear ocean and a medium turbid ocean. Recommendations are made for optimum techniques for remotely sensing chlorophyll both in situ and in vitro.

  7. Physical Oceanography of the Caribbean Sea: Some Recent Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilson, D.; Johns, W. E.

    2001-12-01

    Recent oceanographic observations in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico (the Intra-Americas Sea) have contributed to our understanding of IAS circulation, the dynamics forcing the circulation, and the role of the IAS in hemispheric ocean processes. Specifically, recent results from several programs will be presented and discussed: The Windward Islands Passages Program, designed to measure upper ocean transport and water mass properties of the exchange between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, is entering its tenth year of observations. Mean transport estimates based on 10 to 20 sections now exist for the major passages between Trinidad and the Virgin Islands. Approximately 19 of the estimated 32 Sv in the Florida Straits enter through these passages, of which approximately 12 enter south of Dominica, 6 in the Grenada Passage. The Caribbean Inflow Variability Experiment is designed to continuously monitor the transport through the Grenada Passage. Plans are in place to monitor a submarine telephone cable between Grenada and Trinidad to estimate transport; at present several shipboard velocity sections and year-long pressure gauge records are available as part of the program. Dominant low-frequency signals in the cross-passage pressure difference are 30 - 60 days. The NOPP Year of the Ocean Drifting Buoy Program placed over 150 WOCE-style surface drifting buoys in the IAS during 1998 - 2000. Analysis of drifter tracks shows the best picture to date of IAS surface currents, including well-resolved gyres in the SW Caribbean (Panama-Colombia) region. Monitoring of Florida Straits transport via submarine cable is once again active, complemented by quarterly CD and transport cruises. Analyses of historical transport data (Baringer & Larson, 2001) have shown correlations between low frequency transport variability and climate indices (e. g., NAO). Additionally, full-depth velocity profiles across the straits are available weekly from the 38 kHz ADCP mounted on the Explorer of the Seas cruise ship. Availability of these and other observational resources, its semi-enclosed and well-bounded geography, and its significance to downstream North American oceanic and atmospheric conditions make the IAS an excellent region for model development and validation.

  8. Youth Science Ambassadors: Connecting Indigenous communities with Ocean Networks Canada tools to inspire future ocean scientists and marine resource managers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pelz, M.; Hoeberechts, M.; Hale, C.; McLean, M. A.

    2017-12-01

    This presentation describes Ocean Networks Canada's (ONC) Youth Science Ambassador Program. The Youth Science Ambassadors are a growing network of youth in Canadian coastal communities whose role is to connect ocean science, ONC data, and Indigenous knowledge. By directly employing Indigenous youth in communities in which ONC operates monitoring equipment, ONC aims to encourage wider participation and interest in ocean science and exploration. Further, the Youth Science Ambassadors act as role models and mentors to other local youth by highlighting connections between Indigenous and local knowledge and current marine science efforts. Ocean Networks Canada, an initiative of the University of Victoria, develops, operates, and maintains cabled ocean observatory systems. These include technologies developed on the world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS observatories as well as community observatories in the Arctic and coastal British Columbia. These observatories, large and small, enable communities, users, scientists, teachers, and students to monitor real-time and historical data from the local marine environment from anywhere on the globe. Youth Science Ambassadors are part of the Learning and Engagement team whose role includes engaging Indigenous communities and schools in ocean science through ONC's K-12 Ocean Sense education program. All of the data collected by ONC are freely available over the Internet for non-profit use, including disaster planning, community-based decision making, and education. The Youth Science Ambassadors support collaboration with Indigenous communities and schools by facilitating educational programming, encouraging participation in ocean data collection and analysis, and fostering interest in ocean science. In addition, the Youth Science Ambassadors support community collaboration in decision-making for instrument deployment locations and identify ways in which ONC can help to address any areas of concern raised by the community. This presentation will share the successes and challenges of the Youth Science Ambassador program in engaging both rural and urban Indigenous communities. We will share activities and experiences, discuss how we have adapted to meet the needs of each community, and outline ideas we have for the future development of the program.

  9. 78 FR 77104 - Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program: Intent To Find That Oregon Has Failed To Submit an...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program: Intent To Find That Oregon Has Failed To Submit an Approvable Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...

  10. Earth Observation Services (Image Processing Software)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    San Diego State University and Environmental Systems Research Institute, with other agencies, have applied satellite imaging and image processing techniques to geographic information systems (GIS) updating. The resulting images display land use and are used by a regional planning agency for applications like mapping vegetation distribution and preserving wildlife habitats. The EOCAP program provides government co-funding to encourage private investment in, and to broaden the use of NASA-developed technology for analyzing information about Earth and ocean resources.

  11. The Application of Jason-Measurements to Estimate the Global Near Surface Ocean Circulation for Climate Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Niiler, Pearn P.

    2004-01-01

    The scientific objective of this research program were to utilize drifter and satellite sea level data for the determination of time mean and time variable surface currents of the global ocean. To accomplish these tasks has required the processing of drifter data to include a wide variety of different configurations of drifters into a uniform format and to process the along track satellite altimeter data for computing the geostrophic current components normal to the track. These tasks were accomplished, which resulted in an increase of drifter data by about 40% and the development of new algorithms for obtaining satellite derived geostrophic velocity data that was consistent with the drifter observations of geostrophic time-variable currents. The methodologies and the research results using these methodologies were reported in the publications listed in this paper.

  12. Bio-Optical Measurement and Modeling of the California Current and Polar Oceans

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mitchell, B. Greg; Fargion, Giulietta S. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    The principal goals of our research are to validate standard or experimental products through detailed bio-optical and biogeochemical measurements, and to combine ocean optical observations with advanced radiative transfer modeling to contribute to satellite vicarious radiometric calibration and advanced algorithm development. To achieve our goals requires continued efforts to execute complex field programs globally, as well as development of advanced ocean optical measurement protocols. We completed a comprehensive set of ocean optical observations in the California Current, Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean requiring a large commitment to instrument calibration, measurement protocols, data processing and data merger. We augmented separately funded projects of our own, as well as others, to acquire ill situ data sets we have collected on various global cruises supported by separate grants or contracts. In collaboration with major oceanographic ship-based observation programs funded by various agencies (CalCOFI, US JGOFS, NOAA AMLR, INDOEX and Japan/East Sea) our SIMBIOS effort has resulted in data from diverse bio-optical provinces. For these global deployments we generate a high-quality, methodologically consistent, data set encompassing a wide-range of oceanic conditions. Global data collected in recent years have been integrated with our on-going CalCOFI database and have been used to evaluate SeaWiFS algorithms and to carry out validation studies. The combined database we have assembled now comprises more than 700 stations and includes observations for the clearest oligotrophic waters, highly eutrophic blooms, red-tides and coastal case 2 conditions. The data has been used to validate water-leaving radiance estimated with SeaWiFS as well as bio-optical algorithms for chlorophyll pigments. The comprehensive data is utilized for development of experimental algorithms (e.g. high-low latitude pigment transition, phytoplankton absorption, and cDOM). During this period we completed 9 peer-reviewed publications in high quality journals, and presented aspects of our work at more than 10 scientific conferences.

  13. CHART: An Online Workshop About the Future of Scientific Ocean Drilling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meth, C. E.; Ravelo, A. C.

    2009-12-01

    The CHART (Charting the Future Course of Scientific Ocean Drilling) workshop was a six-week on-line meeting that gathered input from the U.S. science community regarding future research directions for scientific ocean drilling. The CHART workshop was hosted and implemented by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, under the U.S. Science Support Program associated with IODP. The online format allowed researchers who would normally not have the time or resources to travel to a physical meeting to participate in this discussion and allowed Ocean Leadership to archive, in written form, input from every participant, instead of just preserving popular or consensus views. The meeting had six discussion boards, each with initial questions intended to stimulate discussion on current emerging fields, unanswered research questions, implementation strategies, and potential future directions for scientific ocean drilling. The moderators read the posts on a daily basis, interjected comments or questions to stimulate more discussion, and wrote short weekly summaries. Interest in the CHART discussions increased over the course of the workshop and prompted the steering committee to extend the meeting to the final sixth week, allowing time for the participants to complete reading and responding to the new activity. In all, the CHART discussion boards were visited 2,242 times by 695 visitors and resulted in 535 posts. The visitors came to the site from 37 states, the District of Columbia, and 17 countries. The CHART workshop represented the first step in garnering input from U.S. scientists to plan for scientific ocean drilling beyond 2013. The resulting white paper became part of the planning process for the international meeting, INVEST, and will be used to write the science plan for the next scientific drilling program. The white paper also allowed U.S. participants at INVEST to better represent and express the collective vision of the their community.

  14. Particle Mass in Deep-Water Benthic Nepheloid Layers: a Global Synthesis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mishonov, A. V.; Gardner, W. D.; Richardson, M. J.

    2016-12-01

    The mass of particles in benthic nepheloid layers in the deep ocean is mapped using profiles of beam attenuation coefficient obtained with transmissometers interfaced with CTDs during WOCE, SAVE, JGOFS, CLIVAR-Repeat Hydrography, and other programs during the last four decades using data from over 8000 profiles from >70 cruises. We map the maximum concentration of particle mass near the seafloor and integrate the particle mass throughout the benthic nepheloid layer. In the Atlantic Ocean particle mass is greater in areas where eddy kinetic energy is high in overlying waters. Areas of high bottom particle concentrations and integrated benthic nepheloid layer particle loads include the western North Atlantic beneath the Gulf Stream meanders and eddies, Argentine Basin, parts of the Southern Ocean and areas around South Africa. Particle concentrations are low in most of the Pacific and tropical and subtropical Atlantic away from margins. This synthesis is useful for GEOTRACES and other global programs where knowing particle distribution is critical for understanding trace metal absorption, sediment-water exchange and near-bottom processes. Additionally, our synthesis provides baseline data to identify where mining of metal-rich nodules and metal sulfides on the seafloor may impact the benthic environment.

  15. Precise orbit computation and sea surface modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wakker, Karel F.; Ambrosius, B. A. C.; Rummel, R.; Vermaat, E.; Deruijter, W. P. M.; Vandermade, J. W.; Zimmerman, J. T. F.

    1991-01-01

    The research project described below is part of a long-term program at Delft University of Technology aiming at the application of European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-1) and TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter measurements for geophysical purposes. This program started in 1980 with the processing of Seasat laser range and altimeter height measurements and concentrates today on the analysis of Geosat altimeter data. The objectives of the TOPEX/POSEIDON research project are the tracking of the satellite by the Dutch mobile laser tracking system MTLRS-2, the computation of precise TOPEX/POSEIDON orbits, the analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of the orbit errors, the improvement of ERS-1 orbits through the information obtained from the altimeter crossover difference residuals for crossing ERS-1 and TOPEX/POSEIDON tracks, the combination of ERS-1 and TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data into a single high-precision data set, and the application of this data set to model the sea surface. The latter application will focus on the determination of detailed regional mean sea surfaces, sea surface variability, ocean topography, and ocean currents in the North Atlantic, the North Sea, the seas around Indonesia, the West Pacific, and the oceans around South Africa.

  16. Programmed cell death in the marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium mediates carbon and nitrogen export

    PubMed Central

    Bar-Zeev, Edo; Avishay, Itamar; Bidle, Kay D; Berman-Frank, Ilana

    2013-01-01

    The extent of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) export to the deep ocean depends upon the efficacy of the biological pump that transports primary production to depth, thereby preventing its recycling in the upper photic zone. The dinitrogen-fixing (diazotrophic) Trichodesmium spp. contributes significantly to oceanic C and N cycling by forming extensive blooms in nutrient-poor tropical and subtropical regions. These massive blooms generally collapse several days after forming, but the cellular mechanism responsible, along with the magnitude of associated C and N export processes, are as yet unknown. Here, we used a custom-made, 2-m high water column to simulate a natural bloom and to specifically test and quantify whether the programmed cell death (PCD) of Trichodesmium mechanistically regulates increased vertical flux of C and N. Our findings demonstrate that extremely rapid development and abrupt, PCD-induced demise (within 2–3 days) of Trichodesmium blooms lead to greatly elevated excretions of transparent exopolymers and a massive downward pulse of particulate organic matter. Our results mechanistically link autocatalytic PCD and bloom collapse to quantitative C and N export fluxes, suggesting that PCD may have an impact on the biological pump efficiency in the oceans. PMID:23887173

  17. The Global Drifter Program Currents, Sea Surface Temperature, Atmospheric Pressure and Waves in the World's OceanThe Global Drifter Program Currents, Sea Surface Temperature, Atmospheric Pressure and Waves in the World's Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Centurioni, Luca

    2017-04-01

    The Global Drifter Program is the principal component of the Global Surface Drifting Buoy Array, a branch of NOAA's Global Ocean Observing System and a scientific project of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP). The DBCP is an international program coordinating the use of autonomous data buoys to observe atmospheric and oceanographic conditions over ocean areas where few other measurements are taken. The Global Drifter Program maintains an array of over 1,250 Lagrangian drifters, reporting in near real-time and designed measure 15 m depth Lagrangian currents, sea surface temperature (SST) and sea level atmospheric pressure (SLP), among others, to fulfill the needs to observe the air-sea interface at temporal and spatial scales adequate to support short to medium-range weather forecasting, ocean state estimates and climate science. This overview talk will discuss the main achievements of the program, the main impacts for satellite SST calibration and validation, for numerical weather prediction, and it will review the main scientific findings based on the use of Lagrangian currents. Finally, we will present new developments in Lagrangian drifter technology, which include special drifters designed to measure sea surface salinity, wind and directional wave spectra. New opportunities for expanding the scope of the Global Drifter Program will be discussed.

  18. NPOESS Preparatory Project Validation Program for Ocean Data Products from VIIRS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arnone, R.; Jackson, J. M.

    2009-12-01

    The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite Suite (NPOESS) Program, in partnership with National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA), will launch the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP), a risk reduction and data continuity mission, prior to the first operational NPOESS launch. The NPOESS Program, in partnership with Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS), will execute the NPP Validation program to ensure the data products comply with the requirements of the sponsoring agencies. Data from the NPP Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) will be used to produce Environmental Data Records (EDR's) of Ocean Color/Chlorophyll and Sea Surface Temperature. The ocean Cal/Val program is designed to address an “end to end” capability from sensor to end product and is developed based on existing ongoing government satellite ocean remote sensing capabilities that are currently in use with NASA research and Navy and NOAA operational products. Therefore, the plan focuses on the extension of known reliable methods and capabilities currently used with the heritage sensors that will be extended to the NPP and NPOESS ocean product Cal/Val effort. This is not a fully “new” approach but it is designed to be the most reliable and cost effective approach to developing an automated Cal/Val system for VIIRS while retaining highly accurate procedures and protocols. This presentation will provide an overview of the approaches, data and schedule for the validation of the NPP VIIRS Ocean environmental data products.

  19. Getting into the GROOVE: How Building Effective Education Partnerships and Promoting Authentic Student Research through the Girls' Remotely Operated Ocean Vehicle Exploration (GROOVE) Workshop.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pelz, M.; Heesemann, M.; Hoeberechts, M.

    2017-12-01

    This presentation outlines the pilot year of Girls' Remotely Operated Ocean Vehicle Exploration or GROOVE, a hands-on learning program created collaboratively with education partners Ocean Networks Canada and St. Margaret's School (Victoria, BC, Canada). The program features student-led activities, authentic student experiences, clearly outlined learning outcomes, teacher and student self-assessment tools, and curriculum-aligned content. Presented through the lens of STEM, students build a modified Seaperch ROV and explore and research thematic scientific concepts such as buoyancy, electronic circuitry, and deep-sea exploration. Further, students learn engineering skills such as isotropic scaling, soldering, and assembly as they build their ROV. Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, develops, operates, and maintains cabled ocean observatory systems. These include technologies developed on the world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS observatories and the ever-expanding network of community observatories in the Arctic and coastal British Columbia. These observatories, large and small, enable communities, users, scientists, teachers, and students to monitor real-time and historical data from the local marine environment from anywhere on the globe. GROOVE, Girls' Remotely Operated Ocean Vehicle Exploration, is ONC's newest educational program and is related to their foundational program K-12 Ocean Sense educational program. This presentation will share our experiences developing, refining, and assessing our efforts to implement GROOVE using a train-the-trainer model aimed at formal and informal K-12 educators. We will highlight lessons learned from multiple perspectives (students, participants, developers, and mentors) with the intent of informing future education and outreach initiatives.

  20. Seasat-A and the commercial ocean community

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Montgomery, D. R.; Wolff, P.

    1977-01-01

    The Seasat-A program has been initiated as a 'proof-of-concept' mission to evaluate the effectiveness of remotely sensing oceanology and related meteorological phenomena from a satellite platform in space utilizing sensors developed on previous space and aircraft test programs. The sensors include three active microwave sensors; a radar altimeter, a windfield scatterometer, and a synthetic aperture radar. A passive scanning multifrequency microwave radiometer, visual and infrared radiometer are also included. All weather, day-night measurements of sea surface temperature, surface wind speed/direction and sea state and directional wave spectra will be made. Two key programs are planned for data utilization with users during the mission. Foremost is a program with the commercial ocean community to test the utility of Seasat-A data and to begin the transfer of ocean remote sensing technology to the civil sector. A second program is a solicitation of investigations, led by NOAA, to involve the ocean science community in a series of scientific investigations.

  1. Japan signs Ocean Agreement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    The Ocean Research Institute of the University of Tokyo and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). The agreement calls for Japanese participation in ODP and an annual contribution of $2.5 million in U.S. currency for the project's 9 remaining years, according to NSF.ODP is an international project whose mission is to learn more about the formation and development of the earth through the collection and examination of core samples from beneath the ocean. The program uses the drillship JOIDES Resolution, which is equipped with laboratories and computer facilities. The Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling (JOIDES), an international group of scientists, provides overall science planning and program advice regarding ODP's science goals and objectives.

  2. Arctic Research NASA's Cryospheric Sciences Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Waleed, Abdalati; Zukor, Dorothy J. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Much of NASA's Arctic Research is run through its Cryospheric Sciences Program. Arctic research efforts to date have focused primarily on investigations of the mass balance of the largest Arctic land-ice masses and the mechanisms that control it, interactions among sea ice, polar oceans, and the polar atmosphere, atmospheric processes in the polar regions, energy exchanges in the Arctic. All of these efforts have been focused on characterizing, understanding, and predicting, changes in the Arctic. NASA's unique vantage from space provides an important perspective for the study of these large scale processes, while detailed process information is obtained through targeted in situ field and airborne campaigns and models. An overview of NASA investigations in the Arctic will be presented demonstrating how the synthesis of space-based technology, and these complementary components have advanced our understanding of physical processes in the Arctic.

  3. Undergraduate Research Experience in Ocean/Marine Science (URE-OMS)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2003-09-30

    The URE-Ocean/Marine Science program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in remote sensing and GIS. The program is based on a model for undergraduate research programs supported by the National Science Foundation . URE project features mentors, research projects, and professional development opportunities. It is the long-term goal

  4. Usage of satellite data SMOS in order to characterize Sea Surface Salinity in the western Mediterranean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brook, Anna; Robins, Lotem; Olmedo Casal, Estrella

    2017-04-01

    Measuring the level of Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) is a principle component in order to understand climate processes that occur today and for better understanding of climate change in the future; Different processes create different salt concentration in different places in the oceans. This different salinity level had a role in determining the vertical and horizontal water fluxes. As the first three meters of the ocean surface contain more heat than that in the whole atmosphere, the influence of the salinity level on the layering of the different water levels and the different fluxes, thus, it is an important factor determining air sea interaction. An existing problem in predicting the oceans is the lack of salinity samples in the oceans. While Sea surface Temperature (SST) could be evaluated easier from remote sensed devices, analyzing data at the Near Infra-Red and Visual wavelength. Measuring and locating salinity spectral signature was an obstacle. This lack of data caused problems running different models that describe different parameters of the ocean, both in depth and surface. One of the main goals of a program called: Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), is to deliver data on a global scale concerning the sea surface salinity (SSS). The main idea of the SMOS technology is based on the differences between the electro-magnetic properties (spectral signatures) of distilled water and salted water. High concentration of salt revealed by analyzing the energy emitted from the ocean's surface, using detectors that are sensitive for the wavelength at the range of 21 cm (L-band: 1.4 GHz). One of the main problems, measuring this wavelength, is that it requires very large antennas. In order to solve this problem, a Y shaped satellite was built, on each of its arms, 69 antennas were attached, with equal distances between each antenna. Each antenna is 165 mm on the diameter and their height is 19 mm. This antenna transmits all the information they receive to a central device. By using interferometry and a matching algorithm between the signals of each possible couple of antennas, synthesis of all the antennas is preformed, which makes it possible to overcome the problem of using large antennas. The SMOS satellite delivers data at accuracy of 0.1psu, with spatial resolution of 200 km. The data is available in different forms, starting from unprocessed data to final products of brightness temperature that are temporally and spatially synchronized (L2 level). By downscaling those products, models of spatial resolution of 25 km and temporal daily resolution are calculated. The meaning of this long process is that the data is going through long process before arriving to scientific analysis. The process from raw data until L2 level involves radiometric and physical corrections, detection and exclusion of atmospheric disturbance, geographical anchor etc. In order to check the possible usage of the processed data of SMOS in the Mediterranean, a simple comparison was held between SMOS and MEDRYS1V2 - reanalysis of the Mediterranean sea during the years 1992-2013, which is based on the oceanic model of NEMO12, and forced by the atmospheric model of ALDERA. While doing this comparison, it is important to remember that the goal of the SMOS program is to deliver data in a global scale, while MEDRYS1V2 was created especially for the Mediterranean. From the comparison of the two data sets, it is possible to detect to main issues: The first issue is that it seems that the SMOS satellite uses more linear interpolation, to describe the space, while the reanalysis is based on the primitive physical equations and data assimilation. The second issue is a large anomaly that occurs probably due to the river spill, which is getting a different signature, as the low resolution of SMOS might be a problem detecting correctly the spill, without another local data source. To conclude, the SMOS program which one of its main goals is to create a reliable data source of SSS, on a global scale, has an important role for understanding oceanic process and climate change patterns. While the global goal is contributing for research and development, on a more local scale it is possible to observe that analyzation of the Mediterranean, that mainly being held in high spatial resolution is not represented well using SMOS products. The main reason is the low spatial resolution, of the satellite, but owing to its unique technology, different methods could be applied, to better represent smaller scaled research.

  5. Submarine landslides in Arctic sedimentation: Canada Basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mosher, David C.; Shimeld, John; Hutchinson, Deborah R.; Lebedova-Ivanova, N; Chapman, C.

    2016-01-01

    Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean is the least studied ocean basin in the World. Marine seismic field programs were conducted over the past 6 years using Canadian and American icebreakers. These expeditions acquired more than 14,000 line-km of multibeam bathymetric and multi-channel seismic reflection data over abyssal plain, continental rise and slope regions of Canada Basin; areas where little or no seismic reflection data existed previously. Canada Basin is a turbidite-filled basin with flat-lying reflections correlateable over 100s of km. For the upper half of the sedimentary succession, evidence of sedimentary processes other than turbidity current deposition is rare. The Canadian Archipelago and Beaufort Sea margins host stacked mass transport deposits from which many of these turbidites appear to derive. The stratigraphic succession of the MacKenzie River fan is dominated by mass transport deposits; one such complex is in excess of 132,000 km2 in area and underlies much of the southern abyssal plain. The modern seafloor is also scarred with escarpments and mass failure deposits; evidence that submarine landsliding is an ongoing process. In its latest phase of development, Canada Basin is geomorphologically confined with stable oceanographic structure, resulting in restricted depositional/reworking processes. The sedimentary record, therefore, underscores the significance of mass-transport processes in providing sediments to oceanic abyssal plains as few other basins are able to do.

  6. A Time Series of Sea Surface Nitrate and Nitrate based New Production in the Global Oceans

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goes, J. I.; Fargion, G. S.; Gomes, H. R.; Franz, B. A.

    2014-12-01

    With support from NASA's MEaSUREs program, we are developing algorithms for two innovative satellite-based Earth Science Data Records (ESDRs), one Sea Surface Nitrate (SSN) and the other, Nitrate based new Production (NnP). Newly developed algorithms will be applied to mature ESDRs of Chlorophyll a and SST available from NASA, to generate maps of SSN and NnP. Our proposed ESDRs offer the potential of greatly improving our understanding of the role of the oceans in global carbon cycling, earth system processes and climate change, especially for regions and seasons which are inaccessible to traditional shipboard studies. They also provide an innovative means for validating and improving coupled ecosystem models that currently rely on global maps of nitrate generated from multi-year data sets. To aid in our algorithm development efforts and to ensure that our ESDRs are truly global in nature, we are currently in the process of assembling a large database of nutrients from oceanographic institutions all over the world. Once our products are developed and our algorithms are fine-tuned, large-scale data production will be undertaken in collaboration with NASA's Ocean Biology Processing Group (OPBG), who will make the data publicly available first as evaluation products and then as mature ESDRs.

  7. Satellite Ocean Color Validation Using Merchant Ships. Chapter 10

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frouin, Robert; Cutchin, David L.; Deschamps, Pierre-Yves

    2001-01-01

    A collaborative measurement program for evaluating satellite-derived ocean color has been developed based on ships of opportunity (merchant, oceanographic) and specific instrumentation, the SIMBAD radiometer. The purpose of the measurement program is to complement, in a cost-effective way, dedicated evaluation experiments at sea, which are expensive, cannot be carried out over the full range of expected oceanic and atmospheric conditions, and generally provide a few match-ups. Ships participate in the program on a volunteer basis or at a very small cost, and measurement procedures do not interfere with other ship activities. The SIMBAD radiometer is a portable, easy-to-operate instrument that measures the basic ocean color variables, namely aerosol optical thickness and water-leaving radiance, in typical spectral bands of ocean-color sensors, i.e., 443, 490, 560, 670, and 870 nm. Measuring these variables at the time of satellite overpass is usually sufficient to verify satellite-derived ocean color and to evaluate atmospheric correction algorithms. Any ordinary crew can learn quickly how to make measurements. Importantly, the ship is not required to stop, making it possible to collect data along regular routes traveled by merchant ships in the world's oceans.

  8. The Scientific and Societal Need for Accurate Global Remote Sensing of Marine Suspended Sediments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Acker, James G.

    2006-01-01

    Population pressure, commercial development, and climate change are expected to cause continuing alteration of the vital oceanic coastal zone environment. These pressures will influence both the geology and biology of the littoral, nearshore, and continental shelf regions. A pressing need for global observation of coastal change processes is an accurate remotely-sensed data product for marine suspended sediments. The concentration, delivery, transport, and deposition of sediments is strongly relevant to coastal primary production, inland and coastal hydrology, coastal erosion, and loss of fragile wetland and island habitats. Sediment transport and deposition is also related to anthropogenic activities including agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, harbor and port commerce, and military operations. Because accurate estimation of marine suspended sediment concentrations requires advanced ocean optical analysis, a focused collaborative program of algorithm development and assessment is recommended, following the successful experience of data refinement for remotely-sensed global ocean chlorophyll concentrations.

  9. Ocean Hydrodynamics Numerical Model in Curvilinear Coordinates for Simulating Circulation of the Global Ocean and its Separate Basins.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gusev, Anatoly; Diansky, Nikolay; Zalesny, Vladimir

    2010-05-01

    The original program complex is proposed for the ocean circulation sigma-model, developed in the Institute of Numerical Mathematics (INM), Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The complex can be used in various curvilinear orthogonal coordinate systems. In addition to ocean circulation model, the complex contains a sea ice dynamics and thermodynamics model, as well as the original system of the atmospheric forcing implementation on the basis of both prescribed meteodata and atmospheric model results. This complex can be used as the oceanic block of Earth climate model as well as for solving the scientific and practical problems concerning the World ocean and its separate oceans and seas. The developed program complex can be effectively used on parallel shared memory computational systems and on contemporary personal computers. On the base of the complex proposed the ocean general circulation model (OGCM) was developed. The model is realized in the curvilinear orthogonal coordinate system obtained by the conformal transformation of the standard geographical grid that allowed us to locate the system singularities outside the integration domain. The horizontal resolution of the OGCM is 1 degree on longitude, 0.5 degree on latitude, and it has 40 non-uniform sigma-levels in depth. The model was integrated for 100 years starting from the Levitus January climatology using the realistic atmospheric annual cycle calculated on the base of CORE datasets. The experimental results showed us that the model adequately reproduces the basic characteristics of large-scale World Ocean dynamics, that is in good agreement with both observational data and results of the best climatic OGCMs. This OGCM is used as the oceanic component of the new version of climatic system model (CSM) developed in INM RAS. The latter is now ready for carrying out the new numerical experiments on climate and its change modelling according to IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) scenarios in the scope of the CMIP-5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project). On the base of the complex proposed the Pacific Ocean circulation eddy-resolving model was realized. The integration domain covers the Pacific from Equator to Bering Strait. The model horizontal resolution is 0.125 degree and it has 20 non-uniform sigma-levels in depth. The model adequately reproduces circulation large-scale structure and its variability: Kuroshio meandering, ocean synoptic eddies, frontal zones, etc. Kuroshio high variability is shown. The distribution of contaminant was simulated that is admittedly wasted near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The results demonstrate contaminant distribution structure and provide us understanding of hydrological fields formation processes in the North-West Pacific.

  10. Earth Observation Services Weather Imaging

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    Microprocessor-based systems for processing satellite data offer mariners real-time images of weather systems, day and night, of large areas or allow them to zoom in on a few square miles. Systems West markets these commercial image processing systems, which have significantly decreased the cost of satellite weather stations. The company was assisted by the EOCAP program, which provides government co-funding to encourage private investment in, and to broaden the use of, NASA-developed technology for analyzing information about Earth and ocean resources.

  11. The Influence of Ridge Geometry at the Ultraslow-Spreading Southwest Indiean Ridge (9 deg - 25 deg E): Basalt Composition Sensitivity to Variations in Source and Process

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-02-01

    East Pacific Rise , 5 degrees 30’-14 degrees 30’ N , Natures, 322, 422-429. Langmuir, C. H., E. M. Klein, and T. Plank (1992...Mantle source heterogeneity and melting processes beneath seafloor spreading centers: The East Pacific Rise , 18 degrees -19 degrees S, Journal of... East Pacific Rise , Aumento, F., and H. Loubat, The Mid-Atlantic Ridge Near Proc. Ocean Drill. Program Sci. Results, 147, 103-134,

  12. SEA Semester Undergraduates Research the Ocean's Role in Climate Systems in the Pacific Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meyer, A. W.; Becker, M. K.; Grabb, K. C.

    2014-12-01

    Sea Education Association (SEA)'s fully accredited Oceans & Climate SEA Semester program provides upper-level science undergraduates a unique opportunity to explore the ocean's role in the global climate system as they conduct real-world oceanographic research and gain first-hand understanding of and appreciation for the collaborative nature of the scientific research process. Oceans & Climate is an interdisciplinary science and policy semester in which students also explore public policy perspectives to learn how scientific knowledge is used in making climate-related policy. Working first at SEA's shore campus, students collaborate with SEA faculty and other researchers in the local Woods Hole scientific community to design and develop an original research project to be completed at sea. Students then participate as full, working members of the scientific team and sailing crew aboard the 134-foot brigantine SSV Robert C. Seamans; they conduct extensive oceanographic sampling, manage shipboard operations, and complete and present the independent research project they designed onshore. Oceans & Climate SEA Semester Cruise S-250 sailed from San Diego to Tahiti on a 7-week, >4000nm voyage last fall (November-December 2013). This remote open-ocean cruise track traversed subtropical and equatorial regions of the Pacific particularly well suited for a diverse range of climate-focused studies. Furthermore, as SEA has regularly collected scientific data along similar Pacific cruise tracks for more than a decade, students often undertake projects that require time-series analyses. 18 undergraduates from 15 different colleges and universities participated in the S-250 program. Two examples of the many projects completed by S-250 students include a study of the possible relationship between tropical cyclone intensification, driven by warm sea surface temperatures, and the presence of barrier layers; and a study of nutrient cycling in the eastern Pacific, focusing on primary nitrite maximum changes in various oceanographic regions with differing levels of stratification and accompanying localization of microbial communities. These studies, as well as additional scientific and policy projects conducted by other Oceans & Climate students, will be highlighted in this poster presentation.

  13. Delta II JPSS-1 Spacecraft Arrival

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-09-01

    The Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, arrives at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

  14. The inverse problem: Ocean tides derived from earth tide observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuo, J. T.

    1978-01-01

    Indirect mapping ocean tides by means of land and island-based tidal gravity measurements is presented. The inverse scheme of linear programming is used for indirect mapping of ocean tides. Open ocean tides were measured by the numerical integration of Laplace's tidal equations.

  15. Global Biogeochemical Fluxes Program for the Ocean Observatories Initiative: A Proposal. (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ulmer, K. M.; Taylor, C.

    2010-12-01

    The overarching emphasis of the Global Biogeochemical Flux Ocean Observatories Initiative is to assess the role of oceanic carbon, both living and non-, in the Earth climate system. Modulation of atmospheric CO2 and its influence on global climate is a function of the quantitative capacity of the oceans to sequester organic carbon into deep waters. Critical to our understanding of the role of the oceans in the global cycling of carbon are the quantitative dynamics in both time and space of the fixation of CO2 into organic matter by surface ocean primary production and removal of this carbon to deep waters via the “biological pump”. To take the next major step forward in advancing our understanding of the oceanic biological pump, a global observation program is required that: (i) greatly improves constraints on estimates of global marine primary production (PP), a critical factor in understanding the global CO2 cycle and for developing accurate estimates of export production (EP); (ii) explores the spatiotemporal links between PP, EP and the biogeochemical processes that attenuate particulate organic carbon (POC) flux; (iii) characterizes microbial community structure and dynamics both in the surface and deep ocean; (iv) develops a comprehensive picture of the chemical and biological processes that take place from the surface ocean to the sea floor; (v) provides unique time-series samples for detailed laboratory-based chemical and biological characterization and tracer studies that will enable connections to be made between the operation of the biological pump at present and in the geologic past. The primary goal is to provide high quality biological and biogeochemical observational data for the modeling and prediction efforts of the global CO2 cycle research community. Crucial to the realization of the GBF-OOI is the development of reliable, long-term, time-series ocean observation platforms capable of precise and controlled placement of sophisticated biogeochemical sensors/samplers, and in situ experimental systems at a wide range of depths, including close proximity to the sea surface. Significant opportunities exist to exploit sensor miniaturization in combination with recent exponential improvements in “omics” technologies for measurement of nucleic acids, proteins and metabolites with unprecedented throughput and resolution. We will discuss the goals, philosophy, principal experimental and technical approaches and operational challenges. We will outline proposed mooring systems as well as means for accurate, spatiotemporal assessment of: (i) primary production, (ii) constraint of POC export flux with season and depth, (iii) assessment of microbial and zooplankton community structure/function throughout the water column, and (iv) collection and preservation of particulate and water samples for land-based examination of temporal and vertical variability of specific tracers, isotopes, nutrients, DOC and related substances for even more precise measurements of environmental biogeochemical properties. The GBF-OOI will become our Hubble for the sea.

  16. Altimeter Processing Tools for Analyzing Mesoscale Ocean Features

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-09-01

    However, since the programs are modular, users can easily use their own orbit and geoid corrections to study basin scale problems. We left programs that...g..repeat c*/c*.a002c > a002cs-m or %g.repeat c???/c???.a002c > a002cs-m The file aOO2cs.m contains the following information in tab delimited ...information in tab delimited columns: The sea surface height residual files are similar to those created by g.repeat. except that fi(z ,t) is the original

  17. Workshop on Satellite and In situ Observations for Climate Prediction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Acker, J.G.; Busalacchi, A.

    1995-02-01

    Participants in this workshop, which convened in Venice, Italy, 6-8 May 1993, met to consider the current state of climate monitoring programs and instrumentation for the purpose of climatological prediction on short-term (seasonal to interannual) timescales. Data quality and coverage requirements for definition of oceanographic heat and momentum fluxes, scales of inter- and intra-annual variability, and land-ocean-atmosphere exchange processes were examined. Advantages and disadvantages of earth-based and spaceborne monitoring systems were considered, as were the structures for future monitoring networks, research programs, and modeling studies.

  18. Workshop on Satellite and In situ Observations for Climate Prediction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Acker, James G.; Busalacchi, Antonio

    1995-01-01

    Participants in this workshop, which convened in Venice, Italy, 6-8 May 1993, met to consider the current state of climate monitoring programs and instrumentation for the purpose of climatological prediction on short-term (seasonal to interannual) timescales. Data quality and coverage requirements for definition of oceanographic heat and momentum fluxes, scales of inter- and intra-annual variability, and land-ocean-atmosphere exchange processes were examined. Advantages and disadvantages of earth-based and spaceborne monitoring systems were considered, as were the structures for future monitoring networks, research programs, and modeling studies.

  19. Oceanic Circulation. A Programmed Unit of Instruction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marine Maritime Academy, Castine.

    This booklet contains a programmed lesson on oceanic circulation. It is designed to allow students to progress through the subject at their own speed. Since it is written in linear format, it is suggested that students proceed through the program from "frame" to succeeding "frame." Instructions for students on how to use the booklet are included.…

  20. The 1984 ASEE-NASA summer faculty fellowship program (aeronautics and research)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dah-Nien, F.; Hodge, J. R.; Emad, F. P.

    1984-01-01

    The 1984 NASA-ASEE Faculty Fellowship Program (SFFP) is reported. The report includes: (1) a list of participants; (2) abstracts of research projects; (3) seminar schedule; (4) evaluation questionnaire; and (5) agenda of visitation by faculty programs committee. Topics discussed include: effects of multiple scattering on laser beam propagation; information management; computer techniques; guidelines for writing user documentation; 30 graphics software; high energy electron and antiproton cosmic rays; high resolution Fourier transform infrared spectrum; average monthly annual zonal and global albedos; laser backscattering from ocean surface; image processing systems; geomorphological mapping; low redshift quasars; application of artificial intelligence to command management systems.

  1. Cash grants in humanitarian assistance: a nongovernmental organization experience in Aceh, Indonesia, following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

    PubMed

    Doocy, Shannon; Johnson, Diane; Robinson, Courtland

    2008-06-01

    Historically, cash interventions, as opposed to material or in-kind aid, have been relatively uncommon in the humanitarian response to emergencies. The widespread implementation of cash-based programs following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami provided an opportunity to examine cash distributions following disasters. The Mercy Corps cash grant program in Aceh, Indonesia, was a short-term intervention intended to assist in recompensing losses from the December 2004 tsunami. An evaluation of the Mercy Corps cash grant program was conducted for the 12-month period following the tsunami using program monitoring data and a systematic survey of cash grant beneficiaries. in 2005, the cash grant program disbursed more than US$3.3 million to more than 53,000 beneficiaries; the average cash grant award was US$6390, which was shared by an average of 108 beneficiaries. In a beneficiary survey, more than 95% of respondents reported the grant allocation processes were fair and transparent and that grant funds were received. The Mercy Corps experience with cash programs suggests that cash interventions in the emergency context, when properly administered, can have an immediate impact and serve as an efficient mechanism for providing assistance. Organizations involved in humanitarian relief, particularly donors and nongovernmental organizations, should consider incorporating cash-based interventions as an element of their response in future emergencies.

  2. USGS-NPS Servicewide Benthic Mapping Program (SBMP) workshop report

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moses, Christopher S.; Nayagandhi, Amar; Brock, John; Beavers, Rebecca

    2010-01-01

    The National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program recently allocated funds to initiate a benthic mapping program in ocean and Great Lakes parks in alignment with the NPS Ocean Park Stewardship 2007-2008 Action Plan. Seventy-four (ocean and Great Lakes) parks, spanning more than 5,000 miles of coastline, many affected by increasing coastal storms and other natural and anthropogenic processes, make the development of a Servicewide Benthic Mapping Program (SBMP) timely. The resulting maps and associated reports will be provided to NPS managers in a consistent servicewide format to help park managers protect and manage the 3 million acres of submerged National Park System natural and cultural resources. Of the 74 ocean and Great Lakes park units, the 40 parks with submerged acreage will be the focus in the early years of the SBMP. The NPS and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) convened a workshop (June 3-5, 2008) in Lakewood, CO. The assembly of experts from the NPS and other Federal and non-Federal agencies clarified the needs and goals of the NPS SBMP and was one of the key first steps in designing the benthic mapping program. The central needs for individual parks, park networks, and regions identified by workshop participants were maps including bathymetry, bottom type, geology, and biology. This workshop, although not an exhaustive survey of data-acquisition technologies, highlighted the more promising technologies being used, existing sources of data, and the need for partnerships to leverage resources. Workshop products include recommended classification schemes and management approaches for consistent application and products similar to other long-term NPS benthic mapping efforts. As part of the SBMP, recommendations from this workshop, including application of an improved version of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS), will be tested in several pilot parks. In 2008, in conjunction with the findings of this workshop, the NPS funded benthic mapping projects in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Golden Gate National Recreational Area, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Virgin Islands National Park, and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument.

  3. Telling Your Story: Ocean Scientists in the K-12 Classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McWilliams, H.

    2006-12-01

    Most scientists and engineers are accustomed to presenting their research to colleagues or lecturing college or graduate students. But if asked to speak in front of a classroom full of elementary school or junior high school students, many feel less comfortable. TERC, as part of its work with The Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence-New England (COSEE-NE) has designed a workshop to help ocean scientists and engineers develop skills for working with K-12 teachers and students. We call this program: Telling Your Story (TYS). TYS has been offered 4 times over 18 months for a total audience of approximately 50 ocean scientists. We will discuss the rationale for the program, the program outline, outcomes, and what we have learned. ne.net/edu_project_3/index.php

  4. 15 CFR 923.95 - Approval of applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Applications for Program Development or Implementation Grants § 923.95 Approval of applications. (a) The application for a grant by any coastal State which...

  5. 15 CFR 923.93 - Eligible implementation costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Applications for Program Development or Implementation... pursuant to section 6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments of 1990. When in doubt as to...

  6. 15 CFR 923.93 - Eligible implementation costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Applications for Program Development or Implementation... pursuant to section 6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments of 1990. When in doubt as to...

  7. 15 CFR 923.95 - Approval of applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Applications for Program Development or Implementation Grants § 923.95 Approval of applications. (a) The application for a grant by any coastal State which...

  8. 15 CFR 930.95 - Guidance provided by the State agency.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... (Continued) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL... assistance provision within the management program generally describing the geographic area (e.g., coastal... Director as a program change. Listed activities may have different geographic location descriptions...

  9. 15 CFR 930.95 - Guidance provided by the State agency.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... (Continued) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL... assistance provision within the management program generally describing the geographic area (e.g., coastal... Director as a program change. Listed activities may have different geographic location descriptions...

  10. 15 CFR 930.95 - Guidance provided by the State agency.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... (Continued) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL... assistance provision within the management program generally describing the geographic area (e.g., coastal... Director as a program change. Listed activities may have different geographic location descriptions...

  11. 76 FR 44306 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Fisheries Finance Program Requirements

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Fisheries Finance Program Requirements AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing...

  12. Electromagnetic backscattering from one-dimensional drifting fractal sea surface I: Wave-current coupled model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tao, Xie; Shang-Zhuo, Zhao; William, Perrie; He, Fang; Wen-Jin, Yu; Yi-Jun, He

    2016-06-01

    To study the electromagnetic backscattering from a one-dimensional drifting fractal sea surface, a fractal sea surface wave-current model is derived, based on the mechanism of wave-current interactions. The numerical results show the effect of the ocean current on the wave. Wave amplitude decreases, wavelength and kurtosis of wave height increase, spectrum intensity decreases and shifts towards lower frequencies when the current occurs parallel to the direction of the ocean wave. By comparison, wave amplitude increases, wavelength and kurtosis of wave height decrease, spectrum intensity increases and shifts towards higher frequencies if the current is in the opposite direction to the direction of ocean wave. The wave-current interaction effect of the ocean current is much stronger than that of the nonlinear wave-wave interaction. The kurtosis of the nonlinear fractal ocean surface is larger than that of linear fractal ocean surface. The effect of the current on skewness of the probability distribution function is negligible. Therefore, the ocean wave spectrum is notably changed by the surface current and the change should be detectable in the electromagnetic backscattering signal. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41276187), the Global Change Research Program of China (Grant No. 2015CB953901), the Priority Academic Development Program of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), Program for the Innovation Research and Entrepreneurship Team in Jiangsu Province, China, the Canadian Program on Energy Research and Development, and the Canadian World Class Tanker Safety Service.

  13. The Atlantic Meridional Transect: Spatially Extensive Calibration and Validation of Optical Properties and Remotely Sensed Measurements of Ocean Colour

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aiken, James; Hooker, Stanford

    1997-01-01

    Twice a year, the Royal Research Ship (RRS) James Clark Ross (JCR) steams a meridional transect of the atlantic Ocean between Grimsly (UK) and Stanley (Falkland Islands) with a port call in Montevideo (Uruguay), as part of the annual research activities of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). In September, the JCR sails from the UK, and the following April it makes the return trip. The ship is operated by the BAS for the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) Program exploits the passage of the JCR from approximately 50 deg. N to 50 deg. S with a primary objective to investigate physical and biological processes, as well as to measure the mesi-to-basin-scale bio-optical properties of the atlantic Ocean. The calibration and validation of remotely sensed observations of ocean colour is an inherent objective of these studies: first, by relating in situ measurements of water leaving radiance to satellite measurement, and second, by measuring the bio-optically active constituents of the water.

  14. An overview of the SeaWiFS project and strategies for producing a climate research quality global ocean bio-optical time series

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McClain, Charles R.; Feldman, Gene C.; Hooker, Stanford B.

    2004-01-01

    The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Project Office was formally initiated at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 1990. Seven years later, the sensor was launched by Orbital Sciences Corporation under a data-buy contract to provide 5 years of science quality data for global ocean biogeochemistry research. To date, the SeaWiFS program has greatly exceeded the mission goals established over a decade ago in terms of data quality, data accessibility and usability, ocean community infrastructure development, cost efficiency, and community service. The SeaWiFS Project Office and its collaborators in the scientific community have made substantial contributions in the areas of satellite calibration, product validation, near-real time data access, field data collection, protocol development, in situ instrumentation technology, operational data system development, and desktop level-0 to level-3 processing software. One important aspect of the SeaWiFS program is the high level of science community cooperation and participation. This article summarizes the key activities and approaches the SeaWiFS Project Office pursued to define, achieve, and maintain the mission objectives. These achievements have enabled the user community to publish a large and growing volume of research such as those contributed to this special volume of Deep-Sea Research. Finally, some examples of major geophysical events (oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial) captured by SeaWiFS are presented to demonstrate the versatility of the sensor.

  15. Tectonics and geology of spreading ridge subduction at the Chile Triple Junction: a synthesis of results from Leg 141 of the Ocean Drilling Program

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Behrmann, J.H.; Lewis, S.D.; Cande, S.C.

    1994-01-01

    An active oceanic spreading ridge is being subducted beneath the South American continent at the Chile Triple Junction. This process has played a major part in the evolution of most of the continental margins that border the Pacific Ocean basin. A combination of high resolution swath bathymetric maps, seismic reflection profiles and drillhole and core data from five sites drilled during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 141 provide important data that define the tectonic, structural and stratigraphic effects of this modern example of spreading ridge subduction. A change from subduction accretion to subduction erosion occurs along-strike of the South American forearc. This change is prominently expressed by normal faulting, forearc subsidence, oversteepening of topographic slopes and intensive sedimentary mass wasting, overprinted on older signatures of sediment accretion, overthrusting and uplift processes in the forearc. Data from drill sites north of the triple junction (Sites 859-861) show that after an important phase of forearc building in the early to late Pliocene, subduction accretion had ceased in the late Pliocene. Since that time sediment on the downgoing oceanic Nazca plate has been subducted. Site 863 was drilled into the forearc in the immediate vicinity of the triple junction above the subducted spreading ridge axis. Here, thick and intensely folded and faulted trench slope sediments of Pleistocene age are currently involved in the frontal deformation of the forearc. Early faults with thrust and reverse kinematics are overprinted by later normal faults. The Chile Triple Junction is also the site of apparent ophiolite emplacement into the South American forearc. Drilling at Site 862 on the Taitao Ridge revealed an offshore volcanic sequence of Plio-Pleistocene age associated with the Taitao Fracture Zone, adjacent to exposures of the Pliocene-aged Taitao ophiolite onshore. Despite the large-scale loss of material from the forearc at the triple junction, ophiolite emplacement produces a large topographic promontory in the forearc immediately after ridge subduction, and represents the first stage of forearc rebuilding. ?? 1994 Springer-Verlag.

  16. Near-Inertial and Thermal Upper Ocean Response to Atmospheric Forcing in the North Atlantic Ocean

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-06-01

    meridional transport of heat (Hoskins and Valdes, 1990). Formation of North Atlantic Subtropical Mode Water is thought to take place during the...North Atlantic Ocean MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography/ Applied Ocean Science and Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology Woods Hole...Oceanographic Institution MITIWHOI 2010-16 Near-inertial and Thermal Upper Ocean Response to Atmospheric Forcing in the North Atlantic Ocean by

  17. Ocean time-series near Bermuda: Hydrostation S and the US JGOFS Bermuda Atlantic time-series study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Michaels, Anthony F.; Knap, Anthony H.

    1992-01-01

    Bermuda is the site of two ocean time-series programs. At Hydrostation S, the ongoing biweekly profiles of temperature, salinity and oxygen now span 37 years. This is one of the longest open-ocean time-series data sets and provides a view of decadal scale variability in ocean processes. In 1988, the U.S. JGOFS Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study began a wide range of measurements at a frequency of 14-18 cruises each year to understand temporal variability in ocean biogeochemistry. On each cruise, the data range from chemical analyses of discrete water samples to data from electronic packages of hydrographic and optics sensors. In addition, a range of biological and geochemical rate measurements are conducted that integrate over time-periods of minutes to days. This sampling strategy yields a reasonable resolution of the major seasonal patterns and of decadal scale variability. The Sargasso Sea also has a variety of episodic production events on scales of days to weeks and these are only poorly resolved. In addition, there is a substantial amount of mesoscale variability in this region and some of the perceived temporal patterns are caused by the intersection of the biweekly sampling with the natural spatial variability. In the Bermuda time-series programs, we have added a series of additional cruises to begin to assess these other sources of variation and their impacts on the interpretation of the main time-series record. However, the adequate resolution of higher frequency temporal patterns will probably require the introduction of new sampling strategies and some emerging technologies such as biogeochemical moorings and autonomous underwater vehicles.

  18. The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series: two decades of oceanographic observations to understand linkages between biogeochemistry, ecology, and long-term environmental variability.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenzoni, L.; Muller-Karger, F. E.; Rueda-Roa, D. T.; Thunell, R.; Scranton, M. I.; Taylor, G. T.; benitez-Nelson, C. R.; Montes, E.; Astor, Y. M.; Rojas, J.

    2016-02-01

    The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series project, located in the Cariaco Basin off the coast of Venezuela, seeks to understand relationships between hydrography, primary production, community composition, microbial activity, particle fluxes, and element cycling in the water column, and how variations in these processes are preserved in sediments accumulating in this anoxic basin. CARIACO uses autonomous and shipboard measurements to understand ecological and biogeochemical changes and how these relate to regional and global climatic/ocean variability. CARIACO is a model for national ocean observing programs in Central/South America, and has been developed as a community facility platform with open access to all data (http://imars.marine.usf.edu/cariaco). Research resulting from this program has contributed to knowledge about the decomposition and cycling of particles, the biological pump, and to our understanding of the ecology and oceanography of oxygen minimum zones. Despite this basin being anoxic below 250m, remineralization rates of organic matter are comparable to those in well oxygenated waters. A dynamic microbial community significantly influences carbon and nutrient biogeochemical cycling throughout the water column. Since 1995, declining particulate organic carbon fluxes have been measured throughout the water column using sediment traps, likely in response to declining Chl-a concentrations and smaller phytoplankton which have replaced the larger taxa over the past decade. This community shift appears to be caused by regional changes in the physical regime. CARIACO also recorded marked long-term changes in surface and deep DIC in response to a combination of factors including surface water warming. The observations of CARIACO highlight the importance of a sustained, holistic approach to studying biodiversity, ecology and the marine carbon cycle to predict potential impacts of climate change on the ocean's ecosystem services and carbon sequestration efficiency.

  19. Handling Input and Output for COAMPS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fitzpatrick, Patrick; Tran, Nam; Li, Yongzuo; Anantharaj, Valentine

    2007-01-01

    Two suites of software have been developed to handle the input and output of the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Prediction System (COAMPS), which is a regional atmospheric model developed by the Navy for simulating and predicting weather. Typically, the initial and boundary conditions for COAMPS are provided by a flat-file representation of the Navy s global model. Additional algorithms are needed for running the COAMPS software using global models. One of the present suites satisfies this need for running COAMPS using the Global Forecast System (GFS) model of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The first step in running COAMPS downloading of GFS data from an Internet file-transfer-protocol (FTP) server computer of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is performed by one of the programs (SSC-00273) in this suite. The GFS data, which are in gridded binary (GRIB) format, are then changed to a COAMPS-compatible format by another program in the suite (SSC-00278). Once a forecast is complete, still another program in the suite (SSC-00274) sends the output data to a different server computer. The second suite of software (SSC- 00275) addresses the need to ingest up-to-date land-use-and-land-cover (LULC) data into COAMPS for use in specifying typical climatological values of such surface parameters as albedo, aerodynamic roughness, and ground wetness. This suite includes (1) a program to process LULC data derived from observations by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments aboard NASA s Terra and Aqua satellites, (2) programs to derive new climatological parameters for the 17-land-use-category MODIS data; and (3) a modified version of a FORTRAN subroutine to be used by COAMPS. The MODIS data files are processed to reformat them into a compressed American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format used by COAMPS for efficient processing.

  20. The Climate Variability & Predictability (CVP) Program at NOAA - Recent Program Advancements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lucas, S. E.; Todd, J. F.

    2015-12-01

    The Climate Variability & Predictability (CVP) Program supports research aimed at providing process-level understanding of the climate system through observation, modeling, analysis, and field studies. This vital knowledge is needed to improve climate models and predictions so that scientists can better anticipate the impacts of future climate variability and change. To achieve its mission, the CVP Program supports research carried out at NOAA and other federal laboratories, NOAA Cooperative Institutes, and academic institutions. The Program also coordinates its sponsored projects with major national and international scientific bodies including the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), the International and U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR/US CLIVAR) Program, and the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The CVP program sits within NOAA's Climate Program Office (http://cpo.noaa.gov/CVP). The CVP Program currently supports multiple projects in areas that are aimed at improved representation of physical processes in global models. Some of the topics that are currently funded include: i) Improved Understanding of Intraseasonal Tropical Variability - DYNAMO field campaign and post -field projects, and the new climate model improvement teams focused on MJO processes; ii) Climate Process Teams (CPTs, co-funded with NSF) with projects focused on Cloud macrophysical parameterization and its application to aerosol indirect effects, and Internal-Wave Driven Mixing in Global Ocean Models; iii) Improved Understanding of Tropical Pacific Processes, Biases, and Climatology; iv) Understanding Arctic Sea Ice Mechanism and Predictability;v) AMOC Mechanisms and Decadal Predictability Recent results from CVP-funded projects will be summarized. Additional information can be found at http://cpo.noaa.gov/CVP.

  1. Equatorial Wave Line, Pacific Ocean

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1993-01-19

    STS054-95-042 (13-19 Jan 1993) --- The Equatorial Pacific Ocean is represented in this 70mm view. The international oceanographic research community is presently conducting a program called Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) to study the global ocean carbon budget. A considerable amount of effort within this program is presently being focused on the Equatorial Pacific Ocean because of the high annual average biological productivity. The high productivity is the result of nearly constant easterly winds causing cool, nutrient-rich water to well up at the equator. In this view of the sun glint pattern was photographed at about 2 degrees north latitude, 103 degrees west longitude, as the Space Shuttle passed over the Equatorial Pacific. The long narrow line is the equatorial front, which defines the boundary between warm surface equatorial water and cool, recently upwelled water. Such features are of interest to the JGOFS researchers and it is anticipated that photographs such as this will benefit the JGOFS program.

  2. The Junior Science & Humanities Symposium: Management and Operations, 2003-2004. Theme--Atmosphere--The Other Ocean.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schlenker, Richard M.

    This document reviews the Pacific Region Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (PJSHS) program for 2003-2004 which is a 10-month, precollege student research program held in Japan. The theme is AtmosphereThe Other Ocean. The program includes a one-week symposium of student delegates who have completed research projects in the sciences or have…

  3. Impacts of climate change on marine top predators: Advances and future challenges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hobday, Alistair J.; Arrizabalaga, Haritz; Evans, Karen; Nicol, Simon; Young, Jock W.; Weng, Kevin C.

    2015-03-01

    Oceanic top predators are the subject of studies by researchers under the international Climate Impacts on Oceanic Top Predators (CLIOTOP) program. A wide range of data sets have shown that environmental conditions, such as temperature and marine productivity, affect the distribution and biological processes of these species, and thus the activities of the humans that depend on them. In this special issue, 25 papers arising from the 2nd CLIOTOP symposium, held in Noumea, New Caledonia in February 2013 report the importance of realistic physical descriptions of oceanic processes for climate change projections, demonstrate a wide range of predator responses to historical climate variability, describe new analytical approaches for understanding the physiology, behaviour and trophodynamics, and project future distributions for a range of species. Several contributions discuss the implications for conservation and fisheries and show that resolving ecosystem management challenges and conflicts in the face of climate change is possible, but will require attention by decision-makers to issues that are broader than their traditional mandate. In the coming years, an increased focus on the development of management options to reduce the impacts of climate change on top predators and their dependent industries is needed.

  4. From Ship-To-Shore In Real Time: Data Transmission, Distribution, Management, Processing, And Archiving Using Telepresence Technologies And The Inner Space Center

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coleman, D. F.

    2012-12-01

    Most research vessels are equipped with satellite Internet services with bandwidths capable of being upgraded to support telepresence technologies and live shore-based participation. This capability can be used for real-time data transmission to shore, where it can be distributed, managed, processed, and archived. The University of Rhode Island Inner Space Center utilizes telepresence technologies and a growing network of command centers on Internet2 to participate live with a variety of research vessels and their ocean observing and sampling systems. High-bandwidth video streaming, voice-over-IP telecommunications, and real-time data feeds and file transfers enable users on shore to take part in the oceanographic expeditions as if they were present on the ship, working in the lab. Telepresence-enabled systematic ocean exploration and similar programs represent a significant and growing paradigm shift that can change the future of seagoing ocean observations using research vessels. The required platform is the ship itself, and users of the technology rely on the ship-based technical teams, but remote and distributed shore-based science users, students, educators, and the general public can now take part by being aboard virtually.

  5. Global assessment of benthic nepheloid layers and linkage with upper ocean dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gardner, Wilford D.; Richardson, Mary Jo; Mishonov, Alexey V.

    2018-01-01

    Global maps of the maximum bottom concentration, thickness, and integrated particle mass in benthic nepheloid layers are published here to support collaborations to understand deep ocean sediment dynamics, linkage with upper ocean dynamics, and assessing the potential for scavenging of adsorption-prone elements near the deep ocean seafloor. Mapping the intensity of benthic particle concentrations from natural oceanic processes also provides a baseline that will aid in quantifying the industrial impact of current and future deep-sea mining. Benthic nepheloid layers have been mapped using 6,392 full-depth profiles made during 64 cruises using our transmissometers mounted on CTDs in multiple national/international programs including WOCE, SAVE, JGOFS, CLIVAR-Repeat Hydrography, and GO-SHIP during the last four decades. Intense benthic nepheloid layers are found in areas where eddy kinetic energy in overlying waters, mean kinetic energy 50 m above bottom (mab), and energy dissipation in the bottom boundary layer are near the highest values in the ocean. Areas of intense benthic nepheloid layers include the Western North Atlantic, Argentine Basin in the South Atlantic, parts of the Southern Ocean and areas around South Africa. Benthic nepheloid layers are weak or absent in most of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic basins away from continental margins. High surface eddy kinetic energy is associated with the Kuroshio Current east of Japan. Data south of the Kuroshio show weak nepheloid layers, but no transmissometer data exist beneath the Kuroshio, a deficiency that should be remedied to increase understanding of eddy dynamics in un-sampled and under-sampled oceanic areas.

  6. Report to the congress on ocean pollution, monitoring and research October 1980 through September 1981

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1982-07-01

    This report summarizes the results of FY 1981 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitoring and research efforts under Title II of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-532). Section 201 of Title II assigns responsibility to the Department of Commerce for a comprehensive and continuing program of monitoring and research regarding the effects of dumping material into ocean waters, coastal waters, and the Great Lakes. Section 202 of Title II directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with other appropriate parts of the U.S. Government, to 'initiate a comprehensive and continuing program of research withmore » respect to the possible long-range effects of pollution, overfishing, and man-induced changes of ocean ecosystems.' The legislation also directs the Secretary of Commerce to report the findings from the monitoring and research programs to the Congress at least once a year. There are intrinsic difficulties, however, in distinguishing 'long-range' effects from the 'acute' effects of ocean dumping, or more generally of marine pollution. In response to these considerations and to the responsibilities assigned to NOAA under the National Ocean Pollution Planning Act (P.L. 95-273), NOAA has consolidated and coordinated its research efforts in these areas to make the overall program more cost-effective and productive.« less

  7. Using Deep-Sea Scientific Drilling to Enhance Ocean Science Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Passow, Michael; Cooper, Sharon; Kurtz, Nicole; Burgio, Marion; Cicconi, Alessia

    2017-04-01

    Beginning with confirmation of sea floor spreading in Leg 3 of the Deep Sea Drilling Project in 1968, scientific ocean drilling has provided much of the evidence supporting modern understanding of the Earth System, global climate changes, and many other important concepts. But for more than three decades, results of discoveries were published primarily in scientific journals and cruise volumes. On occasion, science journalists would write articles for the general public, but organized educational outreach efforts were rare. Starting about a decade ago, educators were included in the scientific party aboard the JOIDES Resolution. These "teachers-at-sea" developed formats to translate the technical and scientific activities into language understandable to students, teachers, and the public. Several "Schools of Rock" have enabled groups of teachers and informal science educators to experience what happens aboard the JOIDES Resolution. Over the past few years, educational outreach efforts based on scientific drilling expanded to create a large body of resources that promote Ocean Science Literacy. Partnerships between scientists and educators have produced a searchable database of inquiry-centered classroom and informal science activities. These are available for free through the JOIDES Resolution website, joidesresolution.org. Activities are aligned with the Ocean Literacy Principles (http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/) and Science Education Standards. In addition to a suite of lessons based on the science behind scientific drilling, participants have developed a range of educational resources that include graphic novels ("Tales of the Resolution" (http://joidesresolution.org/node/263) ; children's books ("Uncovering Earth's Secrets" and "Where the Wild Microbes Grow" http://joidesresolution.org/node/2998); posters, videos, and other materials. Cooper and Kurtz are currently overseeing improvements and revisions to the JR education website pages. The International Ocean Discovery Program continues to offer annual School of Rock professional development workshops to which educators can apply for participation. During these all-expense paid experiences, they learn about IODP science and develop new activities for their audiences. Cicconi and Passow will describe their experiences during some of these programs. European teachers have also participated in "teacher-at-sea" programs sponsored by ECORD aboard the JOIDES Resolution. Burgio participated in Expedition 360 from December 2015 to the end of January 2016 (http://joidesresolution.org/node/4253). This cruise focused on the global effort to drill to the Moho through the Southwest Indian Ridge. As they drilled down to the Moho, scientists obtained new discoveries about life in the crust, interactions between water and rocks, and magmatic processes that build the oceanic crust at very slow spreading ridges. The Education Officers team used a panel of strategies to communicate during the efforts during their two months onboard. She used social media and live-streaming to share the last discoveries about the oceanic crust with students all over the world. Additional materials have been created by teachers and other non-science participants from many countries across the globe. Educational outreach programs associated with scientific ocean drilling provide effective opportunities to enhance Ocean Science Literacy.

  8. Adaptive Observatories for Observing Moving Marine Organisms (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bellingham, J. G.; Scholin, C.; Zhang, Y.; Godin, M. A.; Hobson, B.; Frolov, S.

    2010-12-01

    The ability to characterize the response of small marine organisms to each other, and to their environment, is a demanding observational challenge. Small organisms live in a water reference frame, while existing cable or mooring-based observatories operate in an Earth reference frame. Thus repeated observations from a fixed system observe different populations as currents sweep organisms by the sensors. In contrast, mobile systems are typically optimized for spatial coverage rather than repeated observations of the same water volume. Lagrangian drifters track water mass, but are unable to find or reposition themselves relative to ocean features. We are developing a system capable of finding, following and observing discrete populations of marine organisms over time, leveraging a decade and a half investment in the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) program. AOSN undertook the development of platforms to enable multi-platform coordinated measurement of ocean properties in the late 1990s, leading to the development of a variety of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and associated technologies, notably several glider systems, now in common use. Efforts by a number of research groups have focused on methods to employ these networked systems to observe and predict dynamic physical ocean phenomena. For example, periodic large scale field programs in Monterey Bay have progressively integrated these systems with data systems, predictive models, and web-based collaborative portals. We are adapting these approaches to follow and observe the dynamics of marine organisms. Compared to physical processes, the temporal and spatial variability of small marine organisms, particularly micro-organisms, is typical greater. Consequently, while multi-platform observations of physical processes can be coordinated via intermittent communications links from shore, biological observations require a higher degree of adaptability of the observation system in situ. This talk will describe the platform capabilities developed for such observations, the onboard intelligence for finding and observing discrete populations, and the cyberinfrastructure employed to understand and coordinate observations from shore.

  9. Community Sediment Transport Modeling, National Ocean Partnership Program

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-12-01

    delta . A high-resolution, one-dimensional model that resolves the phase of the forcing gravity waves is being used to test the hypothesized mechanisms...dimensional process models to operational elements in the CSTMS framework. Sherwood and Ferre modified the existing algorithms for tracking stratigraphy ...Verdes shelf, California. Continental Shelf Research ( revised manuscript submitted), [refereed] Frank, D. P., D. L. Foster, and C. R. Sherwood

  10. Shallow Water Reverberation Measurement and Prediction

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-06-01

    tool . The temporal signal processing consisted of a short-time Fourier transform spectral estimation method applied to data from a single hydrophone...The three-dimensional Hamiltonian Acoustic Ray-tracing Program for the Ocean (HARPO) was used as the primary propagation modeling tool . The temporal...summarizes the work completed and discusses lessons learned . Advice regarding future work to refine the present study will be provided. 6 our poiut source

  11. Being There & Getting Back Again: Half a Century of Deep Ocean Research & Discovery with the Human Occupied Vehicle "Alvin"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    German, C. R.; Fornari, D. J.; Fryer, P.; Girguis, P. R.; Humphris, S. E.; Kelley, D. S.; Tivey, M.; Van Dover, C. L.; Von Damm, K.

    2012-12-01

    In 2013, Alvin returns to service after significant observational and operational upgrades supported by the NSF, NAVSEA & NOAA. Here we review highlights of the first half-century of deep submergence science conducted by Alvin, describe some of the most significant improvements for the new submarine and discuss the importance of these new capabilities for 21st century ocean science and education. Alvin has a long history of scientific exploration, discovery and intervention at the deep seafloor: in pursuit of hypothesis-driven research and in response to human impacts. One of Alvin's earliest achievements, at the height of the Cold War, was to help locate & recover an H-bomb in the Mediterranean, while the last dives completed, just ahead of the current refit, were to investigate the impacts of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill. Alvin has excelled in supporting a range of Earth & Life Science programs including, in the late 1970s, first direct observations and sampling of deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the unusual fauna supported by microbial chemosynthesis. The 1980s saw expansion of Alvin's dive areas to newly discovered hot-springs in the Atlantic & NE Pacific, Alvin's first dives to the wreck of RMS Titanic and its longest excursions away from WHOI yet, via Loihi Seamount (Hawaii) to the Mariana Trench. The 1990s saw Alvin's first event-response dives to sites where volcanic eruptions had just occurred at the East Pacific Rise & Juan de Fuca Ridge while the 2000s saw Alvin discover novel off-axis venting at Lost City. Observations from these dives fundamentally changed our views of volcanic and microbial processes within young ocean crust and even the origins of life! In parallel, new deep submergence capabilities, including manipulative experiments & sensor development, relied heavily on testing using Alvin. Recently, new work has focused on ocean margins where fluid flow from the seafloor results in the release of hydrocarbons and other chemical species that can sustain chemosynthetic seep ecosystems comparable to, and sometimes sharing species with, hot vents. What will Alvin's next 50 years discover? During 2011-12, Alvin has undergone a transformation, including a larger personnel sphere with more & larger viewports to provide improved overlapping fields of view for the pilot & observers. The new Alvin will be certified for operations to 4500m depth initially, but the new sphere will be 6500m-rated and planned future upgrades will ultimately allow the vehicle to dive that deep, enabling human access to 98% of the global ocean floor. This will allow the study of processes and dynamics of Earth's largest ecosystem (the abyssal plains) as well as margin and ridge environments and the overlying water column. Meantime, the current upgrades to Alvin already include a suite of scientific enhancements including new HD video & still imaging, sophisticated data acquisition systems for seafloor observations and mapping, a new work platform with greater payload capacity and improved observer ergonomics. The new Alvin is poised to play important roles in core Earth and Life science programs and to serve large-scale programs such as the Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI) and the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). It will continue to attract, engage and inspire a new generation of scientists & students to explore and study the largest ecosystem on Earth, just as it has done throughout its first half century.

  12. Back-island and open-ocean shorelines, and sand areas of Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia, April 12, 1989, to September 5, 2013

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Guy, Kristy K.

    2015-01-01

    This Data Series Report includes several open-ocean shorelines, back-island shorelines, back-island shoreline points, sand area polygons, and sand lines for Assateague Island that were extracted from natural-color orthoimagery (aerial photography) dated from April 12, 1989, to September 5, 2013. The images used were 0.3–2-meter (m)-resolution U.S. Geological Survey Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quads (DOQQ), U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) images, and Virginia Geographic Information Network Virginia Base Map Program (VBMP) images courtesy of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The back-island shorelines were hand-digitized at the intersect of the apparent back-island shoreline and transects spaced at 20-m intervals. The open-ocean shorelines were hand-digitized at the approximate still water level, such as tide level, which was fit through the average position of waves and swash apparent on the beach. Hand-digitizing was done at a scale of approximately 1:2,000. The sand polygons were derived by using an image-processing unsupervised classification technique that separates images into classes. The classes were then visually categorized as either sand or not sand. Also included in this report are 20-m-spaced transect lines and the transect base lines.

  13. Bio-Optical and Geochemical Properties of the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Signorini, S. R.; Hooker, Stanford B.; McClain, Charles R.

    2003-01-01

    An investigation of the bio-optical properties of the South Atlantic subtropical gyre (SASG) was conducted using data primarily from the UK Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) program and SeaWiFS. The AMT cruises extend from the UK to the Falklands Islands (sailing on the RRS James Clark Ross) with the purpose of improving our knowledge of surface layer hydrography, biogeochemical processes, ecosystem dynamics and food webs across basin scales in the Atlantic Ocean. Two objectives of the AMT program relevant to this study are the characterization of biogeochemical provinces and the analysis of optical and pigment parameters in connection with remote sensing ocean color data. The primary focus of this NASA Technical Memorandum is on the variability of the vertical distribution of phytoplankton pigments and associated absorption properties across the SASG, and their relevance to remote sensing algorithms. Therefore, a subset of the AMT data within the SASG from all available cruises was used in the analyses. One of the challenges addressed here is the determination of the SASG geographic boundaries. One of the major problems is to reconcile the properties of biogeochemical provinces. We use water mass analysis, dynamics of ocean currents, and meridional gradients of bio-optical properties, to identify the SASG boundaries.

  14. meeting summary 10th AMS Symposium on Education.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, D. R.; Hayes, M. C.; Ramamurthy, M. K.; Zeitler, J. W.; Murphy, K. A.; Croft, P. J.; Nese, J. M.; Friedman, H. A.; Robinson, H. W.; Thormeyer, C. D.; Ruscher, P. A.; Pandya, R. E.

    2001-12-01

    The American Meteorological Society held its 10th Symposium on Education in conjunction with the 82nd Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The theme of 2001's symposium was enhancing public awareness of the atmospheric and oceanic environments. Thirty-six oral presentations and 38 poster presentations summarized a variety of educational programs or examined educational issues at both the precollege and university levels. There was a special session on increasing awareness of meteorology and oceanography through popular and informal educational activities, as well as a joint session with the 17th International Conference on Interactive Information and Processing Systems (IIPS) for Meteorology, Oceanography, and Hydrology on using the World Wide Web to deliver information pertaining to the atmosphere, oceans, and coastal zone. Over 200 people representing a wide spectrum of the Society attended one or more of the sessions in this 2-day conference. The program for the 10th Symposium on Education can be viewed in the November 2000 issue of the Bulletin.

  15. Seasonal Atmospheric and Oceanic Predictions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Roads, John; Rienecker, Michele (Technical Monitor)

    2003-01-01

    Several projects associated with dynamical, statistical, single column, and ocean models are presented. The projects include: 1) Regional Climate Modeling; 2) Statistical Downscaling; 3) Evaluation of SCM and NSIPP AGCM Results at the ARM Program Sites; and 4) Ocean Forecasts.

  16. Global Observations and Understanding of the General Circulation of the Oceans

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1984-01-01

    The workshop was organized to: (1) assess the ability to obtain ocean data on a global scale that could profoundly change our understanding of the circulation; (2) identify the primary and secondary elements needed to conduct a World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE); (3) if the ability is achievable, to determine what the U.S. role in such an experiment should be; and (4) outline the steps necessary to assure that an appropriate program is conducted. The consensus of the workshop was that a World Ocean Circulation Experiment appears feasible, worthwhile, and timely. Participants did agree that such a program should have the overall goal of understanding the general circulation of the global ocean well enough to be able to predict ocean response and feedback to long-term changes in the atmosphere. The overall goal, specific objectives, and recommendations for next steps in planning such an experiment are included.

  17. Antarctica and global change research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weller, Gunter; Lange, Manfred

    1992-03-01

    The Antarctic, including the continent and Southern Ocean with the subantarctic islands, is a critical area in the global change studies under the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) and the World Climate Research Program (WCRP). Major scientific problems include the impacts of climate warming, the ozone hole, and sea level changes. Large-scale interactions between the atmosphere, ice, ocean, and biota in the Antarctic affect the entire global system through feedbacks, biogeochemical cycles, deep-ocean circulation, atmospheric transport of heat, moisture, and pollutants, and changes in ice mass balances. Antarctica is also a rich repository of paleoenvironmental information in its ice sheet and its ocean and land sediments.

  18. Global Temperature and Salinity Pilot Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Searle, Ben

    1992-01-01

    Data exchange and data management programs have been evolving over many years. Within the international community there are two main programs to support the exchange, management and processing of real time and delayed mode data. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) operate the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) program which coordinates the exchange of delayed mode data between national oceanographic data centers, World Data Centers and the user community. The Integrated Global Ocean Services System is a joint IOC/World Meteorological Organization (WMO) program for the exchange and management of real-time data. These two programs are complemented by mechanisms that have been established within scientific programs to exchange and manage project data sets. In particular TOGA and WOCE have identified a data management requirement and established the appropriate infrastructure to achieve this. Where GTSPP fits into this existing framework is discussed.

  19. Time and frequency requirement for the earth and ocean physics applications program. [characteristics and orbital mechanics of artificial satellites for data acquisition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vonbun, F. O.

    1972-01-01

    The application of time and frequency standards to the Earth and Ocean Physics Applications Program (EOPAP) is discussed. The goals and experiments of the EOPAP are described. Methods for obtaining frequency stability and time synchronization are analyzed. The orbits, trajectories, and characteristics of the satellites used in the program are reported.

  20. The Food Service Manager; A Study of the Need for a Food Service Management Program in Ocean County.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ocean County Coll., Toms River, NJ.

    Ocean County College conducted a feasibility study for the purpose of determining whether there was a need for a food service management program within its service area and to ascertain an estimate of the potential student pool for such a program. Surveys were sent to 243 restaurants and institutions and were administered to students from county…

  1. Processes Understanding of Decadal Climate Variability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prömmel, Kerstin; Cubasch, Ulrich

    2016-04-01

    The realistic representation of decadal climate variability in the models is essential for the quality of decadal climate predictions. Therefore, the understanding of those processes leading to decadal climate variability needs to be improved. Several of these processes are already included in climate models but their importance has not yet completely been clarified. The simulation of other processes requires sometimes a higher resolution of the model or an extension by additional subsystems. This is addressed within one module of the German research program "MiKlip II - Decadal Climate Predictions" (http://www.fona-miklip.de/en/) with a focus on the following processes. Stratospheric processes and their impact on the troposphere are analysed regarding the climate response to aerosol perturbations caused by volcanic eruptions and the stratospheric decadal variability due to solar forcing, climate change and ozone recovery. To account for the interaction between changing ozone concentrations and climate a computationally efficient ozone chemistry module is developed and implemented in the MiKlip prediction system. The ocean variability and air-sea interaction are analysed with a special focus on the reduction of the North Atlantic cold bias. In addition, the predictability of the oceanic carbon uptake with a special emphasis on the underlying mechanism is investigated. This addresses a combination of physical, biological and chemical processes.

  2. Volume 35, AMT-1 Cruise Report and Preliminary Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hooker, Stanford B. (Editor); Firestone, Elaine R. (Editor); Robins, David B.; Bale, Anthony J.; Moore, Gerald F.; Rees, Nigel W.; Gallienne, Christopher P.; Westbrooke, Anthony G.; Maranon, Emilio; Spooner, William H.; hide

    1996-01-01

    This report documents the scientific activities on board the Royal Research Ship (RRS) 'James Clark Ross' during the irst Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT-1), 21 September to 24 October 1995. The ship sailed from Grimsby (England) for Montevideo (Uruguay) and then continued on to Stanley (Falkland Islands). The primary objective of the AMT program is to investigate basic biological processes in the open Atlantic Ocean over very broad spatial scales. For AMT-1, the meridional range covered was approximately 50 deg N to 50 deg S or nearly 8,000 nmi. The measurements to be taken during the AMT cruises are fundamental for the calibration, validation, and continuing understanding of remotely sensed observations of biological oceanography. They are also important for understanding plankton community structure over latitudinal scales and the role of the world ocean in global carbon cycles. During AMT-1 a variety of instruments were used to map the physical, chemical, and biological structure of the upper 200 m of the water column. Ocean color measurements were made using state-of-the-art sensors, whose calibration was traceable to the highest international standards. New advances in fluorometry were used to measure photosynthetic activity, which was then used to further interpret primary productivity. A unique set of samples and data were collected for the planktonic assemblages that vary throughout the range of the transect. These data will yield new interpretations on community composition and their role in carbon cycling. While the various provinces of the Atlantic Ocean were being crossed, the partial pressure of CO2 was related to biological productivity. This comparison revealed the areas of drawdown of atmospheric CO2 and how these areas relate to the surrounding biological productivity. These data, plus the measurements of light attenuation and phytoplankton optical properties, will be used as a primary input for basin-scale biological productivity models to help develop ecosystem dynamics models which will be important for improving the forecasting abilities of modelers. The AMT program is also attempting to meet the needs of international agencies in their implementation of Sensor Intercomparison and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Ocean Studies (SIMBIOS), a program to develop a methodology and operational capability to combine data products from the various ocean color satellite missions.

  3. Methods of testing parameterizations: Vertical ocean mixing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tziperman, Eli

    1992-01-01

    The ocean's velocity field is characterized by an exceptional variety of scales. While the small-scale oceanic turbulence responsible for the vertical mixing in the ocean is of scales a few centimeters and smaller, the oceanic general circulation is characterized by horizontal scales of thousands of kilometers. In oceanic general circulation models that are typically run today, the vertical structure of the ocean is represented by a few tens of discrete grid points. Such models cannot explicitly model the small-scale mixing processes, and must, therefore, find ways to parameterize them in terms of the larger-scale fields. Finding a parameterization that is both reliable and plausible to use in ocean models is not a simple task. Vertical mixing in the ocean is the combined result of many complex processes, and, in fact, mixing is one of the less known and less understood aspects of the oceanic circulation. In present models of the oceanic circulation, the many complex processes responsible for vertical mixing are often parameterized in an oversimplified manner. Yet, finding an adequate parameterization of vertical ocean mixing is crucial to the successful application of ocean models to climate studies. The results of general circulation models for quantities that are of particular interest to climate studies, such as the meridional heat flux carried by the ocean, are quite sensitive to the strength of the vertical mixing. We try to examine the difficulties in choosing an appropriate vertical mixing parameterization, and the methods that are available for validating different parameterizations by comparing model results to oceanographic data. First, some of the physical processes responsible for vertically mixing the ocean are briefly mentioned, and some possible approaches to the parameterization of these processes in oceanographic general circulation models are described in the following section. We then discuss the role of the vertical mixing in the physics of the large-scale ocean circulation, and examine methods of validating mixing parameterizations using large-scale ocean models.

  4. The Ocean as a Unique Therapeutic Environment: Developing a Surfing Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clapham, Emily D.; Armitano, Cortney N.; Lamont, Linda S.; Audette, Jennifer G.

    2014-01-01

    Educational aquatic programming offers necessary physical activity opportunities to children with disabilities and the benefits of aquatic activities are more pronounced for children with disabilities than for their able-bodied peers. Similar benefits could potentially be derived from surfing in the ocean. This article describes an adapted surfing…

  5. Only One Ocean: Marine Science Activities for Grades 5-8. Teacher's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halversen, Catherine; Strang, Craig

    This guide was designed by the Marine Activities, Resources & Education (MARE) Program through the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) ongoing curriculum development program for middle school students. This GEMS guide addresses the concepts of the interconnectedness of the ocean basins, respect for organisms, oceanography, physical…

  6. Ecological Condition of Coastal Ocean Waters along the U.S. Western Continental Shelf: 2003

    EPA Science Inventory

    The western National Coastal Assessment program of EPA, in conjunction with the NOAA National Ocean Service, west coast states (WA, OR, and CA), and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Bight ’03 program, assessed the ecological condition of soft sediment habita...

  7. Radar Ocean Wave Spectrometer (ROWS) preprocessing program (PREROWS2.EXE). User's manual and program description

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaughn, Charles R.

    1993-01-01

    This Technical Memorandum is a user's manual with additional program documentation for the computer program PREROWS2.EXE. PREROWS2 works with data collected by an ocean wave spectrometer that uses radar (ROWS) as an active remote sensor. The original ROWS data acquisition subsystem was replaced with a PC in 1990. PREROWS2.EXE is a compiled QuickBasic 4.5 program that unpacks the recorded data, displays various variables, and provides for copying blocks of data from the original 8mm tape to a PC file.

  8. CarboNA: International Studies of the North American Carbon Cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Denning, S.; Cavallaro, N.; Ste-Marie, C.; Muhlia-Melo, A.

    2009-05-01

    A Science Steering Committee has been formed consisting of carbon cycle scientists from Canada, Mexico, and the United States and government agency contacts from each country, to draft a Science Plan for CarboNA. Science questions that we will address include: 1. What's the current carbon budget of NA and adjacent oceans, including spatial structure and seasonal-to- interannual variations? 2. What mechanisms are involved? What processes control the time mean vs the interannual variability? 3. When will sinks saturate? Will they become sources? Are there surprises in store? What roles will be played by melting permafrost, boreal warming, and subtropical desertification, and tropical development? 4. What are the likely responses of terrestrial ecosystems and coastal oceans to climate change and enhanced CO2? 5. What roles will economic development, energy technology, and trade play in mitigating increases in fossil fuel emissions? In addition to the national research programs already underway in the three countries, we anticipate special collaborative projects of international scope. For example: 1. Studies of the response of terrestrial ecosystems to climate change along an ecological gradient from the Arctic to the Tropics; 2. Truly continental budgets for atmospheric greenhouse gases using data from land-based, airborne, marine, and spaceborne platforms; 3. An aggressively interdisciplinary intensive experiment to understand and quantify carbon cycle processes and budgets in the Gulf of Mexico Basin; 4. Investigation of the turrent state and likely future changes in carbon cycling in coastal ocean environments, including river inputs of POC, DOC, DIC, and nutrients; impacts on fisheries and coastal economies; exchange between coastal oceans and deep ocean basins; and air-sea gas exchange; 5. Government-level agreements on data sharing and harmonization, including but not limited to forest inventories, agricultural data, fossil fuel emissions data, land-use data, energy and population and vehicle miles traveled, flux towers, trace gas measurements, etc. CarboNA will be introduced, and the process and content of current discussions will be presented.

  9. Hierarchical programming for data storage and visualization

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Donovan, John M.; Smith, Peter E.; ,

    2001-01-01

    Graphics software is an essential tool for interpreting, analyzing, and presenting data from multidimensional hydrodynamic models used in estuarine and coastal ocean studies. The post-processing of time-varying three-dimensional model output presents unique requirements for data visualization because of the large volume of data that can be generated and the multitude of time scales that must be examined. Such data can relate to estuarine or coastal ocean environments and come from numerical models or field instruments. One useful software tool for the display, editing, visualization, and printing of graphical data is the Gr application, written by the first author for use in U.S. Geological Survey San Francisco Bay Program. The Gr application has been made available to the public via the Internet since the year 2000. The Gr application is written in the Java (Sun Microsystems, Nov. 29, 2001) programming language and uses the Extensible Markup Language standard for hierarchical data storage. Gr presents a hierarchy of objects to the user that can be edited using a common interface. Java's object-oriented capabilities allow Gr to treat data, graphics, and tools equally and to save them all to a single XML file.

  10. Insights Into Ice-Ocean Interactions on Earth and Europa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrence, J.; Schmidt, B. E.; Winslow, L.; Doran, P. T.; Kim, S.; Walker, C. C.; Buffo, J.; Skidmore, M. L.; Soderlund, K. M.; Blankenship, D. D.; Bramall, N. E.; Johnson, A.; Rack, F. R.; Stone, W.; Kimball, P.; Clark, E.

    2016-12-01

    Europa and Earth appear to be drastically different worlds, yet below their icy crusts the two likely share similar oceanic conditions including temperatures, pressures (relatively), and salinity. Earth's ice shelves provide an important analog for the physiochemical, and potentially microbial, characteristics of icy worlds. NASA's ASTEP program funded Sub-Ice Marine and PLanetary-analog Ecosystems (SIMPLE) to help address the fundamental processes occurring at ice ocean interfaces, the extent and limitations of life in sub-ice environments, and how environmental properties and biological communities interact. The relationships between currents, temperature, and salinity with physical processes such as melt, freeze, and marine ice accretion at the basal surfaces of ice shelves influence habitability yet are poorly understood even on Earth. Resultant processes such as the inclusion of ocean-derived material in ice shelves and the transport of biotics from the interface towards the surface via ablation, convection, and diapirism also have important astrobiological implications for Europa.Here, we present results from CTD and imaging data gathered at multiple locations beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) to highlight how the ice and ocean interact in a Europan analog environment. Over the course of three years, the SIMPLE team observed heterogeneity in the water column and basal ice beneath the MIS. During the recent 2015 field season we deployed ARTEMIS, an AUV capable of characterizing the interface over multiple kilometer missions, and conducted daily CTD casts to 480 m (bottom depth 529 m) in November adjacent to the terminus of the MIS to capture temporal variation in the water column. These casts show the presence of transient water masses related to the tidal period, each containing a single or double temperature minimum (down to -1.97 °C from -1.93 °C) between 60 to 150 m depth. Further comparisons between years and sampling locations demonstrate the homogeneity of the subshelf environment even on the scale of tens of kilometers. The technologies supported by SIMPLE are also supporting the ice penetrating radar on the upcoming Europa Flagship mission, and will hopefully inform future ocean world exploration.

  11. Arctic-COLORS (Coastal Land Ocean Interactions in the Arctic) - a NASA field campaign scoping study to examine land-ocean interactions in the Arctic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hernes, P.; Tzortziou, M.; Salisbury, J.; Mannino, A.; Matrai, P.; Friedrichs, M. A.; Del Castillo, C. E.

    2014-12-01

    The Arctic region is warming faster than anywhere else on the planet, triggering rapid social and economic changes and impacting both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Yet our understanding of critical processes and interactions along the Arctic land-ocean interface is limited. Arctic-COLORS is a Field Campaign Scoping Study funded by NASA's Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program that aims to improve understanding and prediction of land-ocean interactions in a rapidly changing Arctic coastal zone, and assess vulnerability, response, feedbacks and resilience of coastal ecosystems, communities and natural resources to current and future pressures. Specific science objectives include: - Quantify lateral fluxes to the arctic inner shelf from (i) rivers and (ii) the outer shelf/basin that affect biology, biodiversity, biogeochemistry (i.e. organic matter, nutrients, suspended sediment), and the processing rates of these constituents in coastal waters. - Evaluate the impact of the thawing of Arctic permafrost within the river basins on coastal biology, biodiversity and biogeochemistry, including various rates of community production and the role these may play in the health of regional economies. - Assess the impact of changing Arctic landfast ice and coastal sea ice dynamics. - Establish a baseline for comparison to future change, and use state-of-the-art models to assess impacts of environmental change on coastal biology, biodiversity and biogeochemistry. A key component of Arctic-COLORS will be the integration of satellite and field observations with coupled physical-biogeochemical models for predicting impacts of future pressures on Arctic, coastal ocean, biological processes and biogeochemical cycles. Through interagency and international collaborations, and through the organization of dedicated workshops, town hall meetings and presentations at international conferences, the scoping study engages the broader scientific community and invites participation of experts from a wide range of disciplines, to refine our science objectives and outline detailed research strategies needed to attain these objectives. The deliverable will be a comprehensive report to NASA outlining the major scientific questions, and developing the initial study design and implementation concept.

  12. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) program. FY 1977 program summary

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    1978-01-01

    An overview is given of the ongoing research, development, and demonstration efforts. Each of the DOE's Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion projects funded during fiscal year 1977 (October 1, 1976 through September 30, 1977) is described and each project's status as of December 31, 1977 is reflected. These projects are grouped as follows: program support, definition planning, engineering development, engineering test and evaluation, and advanced research and technology. (MHR)

  13. The Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO): Sensor and Data Processing Overview

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-20

    backscattering coefficients, and others. Several of these software modules will be developed within the Automated Processing System (APS), a data... Automated Processing System (APS) NRL developed APS, which processes satellite data into ocean color data products. APS is a collection of methods...used for ocean color processing which provide the tools for the automated processing of satellite imagery [1]. These tools are in the process of

  14. International organisation of ocean programs: Making a virtue of necessity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcewan, Angus

    1992-01-01

    When faced with the needs of climate prediction, a sharp contrast is revealed between existing networks for the observation of the atmosphere and for the ocean. Even the largest and longest-serving ocean data networks were created for their value to a specific user (usually with a defence, fishing or other maritime purpose) and the major compilations of historical data have needed extensive scientific input to reconcile the differences and deficiencies of the various sources. Vast amounts of such data remain inaccessible or unusable. Observations for research purposes have been generally short lived and funded on the basis of single initiatives. Even major programs such as FGGE, TOGA and WOCE have been driven by the dedicated interest of a surprisingly small number of individuals, and have been funded from a wide variety of temporary allocations. Recognising the global scale of ocean observations needed for climate research, international cooperation and coordination is an unavoidable necessity, resulting in the creation of such bodies as the Committee for Climatic Changes and the Ocean (CCCO), with the tasks of: (1) defining the scientific elements of research and ocean observation which meet the needs of climate prediction and amelioration; (2) translating these elements into terms of programs, projects or requirements that can be understood and participated in by individual nations and marine agencies; and (3) the sponsorship of specialist groups to facilitate the definition of research programs, the implementation of cooperative international activity and the dissemination of results.

  15. Delta II JPSS-1 Spacecraft Arrival

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-09-01

    Technicians at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California inspect the shipping container for the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, as it arrives at the Astrotech Processing Facility. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

  16. Oceanic Chemistry and Biology Group (ONR Code 422CB) Program Science Report, FY 81,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-03-01

    instruments to provide the tools needed by the marine chemical conmunity to address small scale length features and rapidly f evolving phenomena. Underway...Through a combined application of field and laboratory studies an attempt is being made to identify the marine abiotic processes which are potentially...Biodeterioration Dissolved Organics Particulate Matter Bioluminescence HEBBLE Sediment Traps Bioturbation Marine Biology STIE Boring Organisms Marine Chemistry

  17. Delta II JPSS-1 Spacecraft Shipment to VAFB to Ball Aerospace Fa

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-31

    The Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, arrives at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

  18. An overview on integrated data system for archiving and sharing marine geology and geophysical data in Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, Sang-Hwa; Kim, Sung Dae; Park, Hyuk Min; Lee, SeungHa

    2016-04-01

    We established and have operated an integrated data system for managing, archiving and sharing marine geology and geophysical data around Korea produced from various research projects and programs in Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST). First of all, to keep the consistency of data system with continuous data updates, we set up standard operating procedures (SOPs) for data archiving, data processing and converting, data quality controls, and data uploading, DB maintenance, etc. Database of this system comprises two databases, ARCHIVE DB and GIS DB for the purpose of this data system. ARCHIVE DB stores archived data as an original forms and formats from data providers for data archive and GIS DB manages all other compilation, processed and reproduction data and information for data services and GIS application services. Relational data management system, Oracle 11g, adopted for DBMS and open source GIS techniques applied for GIS services such as OpenLayers for user interface, GeoServer for application server, PostGIS and PostgreSQL for GIS database. For the sake of convenient use of geophysical data in a SEG Y format, a viewer program was developed and embedded in this system. Users can search data through GIS user interface and save the results as a report.

  19. The Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO (trademark)) Provides a New View of the Coastal Ocean

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-02-09

    The calibrated data are then sent to NRL Stennis Space Center (NRL-SSC) for further processing using the NRL SSC Automated Processing System (APS...hyperspectral sensor in space we have not previously developed automated processing for hyperspectral ocean color data. The hyperspectral processing branch

  20. A Research Experiences for Undergraduates program (REU) Program Designed to Recruit, Engage and Prepare a Diverse Student Population for Careers in Ocean Sciences.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clarkston, B. E.; Garza, C.

    2016-02-01

    The problem of improving diversity within the Ocean Sciences workforce—still underperforming relative to other scientific disciplines—can only be addressed by first recruiting and engaging a more diverse student population into the discipline, then retaining them in the workforce. California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) is home to the Monterey Bay Regional Ocean Science Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. As an HSI with strong ties to multiple regional community colleges and other Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) in the CSU system, the Monterey Bay REU is uniquely positioned to address the crucial recruitment and engagement of a diverse student body. Eleven sophomore and junior-level undergraduate students are recruited per year from academic institutions where research opportunities in STEM are limited and from groups historically underrepresented in the Ocean Sciences, including women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans. During the program, students engage in a 10-week original research project guided by a faculty research mentor in one of four themes: Oceanography, Marine Biology and Ecology, Ocean Engineering, and Marine Geology. In addition to research, students develop scientific self-efficacy and literacy skills through rigorous weekly professional development workshops in which they practice critical thinking, ethical decision-making, peer review, writing and oral communication skills. These workshops include tangible products such as an NSF-style proposal paper, Statement of Purpose and CV modelled for the SACNAS Travel Award Application, research abstract, scientific report and oral presentation. To help retain students in Ocean Sciences, students build community during the REU by living together in the CSUMB dormitories; post-REU, students stay connected through an online facebook group, LinkedIn page and group webinars. To date, the REU has supported 22 students in two cohorts (2014, 2015) and here we present successes, challenges and lessons learned for an innovative program designed to recruit, engage and prepare students for Ocean Science careers.

  1. Improving an Atlantic Fisheries DSS using Sea Surface Salinity Data from NASA's Aquarius Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guest, DeNeice

    2007-01-01

    This report assesses the capacity of incorporating NASA#s Aquarius SSS (sea surface salinity) data into the SMAST (School of Marine Science and Technology) DSS for Fisheries Science. This data will enhance the SMAST DSS by providing SSS over a large area. Aquarius is a focused satellite mission designed to measure global SSS. SSS mapping is limited because conventional in situ SSS sampling is too sparse to give a large-scale view of the salinity variability. Aquarius will resolve missing physical processes that link the water cycle, the climate, and the ocean. The SMAST Fisheries program provides a DSS for fisheries science. It collects fisheries and environmental data, integrates them into a suite of data assimilation ocean models, and provides hindcasts, nowcasts, and forecasts for fisheries research, fisheries management, and the fishery industry. Currently, SMAST is using SSS data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration#s National Data Buoy Center. The SMAST DSS would be enhanced with SSS data from the Aquarius mission.

  2. Anatexis at the roof of an oceanic magma chamber at IODP Site 1256 (equatorial Pacific): an experimental study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Erdmann, Martin; Fischer, Lennart A.; France, Lydéric; Zhang, Chao; Godard, Marguerite; Koepke, Jürgen

    2015-04-01

    Replenished axial melt lenses at fast-spreading mid-oceanic ridges may move upward and intrude into the overlying hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes, resulting in high-grade contact metamorphism with the potential to trigger anatexis in the roof rocks. Assumed products of this process are anatectic melts of felsic composition and granoblastic, two-pyroxene hornfels, representing the residue after partial melting. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expeditions 309, 312, and 335 at Site 1256 (eastern equatorial Pacific) sampled such a fossilized oceanic magma chamber. In this study, we simulated magma chamber roof rock anatectic processes by performing partial melting experiments using six different protoliths from the Site 1256 sheeted dike complex, spanning a lithological range from poorly to strongly altered basalts to partially or fully recrystallized granoblastic hornfels. Results show that extensively altered starting material lacking primary magmatic minerals cannot reproduce the chemistry of natural felsic rocks recovered in ridge environments, especially elements sensitive to hydrothermal alteration (e.g., K, Cl). Natural geochemical trends are reproduced through partial melting of moderately altered basalts from the lower sheeted dikes. Two-pyroxene hornfels, the assumed residue, were reproduced only at low melting degrees (<20 vol%). The overall amphibole absence in the experiments confirms the natural observation that amphibole is not produced during peak metamorphism. Comparing experimental products with the natural equivalents reveals that water activity ( aH2O) was significantly reduced during anatectic processes, mainly based on lower melt aluminum oxide and lower plagioclase anorthite content at lower aH2O. High silica melt at the expected temperature (1000-1050 °C; peak thermal overprint of two-pyroxene hornfels) could only be reproduced in the experimental series performed at aH2O = 0.1.

  3. Dynamic Biological Functioning Important for Simulating and Stabilizing Ocean Biogeochemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buchanan, P. J.; Matear, R. J.; Chase, Z.; Phipps, S. J.; Bindoff, N. L.

    2018-04-01

    The biogeochemistry of the ocean exerts a strong influence on the climate by modulating atmospheric greenhouse gases. In turn, ocean biogeochemistry depends on numerous physical and biological processes that change over space and time. Accurately simulating these processes is fundamental for accurately simulating the ocean's role within the climate. However, our simulation of these processes is often simplistic, despite a growing understanding of underlying biological dynamics. Here we explore how new parameterizations of biological processes affect simulated biogeochemical properties in a global ocean model. We combine 6 different physical realizations with 6 different biogeochemical parameterizations (36 unique ocean states). The biogeochemical parameterizations, all previously published, aim to more accurately represent the response of ocean biology to changing physical conditions. We make three major findings. First, oxygen, carbon, alkalinity, and phosphate fields are more sensitive to changes in the ocean's physical state. Only nitrate is more sensitive to changes in biological processes, and we suggest that assessment protocols for ocean biogeochemical models formally include the marine nitrogen cycle to assess their performance. Second, we show that dynamic variations in the production, remineralization, and stoichiometry of organic matter in response to changing environmental conditions benefit the simulation of ocean biogeochemistry. Third, dynamic biological functioning reduces the sensitivity of biogeochemical properties to physical change. Carbon and nitrogen inventories were 50% and 20% less sensitive to physical changes, respectively, in simulations that incorporated dynamic biological functioning. These results highlight the importance of a dynamic biology for ocean properties and climate.

  4. Oceanic-type accretion may begin before complete continental break-up

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geoffroy, L.; Zalan, P. V.; Viana, A. R.

    2011-12-01

    Oceanic accretion is thought to be the process of oceanic crust (and lithosphere) edification through adiabatic melting of shallow convecting mantle at oceanic spreading ridges. It is usually considered as a post-breakup diagnostic process following continents rupturing. However, this is not always correct. The structure of volcanic passive margins (representing more than 50% of passive continental margins) outlines that the continental lithosphere is progressively changed into oceanic-type lithosphere during the stage of continental extension. This is clear at least, at crustal level. The continental crust is 'changed' from the earliest stages of extension into a typical -however thicker- oceanic crust with the typical oceanic magmatic layers (from top to bottom: lava flows/tuffs, sheeted dyke complexes, dominantly (sill-like) mafic intrusions in the lower crust). The Q-rich continental crust is highly extended and increases in volume (due to the magma) during the extensional process. At the continent-ocean transition there is, finally, no seismic difference between this highly transformed continental crust and the oceanic crust. Using a large range of data (including deep seismic reflection profiles), we discuss the mantle mechanisms that governs the process of mantle-assisted continental extension. We outline the large similarity between those mantle processes and those acting at purely-oceanic spreading axis and discuss the effects of the inherited continental lithosphere in the pattern of new mafic crust edification.

  5. Uniformly mantle-like δ18O in zircons from oceanic plagiogranites and gabbros

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grimes, Craig B.; Ushikubo, Takayuki; John, Barbara E.; Valley, John W.

    2011-01-01

    Lower ocean crust is primarily gabbroic, although 1-2% felsic igneous rocks that are referred to collectively as plagiogranites occur locally. Recent experimental evidence suggests that plagiogranite magmas can form by hydrous partial melting of gabbro triggered by seawater-derived fluids, and thus they may indicate early, high-temperature hydrothermal fluid circulation. To explore seawater-rock interaction prior to and during the genesis of plagiogranite and other late-stage magmas, oxygen-isotope ratios preserved in igneous zircon have been measured by ion microprobe. A total of 197 zircons from 43 plagiogranite, evolved gabbro, and hydrothermally altered fault rock samples have been analyzed. Samples originate primarily from drill core acquired during Ocean Drilling Program and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program operations near the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest Indian Ridges. With the exception of rare, distinctively luminescent rims, all zircons from ocean crust record remarkably uniform δ18O with an average value of 5.2 ± 0.5‰ (2SD). The average δ18O(Zrc) would be in magmatic equilibrium with unaltered MORB [δ18O(WR) ~ 5.6-5.7‰], and is consistent with the previously determined value for equilibrium with the mantle. The narrow range of measured δ18O values is predicted for zircon crystallization from variable parent melt compositions and temperatures in a closed system, and provides no indication of any interactions between altered rocks or seawater and the evolved parent melts. If plagiogranite forms by hydrous partial melting, the uniform mantle-like δ18O(Zrc) requires melting and zircon crystallization prior to significant amounts of water-rock interactions that alter the protolith δ18O. Zircons from ocean crust have been proposed as a tectonic analog for >3.9 Ga detrital zircons from the earliest (Hadean) Earth by multiple workers. However, zircons from ocean crust are readily distinguished geochemically from zircons formed in continental crustal environments. Many of the >3.9 Ga zircons have mildly elevated δ18O (6.0-7.5‰), but such values have not been identified in any zircons from the large sample suite examined here. The difference in δ18O, in combination with newly acquired lithium concentrations and published trace element data, clearly shows that the >3.9 Ga detrital zircons did not originate by processes analogous to those in modern mid-ocean ridge settings.

  6. Ice-tethered measurement platforms in the Arctic Ocean: a contribution by the FRAM infrastructure program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoppmann, Mario; Nicolaus, Marcel; Rabe, Benjamin; Wenzhöfer, Frank; Katlein, Christian; Scholz, Daniel

    2016-04-01

    The Arctic Ocean has been in the focus of many studies during recent years, investigating the state, the causes and the implications of the observed rapid transition towards a thinner and younger sea-ice cover. However, consistent observational datasets of sea ice, ocean and atmosphere are still sparse due to the limited accessibility and harsh environmental conditions. One important tool to fill this gap has become more and more feasible during recent years: autonomous, ice-tethered measurement platforms (buoys). These drifting instruments independently transmit their data via satellites, and enable observations over larger areas and over longer time periods than manned expeditions, even throughout the winter. One aim of the newly established FRAM (FRontiers in Arctic marine Monitoring) infrastructure program at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute is to realize and maintain an interdisciplinary network of buoys in the Arctic Ocean, contributing to an integrated, Arctic-wide observatory. The additional buoy infrastructure, ship-time, and developments provided by FRAM are critical elements in the ongoing international effort to fill the large data gaps in a rapidly changing Arctic Ocean. Our focus is the particularly underrepresented Eurasian Basin. Types of instruments range from snow depth beacons and ice mass balance buoys for monitoring ice growth and snow accumulation, over radiation and weather stations for energy budget estimates, to ice-tethered profiling systems for upper ocean monitoring. Further, development of new bio-optical and biogeochemical buoys is expected to enhance our understanding of bio-physical processes associated with Arctic sea ice. The first set of FRAM buoys was deployed in September 2015 from RV Polarstern. All datasets are publicly available on dedicated web portals. Near real time data are reported into international initiatives, such as the Global Telecommunication System (GTS) and the International Arctic Buoy Programme (IABP). The additional data acquired by FRAM buoys facilitate the validation of model results and remote sensing products, play an important role in understanding the linkages between the atmosphere, sea ice and upper ocean, and help assess the physical, biological and biogeochemical states of the future Arctic Ocean. Here we present our recent work and future plans, but are also aiming for additional collaborations, especially on technical developments, scientific questions and deployment logistics.

  7. Insights into magmatic processes and hydrothermal alteration of in situ superfast spreading ocean crust at ODP/IODP site 1256 from a cluster analysis of rock magnetic properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dekkers, Mark J.; Heslop, David; Herrero-Bervera, Emilio; Acton, Gary; Krasa, David

    2014-08-01

    We analyze magnetic properties from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP)/Integrated ODP (IODP) Hole 1256D (6°44.1' N, 91°56.1' W) on the Cocos Plate in ˜15.2 Ma oceanic crust generated by superfast seafloor spreading, the only drill hole that has sampled all three oceanic crust layers in a tectonically undisturbed setting. Fuzzy c-means cluster analysis and nonlinear mapping are utilized to study down-hole trends in the ratio of the saturation remanent magnetization and the saturation magnetization, the coercive force, the ratio of the remanent coercive force and coercive force, the low-field magnetic susceptibility, and the Curie temperature, to evaluate the effects of magmatic and hydrothermal processes on magnetic properties. A statistically robust five cluster solution separates the data predominantly into three clusters that express increasing hydrothermal alteration of the lavas, which differ from two distinct clusters mainly representing the dikes and gabbros. Extensive alteration can obliterate magnetic property differences between lavas, dikes, and gabbros. The imprint of thermochemical alteration on the iron-titanium oxides is only partially related to the porosity of the rocks. Thus, the analysis complements interpretation based on electrofacies analysis. All clusters display rock magnetic characteristics compatible with an ability to retain a stable natural remanent magnetization suggesting that the entire sampled sequence of ocean crust can contribute to marine magnetic anomalies. Paleointensity determination is difficult because of the propensity of oxyexsolution during laboratory heating and/or the presence of intergrowths. The upper part of the extrusive sequence, the granoblastic dikes, and moderately altered gabbros may contain a comparatively uncontaminated thermoremanent magnetization.

  8. Heat and moisture fluxes within a nighttime maritime stratus cloud during CASP II

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gultepe, I.; Issac, G.

    Stratus clouds in the lower part of the atmosphere over the ocean or land can play an important role in boundary layer processes and in climate change. Physical, dynamical, and radiative processes within marine stratus clouds on both cloud and regional scale are studied for the first time during the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment (FIRE) (Albrecht et al., 1988). These clouds can effect the nowcasting, pollution transfer, and radiative processes (Nicholls and Leighton, 1986). Similar to the FIRE stratus project, the Canadian Atlantic Storms Program (CASP) II field project was planned to obtain a bettermore » understanding of cloud physical, dynamical, radiative characteristics, and mesoscale structure of Canadian east coast storms. Here the dynamical and microphysical data, and a radiative transfer model are used to better understand a developing nighttime stratus cloud over the ocean during CASP II which took place over Atlantic Canada. Observations collected by the Convair aircraft of the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada during the CASP II field project on February 6, 1991 are presented.« less

  9. Development, Testing and Operation of a Large Suspended Ocean Measurement Structure for Deep-Ocean Use

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-05-01

    and systems for developing , testing, and operating the system. A new, lightweight cable de- used this evolving technology base in the ensuing years...Funding Numbers. Development , Testing, and Operation of a Large Suspended Ocean Contrac Measurement Structure for Deep-Ocean Use Program Element No...Research L.aboratory Report Number. Ocean Acoutics and Technology Directorate PR 91:132:253 Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004 9. Sponsoring

  10. Local Observations, Global Connections: An Educational Program Using Ocean Networks Canada's Community-Based Observatories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pelz, M.; Hoeberechts, M.; Ewing, N.; Davidson, E.; Riddell, D. J.

    2014-12-01

    Schools on Canada's west coast and in the Canadian Arctic are participating in the pilot year of a novel educational program based on analyzing, understanding and sharing ocean data collected by cabled observatories. The core of the program is "local observations, global connections." First, students develop an understanding of ocean conditions at their doorstep through the analysis of community-based observatory data. Then, they connect that knowledge with the health of the global ocean by engaging with students at other schools participating in the educational program and through supplemental educational resources. Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, operates cabled ocean observatories which supply continuous power and Internet connectivity to a broad suite of subsea instruments from the coast to the deep sea. This Internet connectivity permits researchers, students and members of the public to download freely available data on their computers anywhere around the globe, in near real-time. In addition to the large NEPTUNE and VENUS cabled observatories off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, ONC has been installing smaller, community-based cabled observatories. Currently two are installed: one in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut and one at Brentwood College School, on Mill Bay in Saanich Inlet, BC. Several more community-based observatories are scheduled for installation within the next year. The observatories support a variety of subsea instruments, such as a video camera, hydrophone and water quality monitor and shore-based equipment including a weather station and a video camera. Schools in communities hosting an observatory are invited to participate in the program, alongside schools located in other coastal and inland communities. Students and teachers access educational material and data through a web portal, and use video conferencing and social media tools to communicate their findings. A series of lesson plans introduces the teachers and students to cabled observatory technology and instrumentation, including technical aspects and their value in monitoring changing ocean conditions. This presentation will describe the program in more detail and report on our experiences in the first months of the pilot year.

  11. Opportunities in Education and Public Outreach for Scientists at the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hicks, T.

    2004-12-01

    The School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is home to twelve diverse research institutes, programs and academic departments that focus on a wide range of earth and planetary sciences. SOEST's main outreach goals at the K-12 level are to increase the awareness of Hawaii's schoolchildren regarding earth, ocean, and space science, and to inspire them to consider a career in science. Education and public outreach efforts in SOEST include a variety of programs that engage students and the public in formal as well as informal educational settings, such as our biennial Open House, expedition web sites, Hawaii Ocean Science Bowl, museum exhibits, and programs with local schools. Some of the projects that allow for scientist involvement in E/PO include visiting local classrooms, volunteering in our outreach programs, submitting lessons and media files to our educational database of outreach materials relating to earth and space science research in Hawaii, developing E/PO materials to supplement research grants, and working with local museum staff as science experts.

  12. The Monterey Ocean Observing System Development Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chaffey, M.; Graybeal, J. B.; O'Reilly, T.; Ryan, J.

    2004-12-01

    The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has a major development program underway to design, build, test and apply technology suitable to deep ocean observatories. The Monterey Ocean Observing System (MOOS) program is designed to form a large-scale instrument network that provides generic interfaces, intelligent instrument support, data archiving and near-real-time interaction for observatory experiments. The MOOS mooring system is designed as a portable surface mooring based seafloor observatory that provides data and power connections to both seafloor and ocean surface instruments through a specialty anchor cable. The surface mooring collects solar and wind energy for powering instruments and transmits data to shore-side researchers using a satellite communications modem. The use of a high modulus anchor cable to reach seafloor instrument networks is a high-risk development effort that is critical for the overall success of the portable observatory concept. An aggressive field test program off the California coast is underway to improve anchor cable constructions as well as end-to-end test overall system design. The overall MOOS observatory systems view is presented and the results of our field tests completed to date are summarized.

  13. The Deglacial to Holocene Paleoceanography of Bering Strait: Results From the SWERUS-C3 Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jakobsson, M.; Anderson, L. G.; Backman, J.; Barrientos, N.; Björk, G. M.; Coxall, H.; Cronin, T. M.; De Boer, A. M.; Gemery, L.; Jerram, K.; Johansson, C.; Kirchner, N.; Mayer, L. A.; Mörth, C. M.; Nilsson, J.; Noormets, R. R. N. N.; O'Regan, M.; Pearce, C.; Semiletov, I. P.; Stranne, C.

    2017-12-01

    The climate-carbon-cryosphere (C3) interactions in the East Siberian Arctic Ocean and related ocean, river and land areas of the Arctic have been the focus for the SWERUS-C3 Program (Swedish - Russian - US Arctic Ocean Investigation of Climate-Cryosphere-Carbon Interactions). This multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary program was carried out on a two-leg 90-day long expedition in 2014 with Swedish icebreaker Oden. One component of the expedition consisted of geophysical mapping and coring of Herald Canyon, located on the Chukchi Sea shelf north of the Bering Strait in the western Arctic Ocean. Herald Canyon is strategically placed to capture the history of the Pacific-Arctic Ocean connection and related changes in Arctic Ocean paleoceanography. Here we present a summary of key results from analyses of the marine geophysical mapping data and cores collected from Herald Canyon on the shelf and slope that proved to be particularly well suited for paleoceanographic reconstruction. For example, we provide a new age constraint of 11 cal ka BP on sediments from the uppermost slope for the initial flooding of the Bering Land Bridge and reestablishment of the Pacific-Arctic Ocean connection following the last glaciation. This age corresponds to meltwater pulse 1b (MWP1b) known as a post-Younger Dryas warming in many sea level and paleoclimate records. In addition, high late Holocene sedimentation rates that range between about 100 and 300 cm kyr-1, in Herald Canyon permitted paleoceanographic reconstructions of ocean circulation and sea ice cover at centennial scales throughout the late Holocene. Evidence suggests varying influence from inflowing Pacific water into the western Arctic Ocean including some evidence for quasi-cyclic variability in several paleoceanographic parameters, e.g. micropaleontological assemblages, isotope geochemistry and sediment physical properties.

  14. Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Meteorological and Oceanographic Data Sets for 1985 and 1986

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Halpern, D.; Ashby, H.; Finch, C.; Smith, E.; Robles, J.

    1990-01-01

    The Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Program is a component of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)/International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) World Climate Research Program (WCRP). One of the objectives of TOGA, which began in 1985, is to determine the limits of predictability of monthly mean sea surface temperature variations in tropical regions. The TOGA program created a raison d'etre for an explosive growth of the tropical ocean observing system and a substantial improvement in numerical simulations from atmospheric and oceanic general circulation models. Institutions located throughout the world are involved in the TOGA-distributed active data archive system. The diverse TOGA data sets for 1985 and 1986, including results from general circulation models, are included on a CD-ROM. Variables on the CD-ROM are barometric pressure, surface air temperature, dewpoint temperature Cartesian components of surface wind, surface sensible and latent heat fluxes,Cartesian components of surface wind stress and of an index of surface wind stress, sea level, sea surface temperature, and depth profiles of temperature and current in the upper ocean. Some data sets are global in extent, some are regional and cover portions of an ocean basin. Data on the CD-ROM can be extracted with an Apple Macintosh or an IBM PC.

  15. A National Program for Analysis of the Climate System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schubert, Siegfried; Arkin, Phil; Kalnay, Eugenia; Laver, James; Trenberth, Kevin

    2002-01-01

    Perhaps the single greatest roadblock to fundamental advances in our understanding of climate variability and climate change is the lack of robust and unbiased long-term global observations of the climate system. Such observations are critical for the identification and diagnosis of climate variations, and provide the constraints necessary for developing and validating climate models. The first generation of reanalysis efforts, by using fixed analysis systems, eliminated the artificial climate signals that occurred in analyses generated at the operational numerical weather prediction centers. These datasets are now widely used by the scientific community in a variety of applications including atmosphere-ocean interactions, seasonal prediction, climate monitoring, the hydrological cycle, and a host of regional and other diagnostic studies. These reanalyses, however, had problems that made them sub-optimal or even unusable for some applications. Perhaps the most serious problem for climate applications was that, while the assimilation system remained fixed, changes in the observing systems did produce spurious changes in the perceived climate. The first generation reanalysis products also exposed problems with physical consistency of the products and the accurate representation of physical processes in the climate system. Examples are bias in the estimates of ocean surface fluxes, and inadequate representation of polar hydrology. In this talk, I will describe some initial plans for a national program on reananlysis. The program is envisioned to be part of an on-going activity to maintain, improve, and reprocess our record of climate observations. I will discuss various issues affecting the quality of reanalyses, with a special focus on those relevant to the ocean.

  16. New Layer Thickness Parameterization of Diffusive Convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Sheng-Qi; Lu, Yuan-Zheng; Guo, Shuang-Xi; Song, Xue-Long; Qu, Ling; Cen, Xian-Rong; Fer, Ilker

    2017-11-01

    Double-diffusion convection is one of the most important non-mechanically driven mixing processes. Its importance has been particular recognized in oceanography, material science, geology, and planetary physics. Double-diffusion occurs in a fluid in which there are gradients of two (or more) properties with different molecular diffusivities and of opposing effects on the vertical density distribution. It has two primary modes: salt finger and diffusive convection. Recently, the importance of diffusive convection has aroused more interest due to its impact to the diapycnal mixing in the interior ocean and the ice and the ice-melting in the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. In our recent work, we constructed a length scale of energy-containing eddy and proposed a new layer thickness parameterization of diffusive convection by using the laboratory experiment and in situ observations in the lakes and oceans. The new parameterization can well describe the laboratory convecting layer thicknesses (0.01 0.1 m) and those observed in oceans and lakes (0.1 1000 m). This work was supported by China NSF Grants (41476167,41406035 and 41176027), NSF of Guangdong Province, China (2016A030311042) and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA11030302).

  17. Mid-Cenozoic tectonic and paleoenvironmental setting of the central Arctic Ocean

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    O'Regan, M.; Moran, K.; Backman, J.; Jakobsson, M.; Sangiorgi, F.; Brinkhuis, Henk; Pockalny, Rob; Skelton, Alasdair; Stickley, Catherine E.; Koc, N.; Brumsack, Hans-Juergen; Willard, Debra A.

    2008-01-01

    Drilling results from the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program's Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX) to the Lomonosov Ridge (LR) document a 26 million year hiatus that separates freshwater-influenced biosilica-rich deposits of the middle Eocene from fossil-poor glaciomarine silty clays of the early Miocene. Detailed micropaleontological and sedimentological data from sediments surrounding this mid-Cenozoic hiatus describe a shallow water setting for the LR, a finding that conflicts with predrilling seismic predictions and an initial postcruise assessment of its subsidence history that assumed smooth thermally controlled subsidence following rifting. A review of Cenozoic tectonic processes affecting the geodynamic evolution of the central Arctic Ocean highlights a prolonged phase of basin-wide compression that ended in the early Miocene. The coincidence in timing between the end of compression and the start of rapid early Miocene subsidence provides a compelling link between these observations and similarly accounts for the shallow water setting that persisted more than 30 million years after rifting ended. However, for much of the late Paleogene and early Neogene, tectonic reconstructions of the Arctic Ocean describe a landlocked basin, adding additional uncertainty to reconstructions of paleodepth estimates as the magnitude of regional sea level variations remains unknown.

  18. The Europa Ocean Discovery mission

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Edwards, B.C.; Chyba, C.F.; Abshire, J.B.

    1997-06-01

    Since it was first proposed that tidal heating of Europa by Jupiter might lead to liquid water oceans below Europa`s ice cover, there has been speculation over the possible exobiological implications of such an ocean. Liquid water is the essential ingredient for life as it is known, and the existence of a second water ocean in the Solar System would be of paramount importance for seeking the origin and existence of life beyond Earth. The authors present here a Discovery-class mission concept (Europa Ocean Discovery) to determine the existence of a liquid water ocean on Europa and to characterize Europa`smore » surface structure. The technical goal of the Europa Ocean Discovery mission is to study Europa with an orbiting spacecraft. This goal is challenging but entirely feasible within the Discovery envelope. There are four key challenges: entering Europan orbit, generating power, surviving long enough in the radiation environment to return valuable science, and complete the mission within the Discovery program`s launch vehicle and budget constraints. The authors will present here a viable mission that meets these challenges.« less

  19. What's Cooler Than Being Cool? Icefin: Robotic Exploration Beneath Antarctic Ice Shelves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrence, J.; Schmidt, B. E.; Meister, M. R.; Glass, J. B.; Bowman, J. S.; Stockton, A. M.; Dichek, D.; Hurwitz, B.; Ramey, C.; Spears, A.; Walker, C. C.

    2017-12-01

    The 2017-18 Antarctic field season marks the first of three under the RISEUP project (Ross Ice Shelf & Europa Underwater Probe, NASA PSTAR program grant NNX16AL07G, PI B. E. Schmidt). RISEUP expands our efforts to understand the physical processes governing ice-ocean interactions from beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) to the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS), utilizing the modular autonomous or remotely operable submersible vehicle (AUV/ROV) Icefin. The remote, aphotic regions below Antarctic shelves present a unique opportunity- they are both poorly understood terrestrial environments and analogs for similar systems hypothesized to be present on other bodies in our solar system, such as Europa and Enceladus. By developing new robotic technologies to access and explore ice shelf cavities we are advancing our understanding of how temperature, pressure, and salinity influence the ice-ocean interface, the limits of habitable environments on Earth, and what biological processes and adaptations enable the life discovered by the RISP and WISSARD programs during initial exploration beneath the RIS. These investigations further our understanding of ocean world habitability and support planned and proposed planetary missions (e.g. Europa Clipper, Europa Lander) via improved constraint of marine ice accretion processes, organic entrainment, and interface habitability. Custom built at Georgia Tech and first deployed during the 2014/15 Antarctic season, Icefin is 3.5 m, 125 kg modular vehicle that now carries a full suite of oceanographic sensors (including conductivity, temperature, depth, dissolved O2, dissolved organic matter, turbidity, pH, eH, and sonar) that can be deployed through boreholes as small as 25 cm in diameter. Here we present continued analysis of basal ice and oceanographic observations in the McMurdo Sound region from 2012-2015 with, pending anticipated field work, comparisons to preliminary data from the 2017/18 field season beneath both the McMurdo and Ross Ice Shelves.

  20. Salinity Boundary Conditions and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in Depth and Quasi-Isopycnic Coordinate Global Ocean Models

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-06-30

    Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in Depth and Quasi-Isopycnic Coordinate Global Ocean...2009 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Salinity Boundary Conditions and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in Depth and Quasi-Isopycnic Coordinate... Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in global simulations performed with the depth coordinate Parallel Ocean Program (POP) ocean

  1. Evidence from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 149 mafic igneous rocks for oceanic crust in the Iberia Abyssal Plain ocean-continent transition zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seifert, Karl E.; Chang, Cheng-Wen; Brunotte, Dale A.

    1997-04-01

    Leg 149 of the Ocean Drilling Program explored the ocean-continent transition (OCT) on the Iberia Abyssal Plain and its role in the opening of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 130 Ma. Mafic igneous rocks recovered from Holes 899B and 900A have Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) trace element and isotopic characteristics indicating that a spreading center was active during the opening of the Iberia Abyssal Plain OCT. The Hole 899B weathered basalt and diabase clasts have transitional to enriched MORB rare earth element characteristics, and the Hole 900A metamorphosed gabbros have MORB initial epsilon Nd values between +6 and +11. During the opening event the Iberia Abyssal Plain OCT is envisioned to have resembled the central and northern parts of the present Red Sea with localized spreading centers and magma chambers producing localized patches of MORB mafic rocks. The lack of a normal ocean floor magnetic anomaly pattern in the Iberia Abyssal Plain means that a continuous spreading center similar to that observed in the present southern Red Sea was not formed before spreading ceased in the Iberia Abyssal Plain OCT and jumped to the present Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

  2. Ocean processes at the Antarctic continental slope.

    PubMed

    Heywood, Karen J; Schmidtko, Sunke; Heuzé, Céline; Kaiser, Jan; Jickells, Timothy D; Queste, Bastien Y; Stevens, David P; Wadley, Martin; Thompson, Andrew F; Fielding, Sophie; Guihen, Damien; Creed, Elizabeth; Ridley, Jeff K; Smith, Walker

    2014-07-13

    The Antarctic continental shelves and slopes occupy relatively small areas, but, nevertheless, are important for global climate, biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem functioning. Processes of water mass transformation through sea ice formation/melting and ocean-atmosphere interaction are key to the formation of deep and bottom waters as well as determining the heat flux beneath ice shelves. Climate models, however, struggle to capture these physical processes and are unable to reproduce water mass properties of the region. Dynamics at the continental slope are key for correctly modelling climate, yet their small spatial scale presents challenges both for ocean modelling and for observational studies. Cross-slope exchange processes are also vital for the flux of nutrients such as iron from the continental shelf into the mixed layer of the Southern Ocean. An iron-cycling model embedded in an eddy-permitting ocean model reveals the importance of sedimentary iron in fertilizing parts of the Southern Ocean. Ocean gliders play a key role in improving our ability to observe and understand these small-scale processes at the continental shelf break. The Gliders: Excellent New Tools for Observing the Ocean (GENTOO) project deployed three Seagliders for up to two months in early 2012 to sample the water to the east of the Antarctic Peninsula in unprecedented temporal and spatial detail. The glider data resolve small-scale exchange processes across the shelf-break front (the Antarctic Slope Front) and the front's biogeochemical signature. GENTOO demonstrated the capability of ocean gliders to play a key role in a future multi-disciplinary Southern Ocean observing system.

  3. 15 CFR 922.93 - Permit procedures and criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE... Director, National Marine Sanctuary Program, ATTN: Manager, Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411. (c) The Director, at his or her discretion may issue a permit, subject...

  4. SPURS: Salinity Processes in the Upper-Ocean Regional Study: THE NORTH ATLANTIC EXPERIMENT

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lindstrom, Eric; Bryan, Frank; Schmitt, Ray

    2015-01-01

    In this special issue of Oceanography, we explore the results of SPURS-1, the first part of the ocean process study Salinity Processes in the Upper-ocean Regional Study (SPURS). The experiment was conducted between August 2012 and October 2013 in the subtropical North Atlantic and was the first of two experiments (SPURS come in pairs!). SPURS-2 is planned for 20162017 in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean.

  5. 15 CFR 923.46 - Organizational structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Authorities and Organization § 923.46 Organizational...

  6. 15 CFR 923.46 - Organizational structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Authorities and Organization § 923.46 Organizational...

  7. Design and implementation of a 3D ocean virtual reality and visualization engine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Ge; Li, Bo; Tian, Fenglin; Ji, Pengbo; Li, Wenqing

    2012-12-01

    In this study, a 3D virtual reality and visualization engine for rendering the ocean, named VV-Ocean, is designed for marine applications. The design goals of VV-Ocean aim at high fidelity simulation of ocean environment, visualization of massive and multidimensional marine data, and imitation of marine lives. VV-Ocean is composed of five modules, i.e. memory management module, resources management module, scene management module, rendering process management module and interaction management module. There are three core functions in VV-Ocean: reconstructing vivid virtual ocean scenes, visualizing real data dynamically in real time, imitating and simulating marine lives intuitively. Based on VV-Ocean, we establish a sea-land integration platform which can reproduce drifting and diffusion processes of oil spilling from sea bottom to surface. Environment factors such as ocean current and wind field have been considered in this simulation. On this platform oil spilling process can be abstracted as movements of abundant oil particles. The result shows that oil particles blend with water well and the platform meets the requirement for real-time and interactive rendering. VV-Ocean can be widely used in ocean applications such as demonstrating marine operations, facilitating maritime communications, developing ocean games, reducing marine hazards, forecasting the weather over oceans, serving marine tourism, and so on. Finally, further technological improvements of VV-Ocean are discussed.

  8. Overview of the 1988 GCE/CASE/WATOX Studies of biogeochemical cycles in the North Atlantic region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pszenny, Alexander A. P.; Galloway, James N.; Artz, Richard S.; Boatman, Joseph F.

    1990-06-01

    The 1988 Global Change Expedition/Coordinated Air-Sea Experiment/Western Atlantic Ocean Experiment (GCE/CASE/WATOX) was a multifaceted research program designed to study atmospheric and oceanic processes affecting the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and trace metals in the North Atlantic Ocean region. Field work included (1) a 49-day research cruise aboard NOAA ship Mt. Mitchell (Global Change Expedition) from Norfolk, Virginia, to Bermuda, Iceland, the Azores, and Barbados, (2) eight flights of the NOAA King Air research aircraft, four off the Virginia Capes and four near Bermuda (CASE/WATOX), and (3) a research cruise aboard the yacht Fleurtie near Bermuda (WATOX). Objectives of GCE/CASE/WATOX were (1) to examine processes controlling the mesoscale distributions of productivity, chlorophyll, and phytoplankton growth rates in Atlantic surface waters, (2) to identify factors controlling the distribution of ozone in the North Atlantic marine boundary layer, and (3) to estimate the contributions of sources on surrounding continents to the biogeochemical cycles of sulfur, nitrogen, and trace metals over the North Atlantic region during the boreal summer season. The individual papers in this and the next two issues of Global Biogeochemical Cycles provide details on the results and analyses of the individual measurement efforts. This paper provides a brief overview of GCE/CASE/WATOX.

  9. Technical Note: The Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy) - a new approach towards Earth System Modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jöckel, P.; Sander, R.; Kerkweg, A.; Tost, H.; Lelieveld, J.

    2005-02-01

    The development of a comprehensive Earth System Model (ESM) to study the interactions between chemical, physical, and biological processes, requires coupling of the different domains (land, ocean, atmosphere, ...). One strategy is to link existing domain-specific models with a universal coupler, i.e. an independent standalone program organizing the communication between other programs. In many cases, however, a much simpler approach is more feasible. We have developed the Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy). It comprises (1) a modular interface structure to connect to a , (2) an extendable set of such for miscellaneous processes, and (3) a coding standard. MESSy is therefore not a coupler in the classical sense, but exchanges data between a and several within one comprehensive executable. The internal complexity of the is controllable in a transparent and user friendly way. This provides remarkable new possibilities to study feedback mechanisms (by two-way coupling). Note that the MESSy and the coupler approach can be combined. For instance, an atmospheric model implemented according to the MESSy standard could easily be coupled to an ocean model by means of an external coupler. The vision is to ultimately form a comprehensive ESM which includes a large set of submodels, and a base model which contains only a central clock and runtime control. This can be reached stepwise, since each process can be included independently. Starting from an existing model, process submodels can be reimplemented according to the MESSy standard. This procedure guarantees the availability of a state-of-the-art model for scientific applications at any time of the development. In principle, MESSy can be implemented into any kind of model, either global or regional. So far, the MESSy concept has been applied to the general circulation model ECHAM5 and a number of process boxmodels.

  10. Minimal-resource computer program for automatic generation of ocean wave ray or crest diagrams in shoaling waters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Poole, L. R.; Lecroy, S. R.; Morris, W. D.

    1977-01-01

    A computer program for studying linear ocean wave refraction is described. The program features random-access modular bathymetry data storage. Three bottom topography approximation techniques are available in the program which provide varying degrees of bathymetry data smoothing. Refraction diagrams are generated automatically and can be displayed graphically in three forms: Ray patterns with specified uniform deepwater ray density, ray patterns with controlled nearshore ray density, or crest patterns constructed by using a cubic polynomial to approximate crest segments between adjacent rays.

  11. Communicating Ocean Acidification

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pope, Aaron; Selna, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    Participation in a study circle through the National Network of Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) project enabled staff at the California Academy of Sciences to effectively engage visitors on climate change and ocean acidification topics. Strategic framing tactics were used as staff revised the scripted Coral Reef Dive program,…

  12. Ocean Drilling Program: Privacy Policy

    Science.gov Websites

    and products Drilling services and tools Online Janus database Search the ODP/TAMU web site ODP's main web site ODP/TAMU Science Operator Home Ocean Drilling Program Privacy Policy The following is the privacy policy for the www-odp.tamu.edu web site. 1. Cookies are used in the Database portion of the web

  13. It's Only a Little Planet: A Primer for Ocean Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meyland, Sarah J.

    Developed as part of the Day on the Bay Cruise Program, funded by the National Sea Grant Program, this learner's manual outlines ocean studies conducted on a seven-hour cruise of the Galveston Bay area. A description of the geology and human use of Galveston Bay follows a general introduction to coastal and estuarine ecology. Line drawings…

  14. ONR Ocean Wave Dynamics Workshop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    In anticipation of the start (in Fiscal Year 1988) of a new Office of Naval Research (ONR) Accelerated Research Initiative (ARI) on Ocean Surface Wave Dynamics, a workshop was held August 5-7, 1986, at Woods Hole, Mass., to discuss new ideas and directions of research. This new ARI on Ocean Surface Wave Dynamics is a 5-year effort that is organized by the ONR Physical Oceanography Program in cooperation with the ONR Fluid Mechanics Program and the Physical Oceanography Branch at the Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity (NORDA). The central theme is improvement of our understanding of the basic physics and dynamics of surface wave phenomena, with emphasis on the following areas: precise air-sea coupling mechanisms,dynamics of nonlinear wave-wave interaction under realistic environmental conditions,wave breaking and dissipation of energy,interaction between surface waves and upper ocean boundary layer dynamics, andsurface statistical and boundary layer coherent structures.

  15. Optimization of Ocean Color Algorithms: Application to Satellite Data Merging

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maritorena, Stephane; Siegel, David A.; Morel, Andre

    2003-01-01

    The objective of our program is to develop and validate a procedure for ocean color data merging which is one of the major goals of the SIMBIOS project. The need for a merging capability is dictated by the fact that since the launch of MODIS on the Terra platform and over the next decade, several global ocean color missions from various space agencies are or will be operational simultaneously. The apparent redundancy in simultaneous ocean color missions can actually be exploited to various benefits. The most obvious benefit is improved coverage. The patchy and uneven daily coverage from any single sensor can be improved by using a combination of sensors. Beside improved coverage of the global Ocean the merging of Ocean color data should also result in new, improved, more diverse and better data products with lower uncertainties. Ultimately, ocean color data merging should result in the development of a unified, scientific quality, ocean color time series, from SeaWiFS to NPOESS and beyond. Various approaches can be used for ocean color data merging and several have been tested within the frame of the SIMBIOS program. As part of the SIMBIOS Program, we have developed a merging method for ocean color data. Conversely to other methods our approach does not combine end-products like the subsurface chlorophyll concentration (chl) from different sensors to generate a unified product. Instead, our procedure uses the normalized water-leaving radiances (L(sub WN)(lambda)) from single or multiple sensors and uses them in the inversion of a semi-analytical ocean color model that allows the retrieval of several ocean color variables simultaneously. Beside ensuring simultaneity and consistency of the retrievals (all products are derived from a single algorithm), this model-based approach has various benefits over techniques that blend end-products (e.g. chlorophyll): 1) it works with single or multiple data sources regardless of their specific bands, 2) it exploits band redundancies and band differences, 3) it accounts for uncertainties in the (L(sub WN)(lambda)) data and, 4) it provides uncertainty estimates for the retrieved variables.

  16. Enhancing Graduate Education and Research in Ocean Sciences at the Universidad de Concepcion (UDEC) and in Chile: Cooperation Between UDEC and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farrington, J.; Pantoja, S.

    2007-05-01

    The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA (WHOI) and the University of Concepcion, Chile (UDEC) entered into an MOU to enhance graduate education and research in ocean sciences in Chile and enhance research for understanding the Southeastern Pacific Ocean. The MOU was drafted and signed after exchange visits of faculty. The formulation of a five year program of activities included: exchange of faculty for purposes of enhancing research, teaching and advising; visits of Chilean graduate students to WHOI for several months of supplemental study and research in the area of their thesis research; participation of Chilean faculty and graduate students in WHOI faculty led cruises off Chile and Peru (with Peruvian colleagues); a postdoctoral fellowship program for Chilean ocean scientists at WHOI; and the establishment of an Austral Summer Institute of advanced undergraduate and graduate level intensive two to three week courses on diverse topics at the cutting edge of ocean science research co-sponsored by WHOI and UDEC for Chilean and South American students with faculty drawn from WHOI and other U.S. universities with ocean sciences graduate schools and departments, e.g. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Delaware. The program has been evaluated by external review and received excellent comments. The success of the program has been due mainly to: (1) the cooperative attitude and enthusiasm of the faculty colleagues of both Chilean Universities (especially UDEC) and WHOI, students and postdoctoral fellows, and (2) a generous grant from the Fundacion Andes- Chile enabling these activities.

  17. Geodynamics Branch research report, 1982

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kahn, W. D. (Editor); Cohen, S. C. (Editor)

    1983-01-01

    The research program of the Geodynamics Branch is summarized. The research activities cover a broad spectrum of geoscience disciplines including space geodesy, geopotential field modeling, tectonophysics, and dynamic oceanography. The NASA programs which are supported by the work described include the Geodynamics and Ocean Programs, the Crustal Dynamics Project, the proposed Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX) and Geopotential Research Mission. The individual papers are grouped into chapters on Crustal Movements, Global Earth Dynamics, Gravity Field Model Development, Sea Surface Topography, and Advanced Studies.

  18. Earth Observation Services (Forest Imaging)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    Two university professors used EOCAP funding to demonstrate that satellite data can generate forest classifications with equal or better accuracy than traditional aerial photography techniques. This comparison had not been previously available. CALFIRST, the resulting processing package, will be marketed to forest companies and government agencies. The EOCAP program provides government co-funding to encourage private investment in, and to broaden the use of, NASA- developed technology for analyzing information about Earth and ocean resources.

  19. Delta II JPSS-1 Spacecraft Arrival

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-09-01

    A technician at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California inspects the shipping container for the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, as it arrives at the Astrotech Processing Facility. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

  20. Estimation of Ocean and Seabed Parameters and Processes Using Low Frequency Acoustic Signals

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-30

    were recently acquired under the DURIP program. 3. Finite Element Modeling of wave propagation: Doctoral student, Hui- Kwan Kim, is modeling wave...Delaware), Kevin Smith (Naval Postgraduate School), Dr. James F. Lynch and Dr. Y.-T. Lin (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution). Another graduate student...test was conducted in collaboration with ARL, UT (Preston Wilson, PI) in August, 2011 in Narragansett Bay and off Block Island. PhD student Hui- Kwan

  1. Energy Transfer to Upper Trophic Levels on a Small Offshore Bank

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-09-30

    Observations from Platts Bank and other feeding hotspots in the Gulf of Maine show that high levels of feeding activity are ephemeral—sometimes...feeding hotspots in the Gulf of Maine show that high levels of feeding activity are ephemeral?sometimes very active, often not. Differences can exist...defining patterns of biodiversity in the oceans and the processes that shape them. The Gulf of Maine program has the additional aim of describing how

  2. Delta II JPSS-1 Spacecraft Shipment to VAFB to Ball Aerospace Fa

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-31

    Inside the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers remove protective wrapping from the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

  3. Marine biomass: New York state site and species study compositional analysis and systems studies. Final report Mar-Dec 81

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Makinen, R.W.; Farley, K.M.; Kugler, W.R.

    1982-02-26

    The primary objective of the Marine Biomass Programs is to provide an optimized, integrated process for producing methane from seaweeds cultivated in the open ocean and to do so at a price which is competitive with that of methane from other sources. The New York State Site and Species Study represents the first evaluation of a site outside of Southern California.

  4. A Comprehensive Plan for the Long-Term Calibration and Validation of Oceanic Biogeochemical Satellite Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hooker, Stanford B.; McClain, Charles R.; Mannino, Antonio

    2007-01-01

    The primary objective of this planning document is to establish a long-term capability and validating oceanic biogeochemical satellite data. It is a pragmatic solution to a practical problem based primarily o the lessons learned from prior satellite missions. All of the plan's elements are seen to be interdependent, so a horizontal organizational scheme is anticipated wherein the overall leadership comes from the NASA Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry (OBB) Program Manager and the entire enterprise is split into two components of equal sature: calibration and validation plus satellite data processing. The detailed elements of the activity are based on the basic tasks of the two main components plus the current objectives of the Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Roadmap. The former is distinguished by an internal core set of responsibilities and the latter is facilitated through an external connecting-core ring of competed or contracted activities. The core elements for the calibration and validation component include a) publish protocols and performance metrics; b) verify uncertainty budgets; c) manage the development and evaluation of instrumentation; and d) coordinate international partnerships. The core elements for the satellite data processing component are e) process and reprocess multisensor data; f) acquire, distribute, and archive data products; and g) implement new data products. Both components have shared responsibilities for initializing and temporally monitoring satellite calibration. Connecting-core elements include (but are not restricted to) atmospheric correction and characterization, standards and traceability, instrument and analysis round robins, field campaigns and vicarious calibration sites, in situ database, bio-optical algorithm (and product) validation, satellite characterization and vicarious calibration, and image processing software. The plan also includes an accountability process, creating a Calibration and Validation Team (to help manage the activity), and a discussion of issues associated with the plan's scientific focus.

  5. Optical depth measurements by shadow-band radiometers and their uncertainties.

    PubMed

    Alexandrov, Mikhail D; Kiedron, Peter; Michalsky, Joseph J; Hodges, Gary; Flynn, Connor J; Lacis, Andrew A

    2007-11-20

    Shadow-band radiometers in general, and especially the Multi-Filter Rotating Shadow-band Radiometer (MFRSR), are widely used for atmospheric optical depth measurements. The major programs running MFRSR networks in the United States include the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture UV-B Monitoring and Research Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Surface Radiation (SURFRAD) Network, and NASA Solar Irradiance Research Network (SIRN). We discuss a number of technical issues specific to shadow-band radiometers and their impact on the optical depth measurements. These problems include instrument tilt and misalignment, as well as some data processing artifacts. Techniques for data evaluation and automatic detection of some of these problems are described.

  6. Pegasus XL CYGNSS Second Launch Attempt

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-15

    In the Mission Director's Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Amanda Mitskevich, facing the camera, is program manager for NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Seated next to her is Chuck Dovale, deputy LSP program manager. They are monitoring the progress of preparations to launch eight Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. The CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

  7. 15 CFR 923.60 - Review/approval procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Review/Approval Procedures § 923.60 Review/approval...

  8. 15 CFR 923.82 - Amendment review/approval procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... (Continued) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Amendments to and Termination of Approved...

  9. 15 CFR 923.82 - Amendment review/approval procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... (Continued) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Amendments to and Termination of Approved...

  10. 15 CFR 923.60 - Review/approval procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Review/Approval Procedures § 923.60 Review/approval...

  11. Extension of Religious Ritual Functions in Development Process: Study of Mandi Safar in Air Hitam Ocean Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sagala, Irmawati

    2018-05-01

    The ritual of Mandi Safar, bathing together on the beach using the prayer rajahs performed by the community on every Wednesday of the last week of Safar (second month of Hijri), has been designed by the local government as one of the supporting programs for economic development in Air HitamLaut Village, Jambi. The tradition that derived from religious rituals in the Malay society to avoid catastrophes and calamities along Safar faced controversy at first because it was considered as heresy by some Muslims. Nevertheless, the ritual evolved simultaneously into a popular cross-ethnic tradition and had been planned as one of the national tourism icons of Jambi Province since 2017. Through political sociology and psychoanalysis approaches in social change, this paper analyzes the programming processes of this agenda and its impact. The result shows that marine tourism program of Mandi Safar provides a positive basis for economic development in Air HitamLaut. The program has spurred the development of local infrastructure on the one hand and has led to social change in society on the other side. Previously, the process of desacralization of the Mandi Safar ritual as well as the role of local customary-religious elites as a mobilizer became the key variables to empowerment process.

  12. Ocean Drilling Program Records of the Last Five Million Years: A View of the Ocean and Climate System During a Warm Period and a Major Climate Transition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ravelo, A. C.

    2003-12-01

    The warm Pliocene (4.7 to 3.0 Ma), the most recent period in Earth's history when global equilibrium climate was warmer than today, provides the opportunity to understand what role the components of the climate system that have a long timescale of response (cryosphere and ocean) play in determining globally warm conditions, and in forcing the major global climate cooling after 3.0 Ma. Because sediments of this age are well preserved in many locations in the world's oceans, we can potentially study this warm period in detail. One major accomplishment of the Ocean Drilling Program is the recovery of long continuous sediment sequences from all ocean basins that span the last 5.0 Ma. Dozens of paleoceanographers have generated climate records from these sediments. I will present a synthesis of these data to provide a global picture of the Pliocene warm period, the transition to the cold Pleistocene period, and changes in climate sensitivity related to this transition. In the Pliocene warm period, tropical sea surface temperature (SST) and global climate patterns suggest average conditions that resemble modern El Ni¤os, and deep ocean reconstructions indicate enhanced thermohaline overturning and reduced density and nutrient stratification. The data indicate that the warm conditions were not related to tectonic changes in ocean basin shape compared to today, rather they reflect the long term adjustment of the climate system to stronger than modern radiative forcing. The warm Pliocene to cold Pleistocene transition provides an opportunity to study the feedbacks of various components of the climate system. The marked onset of significant Northern hemisphere glaciation (NHG) at 2.75 Ma occurred in concert with a reduction in deep ocean ventilation, but cooling in subtropical and tropical regions was more gradual until Walker circulation was established in a major step at 2.0 Ma. Thus, regional high latitude ice albedo feedbacks, rather than low latitude processes, must have been primarily responsible for NHG at 2.75 Ma. And, regional air-sea feedbacks in the tropics, rather than ice sheet expansion, must have been primarily responsible for the marked increase in Walker circulation at 2.0 Ma. Finally, the detailed timing of events from different regions suggests that a tectonic `threshold' cannot explain the warm to cold climate transition. Studies of the last 5.0 Ma can also be used to understand how climate responds to changes in the Earth's radiative budget because seasonal and latitudinal variations in solar forcing are extremely well known, and many of the records that have been generated have the resolution and age control appropriate for the study of the climate response to these variations (Milankovitch cycles). In particular, how feedbacks operate when the mean climate state is warm versus cold can be studied. There is clear evidence that the amplitude of the climate response to solar forcing depends on the background mean state. In other words, the sensitivity of the climate to small perturbations in solar forcing has changed with time, and the balance of evidence indicates that tropical conditions, not high latitude conditions (such as ice sheet size) control this sensitivity. In sum, the Ocean Drilling Program has provided scientists with a window into the Pliocene warm period, and an opportunity to understand the workings of the ocean-climate system

  13. 76 FR 27019 - Interagency Ocean Observation Committee, Meeting of the Data Management and Communications...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-10

    ... Observation Committee, Meeting of the Data Management and Communications Steering Team AGENCY: National Ocean...). ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: NOAA's Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program... meeting of the IOOC's Data Management and Communications Steering Team (DMAC-ST). The DMAC-ST membership...

  14. 78 FR 55064 - Solicitation for Members of the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Gulf Coast Ecosystem...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-09

    .../index.html . Dated: September 3, 2013. Jason Donaldson, Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration... Act Science Program's roles within the context of NOAA's ocean missions and policies. They should be...

  15. 76 FR 51353 - Nominations for Membership on the Ocean Research Advisory Panel

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-18

    ... Leadership Council (NORLC), the governing body of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP... extended expertise and experience in the field of ocean science and/or ocean resource management... balance a range of geographic and sector representation and experience. Applicants must be U.S. citizens...

  16. 78 FR 9891 - Extension of Nominations for Membership on the Ocean Research Advisory Panel

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-12

    ... Leadership Council (NORLC), the governing body of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP... experience in the field of ocean science and/or ocean resource management. Nominations should be identified... set of nominees will seek to balance a range of geographic and sector representation and experience...

  17. 76 FR 10338 - Evaluation of State Coastal Management Programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Evaluation of State Coastal... Administration (NOAA), Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Ocean Service, Commerce. ACTION... to its Reserve final management plan approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and adhered to the terms...

  18. An Overview of SIMBIOS Program Activities and Accomplishments. Chapter 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fargion, Giulietta S.; McClain, Charles R.

    2003-01-01

    The SIMBIOS Program was conceived in 1994 as a result of a NASA management review of the agency's strategy for monitoring the bio-optical properties of the global ocean through space-based ocean color remote sensing. At that time, the NASA ocean color flight manifest included two data buy missions, the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and Earth Observing System (EOS) Color, and three sensors, two Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) and the Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR), scheduled for flight on the EOS-Terra and EOS-Aqua satellites. The review led to a decision that the international assemblage of ocean color satellite systems provided ample redundancy to assure continuous global coverage, with no need for the EOS Color mission. At the same time, it was noted that non-trivial technical difficulties attended the challenge (and opportunity) of combining ocean color data from this array of independent satellite systems to form consistent and accurate global bio-optical time series products. Thus, it was announced at the October 1994 EOS Interdisciplinary Working Group meeting that some of the resources budgeted for EOS Color should be redirected into an intercalibration and validation program (McClain et al., 2002).

  19. OOI's Cyberinfrastructure: An Opening

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Graybeal, J.; Ampe, T.; Arrott, M.; Chave, A. D.; Cressey, R.; Jul, S.; McPhail, T.; Meisinger, M.; Orcutt, J. A.; Peach, C. L.; Schofield, O.; Stocks, K.; Thomas, J.; Vernon, F.

    2012-12-01

    The Ocean Observatories Initiative is a long-term, NSF-funded program to provide 25-30 years of sustained ocean measurements to study climate variability, ocean circulation and ecosystem dynamics, air-sea exchange, seafloor processes, and plate-scale geodynamics. The OOI will enable powerful new scientific approaches for exploring the complexities of Earth-ocean-atmosphere interactions, thereby accelerating progress toward the goal of understanding, predicting, and managing our ocean environment. The OOI can foster new discoveries that, in turn, move research in unforeseen directions. The OOI Cyberinfrastructure will connect and coordinate the operations of OOI marine components and data processes, to meet the objectives of the oceanographic research and education communities. The CI will let all users easily interact with deployed resources, access collected data, and apply those data to their specific research and educational needs. The CI is a free and open product that adopts innovative and flexible strategies to bring the oceans to users, any time, any place, on any suitable device. The OOI CI is dedicated to "using the latest computing technologies to solve the interoperability problem among vast amounts of heterogeneous geospatial data from various sources." OOI CI's charge is to be transformative, and its technologies and goals are just that (see URL). The Cyberinfrastructure integrates state-of-the-art and best-practice approaches to provide fully interoperable access to the widest possible collection of geospatial data. From the system-of-systems model of the planned observatories and the ingestion of data, models, and services; to the configurable, automated workflows producing real-time products, data curation and quality management strategies are supported to the fullest possible extent. How do we build a system to efficiently support 750 core instruments across numerous platform types, add as-yet unknown instruments during the operations phase, and support any number of processes and external data in the system throughout its 25+ years of operation? What key strategies must be adopted, architectural approaches applied, and technologies integrated to provide complete discovery, access, and use of the system and its data? What defines the critical characteristics expected of the core system, the complete system, and the transformative system? And how can this system be leveraged by multiple science users, programs, and organizations beyond its initial target functionality? We will present the CI team's best responses to these questions. The project is completing Release 2, two-thirds of the way to a fully public release, and halfway to the final system. The engagement of OOI marine operations and marine science teams prepares us to support marine operations, and the software will be applied to "real operations" very soon. Most of the fundamental marine and operational scenarios are in place at a basic level, and the capabilities have been laid out for a full suite of mature operations and science activities. From these beginnings, we offer technical, social, and strategic perspectives on the challenges and solutions in geoinformatics data systems, and ask "Where to from here?" Funding for OOI is provided by the National Science Foundation through a Cooperative Agreement with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, which in turn funds the CI project.

  20. Meteorology and oceanography of the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean—a review of German achievements from the last decade

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hellmer, Hartmut H.; Rhein, Monika; Heinemann, Günther; Abalichin, Janna; Abouchami, Wafa; Baars, Oliver; Cubasch, Ulrich; Dethloff, Klaus; Ebner, Lars; Fahrbach, Eberhard; Frank, Martin; Gollan, Gereon; Greatbatch, Richard J.; Grieger, Jens; Gryanik, Vladimir M.; Gryschka, Micha; Hauck, Judith; Hoppema, Mario; Huhn, Oliver; Kanzow, Torsten; Koch, Boris P.; König-Langlo, Gert; Langematz, Ulrike; Leckebusch, Gregor C.; Lüpkes, Christof; Paul, Stephan; Rinke, Annette; Rost, Bjoern; van der Loeff, Michiel Rutgers; Schröder, Michael; Seckmeyer, Gunther; Stichel, Torben; Strass, Volker; Timmermann, Ralph; Trimborn, Scarlett; Ulbrich, Uwe; Venchiarutti, Celia; Wacker, Ulrike; Willmes, Sascha; Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter

    2016-11-01

    In the early 1980s, Germany started a new era of modern Antarctic research. The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) was founded and important research platforms such as the German permanent station in Antarctica, today called Neumayer III, and the research icebreaker Polarstern were installed. The research primarily focused on the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. In parallel, the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) started a priority program `Antarctic Research' (since 2003 called SPP-1158) to foster and intensify the cooperation between scientists from different German universities and the AWI as well as other institutes involved in polar research. Here, we review the main findings in meteorology and oceanography of the last decade, funded by the priority program. The paper presents field observations and modelling efforts, extending from the stratosphere to the deep ocean. The research spans a large range of temporal and spatial scales, including the interaction of both climate components. In particular, radiative processes, the interaction of the changing ozone layer with large-scale atmospheric circulations, and changes in the sea ice cover are discussed. Climate and weather forecast models provide an insight into the water cycle and the climate change signals associated with synoptic cyclones. Investigations of the atmospheric boundary layer focus on the interaction between atmosphere, sea ice and ocean in the vicinity of polynyas and leads. The chapters dedicated to polar oceanography review the interaction between the ocean and ice shelves with regard to the freshwater input and discuss the changes in water mass characteristics, ventilation and formation rates, crucial for the deepest limb of the global, climate-relevant meridional overturning circulation. They also highlight the associated storage of anthropogenic carbon as well as the cycling of carbon, nutrients and trace metals in the ocean with special emphasis on the Weddell Sea.

  1. The Future of Nearshore Processes Research: U.S. Integrated Coastal Research Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elko, N.; Feddersen, F.; Foster, D. L.; Hapke, C. J.; Holman, R. A.; McNinch, J.; Mulligan, R. P.; Ozkan-Haller, H. T.; Plant, N. G.; Raubenheimer, B.

    2016-02-01

    The authors, representing the acting Nearshore Advisory Council, have developed an implementation plan for a U.S. Nearshore Research Program based on the 2015 Future of Nearshore Processes report that was authored by the nearshore community. The objectives of the plan are to link research programs across federal agencies, NGOs, industry, and academia into an integrated national program and to increase academic and NGO participation in federal agency nearshore processes research. A primary recommendation is interagency collaboration to build a research program that will coordinate and fund U.S. nearshore processes research across three broad research themes: 1) long-term coastal evolution due to natural and anthropogenic processes; 2) extreme events; and 3) physical, biological and chemical processes impacting human and ecosystem health. The plan calls for a new program to be developed by an executive committee of federal agency leaders, NGOs, and an academic representative, created similarly to the existing NOPP program. This leadership will be established prior to the 2016 Ocean Sciences meeting and will have agreed on responsibilities and a schedule for development of the research program. To begin to understand the scope of today's U.S. coastal research investment, a survey was distributed to ten federal agency R&D program heads. Six of the ten agencies indicated that they fund coastal research, with a combined annual coastal research budget of nearly 100 million (NSF has not responded). The priority of the three research themes were ranked nearly equally and potential research support ranged from 15-19 million for each theme, with approximately 12 million as direct contribution to academic research. Beyond addressing our fundamental science questions, it is critical that the nearshore community stay organized to represent academic interests on the new executive committee. The program goal is the integration of academic, NGO, and federal agencies.

  2. Ocean processes at the Antarctic continental slope

    PubMed Central

    Heywood, Karen J.; Schmidtko, Sunke; Heuzé, Céline; Kaiser, Jan; Jickells, Timothy D.; Queste, Bastien Y.; Stevens, David P.; Wadley, Martin; Thompson, Andrew F.; Fielding, Sophie; Guihen, Damien; Creed, Elizabeth; Ridley, Jeff K.; Smith, Walker

    2014-01-01

    The Antarctic continental shelves and slopes occupy relatively small areas, but, nevertheless, are important for global climate, biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem functioning. Processes of water mass transformation through sea ice formation/melting and ocean–atmosphere interaction are key to the formation of deep and bottom waters as well as determining the heat flux beneath ice shelves. Climate models, however, struggle to capture these physical processes and are unable to reproduce water mass properties of the region. Dynamics at the continental slope are key for correctly modelling climate, yet their small spatial scale presents challenges both for ocean modelling and for observational studies. Cross-slope exchange processes are also vital for the flux of nutrients such as iron from the continental shelf into the mixed layer of the Southern Ocean. An iron-cycling model embedded in an eddy-permitting ocean model reveals the importance of sedimentary iron in fertilizing parts of the Southern Ocean. Ocean gliders play a key role in improving our ability to observe and understand these small-scale processes at the continental shelf break. The Gliders: Excellent New Tools for Observing the Ocean (GENTOO) project deployed three Seagliders for up to two months in early 2012 to sample the water to the east of the Antarctic Peninsula in unprecedented temporal and spatial detail. The glider data resolve small-scale exchange processes across the shelf-break front (the Antarctic Slope Front) and the front's biogeochemical signature. GENTOO demonstrated the capability of ocean gliders to play a key role in a future multi-disciplinary Southern Ocean observing system. PMID:24891389

  3. Ocean Literacy Alliance-Hawaii (OLA-HI) Resource Guide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bruno, B. C.; Rivera, M.; Hicks Johnson, T.; Baumgartner, E.; Davidson, K.

    2008-05-01

    The Ocean Literacy Alliance-Hawaii (OLA-HI) was founded in 2007 to establish a framework for collaboration in ocean science education in Hawaii. OLA-HI is supported by the federal Interagency Working Group-Ocean Education (IWG-OE) and funded through NSF and NOAA. Hawaii support is provided through the organizations listed above in the authors' block. Our inaugural workshop was attended by 55 key stakeholders, including scientists, educators, legislators, and representatives of federal, state, and private organizations and projects in Hawaii. Participants reviewed ongoing efforts, strengthened existing collaborations, and developed strategies to build new partnerships. Evaluations showed high satisfaction with the workshop, with 100% of respondents ranking the overall quality as `good' or `excellent'. Expected outcomes include a calendar of events, a website (www.soest.hawaii.edu/OLAHawaii), a list serve, and a resource guide for ocean science education in Hawaii. These products are all designed to facilitate online and offline networking and collaboration among Hawaii's ocean science educators. The OLA-HI resource guide covers a gamut of marine resources and opportunities, including K-12 curriculum, community outreach programs, museum exhibits and lecture series, internships and scholarships, undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and teacher professional development workshops. This guide is designed to share existing activities and products, minimize duplication of efforts, and help provide gap analysis to steer the direction of future ocean science projects and programs in Hawaii. We ultimately plan on using the resource guide to develop pathways to guide Hawaii's students toward ocean-related careers. We are especially interested in developing pathways for under-represented students in the sciences, particularly Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and will focus on this topic at a future OLA-HI workshop.

  4. Results of scatterometer systems analysis for NASA/MSC Earth Observation Sensor Evaluation Program.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krishen, K.; Vlahos, N.; Brandt, O.; Graybeal, G.

    1971-01-01

    Radar scatterometers have applications in the NASA/MSC Earth Observation Aircraft Program. Over a period of several years, several missions have been flown over both land and ocean. In this paper a system evaluation of the NASA/MSC 13.3-GHz Scatterometer System is presented. The effects of phase error between the Scatterometer channels, antenna pattern deviations, aircraft attitude deviations, environmental changes, and other related factors such as processing errors, system repeatability, and propeller modulation, were established. Furthermore, the reduction in system errors and calibration improvement was investigated by taking into account these parameter deviations. Typical scatterometer data samples are presented.

  5. Lindstrom Receives 2013 Ocean Sciences Award: Citation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gordon, Arnold L.; Lagerloef, Gary S. E.

    2014-09-01

    Eric J. Lindstrom's record over the last 3 decades exemplifies both leadership and service to the ocean science community. Advancement of ocean science not only depends on innovative research but is enabled by support of government agencies. As NASA program scientist for physical oceanography for the last 15 years, Eric combined his proven scientific knowledge and skilled leadership abilities with understanding the inner workings of our government bureaucracy, for the betterment of all. He is a four-time NASA headquarters medalist for his achievements in developing a unified physical oceanography program that is well integrated with those of other federal agencies.

  6. Sensitivities of marine carbon fluxes to ocean change.

    PubMed

    Riebesell, Ulf; Körtzinger, Arne; Oschlies, Andreas

    2009-12-08

    Throughout Earth's history, the oceans have played a dominant role in the climate system through the storage and transport of heat and the exchange of water and climate-relevant gases with the atmosphere. The ocean's heat capacity is approximately 1,000 times larger than that of the atmosphere, its content of reactive carbon more than 60 times larger. Through a variety of physical, chemical, and biological processes, the ocean acts as a driver of climate variability on time scales ranging from seasonal to interannual to decadal to glacial-interglacial. The same processes will also be involved in future responses of the ocean to global change. Here we assess the responses of the seawater carbonate system and of the ocean's physical and biological carbon pumps to (i) ocean warming and the associated changes in vertical mixing and overturning circulation, and (ii) ocean acidification and carbonation. Our analysis underscores that many of these responses have the potential for significant feedback to the climate system. Because several of the underlying processes are interlinked and nonlinear, the sign and magnitude of the ocean's carbon cycle feedback to climate change is yet unknown. Understanding these processes and their sensitivities to global change will be crucial to our ability to project future climate change.

  7. Database Development for Ocean Impacts: Imaging, Outreach, and Rapid Response

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-30

    1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Database Development for Ocean Impacts: Imaging, Outreach...Development for Ocean Impacts: Imaging, Outreach, and Rapid Response 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d...hoses ( Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering department, WHOI, to evaluate wear and locate in mooring optical cables used in the Right Whale monitoring

  8. World Ocean Database and the Global Temperature and Salinity Profile Program Database: Synthesis of historical and near real-time ocean profile data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boyer, T.; Sun, L.; Locarnini, R. A.; Mishonov, A. V.; Hall, N.; Ouellet, M.

    2016-02-01

    The World Ocean Database (WOD) contains systematically quality controlled historical and recent ocean profile data (temperature, salinity, oxygen, nutrients, carbon cycle variables, biological variables) ranging from Captain Cooks second voyage (1773) to this year's Argo floats. The US National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) also hosts the Global Temperature and Salinity Profile Program (GTSPP) Continuously Managed Database (CMD) which provides quality controlled near-real time ocean profile data and higher level quality controlled temperature and salinity profiles from 1990 to present. Both databases are used extensively for ocean and climate studies. Synchronization of these two databases will allow easier access and use of comprehensive regional and global ocean profile data sets for ocean and climate studies. Synchronizing consists of two distinct phases: 1) a retrospective comparison of data in WOD and GTSPP to ensure that the most comprehensive and highest quality data set is available to researchers without the need to individually combine and contrast the two datasets and 2) web services to allow the constantly accruing near-real time data in the GTSPP CMD and the continuous addition and quality control of historical data in WOD to be made available to researchers together, seamlessly.

  9. 15 CFR 923.23 - Other areas of particular concern.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... (Continued) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Special Management Areas § 923.23 Other...

  10. Metric Selection for Ecosystem Restoration

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-06-01

    focus on wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation, oyster reefs, riparian forest, and wet prairie (Miner 2005). The objective of these Corps...of coastal habitats, Volume Two: Tools for monitoring coastal habitats. NOAA Coastal Ocean Program Decision Analysis Series No. 23. Silver Spring, MD...NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. Thom, R. M., and K. F. Wellman. 1996. Planning aquatic ecosystem restoration monitoring programs

  11. Research activities of the Geodynamics Branch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kahn, W. D. (Editor); Cohen, S. C. (Editor)

    1984-01-01

    A broad spectrum of geoscience disciplines including space geodesy, geopotential field modeling, tectonophysics, and dynamic oceanography are discussed. The NASA programs, include the Geodynamics and Ocean Programs, the Crustal Dynamics Project, the proposed Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX), and the Geopotential Research Mission (GRM). The papers are grouped into chapters on Crustal Movements, Global Earth Dynamics, Gravity Field Model Development, Sea Surface Topography, and Advanced Studies.

  12. Ocean Tide Loading Computation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Agnew, Duncan Carr

    2005-01-01

    September 15,2003 through May 15,2005 This grant funds the maintenance, updating, and distribution of programs for computing ocean tide loading, to enable the corrections for such loading to be more widely applied in space- geodetic and gravity measurements. These programs, developed under funding from the CDP and DOSE programs, incorporate the most recent global tidal models developed from Topex/Poscidon data, and also local tide models for regions around North America; the design of the algorithm and software makes it straightforward to combine local and global models.

  13. Basic research and data analysis for the National Geodetic Satellite Program and for the Earth and Ocean Physics Application Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1974-01-01

    Accomplishments in the continuing programs are reported. The data were obtained in support of the following broad objectives: (1) to provide a precise and accurate geometric description of the earth's surface; (2) to provide a precise and accurate mathematical description of the earth's gravitational field; and (3) to determine time variations of the geometry of the ocean surface, the solid earth, the gravity field, and other geophysical parameters.

  14. A next generation altimeter for mapping the sea surface height variability: opportunities and challenges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Lee-Lueng; Morrow, Rosemary

    2016-07-01

    The global observations of the sea surface height (SSH) have revolutionized oceanography since the beginning of precision radar altimetry in the early 1990s. For the first time we have continuous records of SSH with spatial and temporal sampling for detecting the global mean sea level rise, the waxing and waning of El Niño, and the ocean circulation from gyres to ocean eddies. The limit of spatial resolution of the present constellation of radar altimeters in mapping SSH variability is approaching 100 km (in wavelength) with 3 or more simultaneous altimetric satellites in orbit. At scales shorter than 100 km, the circulation contains substantial amount of kinetic energy in currents, eddies and fronts that are responsible for the stirring and mixing of the ocean, especially from the vertical exchange of the upper ocean with the deep. A mission currently in development will use the technique of radar interferometry for making high-resolution measurement of the height of water over the ocean as well as on land. It is called Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), which is a joint mission of US NASA and French CNES, with contributions from Canada and UK. SWOT promises the detection of SSH at scales approaching 15 km, depending on the sea state. SWOT will make SSH measurement over a swath of 120 km with a nadir gap of 20 km in a 21-day repeat orbit. A conventional radar altimeter will provide measurement along the nadir. This is an exploratory mission with applications in oceanography and hydrology. The increased spatial resolution offers an opportunity to study ocean surface processes to address important questions about the ocean circulation. However, the limited temporal sampling poses challenges to map the evolution of the ocean variability that changes rapidly at the small scales. The measurement technique and the development of the mission will be presented with emphasis on its science program with outlook on the opportunities and challenges.

  15. Devising a Coral Reef Ocean Acidification Monitoring Portfolio

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gledhill, D. K.; Jewett, L.

    2012-12-01

    Coral reef monitoring has frequently been based only on descriptive science with limited capacity to assign specific attribution to agents of change. There is a requirement to engineer a diagnostic monitoring approach that can test predictions regarding the response of coral reef ecosystems to ocean acidification, and to identify potential areas of refugia or areas of particular concern. The approach should provide the means to detect not only changes in water chemistry but also changes in coral reef community structure and function which can be anticipated based upon our current understanding of paleo-OA events, experimental findings, process investigations, and modeling projections In August, 2012 a Coral Reef Ocean Acidification Monitoring Portfolio Workshop was hosted by the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program and the National Coral Reef Institute at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center. The workshop convened researchers and project managers from around the world engaged in coral reef ecosystems ocean acidification monitoring and research. The workshop sought to define a suite of metrics to include as part of long-term coral reef monitoring efforts that can contribute to discerning specific attribution of changes in coral reef ecosystems in response to ocean acidification. This portfolio of observations should leverage existing and proposed monitoring initiatives and would be derived from a suite of chemical, biogeochemical and ecological measurements. This talk will report out on the key findings from the workshop which should include identifying the most valuable that should be integrated into long-term coral reef ecosystem monitoring that will aid in discerning changes in coral reef ecosystems in response to ocean acidification. The outcomes should provide: recommendations of the most efficient and robust ways to monitor these metrics; identified augmentations that would be required to current ocean acidification monitoring necessary to achieve these metrics; identify opportunities for immediate collaborations using existing resources that can serve to reduce the identified gaps; and help to clarify expectations for ocean acidification monitoring.

  16. Facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup and the Expert Regional Technical Group, Annual Report for 2015

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Johnson, Gary E.

    This document is the annual report for the period September 1, 2014 through August 31, 2015 for the project—Facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup (EOS) and the Expert Regional Technical Group (ERTG). Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted the project for the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The EOS and ERTG are part of the research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) and habitat restoration efforts, respectively, developed by the Action Agencies (BPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [Corps or USACE], and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) in response to obligations arising from the Endangered Species Act as a result of operation of the Federalmore » Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) and implemented under the Columbia Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Program (CEERP). BPA/Corps (2015) explain the CEERP and the role of RME and the ERTG. For the purposes of this report, the lower Columbia River and estuary (LCRE) includes the floodplain from Bonneville Dam down through the lower river and estuary into the river’s plume in the ocean. The main purpose of this project is to facilitate EOS and ERTG meetings and work products. Other purposes are to provide technical support for CEERP adaptive management, CEERP restoration design challenges, and tributary RME. From 2002 through 2008, the EOS worked to design the federal RME program for the estuary/ocean (Johnson et al. 2008). From 2009 to the present day, EOS activities have involved RME implementation; however, EOS activities were minimal during the current reporting period. PNNL provided technical support to CEERP’s adaptive management process by convening 1.2 meetings of the Action Agencies (AAs) and drafting material for the “CEERP 2015 Restoration and Monitoring Plan” (BPA/Corps 2015).« less

  17. Improving the knowledge about dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll variability at ESTOC by using autonomous vehicles.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cianca, A.; Caudet, E.; Vega, D.; Barrera, C.; Hernandez Brito, J.

    2016-02-01

    The European Station for Time Series in the Ocean, Canary Islands "ESTOC" is located in the Eastern Subtropical North Atlantic Gyre (29'10ºN, 15'30ºW). ESTOC started operations in 1994 based on a monthly ship-based sampling, in addition to hydrographic and sediment trap moorings. Since 2002, ESTOC is part of the European network for deep sea ocean observatories through several projects, among others ANIMATE (Atlantic Network of Interdisciplinary Moorings and Time-series for Europe), EuroSITES (European Ocean Observatory Network) and Fixed point Open Ocean Observatory network (FixO3). The main purpose of these projects was to improve the time-resolution of the biogeochemical measurements through moored biogeochemical sensors. Additionally, ESTOC is included in the Marine-Maritime observational network of the Macaronesian region, which is supported by the European overseas territories programs since 2009. This network aims to increase the quantity and quality of marine environmental observations. The goal is to understand phenomena which impact in the environment, and consequently at the socio-economy of the region to attempt their prediction. With this purpose, ESTOC has included the use of autonomous vehicles "glider" in order to increase the observational resolution and, by comparison with the parallel observational programs, to study the biogeochemical processes at different time scale resolutions. This study investigates the time variability of the dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll distributions in the water column focusing on the diel cycle, looking at the relevance of this variability in the already known seasonal distributions. Our interest is assessing net community production and remineralization rates through the use of oxygen variations, establishing the relationship between the DO anomalies values and those from the chlorophyll distribution in the water column.

  18. Birth of an oceanic spreading center at a magma-poor rift system.

    PubMed

    Gillard, Morgane; Sauter, Daniel; Tugend, Julie; Tomasi, Simon; Epin, Marie-Eva; Manatschal, Gianreto

    2017-11-08

    Oceanic crust is continuously created at mid-oceanic ridges and seafloor spreading represents one of the main processes of plate tectonics. However, if oceanic crust architecture, composition and formation at present-day oceanic ridges are largely described, the processes governing the birth of a spreading center remain enigmatic. Understanding the transition between inherited continental and new oceanic domains is a prerequisite to constrain one of the last major unsolved problems of plate tectonics, namely the formation of a stable divergent plate boundary. In this paper, we present newly released high-resolution seismic reflection profiles that image the complete transition from unambiguous continental to oceanic crusts in the Gulf of Guinea. Based on these high-resolution seismic sections we show that onset of oceanic seafloor spreading is associated with the formation of a hybrid crust in which thinned continental crust and/or exhumed mantle is sandwiched between magmatic intrusive and extrusive bodies. This crust results from a polyphase evolution showing a gradual transition from tectonic-driven to magmatic-driven processes. The results presented in this paper provide a characterization of the domain in which lithospheric breakup occurs and enable to define the processes controlling formation of a new plate boundary.

  19. Historical And Modern Deep-Sea Transmissometry Data In World Ocean Database - Its Status, Challenges, And Utilization.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mishonov, A. V.; Richardson, M. J.; Gardner, W. D.; Boyer, T.

    2016-12-01

    The World Ocean Database (WOD) contains over 13 million profiles of major oceanographic variables (T, S, etc.) with new data added continually, and is available without restriction. A subset of more than 24000 profiles include data from deep-sea transmissometers (Tr), instruments that measure the attenuation of a beam of red light (c) over a fixed path length (typically 25cm). Full water column Tr data collected along with standard hydrographic data can be applied to a variety of important scientific questions, e.g., why and how does primary production biomass change in the euphotic zone on decadal time scales? can sources of natural bottom nepheloid layers of resuspended sediment be differentiated from `industrial' sources due from future deep-sea mining? what is the role of resuspended sediment in the biogeochemical cycles of trace elements in the deep sea? Tr measurements were made over the past four decades during 550 cruises throughout all the world's ocean basins. We present a synopsis of these optical data collected during international, global programs such as the WOCE, JGOFS, and CLIVAR. Some of the transects were repeated two-three times over 10-15 years, purposely to allow an assessment of the variability of hydrographic conditions on decadal time scales. The optical measurements (c due to water and particles) throughout the entire water column made over recent decades along with the hydrographic data allow us to understand how optical conditions might be affected by climate change. Tr data have also been collected in many regional programs, e.g. SAVE in the late 1980's, and AMT beginning in the mid-1990's and continuing to today. Tr data held in WOD has been acquired using different instruments by different research teams and this brings some challenges to data post-processing and comparison. The majority of data now in WOD has been post-processed by our team, but incomplete metadata and methodology documentation have added to the difficulty of mining the historical data. New data collected by ongoing programs such as CLIVAR and GEOTRACES are being post-processed and coming to WOD on a regular basis. We encourage others who are making hydrographic measurements to include Tr measurements and submit data to WOD along with complete metadata / methodology to maximize the use of these valuable measurements.

  20. New Sensor Technologies for Ocean Exploration and Observation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manley, J. E.

    2005-12-01

    NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration (OE) is an active supporter of new ocean technologies. Sensors, in particular, have been a focus of recent investments as have platforms that can support both dedicated voyages of discovery and Integrated Ocean Observing Systems (IOOS). Recent programs sponsored by OE have developed technical solutions that will be of use in sensor networks and in stand-alone ocean research programs. Particular projects include: 1) the Joint Environmental Science Initiative (JESI) a deployment of a highly flexible marine sensing system, in collaboration with NASA, that demonstrated a new paradigm for marine ecosystem monitoring. 2) the development and testing of an in situ marine mass spectrometer, via grant to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). This instrument has been designed to function at depths up to 5000 meters. 3) the evolution of glider AUVs for aerial deployment, through a grant to Webb Research Corporation. This program's goal is air certification for gliders, which will allow them to be operationally deployed from NAVOCEANO aircraft. 4) the development of new behaviors for the Autonomous Benthic Explorer (ABE) allowing it to anchor in place and await instructions, through a grant to WHOI. This will support the operational use of AUVs in observing system networks. 5) development of new sensors for AUVs through a National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP) award to Rutgers Universty. This project will develop a Fluorescence Induction Relaxation (FIRe) System to measure biomass and integrate the instrument into an AUV glider. 6) an SBIR award for the development of anti-fouling technologies for solar panels and in situ sensors. This effort at Nanohmics Inc. is developing natural product antifoulants (NPA) in optical quality hard polymers. The technology and results of each of these projects are one component of OE's overall approach to technology research and development. OE's technology program represents the leading edge of NOAA investment in ocean sensors and tools that eventually will find application in mission areas such as IOOS. This "big picture" provides context for focused information on detailed results of OE investments. As NOAA increases its investments in IOOS, and related technologies, these projects are timely and should be beneficial to the entire environmental sensor network community.

  1. 15 CFR 923.22 - Areas for preservation or restoration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... (Continued) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Special Management Areas § 923.22 Areas for...

  2. Oceans and Coasts

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    An overview of EPA’s oceans, coasts, estuaries and beaches programs and the regulatory (permits/rules) and non-regulatory approaches for managing their associated environmental issues, such as water pollution and climate change.

  3. Pre-subduction metasomatic enrichment of the oceanic lithosphere induced by plate flexure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pilet, S.; Abe, N.; Rochat, L.; Kaczmarek, M.-A.; Hirano, N.; Machida, S.; Buchs, D. M.; Baumgartner, P. O.; Müntener, O.

    2016-12-01

    Oceanic lithospheric mantle is generally interpreted as depleted mantle residue after mid-ocean ridge basalt extraction. Several models have suggested that metasomatic processes can refertilize portions of the lithospheric mantle before subduction. Here, we report mantle xenocrysts and xenoliths in petit-spot lavas that provide direct evidence that the lower oceanic lithosphere is affected by metasomatic processes. We find a chemical similarity between clinopyroxene observed in petit-spot mantle xenoliths and clinopyroxene from melt-metasomatized garnet or spinel peridotites, which are sampled by kimberlites and intracontinental basalts respectively. We suggest that extensional stresses in oceanic lithosphere, such as plate bending in front of subduction zones, allow low-degree melts from the seismic low-velocity zone to percolate, interact and weaken the oceanic lithospheric mantle. Thus, metasomatism is not limited to mantle upwelling zones such as mid-ocean ridges or mantle plumes, but could be initiated by tectonic processes. Since plate flexure is a global mechanism in subduction zones, a significant portion of oceanic lithospheric mantle is likely to be metasomatized. Recycling of metasomatic domains into the convecting mantle is fundamental to understanding the generation of small-scale mantle isotopic and volatile heterogeneities sampled by oceanic island and mid-ocean ridge basalts.

  4. Surface flux and ocean heat transport convergence contributions to seasonal and interannual variations of ocean heat content

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roberts, C. D.; Palmer, M. D.; Allan, R. P.; Desbruyeres, D. G.; Hyder, P.; Liu, C.; Smith, D.

    2017-01-01

    We present an observation-based heat budget analysis for seasonal and interannual variations of ocean heat content (H) in the mixed layer (Hmld) and full-depth ocean (Htot). Surface heat flux and ocean heat content estimates are combined using a novel Kalman smoother-based method. Regional contributions from ocean heat transport convergences are inferred as a residual and the dominant drivers of Hmld and Htot are quantified for seasonal and interannual time scales. We find that non-Ekman ocean heat transport processes dominate Hmld variations in the equatorial oceans and regions of strong ocean currents and substantial eddy activity. In these locations, surface temperature anomalies generated by ocean dynamics result in turbulent flux anomalies that drive the overlying atmosphere. In addition, we find large regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans where heat transports combine with local air-sea fluxes to generate mixed layer temperature anomalies. In all locations, except regions of deep convection and water mass transformation, interannual variations in Htot are dominated by the internal rearrangement of heat by ocean dynamics rather than the loss or addition of heat at the surface. Our analysis suggests that, even in extratropical latitudes, initialization of ocean dynamical processes could be an important source of skill for interannual predictability of Hmld and Htot. Furthermore, we expect variations in Htot (and thus thermosteric sea level) to be more predictable than near surface temperature anomalies due to the increased importance of ocean heat transport processes for full-depth heat budgets.

  5. The future of spaceborne altimetry. Oceans and climate change: A long-term strategy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koblinsky, C. J. (Editor); Gaspar, P. (Editor); Lagerloef, G. (Editor)

    1992-01-01

    The ocean circulation and polar ice sheet volumes provide important memory and control functions in the global climate. Their long term variations are unknown and need to be understood before meaningful appraisals of climate change can be made. Satellite altimetry is the only method for providing global information on the ocean circulation and ice sheet volume. A robust altimeter measurement program is planned which will initiate global observations of the ocean circulation and polar ice sheets. In order to provide useful data about the climate, these measurements must be continued with unbroken coverage into the next century. Herein, past results of the role of the ocean in the climate system is summarized, near term goals are outlined, and requirements and options are presented for future altimeter missions. There are three basic scientific objectives for the program: ocean circulation; polar ice sheets; and mean sea level change. The greatest scientific benefit will be achieved with a series of dedicated high precision altimeter spacecraft, for which the choice of orbit parameters and system accuracy are unencumbered by requirements of companion instruments.

  6. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ewing, J.I.; Meyer, R.P.

    The Rivera Ocean Seismic Experiment (ROSE) was designed as a combined sea and land seismic program to utilize both explosive and earthquakes to study a number of features of the structure and evolution of a mid-ocean ridge, a major oceanic fracture zone, and the transition region between ocean and continent. The primary region selected for the experiment included the Rivera Fracture Zone, the crest and eastern flank of the East Pacific north of the Rivera and adjacent areas of Baja California and mainland Mexico. The experiment included: (1) study of the East Pacific Rise south of the Orozco Fracture Zonemore » primarily using ocean bottom recording and explosive sources. (2) a seismicity program at the Orozco, and (3) a land-based program of recording natural events along the coastal region of Mexico. A considerable amount of useful data was obtained in each of the three subprograms. In the marine parts of the experiment we were able to address a variety of problems including structure and evolution of young oceanic crust and mantle, structure and dynamics of the East Pacific Rise, seismicity of the Orozco Fracture Zone, and partitioning of energy transmission between the ocean volume and the crust/lithosphere. On land, the fortuitous occurrence of the Petatlan M7.6 earthquake of March 14, 1979, permitted the acquisition of an excellent data set of foreshocks and aftershocks of this large event, which provide new insight into the filling of a major seismic gap in the region. This overview describes the scientific rationale and the design of the experiments, along with some general results.« less

  7. A program in global biology. [biota-environment interaction important to life

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mooneyhan, D. W.

    1983-01-01

    NASA's Global Biology Research Program and its goals for greater understanding of planetary biological processes are discussed. Consideration is given to assessing major pathways and rates of exchange of elements such as carbon and nitrogen, extrapolating local rates of anaerobic activities, determining exchange rates of ocean nutrients, and developing models for the global cycles of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. Satellites and sensors operating today are covered: the Nimbus, NOAA, and Landsat series. Block diagrams of the software and hardware for a typical ground data processing and analysis system are provided. Samples of the surface cover data achieved with the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, the Multispectral Scanner, and the Thematic Mapper are presented, as well as a productive capacity model for coastal wetlands. Finally, attention is given to future goals, their engineering requirements, and the necessary data analysis system.

  8. Facing Climate Change: Connecting Coastal Communities with Place-Based Ocean Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pelz, M.; Dewey, R. K.; Hoeberechts, M.; McLean, M. A.; Brown, J. C.; Ewing, N.; Riddell, D. J.

    2016-12-01

    As coastal communities face a wide range of environmental changes, including threats from climate change, real-time data from cabled observatories can be used to support community members in making informed decisions about their coast and marine resources. Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) deploys and operates an expanding network of community observatories in the Arctic and coastal British Columbia, which enable communities to monitor real-time and historical data from the local marine environment. Community observatories comprise an underwater cabled seafloor platform and shore station equipped with a variety of sensors that collect environmental data 24/7. It is essential that data being collected by ONC instruments are relevant to community members and can contribute to priorities identified within the community. Using a community-based science approach, ONC is engaging local parties at all stages of each project from location planning, to instrument deployment, to data analysis. Alongside the science objectives, place-based educational programming is being developed with local educators and students. As coastal populations continue to grow and our use of and impacts on the ocean increase, it is vital that global citizens develop an understanding that the health of the ocean reflects the health of the planet. This presentation will focus on programs developed by ONC emphasizing the connection to place and local relevance with an emphasis on Indigenous knowledge. Building programs which embrace multiple perspectives is effective both in making ocean science more relevant to Indigenous students and in linking place-based knowledge to ocean science. The inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge into science-based monitoring programs also helps develop a more complete understanding of local conditions. We present a case study from the Canadian Arctic, in which ONC is working with Inuit community members to develop a snow and ice monitoring program to assist with predictions and modelling of sea-ice.

  9. Cyberinfrastructure for the NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Orcutt, J. A.; Vernon, F. L.; Arrott, M.; Chave, A.; Schofield, O.; Peach, C.; Krueger, I.; Meisinger, M.

    2008-12-01

    The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is an environmental observatory covering a diversity of oceanic environments, ranging from the coastal to the deep ocean. The physical infrastructure comprises a combination of seafloor cables, buoys and autonomous vehicles. It is currently in the final design phase, with construction planned to begin in mid-2010 and deployment phased over five years. The Consortium for Ocean Leadership manages this Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction program with subcontracts to Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Washington and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. High-level requirements for the CI include the delivery of near-real-time data with minimal latencies, open data, data analysis and data assimilation into models, and subsequent interactive modification of the network (including autonomous vehicles) by the cyberinfrastructure. Network connections include a heterogeneous combination of fiber optics, acoustic modems, and Iridium satellite telemetry. The cyberinfrastructure design loosely couples services that exist throughout the network and share common software and middleware as necessary. In this sense, the system appears to be identical at all scales, so it is self-similar or fractal by design. The system provides near-real-time access to data and developed knowledge by the OOI's Education and Public Engagement program, to the physical infrastructure by the marine operators and to the larger community including scientists, the public, schools and decision makers. Social networking is employed to facilitate the virtual organization that builds, operates and maintains the OOI as well as providing a variety of interfaces to the data and knowledge generated by the program. We are working closely with NOAA to exchange near-real-time data through interfaces to their Data Interchange Facility (DIF) program within the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). Efficiencies have been emphasized through the use of university and commercial computing clouds.

  10. Delta II JPSS-1 Spacecraft Shipment to VAFB to Ball Aerospace Fa

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-31

    Still packed inside its shipping container, the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, has just arrived at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

  11. KSC00vafbdig003

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2000-06-27

    A crated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-L) satellite is moved inside the B16-10 spacecraft processing hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. NOAA-L is part of the Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) program that provides atmospheric measurements of temperature, humidity, ozone and cloud images, tracking weather patterns that affect the global weather and climate. The launch of the NOAA-L satellite is scheduled no earlier than Sept. 12 aboard a Lockheed Martin Titan II rocket

  12. KSC00vafbdig004

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2000-06-27

    Inside the B16-10 spacecraft processing hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., workers oversee the uncrating of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-L) satellite. NOAA-L is part of the Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) program that provides atmospheric measurements of temperature, humidity, ozone and cloud images, tracking weather patterns that affect the global weather and climate. The launch of the NOAA-L satellite is scheduled no earlier than Sept. 12 aboard a Lockheed Martin Titan II rocket

  13. Delta II JPSS-1 Spacecraft Arrival and Ofload

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-09-01

    The Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, arrives at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Technicians and engineers remove the the spacecraft from it shipping container. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff later this year atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

  14. Validation of the Version 1 NOAA/NASA Pathfinder Sea Surface Temperature Data Set

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Elizabeth A.

    1998-01-01

    A high-resolution, global satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) data set called Pathfinder, from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) aboard the NOAA Polar Orbiters, is available from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (JPL PO.DAAC). Suitable for research as well as education, the Pathfinder SST data set is a result of a collaboration between the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and investigators at several universities. NOAA and NASA are the sponsors of the Pathfinder Program, which takes advantage of currently archived Earth science data from satellites. Where necessary, satellite sensors have been intercalibrated, algorithms improved and processing procedures revised, in order to produce long time-series, global measurements of ocean, land and atmospheric properties necessary for climate research. Many Pathfinder data sets are available to researchers now, nearly a decade before the first launch of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). The lessons learned from the Pathfinder programs will facilitate the processing and management of terabytes of data from EOS. The Oceans component of Pathfinder has undertaken to reprocess all Global Area Coverage (GAC) data acquired by the 5-channel AVHRRs since 1981. The resultant data products are consistent and stably calibrated [Rao, 1993a, Rao, 1993b, Brown et al., 1993], Earth-gridded SST fields at a variety of spatial and temporal resolutions.

  15. Global biogeochemical cycles: Studies of interaction and change, some views on the strategy of approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bolin, B.

    1984-01-01

    The global biosphere is an exceedingly complex system. To gain an understanding of its structure and dynamic features, it is necessary to increase knowledge about the detailed processes, but also to develop models of how global interactions take place. Attempts to analyze the detailed physical, chemical and biological processes need, in this context, to be guided by an advancement of understanding of the latter. It is necessary to develop a strategy of data gathering that serves both these purposes simultaneously. climate research during the last decade may serve as a useful example of how to approach this difficult problem in a systematic way. Large programs for data collection may easily become rigid and costly. While realizing the necessity of a systematic and long lasting effort of observing the atmosphere, the oceans, land and life on Earth, such a program must remain flexible enough to permit the modifications and even sometimes improvisations that are necessary to maintain a viable program.

  16. Estimation of the Barrier Layer Thickness in the Indian Ocean Using Aquarius Salinity

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-07-08

    number of temperature and salinity measurements in ocean basins . In 2005, buoy coverage in the Indian Ocean began meeting Argo program sampling...distribution of salinity in the Indian Ocean is unique when compared to the other basins with higher salinity in the western contrasted Journal of...eastern regions of the basin (Figure 2). In the Arabian Sea, evaporation (E) greatly exceeds precipitation (P) resulting in high salinity (>36 PSU

  17. Proceedings from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Natural and Nature-Based Features Workshop

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-03-01

    ERDC-EL Research Biologist/Certified Facilitator Mintz Jennifer NOAA-OAR-OAP Regional Coordinator- Ocean Acidification Program/Facilitator Payne Dr...National Oceanic United States Army United States and Atmospheric Engineer Research Army Corps Administration and Development of Engineers (NOAA...and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Natural and Nature-Based Features Workshop March 1-3, 2016 Charleston, South

  18. Validation Test Report for the Automated Optical Processing System (AOPS) Version 4.12

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-09-03

    the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) sensor, aboard the Communication Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) satellite. Additionally, this...this capability works in conjunction with AOPS • Improvements to the AOPS mosaicking capability • Prepare the NRT Geostationary Ocean Color Imager...Warfare (EXW) Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) Integrated Data Processing System (IDPS

  19. Coastal processes study at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA: summary of data collection 2004-2006

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barnard, Patrick L.; Eshleman, Jodi; Erikson, Li H.; Hanes, Daniel M.

    2007-01-01

    Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, contains a persistent erosional section in the shadow of the San Francisco ebb tidal delta and south of Sloat Boulevard that threatens valuable public infrastructure as well as the safe recreational use of the beach. Coastal managers have been discussing potential mediation measures for over a decade, with little scientific research available to aid in decision making. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initiated the Ocean Beach Coastal Processes Study in April 2004 to provide the scientific knowledge necessary for coastal managers to make informed management decisions. This study integrates a wide range of field data collection and numerical modeling techniques to document nearshore sediment transport processes at the mouth of San Francisco Bay, with emphasis on how these processes relate to erosion at Ocean Beach. The Ocean Beach Coastal Processes Study is the first comprehensive study of coastal processes at the mouth of San Francisco Bay.

  20. An Oceanographic Decision Support System for Scientific Field Experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maughan, T.; Das, J.; McCann, M. P.; Rajan, K.

    2011-12-01

    Thom Maughan, Jnaneshwar Das, Mike McCann, Danelle Cline, Mike Godin, Fred Bahr, Kevin Gomes, Tom O'Reilly, Frederic Py, Monique Messie, John Ryan, Francisco Chavez, Jim Bellingham, Maria Fox, Kanna Rajan Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Moss Lading, California, United States Many of the coastal ocean processes we wish to observe in order to characterize marine ecosystems have large spatial extant (tens of square km) and are dynamic moving kilometers in a day with biological processes spanning anywhere from minutes to days. Some like harmful algal blooms generate toxins which can significantly impact human health and coastal economies. In order to obtain a viable understanding of the biogeochemical processes which define their dynamics and ecology, it is necessary to persistently observe, track and sample within and near the dynamic fields using augmented methods of observation such as autonomous platforms like AUVs, gliders and surface craft. Field experiments to plan, execute and manage such multitude of assets are challenging. To alleviate this problem the autonomous systems group with its collaborators at MBARI and USC designed, built and fielded a prototype Oceanographic Decision Support System (ODSS) that provides situational awareness and a single portal to visualize and plan deployments for the large scale October 2010 CANON field program as well as a series of 2 week field programs in 2011. The field programs were conducted in Monterey Bay, a known 'red tide' incubator, and varied from as many as twenty autonomous platforms, four ships and 2 manned airplanes to coordinated AUV operations, drifters and a single ship. The ODSS web-based portal was used to assimilate information from a collection of sources at sea, including AUVs, moorings, radar data as well as remote sensing products generated by partner organizations to provide a synthesis of views useful to predict the movement of a chlorophyll patch in the confines of the northern Monterey Bay. The ODSS was used for automated shore-based control of mobile assets and was also used to compute safety bounds for operation of MBARI AUVs and provide projections of drifters advected [1,4] due to surface conditions. Scientist and operations teams use the ODSS during the daily planning meetings for situation awareness and real time access to data to support decisions on sampling strategies and platform logistics. References 1. J.Das, F. Py, T. Maughan, J Ryan , K. Rajan & G. Sukhatme, Simultaneous Tracking and Sampling of Dynamic Oceanographic Features with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Lagrangian Drifters, Accepted, Intnl. Symp. on Experimental Robotics (ISER), N. Delhi, India, Dec 2010. 2. S. Jiminez, F. Py & K. Rajan, Learning Identification Models for In-situ Sampling of Ocean features, Working notes of the RSS'10 Workshop on Active Learning for Robotics. Robotics Systems Sciences, Spain. 2010 3. Py, F. , Jiminez, S. , and Rajan, K. "Modeling dynamic coastal ocean features for in-situ identication and adaptive sampling", Journal of Atmospheric and Ocean Technology-Ocean(2010). Submitted, in Review. 4. J. Das, K. Rajan, S. Frolov, J. Ryan, F. Py, D. Caron & G. Sukhatme, Towards Marine Bloom Trajectory Prediction for AUV Mission Planning, ICRA, May 2010, Anchorage

  1. Optical Moorings-of-Opportunity for Validation of Ocean Color Satellites

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-01-01

    at the midpoint of the two depths is given by: K , z d dz lnE , z , , d dλ λ λ λ ( ) = − ( )[ ] ( ) = − ( ) ( ) ( ) 4a 1 z ln E , z E , z 4bd 2 d 1...Biological Oceanography Program ( TD : OCE-9627281, OCE-9730471, OCE-9819477), NASA ( TD : NAS5-97127), the ONR Ocean Engineering and Marine Systems Program

  2. Scientific Ocean Drilling: A Legacy of ODP Education and Community Engagement by JOI/USSSP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, A.; Cortes, M.; Farrell, J. W.

    2003-12-01

    The U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) was established in 1986 to support the participation of U.S. scientists in the international Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). Since inception, USSSP has been managed by Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI), through a cooperative agreement with NSF, and guided by the U.S. Science Advisory Committee (USSAC). One of USSSP's primary goals has been to enhance the scientific contribution of ocean drilling and to maintain its vitality through a broad range of education and outreach activities. USSSP's first educational program, the Schlanger Ocean Drilling Fellowship, was established to encourage doctoral candidates to conduct research aboard the ODP drill ship, JOIDES Resolution. Since 1987, 74 fellowships have been awarded and the program has been expanded to include shorebased ODP-related research and Masters degree candidates. USSSP's second major educational activity is the Distinguished Lecturer Series. To date, 70 scientists have spoken about their ODP research at 334 institutions, effectively reaching new and diverse educational communities. In addition, USSSP has developed and distributed two interactive educational CD-ROMs (ODP: Mountains to Monsoons and Gateways to Glaciation) and an educational poster (Blast from the Past). All three items are popular supplements in classrooms from middle school to college because they present accessible scientific content, demonstrate the scientific method, and illustrate the collaborative and international nature of scientific research. USSSP's outreach efforts have included publishing the JOI/USSAC Newsletter since 1988 and ODP's Greatest Hits (abstracts written by U.S. scientists). The latter is broadly used because it communicates exciting scientific results in lay terms. USSSP has sponsored other educational efforts including a workshop to seek recommendations for educational activities to be associated with future scientific ocean drilling. NSF is currently considering the response to their solicitation of proposals to manage a successor program to USSSP, which will support the involvement of U.S. scientists in the new Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. The educational and outreach component of the new USSSP will target students at all levels, building upon improving on the USSSP-ODP achievements.

  3. Integrated Ocean Profile Data Delivery for Operations and Climate Research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, C. L.; Soreide, N. N.

    2006-12-01

    An end-to-end data and information system for delivering integrated real-time and historical datasets is presented in this paper. The purposes of this paper are: (1) to illustrate the procedures of quality control and loading ocean profile data into the U.S. National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) ocean database and (2) to facilitate the development and provision of a wide variety of useful data, analyses, and information products for operations and climate research. The NODC currently focuses on acquiring, processing, and distributing ocean profile data collected by two operational global ocean observing systems: Argo Profiling Network and Global Temperature-Salinity Profile Program (GTSPP). The two data streams contain upper ocean temperature and salinity data mainly from profiling floats, expendable bathythermographs (XBTs) but also from conductivity-temperature-depths (CTDs) and bottles. Argo has used resources from 23 or so countries to make unprecedented in-situ observations of the global ocean. All Argo data are publicly available in near real-time via the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) and in scientifically quality-controlled form with a few months delay. The NODC operates the Global Argo Data Repository for long-term archiving Argo data and serves the data in the NODC version of Argo netCDF and tab- delimited spreadsheet text formats to the public through the NODC Web site at http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/argo/. The GTSPP is a cooperative international program. It maintains a global ocean T-S resource with data that are both up-to-date and of the highest quality possible. Both real-time data transmitted over the GTS, and delayed- mode data received by contribution countries are acquired and quality controlled by the Marine Environmental Data Service, Canada and is eventually incorporated into a continuously managed database maintained by the NODC. Information and data are made publicly available at http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/GTSPP/ . Web-based tools are developed for allowing users on the Web to query and subset the data by parameter, location, time, and other attributes such as instrument types and quality flags. Desktop applications with capabilities of exploring data from real-time data streams and integrating the data streams with archives across the Internet are available for users who have a high bandwidth Internet connection. Alternatively, users without high-speed network access can order CD/DVD-ROMs from the NODC that contain the integrated dataset and then use software over potentially low-bandwidth network connection to periodically update the CD/DVD-ROM-based archive with new data

  4. Practical global oceanic state estimation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wunsch, Carl; Heimbach, Patrick

    2007-06-01

    The problem of oceanographic state estimation, by means of an ocean general circulation model (GCM) and a multitude of observations, is described and contrasted with the meteorological process of data assimilation. In practice, all such methods reduce, on the computer, to forms of least-squares. The global oceanographic problem is at the present time focussed primarily on smoothing, rather than forecasting, and the data types are unlike meteorological ones. As formulated in the consortium Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO), an automatic differentiation tool is used to calculate the so-called adjoint code of the GCM, and the method of Lagrange multipliers used to render the problem one of unconstrained least-squares minimization. Major problems today lie less with the numerical algorithms (least-squares problems can be solved by many means) than with the issues of data and model error. Results of ongoing calculations covering the period of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, and including among other data, satellite altimetry from TOPEX/POSEIDON, Jason-1, ERS- 1/2, ENVISAT, and GFO, a global array of profiling floats from the Argo program, and satellite gravity data from the GRACE mission, suggest that the solutions are now useful for scientific purposes. Both methodology and applications are developing in a number of different directions.

  5. MODIS imagery as a tool for synoptic water quality assessments in the southern California coastal ocean

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nezlin, N.P.; DiGiacomo, P.M.; Jones, B.H.; Reifel, K.M.; Warrick, J.A.; Johnson, S.C.; Mengel, M.J.

    2007-01-01

    The dynamics of rainstorm plumes in the coastal waters of southern California was studied during the Bight'03 Regional Water Quality Program surveys. Measurements of surface salinity and bacterial counts collected from research vessels were compared to MODIS-Aqua satellite imagery. The spectra of normalized water-leaving radiation (nLw) were different in plumes and ambient ocean waters, enabling plumes discrimination and plume area size assessments from remotely-sensed data. The plume/ocean nLw differences (i.e., plume optical signatures) were most evident during first days after the rainstorm over the San Pedro shelf and in the San Diego region and less evident in Santa Monica Bay, where suspended sediments concentration in discharged water was lower than in other regions. In the Ventura area, plumes contained more suspended sediments than in other regions, but the grid of ship-based stations covered only a small part of the freshwater plume and was insufficient to reveal the differences between the plume and ocean optical signatures. The accuracy of plume area assessments from satellite imagery was not high (77% on average), seemingly because of inexactitude in satellite data processing. Nevertheless, satellite imagery is a useful tool for the estimation of the extent of polluted plumes, which is hardly achievable by contact methods.

  6. Studying Earth's Environment From Space: Classroom and Laboratory Activities with Instructor Resources

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Elizabeth A.

    2001-01-01

    Standard, text-book based learning for earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences has been limited by the unavailability of quantitative teaching materials. While a descriptive presentation, in a lecture format, of discrete satellite images is often adequate for high school classrooms, this is seldom the case at the undergraduate level. In order to address these concerns, a series of numerical exercises for the Macintosh was developed for use with satellite-derived Sea Surface Temperature, pigment and sea ice concentration data. Using a modified version of NIH Image, to analyze actual satellite data, students are able to better understand ocean processes, such as circulation, upwelling, primary production, and ocean/atmosphere coupling. Graphical plots, image math, and numerical comparisons are utilized to substantiate temporal and spatial trends in sea surface temperature and ocean color. Particularly for institutions that do not offer a program in remote sensing, the subject matter is presented as modular units, each of which can be readily incorporated into existing curricula. These materials have been produced in both CD-ROM and WWW format, making them useful for classroom or lab setting. Depending upon the level of available computer support, graphics can be displayed directly from the CD-ROM, or as a series of color view graphs for standard overhead projection.

  7. Electromagnetic backscattering from one-dimensional drifting fractal sea surface II: Electromagnetic backscattering model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tao, Xie; William, Perrie; Shang-Zhuo, Zhao; He, Fang; Wen-Jin, Yu; Yi-Jun, He

    2016-07-01

    Sea surface current has a significant influence on electromagnetic (EM) backscattering signals and may constitute a dominant synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging mechanism. An effective EM backscattering model for a one-dimensional drifting fractal sea surface is presented in this paper. This model is used to simulate EM backscattering signals from the drifting sea surface. Numerical results show that ocean currents have a significant influence on EM backscattering signals from the sea surface. The normalized radar cross section (NRCS) discrepancies between the model for a coupled wave-current fractal sea surface and the model for an uncoupled fractal sea surface increase with the increase of incidence angle, as well as with increasing ocean currents. Ocean currents that are parallel to the direction of the wave can weaken the EM backscattering signal intensity, while the EM backscattering signal is intensified by ocean currents propagating oppositely to the wave direction. The model presented in this paper can be used to study the SAR imaging mechanism for a drifting sea surface. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41276187), the Global Change Research Program of China (Grant No. 2015CB953901), the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China, the Program for the Innovation Research and Entrepreneurship Team in Jiangsu Province, China, the Canadian Program on Energy Research and Development, and the Canadian World Class Tanker Safety Service Program.

  8. Teaching ocean wave forecasting using computer-generated visualization and animation—Part 1: sea forecasting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitford, Dennis J.

    2002-05-01

    Ocean waves are the most recognized phenomena in oceanography. Unfortunately, undergraduate study of ocean wave dynamics and forecasting involves mathematics and physics and therefore can pose difficulties with some students because of the subject's interrelated dependence on time and space. Verbal descriptions and two-dimensional illustrations are often insufficient for student comprehension. Computer-generated visualization and animation offer a visually intuitive and pedagogically sound medium to present geoscience, yet there are very few oceanographic examples. A two-part article series is offered to explain ocean wave forecasting using computer-generated visualization and animation. This paper, Part 1, addresses forecasting of sea wave conditions and serves as the basis for the more difficult topic of swell wave forecasting addressed in Part 2. Computer-aided visualization and animation, accompanied by oral explanation, are a welcome pedagogical supplement to more traditional methods of instruction. In this article, several MATLAB ® software programs have been written to visualize and animate development and comparison of wave spectra, wave interference, and forecasting of sea conditions. These programs also set the stage for the more advanced and difficult animation topics in Part 2. The programs are user-friendly, interactive, easy to modify, and developed as instructional tools. By using these software programs, teachers can enhance their instruction of these topics with colorful visualizations and animation without requiring an extensive background in computer programming.

  9. Applications of high-frequency radar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Headrick, J. M.; Thomason, J. F.

    1998-07-01

    Efforts to extend radar range by an order of magnitude with use of the ionosphere as a virtual mirror started after the end of World War II. A number of HF radar programs were pursued, with long-range nuclear burst and missile launch detection demonstrated by 1956. Successful east coast radar aircraft detect and track tests extending across the Atlantic were conducted by 1961. The major obstacles to success, the large target-to-clutter ratio and low signal-to-noise ratio, were overcome with matched filter Doppler processing. To search the areas that a 2000 nautical mile (3700 km) radar can reach, very complex and high dynamic range processing is required. The spectacular advances in digital processing technology have made truly wide-area surveillance possible. Use of the surface attached wave over the oceans can enable HF radar to obtain modest extension of range beyond the horizon. The decameter wavelengths used by both skywave and surface wave radars require large physical antenna apertures, but they have unique capabilities for air and surface targets, many of which are of resonant scattering dimensions. Resonant scattering from the ocean permits sea state and direction estimation. Military and commercial applications of HF radar are in their infancy.

  10. Propagation of Intra-Seasonal Tropical Oscillations (PISTON)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moum, J. N.

    2017-12-01

    During monsoon season over the South China Sea and Philippines, weather varies on the subseasonal time scale. Disturbances of the "boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation" (BSISO) move north and east across the region over periods of weeks. These disturbances are strongly conditioned by the complex geography of the region. The diurnal cycle in convection over islands and adjacent coastal seas is strong. Air-sea interaction is modulated by ocean stratification and local circulation patterns that are themselves complex and diurnally varying. The multiple pathways and space-time scales in the regional ocean-atmosphere-land system make prediction on subseasonal to seasonal time scales challenging. The PISTON field campaign targets the west coast of Luzon in August/September 2018. It includes ship-based, moored and land-based measurements, a significant modeling effort and coordinates with the Philippine SALICA program (Sea Air Land Interactions in the Context of Archipelagos) and the aircraft-based, NASA-funded CAMP2EX campaign (Cloud and Aerosol Monsoonal Processes-Philippines Experiment). The diurnal cycle and its interaction with the BSISO are primary targets for PISTON. Key questions are: how heat is stored and released in the upper ocean on intraseasonal time scales; how that heat storage interacts with atmospheric convection; and what role it plays in BSISO maintenance and propagation. Key processes include land-sea breezes, orographic influence on convection, river discharge to coastal oceans, gravity waves, diurnal warm layers, internal tides, and a buoyancy-driven northward coastal current. As intraseasonal disturbances approach the region, the presence of islands, with their low surface heat capacity, mountains, inhomogeneous distribution of urban/vegetation/soil, and strong diurnal cycle disrupts the air-sea heat exchange that sustains the BSISO over the ocean, confounding prediction models in which these processes are inadequately represented. Along with upscale influences, PISTON seeks to advance our understanding of how large scale atmospheric circulation variability over the South China Sea, related to the monsoon, BSISO, and convectively coupled waves, modifies the local diurnal cycle, synoptic systems, and air sea interaction in coastal regions and nearby open seas.

  11. Vertical Cable Seismic Survey for SMS exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asakawa, Eiichi; Murakami, Fumitoshi; Tsukahara, Hotoshi; Mizohata, Shigeharu

    2014-05-01

    The Vertical Cable Seismic (VCS) survey is one of the reflection seismic methods. It uses hydrophone arrays vertically moored from the seafloor to record acoustic waves generated by sea-surface, deep-towed or ocean bottom sources. Analyzing the reflections from the sub-seabed, we could look into the subsurface structure. Because the VCS is an efficient high-resolution 3D seismic survey method for a spatially-bounded area, we proposed it for the SMS survey tool development program that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) started in 2009. We have been developing the VCS survey system, including not only data acquisition hardware but data processing and analysis technique. We carried out several VCS surveys combining with surface towed source, deep towed source and ocean bottom source. The water depths of these surveys are from 100m up to 2100 m. Through these experiments, our VCS data acquisition system has been also completed. But the data processing techniques are still on the way. One of the most critical issues is the positioning in the water. The uncertainty in the positions of the source and of the hydrophones in water degraded the quality of subsurface image. GPS navigation system is available on sea surface, but in case of deep-towed source or ocean bottom source, the accuracy of shot position with SSBL/USBL is not sufficient for the very high-resolution imaging. We have developed a new approach to determine the positions in water using the travel time data from the source to VCS hydrophones. In 2013, we have carried out the second VCS survey using the surface-towed high-voltage sparker and ocean bottom source in the Izena Cauldron, which is one of the most promising SMS areas around Japan. The positions of ocean bottom source estimated by this method are consistent with the VCS field records. The VCS data with the sparker have been processed with 3D PSTM. It gives the very high resolution 3D volume deeper than two hundred meters. Our VCS system has been demonstrated as a promising survey tool for the SMS exploration.

  12. Optimization Of Ocean Color Algorithms: Application To Satellite And In Situ Data Merging. Chapter 9

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maritorena, Stephane; Siegel, David A.; Morel, Andre

    2003-01-01

    The objective of our program is to develop and validate a procedure for ocean color data merging which is one of the major goals of the SIMBIOS project (McClain et al., 1995). The need for a merging capability is dictated by the fact that since the launch of MODIS on the Terra platform and over the next decade, several global ocean color missions from various space agencies are or will be operational simultaneously. The apparent redundancy in simultaneous ocean color missions can actually be exploited to various benefits. The most obvious benefit is improved coverage (Gregg et al., 1998; Gregg & Woodward, 1998). The patchy and uneven daily coverage from any single sensor can be improved by using a combination of sensors. Beside improved coverage of the global ocean the merging of ocean color data should also result in new, improved, more diverse and better data products with lower uncertainties. Ultimately, ocean color data merging should result in the development of a unified, scientific quality, ocean color time series, from SeaWiFS to NPOESS and beyond. Various approaches can be used for ocean color data merging and several have been tested within the frame of the SIMBIOS program (see e.g. Kwiatkowska & Fargion, 2003, Franz et al., 2003). As part of the SIMBIOS Program, we have developed a merging method for ocean color data. Conversely to other methods our approach does not combine end-products like the subsurface chlorophyll concentration (chl) from different sensors to generate a unified product. Instead, our procedure uses the normalized waterleaving radiances (LwN( )) from single or multiple sensors and uses them in the inversion of a semianalytical ocean color model that allows the retrieval of several ocean color variables simultaneously. Beside ensuring simultaneity and consistency of the retrievals (all products are derived from a single algorithm), this model-based approach has various benefits over techniques that blend end-products (e.g. chlorophyll): 1) it works with single or multiple data sources regardless of their specific bands, 2) it exploits band redundancies and band differences, 3) it accounts for uncertainties in the LwN( ) data and, 4) it provides uncertainty estimates for the retrieved variables.

  13. Simulation of multistatic and backscattering cross sections for airborne radar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Biggs, Albert W.

    1986-07-01

    In order to determine susceptibilities of airborne radar to electronic countermeasures and electronic counter-countermeasures simulations of multistatic and backscattering cross sections were developed as digital modules in the form of algorithms. Cross section algorithms are described for prolate (cigar shape) and oblate (disk shape) spheroids. Backscattering cross section algorithms are also described for different categories of terrain. Backscattering cross section computer programs were written for terrain categorized as vegetation, sea ice, glacial ice, geological (rocks, sand, hills, etc.), oceans, man-made structures, and water bodies. PROGRAM SIGTERRA is a file for backscattering cross section modules of terrain (TERRA) such as vegetation (AGCROP), oceans (OCEAN), Arctic sea ice (SEAICE), glacial snow (GLASNO), geological structures (GEOL), man-made structures (MAMMAD), or water bodies (WATER). AGCROP describes agricultural crops, trees or forests, prairies or grassland, and shrubs or bush cover. OCEAN has the SLAR or SAR looking downwind, upwind, and crosswind at the ocean surface. SEAICE looks at winter ice and old or polar ice. GLASNO is divided into a glacial ice and snow or snowfields. MANMAD includes buildings, houses, roads, railroad tracks, airfields and hangars, telephone and power lines, barges, trucks, trains, and automobiles. WATER has lakes, rivers, canals, and swamps. PROGRAM SIGAIR is a similar file for airborne targets such as prolate and oblate spheroids.

  14. Climate Prediction Center - NCEP Global Ocean Data Assimilation System:

    Science.gov Websites

    home page National Weather Service NWS logo - Click to go to the NWS home page Climate Prediction Monthly in NetCDF Other formats Links NOAA Ocean Climate Observation Program (OCO) Climate Test Bed About Prediction (NCEP) are a valuable community asset for monitoring different aspects of ocean climate

  15. Science Objectives and Design of the European Seas Observatory NETwork (ESONET)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruhl, H.; Géli, L.; Karstensen, J.; Colaço, A.; Lampitt, R.; Greinert, J.; Phannkuche, O.; Auffret, Y.

    2009-04-01

    The needs for a network of ocean observing systems cross many applied and research areas of earth and marine science. Many of the science areas that can be examined using such systems have direct impacts on societal health and well being and our understanding of ocean function in a shifting climate. The European Seas Observatory NETwork (ESONET) Network of Excellence has been evaluating ocean observatory design requirements, data management needs, standardization and interoperability concerns, social implications, outreach and education, as well as financial and legal aspects of developing such a system. ESONET has great potential to address a growing set of Earth science questions that require a broad and integrated network of ocean and seafloor observations. ESONET activities are also importantly integrating researchers in the European Community, as well as internationally. There is now wide recognition that research addressing science questions of international priority, such as understanding the potential impacts of climate change or geohazards like earthquakes and tsunamis should be conducted in a framework that can address questions across adequate temporal and spatial scales. We will present the relevant science priorities in the four interconnected fields of geoscience, physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, and marine ecology, and some of the practical ways in which these questions can be addressed using ESONET. Several key questions persist that will require comprehensive interdisciplinary approaches including: How can monitoring of factors such as seismic activity, fluid pore chemistry and pressure, improve seismic, slope failure, and tsunami warning? To what extent do seabed processes influence ocean physics, biogeochemistry, and marine ecosystems? How are physical and biogeochemical processes that occur at differing scales related? What aspects of physical oceanography and biogeochemical cycling will be most sensitive to climate change? What will the important feedbacks of potential ecological change be on biogeochemical cycles? What are the factors that control the distribution and abundance of marine life and what will the influence of anthropogenic change be? We will outline a set of science objectives and observation parameters to be collected at all ESONET sites, as well as a set of rather specific objectives and thus parameters that might only be measured at some sites. We will also present the preliminary module specifications now being considered by ESONET. In a practical sense the observatory design has been divided into those that will be included in a so called ‘generic' module and those that will be part of science-specific modules. Outlining preliminary module specifications is required to move forward with studies of observatory design and operation. These specifications are importantly provisional and can be updated as science needs and feasibility change. A functional cleavage not only comes between aspects that are considered generic or specific, but also the settings in which those systems will be used. For example, some modules will be on the seabed and some will be moored in the water column. In order to address many of the questions posed above ESONET users will require other supporting data from other programs from local to international levels. Examples of these other data sources include satellite oceanographic data, climatic data, air-sea interface data, and the known distribution and abundances of marine fauna. Thus the connection of ESONET to other programs is integral to its success. The development of ESONET provides a substantial opportunity for ocean science to evolve in Europe. Furthermore, ESONET and several other developing ocean observatory programs are integrating into larger science frameworks including the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and Global Monitoring of Environment and Security (GMES) programs. It is only in a greater integrated framework that the full potential of the component systems will be realized.

  16. Understanding our Changing Planet: NASA's Earth Science Enterprise

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Forehand, Lon; Griner, Charlotte (Editor); Greenstone, Renny (Editor)

    1999-01-01

    NASA has been studying the Earth and its changing environment by observing the atmosphere, oceans, land, ice, and snow and their influence on climate and weather since the agency's creation. This study has lead to a new approach to understanding the interaction of the Earth's systems, Earth System Science. The Earth Science Enterprise, NASA's comprehensive program for Earth System Science, uses satellites and other tools to intensively study the Earth. The Earth Science Enterprise has three main components: (1) a series of Earth-observing satellites, (2) an advanced data system and (3) teams of scientist who study the data. Key areas of study include: (1) clouds, (2) water and energy cycles, (3) oceans, (4) chemistry of the atmosphere, (5) land surface, water and ecosystems processes; (6) glaciers and polar ice sheets, and (7) the solid earth.

  17. High Energy Benthic Boundary Layer Experiment (HEBBLE): Preliminary program plan and conceptual design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frewing, K.

    1980-01-01

    Deep sea processes of flow-sediment interaction, particularly the role of high energy ocean bottom current events in forming the seafloor topography, transporting material, and mixing the bottom of the water column are examined. A series of observations at and near the sea bottom, in water depths of 4 to 5 km, in areas of the western North Atlantic where high energy current events occur, include site surveys and physical reconnaissance to identify suitable areas and positions, and one or more six month experiments to investigate temporal and spatial variations of high energy events within the boundary layer and their interaction with the seabed. Descriptions of proposed HEBBLE activities are included, with emphasis on technology transfer to the oceanographic community through design, fabrication, testing, and operation of an instrumented ocean bottom lander.

  18. Where the Ocean Meets the Girl Guides, Exploring the Interface Between Teaching Science and Using Specialized Programs to Engage Girls in Ocean Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pelz, M. S.; Ewing, N.; Davidson, E.; Hoeberechts, M.

    2016-02-01

    This presentation focuses on Ocean Aware, a joint project between Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and the British Columbia Girl Guides Canada (Girl Guides). On World Oceans Day 2014, Girl Guides launched a new challenge to its members: "Are you Ocean Aware?" To answer this question, girls of any age can now earn their Ocean Aware Challenge crest. Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, operates cabled ocean observatories which supply continuous power and Internet connectivity to a broad suite of subsea instruments from the coast to the deep sea. This Internet connectivity permits researchers, students and members of the public to download freely available data on their computers anywhere around the globe, in near real-time. Girl Guides provides a safe, all-girl environment that invites girls to challenge themselves, to find their voice, meet new friends, have fun and make a difference in the world. Girl Guides strives to ensure that girls and women from all walks of life, identities and lived experiences feel a sense of belonging and can fully participate. Girl Guides of Canada is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Through a partnership between ONC and Girl Guides, Ocean Aware was created to promote ocean literacy and ocean technology to thousands of Guiders in British Columbia and beyond. One of the most interesting challenges was to present STEM learning outcomes in such a way that they are accessible to girls, facilitators, and communities that are both on the coast and inland. With a creative eye to the preforming arts, hands-on experiments, interactive experiences and games, this challenge successfully brings the 7 Principles of Ocean Literacy to any girl, in any community. In this presentation we will share some of the strategies, challenges and impacts of creating a successful program that engages a large audience in ocean science through a novel partnership.

  19. Identification of pixels with stray light and cloud shadow contaminations in the satellite ocean color data processing.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Lide; Wang, Menghua

    2013-09-20

    A new flag/masking scheme has been developed for identifying stray light and cloud shadow pixels that significantly impact the quality of satellite-derived ocean color products. Various case studies have been carried out to evaluate the performance of the new cloud contamination flag/masking scheme on ocean color products derived from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP). These include direct visual assessments, detailed quantitative case studies, objective statistic analyses, and global image examinations and comparisons. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Multisensor Level-1 to Level-2 (NOAA-MSL12) ocean color data processing system has been used in the study. The new stray light and cloud shadow identification method has been shown to outperform the current stray light flag in both valid data coverage and data quality of satellite-derived ocean color products. In addition, some cloud-related flags from the official VIIRS-SNPP data processing software, i.e., the Interface Data Processing System (IDPS), have been assessed. Although the data quality with the IDPS flags is comparable to that of the new flag implemented in the NOAA-MSL12 ocean color data processing system, the valid data coverage from the IDPS is significantly less than that from the NOAA-MSL12 using the new stray light and cloud shadow flag method. Thus, the IDPS flag/masking algorithms need to be refined and modified to reduce the pixel loss, e.g., the proposed new cloud contamination flag/masking can be implemented in IDPS VIIRS ocean color data processing.

  20. A Catalyst for Ocean Acidification Research and Collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benway, Heather M.; Cooley, Sarah R.; Doney, Scott C.

    2010-03-01

    Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Short Course on Ocean Acidification; Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 2-13 November 2009; The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) program is a coordinating body for the U.S. research community that focuses on the ocean's role in the global Earth system, bringing together research in geochemistry, ocean physics, and ecology. With support from its federal sponsors (U.S. National Science Foundation, NASA, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)) and the European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA), the OCB Project Office coordinated and hosted a hands-on ocean acidification short course at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The OCB Ocean Acidification Subcommittee (http://www.us-ocb.org/about.html), chaired by Joan Kleypas (National Center for Atmospheric Research) and Richard Feely (Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA), provided critical guidance on the course scope, curriculum, and instructors.

  1. Sub-Ocean Drilling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1981-01-01

    The National Science Foundation (NSF) initialized a new phase of exploration last year, a 10 year effort jointly funded by NSF and several major oil companies, known as the Ocean Margin Drilling Program (OMDP). The OMDP requires a ship with capabilities beyond existing drill ships; it must drill in 13,000 feet of water to a depth 20,000 feet below the ocean floor. To meet requirements, NSF is considering the conversion of the government-owned mining ship Glomar Explorer to a deep ocean drilling and coring vessel. Feasibility study performed by Donhaiser Marine, Inc. analyzed the ship's characteristics for suitability and evaluated conversion requirement. DMI utilized COSMIC's Ship Motion and Sea Load Computer program to perform analysis which could not be accomplished by other means. If approved for conversion, Glomar Explorer is expected to begin operations as a drillship in 1984.

  2. The Proposal for the NASA Sensor Intercalibration and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Oceanic Studies(SIMBIOS) Program, 1995

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McClain, Charles; Esaias, Wayne; Feldman, Gene; Gregg, Watson; Hooker, Stanford; Frouin, Robert

    2002-01-01

    As a result of the Earth Observing System (EOS) restructuring exercise during the last half of fiscal year 1994, the EOS Color mission, which was scheduled to be a data-buy with a 1998 launch was dropped from the EOS mission manifest primarily because of the number of international ocean color missions scheduled for launch in the 1998 time frame. In lieu of a new mission, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) was tasked by NASA Headquarters to develop an ocean color satellite calibration and validation plan for multiple sensors. The objective of the activity was to develop a methodology and operational capability to combine data products from the various ocean color missions in a manner that ensures the best possible global coverage and data quality. The program was called the Sensor Intercomparison and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Oceanic Studies (SIMBIOS) project coined from the biological term "symbiosis." This document is the original proposal that was developed and submitted in May 1995. SIMBIOS was approved in 1996 and initiated in 1997 with a project office and technical staff at GSFC and a science team to assist in the development of validation data sets, sensor calibration, atmospheric correction, and bio-optical and data merger algorithms. Since its inception, the SIMBIOS program has resulted in a broad-based international collaboration on the calibration and validation of a number of ocean color satellites.

  3. Lidar Measurements of On-Shore Wind Diffusion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, R. M.; Michael, P.; Raynor, G.

    1973-01-01

    The concept to place electric power generating stations on the oceans off the coast of the United States has instilled new efforts in research for improved understanding of the diffusion properties of the atmosphere in the ocean-air interface. The Atomic Energy Commission has instigated a program by the Meteorology Group at Brookhaven National Laboratory to investigate the low level, on-shore wind systems that dominate many of the coastal regions. Analytical techniques and specialized instrumentation from previous studies at Brookhaven are being used in this new program. The Brookhaven Lidar system is used to measure some of the physical properties of the oil-fog plume originating from a portable smoke generator on a boat off the coast. The oil-fog plume is used as a tracer which can be observed, photographed and measured to determine the diffusive power of the atmosphere associated with the ocean-air interface and the discontinuities found in the ocean-land boundary. This paper will describe the program rather briefly and the oil-fog scattering measurements that have been made with the Lidar system.

  4. A simple model of the effect of ocean ventilation on ocean heat uptake

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nadiga, Balu; Urban, Nathan

    2017-11-01

    Transport of water from the surface mixed layer into the ocean interior is achieved, in large part, by the process of ventilation-a process associated with outcropping isopycnals. Starting from such a configuration of outcropping isopycnals, we derive a simple model of the effect of ventilation on ocean uptake of anomalous radiative forcing. This model can be seen as an improvement of the popular anomaly-diffusing class of energy balance models (AD-EBM) that are routinely employed to analyze and emulate the warming response of both observed and simulated Earth system. We demonstrate that neither multi-layer, nor continuous-diffusion AD-EBM variants can properly represent both surface-warming and the vertical distribution of ocean heat uptake. The new model overcomes this deficiency. The simplicity of the models notwithstanding, the analysis presented and the necessity of the modification is indicative of the role played by processes related to the down-welling branch of global ocean circulation in shaping the vertical distribution of ocean heat uptake.

  5. Indian-Southern Ocean Latitudinal Transect (ISOLAT): A proposal for the recovery of high-resolution sedimentary records in the western Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mackensen, A.; Zahn, R.; Hall, I.; Kuhn, G.; Koc, N.; Francois, R.; Hemming, S.; Goldstein, S.; Rogers, J.; Ehrmann, W.

    2003-04-01

    Quantifying oceanic variability at timescales of oceanic, atmospheric, and cryospheric processes are the fundamental objectives of the international IMAGES program. In this context the Southern Ocean plays a leading role in that it is involved, through its influence on global ocean circulation and carbon budget, with the development and maintenance of the Earth's climate system. The seas surrounding Antarctica contain the world's only zonal circum-global current system that entrains water masses from the three main ocean basins, and maintains the thermal isolation of Antarctica from warmer surface waters to the north. Furthermore, the Southern Ocean is a major site of bottom and intermediate water formation and thus actively impacts the global thermohaline circulation (THC). This proposal is an outcome of the IMAGES Southern Ocean Working Group and constitutes one component of a suite of new IMAGES/IODP initiatives that aim at resolving past variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) on orbital and sub-orbital timescales and its involvement with rapid global ocean variability and climate instability. The primary aim of this proposal is to determine millennial- to sub-centennial scale variability of the ACC and the ensuing Atlantic-Indian water transports, including surface transports and deep-water flow. We will focus on periods of rapid ocean and climate change and assess the role of the Southern Ocean in these changes, both in terms of its thermohaline circulation and biogeochemical inventories. We propose a suite of 11 sites that form a latitudinal transect across the ACC in the westernmost Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean. The transect is designed to allow the reconstruction of ACC variability across a range of latitudes in conjunction with meridional shifts of the surface ocean fronts. The northernmost reaches of the transect extend into the Agulhas Current and its retroflection system which is a key component of the THC warm water return flow to the Atlantic. The principal topics are: (i) the response of the ACC to climate variability; (ii) the history of the Southern Ocean surface ocean fronts during periods of rapid climate change; (iii) the history of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) export to the deep South Indian Ocean; (iv) the variability of Southern Ocean biogeochemical fluxes and their influence on Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) carbon inventories and atmospheric chemistry; and (v) the variability of surface ocean fronts and the Indian-Atlantic surface ocean density flux. To achieve these objectives we will generate fine-scale records of palaeoceanographic proxies that are linked to a variety of climatically relevant ocean parameters. Temporal resolution of the records, depending on sedimentation rates, will range from millennial to sub-centennial time scales. Highest sedimentation rates are expected at coring sites located on current-controlled sediment drifts, whereas dense sampling of cores with moderate sedimentation rates will enable at least millennial-scale events to be resolved.

  6. Ocean Biological Pump Sensitivities and Implications for Climate Change Impacts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Romanou, Anastasia

    2013-01-01

    The ocean is one of the principal reservoirs of CO2, a greenhouse gas, and therefore plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's climate. Currently, the ocean sequesters about a third of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, mitigating the human impact on climate. At the same time, the deeper ocean represents the largest carbon pool in the Earth System and processes that describe the transfer of carbon from the surface of the ocean to depth are intimately linked to the effectiveness of carbon sequestration.The ocean biological pump (OBP), which involves several biogeochemical processes, is a major pathway for transfer of carbon from the surface mixed layer into the ocean interior. About 75 of the carbon vertical gradient is due to the carbon pump with only 25 attributed to the solubility pump. However, the relative importance and role of the two pumps is poorly constrained. OBP is further divided to the organic carbon pump (soft tissue pump) and the carbonate pump, with the former exporting about 10 times more carbon than the latter through processes like remineralization.Major uncertainties about OBP, and hence in the carbon uptake and sequestration, stem from uncertainties in processes involved in OBP such as particulate organicinorganic carbon sinkingsettling, remineralization, microbial degradation of DOC and uptakegrowth rate changes of the ocean biology. The deep ocean is a major sink of atmospheric CO2 in scales of hundreds to thousands of years, but how the export efficiency (i.e. the fraction of total carbon fixation at the surface that is transported at depth) is affected by climate change remains largely undetermined. These processes affect the ocean chemistry (alkalinity, pH, DIC, particulate and dissolved organic carbon) as well as the ecology (biodiversity, functional groups and their interactions) in the ocean. It is important to have a rigorous, quantitative understanding of the uncertainties involved in the observational measurements, the models and the projections of future changes.

  7. Development of ocean color algorithms for estimating chlorophyll-a concentrations and inherent optical properties using gene expression programming (GEP).

    PubMed

    Chang, Chih-Hua

    2015-03-09

    This paper proposes new inversion algorithms for the estimation of Chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla) and the ocean's inherent optical properties (IOPs) from the measurement of remote sensing reflectance (Rrs). With in situ data from the NASA bio-optical marine algorithm data set (NOMAD), inversion algorithms were developed by the novel gene expression programming (GEP) approach, which creates, manipulates and selects the most appropriate tree-structured functions based on evolutionary computing. The limitations and validity of the proposed algorithms are evaluated by simulated Rrs spectra with respect to NOMAD, and a closure test for IOPs obtained at a single reference wavelength. The application of GEP-derived algorithms is validated against in situ, synthetic and satellite match-up data sets compiled by NASA and the International Ocean Color Coordinate Group (IOCCG). The new algorithms are able to provide Chla and IOPs retrievals to those derived by other state-of-the-art regression approaches and obtained with the semi- and quasi-analytical algorithms, respectively. In practice, there are no significant differences between GEP, support vector regression, and multilayer perceptron model in terms of the overall performance. The GEP-derived algorithms are successfully applied in processing the images taken by the Sea Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), generate Chla and IOPs maps which show better details of developing algal blooms, and give more information on the distribution of water constituents between different water bodies.

  8. Overview of the Ocean Observer Satellite Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cunningham, J. D.; McGuire, J. P.; Pichel, W. G.; Gerber, A. J.

    2002-12-01

    A two-year study of ocean satellite remote sensing requirements and instrument/satellite options is nearing completion. This Ocean Observer Study was sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce/Dept. of Defense/National Aeronautics and Space Administration Integrated Program Office, whose mission is to develop the future U.S. National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). A comprehensive Ocean Observer User Requirements Document has been drafted by a team of over 150 government, academic, and private sector scientists, engineers, and administrators. Included are requirements for open and coastal ocean surface, cryospheric, hydrologic, and some land/hazard and atmospheric boundary layer parameters. This document was then used as input to the instrument and satellite study (conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) which produced five different instrument/satellite configuration options designed to address the maximum number of requirements which will not be met with the already-approved NPOESS instruments. Instruments studied include a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), an altimeter, and a hyper-spectral coastal infrared/visible imager. After analyzing the alternatives, it appears that one of the best options is a two-satellite system consisting of (1) an altimeter mission in the Topex/Poseidon orbit carrying both wide-swath and delayed doppler altimeters, and (2) a multi-polarization, multi-frequency, multi-mode interferometric SAR mission including a coastal imager in a polar sun-synchronous orbit. This paper summarizes the user requirements process, briefly describes the notional satellite configuration, and presents some of the capabilities of the instruments.

  9. Underway Sampling of Marine Inherent Optical Properties on the Tara Oceans Expedition as a Novel Resource for Ocean Color Satellite Data Product Validation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Werdell, P. Jeremy; Proctor, Christopher W.; Boss, Emmanuel; Leeuw, Thomas; Ouhssain, Mustapha

    2013-01-01

    Developing and validating data records from operational ocean color satellite instruments requires substantial volumes of high quality in situ data. In the absence of broad, institutionally supported field programs, organizations such as the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group seek opportunistic datasets for use in their operational satellite calibration and validation activities. The publicly available, global biogeochemical dataset collected as part of the two and a half year Tara Oceans expedition provides one such opportunity. We showed how the inline measurements of hyperspectral absorption and attenuation coefficients collected onboard the R/V Tara can be used to evaluate near-surface estimates of chlorophyll-a, spectral particulate backscattering coefficients, particulate organic carbon, and particle size classes derived from the NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer onboard Aqua (MODISA). The predominant strength of such flow-through measurements is their sampling rate-the 375 days of measurements resulted in 165 viable MODISA-to-in situ match-ups, compared to 13 from discrete water sampling. While the need to apply bio-optical models to estimate biogeochemical quantities of interest from spectroscopy remains a weakness, we demonstrated how discrete samples can be used in combination with flow-through measurements to create data records of sufficient quality to conduct first order evaluations of satellite-derived data products. Given an emerging agency desire to rapidly evaluate new satellite missions, our results have significant implications on how calibration and validation teams for these missions will be constructed.

  10. Environmental variability and chum salmon production at the northwestern Pacific Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Suam; Kang, Sukyung; Kim, Ju Kyoung; Bang, Minkyoung

    2017-12-01

    Chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, are distributed widely in the North Pacific Ocean, and about 76% of chum salmon were caught from Russian, Japanese, and Korean waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean during the last 20 years. Although it has been speculated that the recent increase in salmon production was aided by not only the enhancement program that targeted chum salmon but also by favorable ocean conditions since the early 1990s, the ecological processes for determining the yield of salmon have not been clearly delineated. To investigate the relationship between yield and the controlling factors for ocean survival of chum salmon, a time-series of climate indices, seawater temperature, and prey availability in the northwestern Pacific including Korean waters were analyzed using some statistical tools. The results of cross-correlation function (CCF) analysis and cumulative sum (CuSum) of anomalies indicated that there were significant environmental changes in the North Pacific during the last century, and each regional stock of chum salmon responded to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) differently: for Russian stock, the correlations between PDO index and catch were significantly negative with a time-lag of 0 and 1 years; for Japanese stock, significantly positive with a timelag of 0-2 years; and for Korean stock, positive but no significant correlation. The results of statistical analyses with Korean chum salmon also revealed that a coastal seawater temperature over 14°C and the return rate of spawning adults to the natal river produced a significant negative correlation.

  11. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bishop, James K.B.

    Prediction of the substantial biologically mediated carbon flows in a rapidly changing and acidifying ocean requires model simulations informed by observations of key carbon cycle processes on the appropriate space and time scales. From 2000 to 2004, the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) supported the development of the first low-cost fully-autonomous ocean profiling Carbon Explorers that demonstrated that year-round real-time observations of particulate organic carbon (POC) concentration and sedimentation could be achieved in the world's ocean. NOPP also initiated the development of a sensor for particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) suitable for operational deployment across all oceanographic platforms. As a result,more » PIC profile characterization that once required shipboard sample collection and shipboard or shore based laboratory analysis, is now possible to full ocean depth in real time using a 0.2W sensor operating at 24 Hz. NOPP developments further spawned US DOE support to develop the Carbon Flux Explorer, a free-vehicle capable of following hourly variations of particulate inorganic and organic carbon sedimentation from near surface to kilometer depths for seasons to years and capable of relaying contemporaneous observations via satellite. We have demonstrated the feasibility of real time - low cost carbon observations which are of fundamental value to carbon prediction and when further developed, will lead to a fully enhanced global carbon observatory capable of real time assessment of the ocean carbon sink, a needed constraint for assessment of carbon management policies on a global scale.« less

  12. Subaqueous melting in Zachariae Isstrom, Northeast Greenland combining observations and an ocean general circulation model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cai, C.; Rignot, E. J.; Menemenlis, D.; Nakayama, Y.

    2016-12-01

    Zachariae Isstrom, a major ice stream in northeast Greenland, has lost its entire ice shelf in the past decade. Here, we study the evolution of subaqueous melting of its floating section during the transition. Observations show that the rate of ice shelf melting has doubled during 1999-2010 and is twice higher than that maintaining the ice shelf in a steady state. The ice shelf melt rate depends on the thermal forcing from warm, saline, subsurface ocean water of Atlantic origin (AW), and on the mixing of AW with fresh buoyant subglacial discharge. Subglacial discharge has increased as result of enhanced ice sheet runoff driven by warmer air temperature; ocean thermal forcing has increased due to enhanced advection of AW. Here, we employ the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) at a high spatial resolution to simulate the melting process in 3-D. The model is constrained by ice thickness from mass conservation, oceanic bathymetry inverted from gravity data by NASA Operation IceBridge and NASA Ocean Melting Greenland missions, in-situ ocean temperature/salinity data, ocean tide height and current from the Arctic Ocean Tidal Inverse Model (AOTIM-5) and reconstructed seasonal subglacial discharge from the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO2). We compare the results in winter (small runoff but not negligible) with summer (maximum runoff) at two different stages with (prior to 2012) and without the ice shelf (after 2012) to subaqueous melt rates deduced from remote sensing observations. We show that ice melting by the ocean has increased by one order of magnitude as a result of the transition from ice shelf terminating to near-vertical calving front terminating. We also find that subglacial discharge has a significant impact on ice shelf melt rates in Greenland. We conclude on the impact of ocean warming and air temperature warming on the melting regime of the ice margin of Zachariae Isstrom, Greenland. This work was performed under a contract with NASA Cryosphere Program at UC Irvine and Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

  13. CEOS Ocean Variables Enabling Research and Applications for Geo (COVERAGE)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsontos, V. M.; Vazquez, J.; Zlotnicki, V.

    2017-12-01

    The CEOS Ocean Variables Enabling Research and Applications for GEO (COVERAGE) initiative seeks to facilitate joint utilization of different satellite data streams on ocean physics, better integrated with biological and in situ observations, including near real-time data streams in support of oceanographic and decision support applications for societal benefit. COVERAGE aligns with programmatic objectives of CEOS (the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites) and the missions of GEO-MBON (Marine Biodiversity Observation Network) and GEO-Blue Planet, which are to advance and exploit synergies among the many observational programs devoted to ocean and coastal waters. COVERAGE is conceived of as 3 year pilot project involving international collaboration. It focuses on implementing technologies, including cloud based solutions, to provide a data rich, web-based platform for integrated ocean data delivery and access: multi-parameter observations, easily discoverable and usable, organized by disciplines, available in near real-time, collocated to a common grid and including climatologies. These will be complemented by a set of value-added data services available via the COVERAGE portal including an advanced Web-based visualization interface, subsetting/extraction, data collocation/matchup and other relevant on demand processing capabilities. COVERAGE development will be organized around priority use cases and applications identified by GEO and agency partners. The initial phase will be to develop co-located 25km products from the four Ocean Virtual Constellations (VCs), Sea Surface Temperature, Sea Level, Ocean Color, and Sea Surface Winds. This aims to stimulate work among the ocean VCs while developing products and system functionality based on community recommendations. Such products as anomalies from a time mean, would build on the theme of applications with a relevance to CEOS/GEO mission and vision. Here we provide an overview of the COVERAGE initiative with an emphasis on international collaborative aspects entailed with the intent of soliciting community feedback as we develop and implement

  14. Ice-sheet response to oceanic forcing.

    PubMed

    Joughin, Ian; Alley, Richard B; Holland, David M

    2012-11-30

    The ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are losing ice at accelerating rates, much of which is a response to oceanic forcing, especially of the floating ice shelves. Recent observations establish a clear correspondence between the increased delivery of oceanic heat to the ice-sheet margin and increased ice loss. In Antarctica, most of these processes are reasonably well understood but have not been rigorously quantified. In Greenland, an understanding of the processes by which warmer ocean temperatures drive the observed retreat remains elusive. Experiments designed to identify the relevant processes are confounded by the logistical difficulties of instrumenting ice-choked fjords with actively calving glaciers. For both ice sheets, multiple challenges remain before the fully coupled ice-ocean-atmosphere models needed for rigorous sea-level projection are available.

  15. Ocean Wave Energy Estimation Using Active Satellite Imagery as a Solution of Energy Scarce in Indonesia Case Study: Poteran Island's Water, Madura

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nadzir, Z. A.; Karondia, L. A.; Jaelani, L. M.; Sulaiman, A.; Pamungkas, A.; Koenhardono, E. S.; Sulisetyono, A.

    2015-10-01

    Ocean wave energy is one of the ORE (Ocean Renewable Energies) sources, which potential, in which this energy has several advantages over fossil energy and being one of the most researched energy in developed countries nowadays. One of the efforts for mapping ORE potential is by computing energy potential generated from ocean wave, symbolized by Watt per area unit using various methods of observation. SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) is one of the hyped and most developed Remote Sensing method used to monitor and map the ocean wave energy potential effectively and fast. SAR imagery processing can be accomplished not only in remote sensing data applications, but using Matrices processing application as well such as MATLAB that utilizing Fast Fourier Transform and Band-Pass Filtering methods undergoing Pre-Processing stage. In this research, the processing and energy estimation from ALOSPALSAR satellite imagery acquired on the 5/12/2009 was accomplished using 2 methods (i.e Magnitude and Wavelength). This resulted in 9 potential locations of ocean wave energy between 0-228 W/m2, and 7 potential locations with ranged value between 182-1317 W/m2. After getting through buffering process with value of 2 km (to facilitate the construction of power plant installation), 9 sites of location were estimated to be the most potential location of ocean wave energy generation in the ocean with average depth of 8.058 m and annual wind speed of 6.553 knot.

  16. Wave Attenuation on Muddy Bottoms - A Multidisciplinary Field Study Offshore Cassino Beach, Southern Brazil

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-09-30

    Rio de Janeiro Ocean Engineering Program / COPPE CP 68508 - Centro de Tecnologia - C203 21945-970 Rio de Janeiro , Brazil Phone/fax...NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Federal University of Rio de Janeiro ,Ocean Engineering Program / COPPE, CP 68508 - Centro de Tecnologia - C203,21945-970 Rio ...activities of the project: From Brazilian Institutions: 1- Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) / Laboratory for

  17. Ocean color products from the Korean Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI).

    PubMed

    Wang, Menghua; Ahn, Jae-Hyun; Jiang, Lide; Shi, Wei; Son, SeungHyun; Park, Young-Je; Ryu, Joo-Hyung

    2013-02-11

    The first geostationary ocean color satellite sensor, Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), which is onboard South Korean Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS), was successfully launched in June of 2010. GOCI has a local area coverage of the western Pacific region centered at around 36°N and 130°E and covers ~2500 × 2500 km(2). GOCI has eight spectral bands from 412 to 865 nm with an hourly measurement during daytime from 9:00 to 16:00 local time, i.e., eight images per day. In a collaboration between NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) and Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), we have been working on deriving and improving GOCI ocean color products, e.g., normalized water-leaving radiance spectra (nLw(λ)), chlorophyll-a concentration, diffuse attenuation coefficient at the wavelength of 490 nm (Kd(490)), etc. The GOCI-covered ocean region includes one of the world's most turbid and optically complex waters. To improve the GOCI-derived nLw(λ) spectra, a new atmospheric correction algorithm was developed and implemented in the GOCI ocean color data processing. The new algorithm was developed specifically for GOCI-like ocean color data processing for this highly turbid western Pacific region. In this paper, we show GOCI ocean color results from our collaboration effort. From in situ validation analyses, ocean color products derived from the new GOCI ocean color data processing have been significantly improved. Generally, the new GOCI ocean color products have a comparable data quality as those from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the satellite Aqua. We show that GOCI-derived ocean color data can provide an effective tool to monitor ocean phenomenon in the region such as tide-induced re-suspension of sediments, diurnal variation of ocean optical and biogeochemical properties, and horizontal advection of river discharge. In particular, we show some examples of ocean diurnal variations in the region, which can be provided effectively from satellite geostationary measurements.

  18. Sedimentary masses and concepts about tectonic processes at underthrust ocean margins ( subduction).

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Scholl, D. W.; von Huene, Roland E.; Vallier, T.L.; Howell, D.G.

    1980-01-01

    Tectonic processes associated with subduction of oceanic crust, but unrelated to the collision of thick crustal masses or microplates, are presumed by many geologists to significantly affect the formation and deformation of large sedimentary bodies at underthrust ocean margins. More geologists are familiar with the concept of subduction accretion than with other noncollision processes - for example, sediment subduction, subduction erosion, and subduction kneading. In our opinion, no single subduction-related tectonic process is the dominant or typical one that forges the geologic framework of modern underthrust ocean margins. It is likely, therefore, that the rock records of ancient underthrust margins are preserved in a multitude of structural and stratigraphic forms.-from Authors

  19. Data Processing and First Products from the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO) on the International Space Station

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-04-01

    NRL Stennis Space Center (NRL-SSC) for further processing using the NRL SSC Automated Processing System (APS). APS was developed for processing...have not previously developed automated processing for 73 hyperspectral ocean color data. The hyperspectral processing branch includes several

  20. Successes, Challenges and Lessons Learned for Recruiting, Engaging and Preparing a Diverse Student Population for 21st Century Careers in Ocean Sciences.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clarkston, B. E.; Garza, C.

    2015-12-01

    Diversity within the Ocean Sciences workforce is still underperforming relative to other scientific disciplines, a problem that will be only be solved by recruiting, engaging and retaining a more diverse student population. The Monterey Bay Regional Ocean Science Research Experiences for Undergraduates program is housed at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), an HSI with strong connections to multiple regional community colleges and other Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) in the CSU system. From this unique position, 11 sophomore and junior-level undergraduate students are recruited per year from academic institutions where research opportunities in STEM are limited and from groups historically underrepresented in the Ocean Sciences, including women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans. During the program, students engage in a 10-week original research project guided by a faculty research mentor in one of four themes: Oceanography, Marine Biology and Ecology, Ocean Engineering, and Marine Geology. In addition to research, students engage in rigorous weekly professional development workshops in which they practice critical thinking, ethical decision-making, peer review, writing and oral communication skills. These workshops include tangible products such as an NSF-style proposal paper, Statement of Purpose and CV modelled for the SACNAS Travel Award Application, research abstract, scientific report and oral presentation. To help retain students in Ocean Sciences, students build community during the REU by living together in the CSUMB dormitories; post-REU, students stay connected through an online facebook group, LinkedIn page and group webinars. To date, the REU has supported 22 students in two cohorts (2014, 2015) and here we present successes, challenges and lessons learned for a program designed to prepare students for 21st century Ocean Science careers.

  1. Aircraft Surveys of the Beaufort Sea Seasonal Ice Zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morison, J.

    2016-02-01

    The Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Surveys (SIZRS) is a program of repeated ocean, ice, and atmospheric measurements across the Beaufort-Chukchi sea seasonal sea ice zone (SIZ) utilizing US Coast Guard Arctic Domain Awareness (ADA) flights of opportunity. The SIZ is the region between maximum winter sea ice extent and minimum summer sea ice extent. As such, it contains the full range of positions of the marginal ice zone (MIZ) where sea ice interacts with open water. The increasing size and changing air-ice-ocean properties of the SIZ are central to recent reductions in Arctic sea ice extent. The changes in the interplay among the atmosphere, ice, and ocean require a systematic SIZ observational effort of coordinated atmosphere, ice, and ocean observations covering up to interannual time-scales, Therefore, every year beginning in late Spring and continuing to early Fall, SIZRS makes monthly flights across the Beaufort Sea SIZ aboard Coast Guard C-130H aircraft from USCG Air Station Kodiak dropping Aircraft eXpendable CTDs (AXCTD) and Aircraft eXpendable Current Profilers (AXCP) for profiles of ocean temperature, salinity and shear, dropsondes for atmospheric temperature, humidity, and velocity profiles, and buoys for atmosphere and upper ocean time series. Enroute measurements include IR imaging, radiometer and lidar measurements of the sea surface and cloud tops. SIZRS also cooperates with the International Arctic Buoy Program for buoy deployments and with the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory atmospheric chemistry sampling program on board the aircraft. Since 2012, SIZRS has found that even as SIZ extent, ice character, and atmospheric forcing varies year-to-year, the pattern of ocean freshening and radiative warming south of the ice edge is consistent. The experimental approach, observations and extensions to other projects will be discussed.

  2. The Citizen Science Program "H2O SOS: Help Heal the Ocean—Student Operated Solutions: Operation Climate Change" teaches middle and high school students about ocean threats related to climate change through hands-on activities and learning experiences in the field. This is a continuation of the Program presented last year at the Poster Session.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weiss, N. K.; Wood, J. H.

    2017-12-01

    TThe Citizen Science Program H2O SOS: Help Heal the Ocean—Student Operated Solutions: Operation Climate Change, teaches middle and high school students about ocean threats related to climate change through hands-on activities and learning experiences in the field. During each session (in-class or after-school as a club), students build an understanding about how climate change impacts our oceans using resources provided by ExplorOcean (hands-on activities, presentations, multi-media). Through a student leadership model, students present lessons to each other, interweaving a deep learning of science, 21st century technology, communication skills, and leadership. After participating in learning experiences and activities related to 6 key climate change concepts: 1) Introduction to climate change, 2) Increased sea temperatures, 3) Ocean acidification, 4) Sea level rise, 5) Feedback mechanisms, and 6) Innovative solutions. H2O SOS- Operation Climate change participants select one focus issue and use it to design a multi-pronged campaign to increase awareness about this issue in their local community. The campaign includes social media, an interactive activity, and a visual component. All participating clubs that meet participation and action goals earn a field trip to Ocean Quest where they dive deeper into their selected issue through hands-on activities, real-world investigations, and interviews or presentations with experts. In addition to self-selected opportunities to showcase their focus issue, teams will participate in one of several key events identified by Ocean Quest.

  3. OCEAN-PC and a distributed network for ocean data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mclain, Douglas R.

    1992-01-01

    The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) wishes to develop an integrated software package for oceanographic data entry and access in developing countries. The software, called 'OCEAN-PC', would run on low cost PC microcomputers and would encourage and standardize: (1) entry of local ocean observations; (2) quality control of the local data; (3) merging local data with historical data; (4) improved display and analysis of the merged data; and (5) international data exchange. OCEAN-PC will link existing MS-DOS oceanographic programs and data sets with table-driven format conversions. Since many ocean data sets are now being distributed on optical discs (Compact Discs - Read Only Memory, CD-ROM, Mass et al. 1987), OCEAN-PC will emphasize access to CD-ROMs.

  4. Impact of Ocean Acidification on Fluxes of non-CO2 Climate-Active Species: Report from the GESAMP WG38 workshop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suntharalingam, Parvadha; Gehlen, Marion; Hopkins, Frances; Duce, Robert; Jickells, Tim; Gesamp WG38 Workshop, Participants

    2017-04-01

    Most investigations of the impact of ocean acidification (OA) have focused on changes in oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2, the resulting shifts in carbonate chemical equilibria, and the consequences for marine calcifying organisms. Little attention has been paid to the direct impacts of OA on the ocean sources of a range of other gaseous and aerosol species that are influential in regulating radiative forcing, atmospheric oxidising capacity and atmospheric chemistry. The oceanic processes governing emissions of these species are frequently sensitive to the changes in pH and ocean pCO2 accompanying ocean acidification. Such processes include, for example, metabolic rates of microbial activity, levels of surface primary production, ecosystem composition, and photo-chemical and microbially mediated production/loss pathways for individual species. The direct and indirect influences of these factors on oceanic fluxes of non-CO2 trace-gases and aerosols, and the subsequent feedbacks to climate remain highly uncertain. To address these issues UN/GESAMP Working Group 38, The Atmospheric Input of Chemicals to the Ocean, convened a workshop on this topic at the University of East Anglia in February, 2017. The goals of this workshop are to review and synthesize the current science on the direct impacts of ocean acidification on marine emissions to the atmosphere of key species important for climate, and atmospheric chemistry; and to identify the primary needs for new research to improve process understanding and to quantify the impact of ocean acidification on these marine fluxes (i.e., provide recommendations on the specific laboratory process studies, field measurements and model analyses needed to support targeted research activities on this topic). The results, conclusions, and recommendations of this workshop will be presented.

  5. Maximum Drawdown of Atmospheric CO2 due to Biological Uptake in the Ocean and the Ocean Temperature Effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Odalen, M.; Nycander, J.; Oliver, K. I. C.; Nilsson, J.; Brodeau, L.; Ridgwell, A.

    2016-02-01

    During glacials, atmospheric CO2 is significantly lowered; the decrease is about 1/3 or 90 ppm during the last four glacial cycles. Since the ocean reservoir of carbon, and hence the ocean capacity for storing carbon, is substantially larger than the atmospheric and terrestrial counterparts, it is likely that this lowering was caused by ocean processes, drawing the CO2 into the deep ocean. The Southern Ocean circulation and biological efficiency are widely accepted as having played an important part in this CO2 drawdown. However, the relative effects of different processes contributing to this oceanic uptake have not yet been well constrained. In this work, we focus on better constraining two of these processes; 1) the effect of increased efficiency of the biological carbon uptake, and 2) the effect of changes in global mean ocean temperature on the abiotic ocean-atmosphere CO2 equilibrium. By performing ensemble runs using an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity (EMIC) we examine the changes in atmospheric pCO2 achieved by 100% nutrient utilization efficiency of biology. The simulations display different ocean circulation patterns and hence different global ocean mean temperatures. By restoring the atmospheric pCO2 to a target value during the spin-up phase, the total carbon content differs between each of the ensemble members. The difference is due to circulation having direct effects on biology, but also on global ocean mean temperature, changing the solubility of CO2. This study reveals the relative importance of of the processes 1 and 2 (mentioned above) for atmospheric pCO2 in a changed climate. The results of this study also show that a difference in carbon content after spin-up can have a significant effect on the drawdown potential of a maximised biological efficiency. Thus, the choice of spin-up characteristics in a model study of climate change CO2 dynamics may significantly affect the outcome of the study.

  6. PC-SEAPAK user's guide, version 4.0

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcclain, Charles R.; Fu, Gary; Darzi, Michael; Firestone, James K.

    1992-01-01

    PC-SEAPAK is designed to provide a complete and affordable capability for processing and analysis of NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) data. Since the release of version 3.0 over a year ago, significant revisions were made to the AVHRR and CZCS programs and to the statistical data analysis module, and a number of new programs were added. This new version has 114 procedures listed in its menus. The package continues to emphasize user-friendliness and interactive data analysis. Additionally, because the scientific goals of the ocean color research being conducted have shifted to larger space and time scales, batch processing capabilities were enhanced, allowing large quantities of data to be easily ingested and analyzed. The development of PC-SEAPAK was paralled by two other activities that were influential and assistive: the global CZCS processing effort at GSFC and the continued development of VAX-SEAPAK. SEAPAK incorporates the instrument calibration and support all levels of data available from the CZCS archive.

  7. Origin of the earth's ocean basins

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frex, H.

    1977-01-01

    The earth's original ocean basins were mare-type basins produced 4 billion years ago by the flux of asteroid-sized objects responsible for the lunar mare basins. Scaling upwards from the observed number of lunar basins for the greater capture cross-section and impact velocity of the Earth indicates that at least 50 percent of an original global crust would have been converted to basin topography. These basins were flooded by basaltic liquids in times short compared to the isostatic adjustment time for the basin. The modern crustal dichotomy (60 percent oceanic, 40 percent continental crust) was established early in the history of the earth, making possible the later onset of plate tectonic processes. These later processes have subsequently reworked, in several cycles, principally the oceanic parts of the earth's crust, changing the configuration of the continents in the process. Ocean basins (and oceans themselves) may be rare occurrences on planets in other star systems.

  8. 15 CFR 923.51 - Federal-State consultation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Coordination, Public Involvement and National Interest... comments about the following: (i) Management of coastal resources for preservation, conservation...

  9. 15 CFR 923.51 - Federal-State consultation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Coordination, Public Involvement and National Interest... comments about the following: (i) Management of coastal resources for preservation, conservation...

  10. 15 CFR 923.51 - Federal-State consultation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Coordination, Public Involvement and National Interest... comments about the following: (i) Management of coastal resources for preservation, conservation...

  11. 15 CFR 923.51 - Federal-State consultation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Coordination, Public Involvement and National Interest... comments about the following: (i) Management of coastal resources for preservation, conservation...

  12. 15 CFR 930.125 - Notice of appeal and application fee to the Secretary.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Counsel for Ocean Services (GCOS), 1305 East West Highway, Room 6111 SSMC 4, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910... OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FEDERAL CONSISTENCY WITH APPROVED COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS...

  13. 15 CFR 930.125 - Notice of appeal and application fee to the Secretary.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Counsel for Ocean Services (GCOS), 1305 East West Highway, Room 6111 SSMC 4, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910... OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FEDERAL CONSISTENCY WITH APPROVED COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS...

  14. NOAA-L satellite arrives at Vandenberg AFB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    A crated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-L) satellite is moved inside the B16-10 spacecraft processing hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. NOAA-L is part of the Polar- Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) program that provides atmospheric measurements of temperature, humidity, ozone and cloud images, tracking weather patterns that affect the global weather and climate. The launch of the NOAA-L satellite is scheduled no earlier than Sept. 12 aboard a Lockheed Martin Titan II rocket. NOAA-L satellite arrives at Vandenberg AFB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    Inside the B16-10 spacecraft processing hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., workers oversee the uncrating of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-L) satellite. NOAA-L is part of the Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) program that provides atmospheric measurements of temperature, humidity, ozone and cloud images, tracking weather patterns that affect the global weather and climate. The launch of the NOAA-L satellite is scheduled no earlier than Sept. 12 aboard a Lockheed Martin Titan II rocket. KSC00vafbdig006

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2000-06-30

    Inside the B16-10 spacecraft processing hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., workers oversee the mating of the Apogee Kick Motor (below) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-L) satellite above. NOAA-L is part of the Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) program that provides atmospheric measurements of temperature, humidity, ozone and cloud images, tracking weather patterns that affect the global weather and climate. The launch of the NOAA-L satellite is scheduled no earlier than Sept. 12 aboard a Lockheed Martin Titan II rocket

  15. KSC00vafbdig002

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2000-06-27

    Outside the B16-10 spacecraft processing hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., a crated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-L) satellite is lowered to the ground before being moved inside. NOAA-L is part of the Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) program that provides atmospheric measurements of temperature, humidity, ozone and cloud images, tracking weather patterns that affect the global weather and climate. The launch of the NOAA-L satellite is scheduled no earlier than Sept. 12 aboard a Lockheed Martin Titan II rocket

  16. Assessing and Upgrading Ocean Mixing for the Study of Climate Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howard, A. M.; Fells, J.; Lindo, F.; Tulsee, V.; Canuto, V.; Cheng, Y.; Dubovikov, M. S.; Leboissetier, A.

    2016-12-01

    Climate is critical. Climate variability affects us all; Climate Change is a burning issue. Droughts, floods, other extreme events, and Global Warming's effects on these and problems such as sea-level rise and ecosystem disruption threaten lives. Citizens must be informed to make decisions concerning climate such as "business as usual" vs. mitigating emissions to keep warming within bounds. Medgar Evers undergraduates aid NASA research while learning climate science and developing computer&math skills. To make useful predictions we must realistically model each component of the climate system, including the ocean, whose critical role includes transporting&storing heat and dissolved CO2. We need physically based parameterizations of key ocean processes that can't be put explicitly in a global climate model, e.g. vertical&lateral mixing. The NASA-GISS turbulence group uses theory to model mixing including: 1) a comprehensive scheme for small scale vertical mixing, including convection&shear, internal waves & double-diffusion, and bottom tides 2) a new parameterization for the lateral&vertical mixing by mesoscale eddies. For better understanding we write our own programs. To assess the modelling MATLAB programs visualize and calculate statistics, including means, standard deviations and correlations, on NASA-GISS OGCM output with different mixing schemes and help us study drift from observations. We also try to upgrade the schemes, e.g. the bottom tidal mixing parameterizations' roughness, calculated from high resolution topographic data using Gaussian weighting functions with cut-offs. We study the effects of their parameters to improve them. A FORTRAN program extracts topography data subsets of manageable size for a MATLAB program, tested on idealized cases, to visualize&calculate roughness on. Students are introduced to modeling a complex system, gain a deeper appreciation of climate science, programming skills and familiarity with MATLAB, while furthering climate science by improving our mixing schemes. We are incorporating climate research into our college curriculum. The PI is both a member of the turbulence group at NASA-GISS and an associate professor at Medgar Evers College of CUNY, an urban minority serving institution in central Brooklyn. Supported by NSF Award AGS-1359293.

  17. Surface properties of ocean fronts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wolff, P. M.; Hubert, W. E.

    1976-01-01

    Background information on oceanic fronts is presented and the results of several models which were developed to study the dynamics of oceanic fronts and their effects on various surface properties are described. The details of the four numerical models used in these studies are given in separate appendices which contain all of the physical equations, program documentation and running instructions for the models.

  18. A Summary of the Naval Postgraduate School Research Program.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-09-30

    new model will now be used in a variety of oceanic investigations including the response of the ocean to tropical and extratropical storms (R. L...Numerical Study of Maritime Extratropical e. Cyclones Using FGGE Data ........................... 249 Oceanic Current System Response to Atmospheric...In addition* Professor Jayachandran has performed statistical analyses of the storm tracking methodology used by the Naval Environmental Prediction

  1. Who is looking for an internship and successful in obtaining one? Examining application data from REU programs funded through NSF GEO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hubenthal, M.; Kelly, M.

    2017-12-01

    The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) is currently funding 60 Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) sites. Each site offers opportunities for 8 to 12 undergraduates to participate in research within solid earth, oceans, atmospheric and cryosphere sciences. Because applicant data is collected at individual REU sites, the exact number of unique applicants to all REU sites, and the demographics of this national applicant pool has not been previously reported. While some sites do provide some of this information to NSF in annual reports, obtaining and combining such data is problematic because the percentage of individuals that apply to multiple programs is unknown and generally believed anecdotally to be high, especially for students traditionally underrepresented in the geosciences. Understanding both the scale and makeup of the national applicant pool is important for several reasons. First, very little is known about how the supply and geographic location of slots in REU programs compares to the demand from undergraduate STEM majors interested in research experiences. Second, research into internship programs and their role in the career development process are limited by a lack of baseline data that includes both successful and unsuccessful internship applicants across the various sub-disciplines of the Earth sciences. Finally, designing and refining efforts to engage underrepresented populations in STEM research, and measuring the impact of such efforts is difficult without baseline data for comparison. We will present aggregate application data from up to 20 GEO REU funded programs. These programs represent Oceans, Atmospheres and Earth Science research areas and includes over a thousand applicants. Preliminary analysis suggests the number of unique applicants in the pool is higher than anecdotally predicted. Similarly, unique applicants from underrepresented communities also appears higher than anticipated.

  2. Processes driving sea ice variability in the Bering Sea in an eddying ocean/sea ice model: Mean seasonal cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Linghan; McClean, Julie L.; Miller, Arthur J.; Eisenman, Ian; Hendershott, Myrl C.; Papadopoulos, Caroline A.

    2014-12-01

    The seasonal cycle of sea ice variability in the Bering Sea, together with the thermodynamic and dynamic processes that control it, are examined in a fine resolution (1/10°) global coupled ocean/sea-ice model configured in the Community Earth System Model (CESM) framework. The ocean/sea-ice model consists of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Parallel Ocean Program (POP) and the Los Alamos Sea Ice Model (CICE). The model was forced with time-varying reanalysis atmospheric forcing for the time period 1970-1989. This study focuses on the time period 1980-1989. The simulated seasonal-mean fields of sea ice concentration strongly resemble satellite-derived observations, as quantified by root-mean-square errors and pattern correlation coefficients. The sea ice energy budget reveals that the seasonal thermodynamic ice volume changes are dominated by the surface energy flux between the atmosphere and the ice in the northern region and by heat flux from the ocean to the ice along the southern ice edge, especially on the western side. The sea ice force balance analysis shows that sea ice motion is largely associated with wind stress. The force due to divergence of the internal ice stress tensor is large near the land boundaries in the north, and it is small in the central and southern ice-covered region. During winter, which dominates the annual mean, it is found that the simulated sea ice was mainly formed in the northern Bering Sea, with the maximum ice growth rate occurring along the coast due to cold air from northerly winds and ice motion away from the coast. South of St Lawrence Island, winds drive the model sea ice southwestward from the north to the southwestern part of the ice-covered region. Along the ice edge in the western Bering Sea, model sea ice is melted by warm ocean water, which is carried by the simulated Bering Slope Current flowing to the northwest, resulting in the S-shaped asymmetric ice edge. In spring and fall, similar thermodynamic and dynamic patterns occur in the model, but with typically smaller magnitudes and with season-specific geographical and directional differences.

  3. High Resolution Simulations of Arctic Sea Ice, 1979-1993

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2003-01-01

    William H. Lipscomb * PO[ARISSP To evaluate improvements in modelling Arctic sea ice, we compare results from two regional models at 1/120 horizontal...resolution. The first is a coupled ice-ocean model of the Arctic Ocean, consisting of an ocean model (adapted from the Parallel Ocean Program, Los...Alamos National Laboratory [LANL]) and the "old" sea ice model . The second model uses the same grid but consists of an improved "new" sea ice model (LANL

  4. Towards a distributed infrastructure for research drilling in Europe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mevel, C.; Gatliff, R.; Ludden, J.; Camoin, G.; Horsfield, B.; Kopf, A.

    2012-04-01

    The EC-funded project "Deep Sea and Sub-Seafloor Frontier" (DS3F) aims at developing seafloor and sub seafloor sampling strategies for enhanced understanding of deep-sea and sub seafloor processes by connecting marine research in life and geosciences, climate and environmental change, with socio-economic issues and policy building. DS3F has identified access to sub seafloor sampling and instrumentation as a key element of this approach. There is a strong expertise in Europe concerning direct access to the sub seafloor. Within the international program IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program), ECORD (European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling) has successfully developed the concept of mission specific platforms (MSPs), contracted on a project basis to drill in ice covered and shallow water areas. The ECORD Science Operator, lead by the British Geological Survey (BGS) has build a internationally recognized expertise in scientific ocean drilling, from coring in challenging environment, through down hole measurements and laboratory analysis to core curation and data management. MARUM, at the Bremen University in Germany, is one of the three IODP core repositories. Europe is also at the forefront of scientific seabed drills, with the MeBo developed by MARUM as well as the BGS seabed rocks drills. Europe also plays a important role in continental scientific drilling and the European component of ICDP (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program) is strengthening, with the recent addition of France and foreseen addition of UK. Oceanic and continental drilling have very similar scientific objectives. Moreover, they share not only common technologies, but also common data handling systems. To develop an integrated approach to technology development and usage, a move towards a a distributed infrastructure for research drilling in Europe has been initiated by these different groups. Built on existing research & operational groups across Europe, it will facilitate the sharing of technological and scientific expertise for the benefit of the science community. It will link with other relevant infrastructure initiatives such as EMSO (European Marine Seafloor Observatories). It will raise the profile of scientific drilling in Europe and hopefully lead to better funding opportunities.

  5. Jupiter's and Saturn's ice moons: geophysical aspects and opportunities of geophysical survey of the planetary geoelectrical markers and oreols of the subsurface liquid ocean on the surface ice moons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ozorovich, Yuri; Linkin, Vacheslav; Kosov, Alexandr; Fournier-Sicre, Alain; Klimov, Stanislav; Novikov, Denis; Ivanov, Anton; Skulachev, Dmitriy; Menshenin, Yaroslav

    2016-04-01

    This paper presents a new conceptual and methodological approach for geophysical survey of the planetary geoelectrical markers and oreols of the subsurface liquid ocean on the surface ice moons on the base "conceptual design phase" of the future space missions on the ice moons. At the design stage of such projects is considered the use of various space instruments and tools for the full the complex geophysical studies of the manifestations and planetary processes of the subsurface liquid ocean on the surface ice moons. The existence of various forms of the cryolithozone on terrestrial planets and their moons: advanced Martian permafrost zone in the form of existing of the frozen polar caps, subsurface frozen horizons, geological markers and oreols of the martian ancient (relict) ocean, subsurface oceans of Jupiter's and Saturn's moons-Europe and Enceladus, with the advanced form of permafrost freezes planetary caps, it allows to develop a common methodological basis and operational geophysical instruments (tools) for the future space program and planning space missions on these unique objects of the solar system, specialized for specific scientific problems of planetary missions. Geophysical practices and methodological principles, used in 1985-2015 by aurthors [ 1-5 ], respectively, as an example of the comprehensive geophysical experiment MARSES to study of the Martian permafrost zone and the martian ancient (relict) ocean, creating the preconditions for complex experimental setting and geo-physical monitoring of operational satellites of Jupiter and Saturn- Europe and Enceladus. This range of different planetary (like) planets with its geological history and prehistory of the common planetology formation processes of the planets formation and to define the role of a liquid ocean under the ice as a climate indicator of such planets, which is extremely important for the future construction of the geological and climatic history of the Earth. Main publications: [1]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282151921_JUPITER%27S_MOON_EUROPA_PLANETARY_GEOELECTRICAL_MARKER_AND_OREOLS_UNDER_ICE_SUBSUEFACE_OCEAN_ON_THE_SURFACE_OF_THE_JUPITER%27S_MOON_EUROPA?ev=prf_pub [2]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281270655_YUPITERS_MOON_EUROPA_PLANETARY_GEOELECTRICAL_MARKERS_AND_OREOPLS_OF_THE_LIQUID_OCEAN_UNDER_THE_ICE_ON_THE_SURFACE_OF_THE_YUPITERS_MOON_EUROPE [3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276005128_Science-technology_aspects_and_opportunities_of_em_sounding_frozen_%28_permafrost%29_soil [4]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275638508_Cryolitozone_of_Mars_-_as_the_climatic_indicator_of_the_Martian_relict_ocean [5]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275266762_Microwave_remote_sensing_of_Martian_cryolitozone

  6. Hundreds of Cruises, Thousands of People, Endless Discoveries - Education and Outreach in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peart, L.; Niemitz, M.; Boa, S.; Corsiglia, J.; Klaus, A.; Petronotis, K.; Iturrino, G.

    2005-12-01

    For 37 years, scientific ocean drilling programs have sponsored hundreds of expeditions, drilled at over 1,800 sites and recovered over 200 miles of core. The discoveries of these programs have led to important realizations of how our earth works. Past expeditions have validated the theory of plate tectonics, provided unparalleled ancient climate records and recovered evidence of the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago - and new discoveries occur with every expedition. By producing education materials and programs and encouraging mass media journalists' interest in our news, we strive to fulfill our commitment to communicate our programs' scientific discoveries to the public, in a way that people - not just other scientists - understand. With the advent of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), education and outreach efforts have expanded to pursue new opportunities and engage wider audiences. Through our strategy of Teaching for Science, Learning for LifeTM, our education efforts seek to utilize the interdisciplinary nature of scientific ocean drilling to teach career awareness, scientific methods, teamwork, and problem solving techniques for a lifetime of learning, decision making and good citizenship. In pursuit of this goal, we have implemented professional and resource development programs and expanded our outreach at education-focused conferences to help teachers use IODP science to satiate the student's need to learn the methods of science that apply to everyday life. We believe that this message also applies to life-long learners and thus we have focused our efforts on news media outreach and education opportunities surrounding ports of call of the JOIDES Resolution, permanent and traveling museum exhibits. In addition, our outreach to undergraduate and graduate audiences, through a lecture series, research fellowships and internships, helps to create future generations of science leaders.

  7. A study on atmospheric and oceanic processes in the north Indian Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Felton, Clifford S.

    Studies on oceanic and atmospheric processes in the Indian Ocean are an active and important area of scientific research. Understanding how intraseasonal and interannual variations impact both the ocean and atmosphere will aid in delineating potential feedback mechanisms and global teleconnections. Thanks to recent efforts focused on expanding observational capabilities and developing models for this region, researchers have been able to begin investigating atmospheric and oceanic processes in the Indian Ocean. This study focuses on the impact of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on tropical cyclone activity over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and on developing a method for estimating the barrier layer thickness (BLT) in the Indian Ocean from satellite observations. National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP-2) and Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) reanalysis data are used to investigate the alterations in atmospheric and oceanic conditions that impact tropical cyclones during ENSO events over a 33-year time frame (1979-2011). Atmospheric conditions are shown to be more favorable for tropical cyclone development during La Nina over the BoB due to the favorable alteration of large-scale wind, moisture, and vorticity distributions. By combining multiple satellite observations, including the recently launched Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Aquarius SAC-D salinity missions, BLT estimates for the Indian Ocean are generated with the use of a multilinear regression model (MRM). The performance of the MRM is evaluated for the Southeast Arabian Sea (SEAS), Bay of Bengal (BoB), and Eastern Equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO) where barrier layer formation is most rigorous. Results from the MRM suggest that salinity measurements obtained from Aquarius and SMOS can be useful for tracking and predicting the BLT in the Indian Ocean.

  8. GEWEX Continental-scale International Project (GCIP)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Try, Paul

    1993-01-01

    The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) represents the World Climate Research Program activities on clouds, radiation, and land-surface processes. The goal of the program is to reproduce and predict, by means of suitable models, the variations of the global hydrological regime and its impact on atmospheric and oceanic dynamics. However, GEWEX is also concerned with variations in regional hydrological processes and water resources and their response to changes in the environment such as increasing greenhouse gases. In fact, GEWEX contains a major new international project called the GEWEX Continental-scale International Project (GCIP), which is designed to bridge the gap between the small scales represented by hydrological models and those scales that are practical for predicting the regional impacts of climate change. The development and use of coupled mesoscale-hydrological models for this purpose is a high priority in GCIP. The objectives of GCIP are presented.

  9. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Johnson, Gary E.; Diefenderfer, Heida L.; Ebberts, Blaine D.

    The purpose ofthis document is to describe research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) for the Federal Columbia River Estuary Program. The intent of this RME effort is to provide data and information to evaluate progress toward meeting program goals and objectives and support decision-making in the Estuary Program. The goal of the Estuary Program is to understand, conserve, and restore the estuary ecosystem to improve the performance of listed salmonid populations. The Estuary Program has five general objectives, designed to fulfill the program goal, as follows. 1. Understand the primary stressors affecting ecosystem controlling factors, such as ocean conditions and invasivemore » species. 2. Conserve and restore factors controlling ecosystem structures and processes, such as hydrodynamics and water quality. 3. Increase the quantity and quality of ecosystem structures, i.e., habitats, juvenile salmonids use during migration through the estuary. 4. Maintain the food web to benefit salmonid performance. 5. Improve salmonid performance in terms of life history diversity, foraging success, growth, and survival. The goal of estuary RME is to provide pertinent and timely research and monitoring information to planners, implementers, and managers of the Estuary Program. In conclusion, the estuary RME effort is designed to meet the research and monitoring needs of the estuary Program using an adaptive management process. Estuary RME's success and usefulness will depend on the actual conduct of adaptive management, as embodied in the objectives, implrementation, data, reporting, and synthesis, evaluation, and decision-making described herein.« less

  10. OceanGLOBE: an Outdoor Research and Environmental Education Program for K-12 Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perry, R. B.; Hamner, W. M.

    2006-12-01

    OceanGLOBE is an outdoor environmental research and education program for upper elementary, middle and high school students, supplemented by online instructional materials that are available without charge to any educator. OceanGLOBE was piloted in 1995 with support from a National Science Foundation Teacher Enhancement project, "Leadership in Marine Science" (award no.ESI-9454413 to UCLA). Continuing support by a second NSF Teacher Enhancement project (award no. ESI-9819424 to UCLA) and by COSEE-West (NSF awards OCE-215506 to UCLA and OCE-0215497 to USC) has enabled OceanGLOBE to expand to a growing number of schools and to provide an increasingly robust collection of marine science instructional materials on its website, http://www.msc.ucla.edu/oceanglobe/ OceanGLOBE provides a mechanism for students to conduct inquiry-based, hands-on marine science research, providing experiences that anchor the national and state science content standards learned in the classroom. Students regularly collect environmental and biological data from a beach site over an extended period of time. In the classroom they organize, graph and analyze their data, which can lead to a variety of student-created science products. Beach research is supported by instructional marine science materials on the OceanGLOBE website. These online materials also can be used in the classroom independent of the field component. Annotated PowerPoint slide shows explain research protocols and provide marine science content. Field guides and photographs of marine organisms (with emphasis on the Southern California Bight) and a growing collection of classroom investigations (applicable to any ocean location) support the science content presented in the beach research program and slide shows. In summary, OceanGLOBE is a comprehensive learning package grounded in hands-on, outdoor marine science research project in which students are the principal investigators. By doing scientific work repetitively over an extended time period students learn about how science is done as much as they learn science content.

  11. Mission Applications Support at NASA: The Proposal Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Srinivasan, Margaret; Peterson, Craig; Callahan, Phil

    2013-09-01

    The NASA Applied Sciences Program is actively supporting an agency-wide effort to formalize a mission-level data applications approach. The program goal is to engage early-phase NASA Earth satellite mission project teams with applied science representation in the flight mission planning process. The end objective is to "to engage applications-oriented users and organizations early in the satellite mission lifecycle to enable them to envision possible applications and integrate end-user needs into satellite mission planning as a way to increase the benefits to the nation."Two mission applications representatives have been selected for each early phase Tier 2 mission, including the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission concept. These representatives are tasked with identifying and organizing the applications communities and developing and promoting a process for the mission to optimize the reach of existing applications efforts in order to enhance the applications value of the missions. An early project-level awareness of mission planning decisions that may increase or decrease the utility of data products to diverse user and potential user communities (communities of practice and communities of potential, respectively) has high value and potential return to the mission and to the users.Successful strategies to enhance science and practical applications of projected SWOT data streams will require engaging with and facilitating between representatives in the science, societal applications, and mission planning communities.Some of the elements of this program include:• Identify early adopters of data products• Coordinate applications team, including;Project Scientist, Payload Scientist, ProjectManager, data processing lead• Describe mission and products sufficiently inearly stage of development to effectively incorporate all potential usersProducts and activities resulting from this effort will include (but are not limited to); workshops, workshop summaries, web pages, email lists of interested users/scientists, an Applications Plan, printed materials (posters, brochures) and participation in key meetings.

  12. CAREER: Hydrothermal vent flow and temperature fluctuations: exploring long-term variability through an integrated research and education program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Di Iorio, D.

    2011-12-01

    An acoustic scintillation system was built in partnership with ASL Environmental Sciences (Sidney BC Canada), which provided a unique opportunity for two engineering undergraduate students to live and work abroad. The acoustic instrumentation was tested in coastal waters and then deployed to study deep-sea hydrothermal plume dynamics. Undergraduate students were involved in the deployment of instrumentation and the development of processing software to give vertical velocities and temperature fluctuations from a vigorous hydrothermal vent. A graduate student thesis has yielded insights into the vertical and azimuthal dependence of entrainment and into plume bending and rise height. Teachers and Ocean Science Bowl students also participated in research cruises describing physical oceanography of estuaries, coastal waters, and deep-sea hydrothermal vents and participated in data collection, processing and analysis. Teachers used the knowledge they gained to develop creative educational curricula at their schools, to present their experiences at national conferences and to publish an article in the National Science Teachers Association - The Science Journal. One of the teachers was recently recognized with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Working with the ocean bowl team at Oconee County High School has led to top ten placements in the national championships in 2005 (fourth place) and 2006 (sixth place). In order to increase quantitative methods in an undergraduate class, students acquire data from an ocean observatory and analyze the data for specific quantities of interest. One such project led to the calculation of the upper ocean heat content for the Greenland Sea using 7 years of Argo profiles, which showed a 0.04oC/year trend. These results were then published in JGR.

  13. The Future of Deep-Ocean Drilling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heirtzler, J. R.; Maxwell, A. E.

    1978-01-01

    Describes the scientific accomplishments of the International Program of Ocean Drilling (IPOD) during its first decade. Notable are the scientific contributions to understanding the sea floor. Critical decisions for the second decade include economic and social implications. (MA)

  14. Needs, opportunities and strategies for a long-term oceanic sciences satellite program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ruttenberg, S. (Editor)

    1981-01-01

    Several areas of the National Oceanic Satellite System are addressed including Satellite-borne communication systems, subsurface remote sensing, data coordination, color scanners, formatting important historical data sets, and sea surface temperature observations.

  15. 15 CFR 923.34 - Interstate boundary.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Boundaries § 923.34 Interstate boundary. States must document that there has been consultation and coordination with adjoining coastal States regarding...

  16. 15 CFR 923.57 - Continuing consultation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Coordination, Public Involvement and National Interest... agencies, regional agencies, and areawide agencies within the coastal zone to assure the full participation...

  17. 15 CFR 923.57 - Continuing consultation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Coordination, Public Involvement and National Interest... agencies, regional agencies, and areawide agencies within the coastal zone to assure the full participation...

  18. 15 CFR 923.34 - Interstate boundary.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Boundaries § 923.34 Interstate boundary. States must document that there has been consultation and coordination with adjoining coastal States regarding...

  19. 15 CFR 930.111 - OCRM mediation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FEDERAL CONSISTENCY WITH APPROVED COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS Secretarial Mediation § 930.111 OCRM... resolving their disagreement. In the event a serious disagreement arises, the parties are strongly...

  20. Ocean Drilling Program: TAMRF Administrative Services: Human Resources

    Science.gov Websites

    /TAMRF Human Resources For updated policies and forms, see the IODP-USIO Human Resources web site. For additional information contact: Kim Johnson Supervisor of Human Resources and Insurance Services Ocean

  1. Research on strategy marine noise map based on i4ocean platform: Constructing flow and key approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Baoxiang; Chen, Ge; Han, Yong

    2016-02-01

    Noise level in a marine environment has raised extensive concern in the scientific community. The research is carried out on i4Ocean platform following the process of ocean noise model integrating, noise data extracting, processing, visualizing, and interpreting, ocean noise map constructing and publishing. For the convenience of numerical computation, based on the characteristics of ocean noise field, a hybrid model related to spatial locations is suggested in the propagation model. The normal mode method K/I model is used for far field and ray method CANARY model is used for near field. Visualizing marine ambient noise data is critical to understanding and predicting marine noise for relevant decision making. Marine noise map can be constructed on virtual ocean scene. The systematic marine noise visualization framework includes preprocessing, coordinate transformation interpolation, and rendering. The simulation of ocean noise depends on realistic surface. Then the dynamic water simulation gird was improved with GPU fusion to achieve seamless combination with the visualization result of ocean noise. At the same time, the profile and spherical visualization include space, and time dimensionality were also provided for the vertical field characteristics of ocean ambient noise. Finally, marine noise map can be published with grid pre-processing and multistage cache technology to better serve the public.

  2. Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI): Status of Design, Capabilities, and Implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brasseur, L. H.; Banahan, S.; Cowles, T.

    2009-05-01

    The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) will implement the construction and operation of an interactive, integrated ocean observing network. This research- driven, multi-scale network will provide the broad ocean science community with access to advanced technology to enable studies of fundamental ocean processes. The OOI will afford observations at coastal, regional, and global scales on timeframes of milliseconds to decades in support of investigations into climate variability, ocean ecosystems, biogeochemical processes, coastal ocean dynamics, circulation and mixing dynamics, fluid-rock interactions, and the sub-seafloor biosphere. The elements of the OOI include arrays of fixed and re-locatable moorings, autonomous underwater vehicles, and cabled seafloor nodes. All assets combined, the OOI network will provide data from over 45 distinct types of sensors, comprising over 800 total sensors distributed in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. These core sensors for the OOI were determined through a formal process of science requirements development. This core sensor array will be integrated through a system-wide cyberinfrastructure allowing for remote control of instruments, adaptive sampling, and near-real time access to data. Implementation of the network will stimulate new avenues of research and the development of new infrastructure, instrumentation, and sensor technologies. The OOI is funded by the NSF and managed by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership which focuses on the science, technology, education, and outreach for an emerging network of ocean observing systems.

  3. Basic research and data analysis for the earth and ocean physics applications program and for the National Geodetic Satellite Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1976-01-01

    Data analysis and supporting research in connection with the following objectives are discussed: (1) provide a precise and accurate geometric description of the earth's surface, (2) provide a precise and accurate mathematical description of the earth's gravitational field, and (3) determine time variations of the geometry of the ocean surface, the solid earth, the gravity field and other geophysical parameters.

  4. Ocean Surface Wave Optical Roughness: Analysis of Innovative Measurements

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-12-16

    relationship of MSS to wind speed, and at times has shown a reversal of the Cox-Munk linear relationship. Furthermore, we observe measurable changes in...1985]. The variable speed allocation method has the effect of aliasing (cb) to slower waves, thereby increasing the exponent –m. Our analysis based ...RaDyO) program. The primary research goals of the program are to (1) examine time -dependent oceanic radiance distribution in relation to dynamic

  5. A First: Detailed Tracking of an Erupting Undersea Volcano and its Impacts on the Overlying Ocean via a Submarine Electro-Optical Sensor Network.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Delaney, J. R.

    2016-02-01

    The scientifically diverse and technologically advanced cabled array component of the NSF's Ocean Observatories Initiative consists of 900 km of electro-optical fiber deployed from Pacific City, OR, across active portions of the Juan de Fuca (JdF) tectonic plate, and upward into the overlying ocean. This array, completed in 2014 on time and under budget, enables real-time, high-bandwidth, 2-way communication with seafloor and water column sensor arrays across: 1. the Cascadia accretionary prism, 2. the JdF spreading center, and, 3. portions of the overlying NE Pacific. Oceanographic processes in coastal waters, the California Current, and up to 400 km offshore, are captured by six remote-controlled, profiling moorings covering full-ocean depths. Currently, 6 primary nodes, 17 junction boxes, and 85% of 150 instruments are transmitting data ashore to the Internet via the Pacific NW Gigapop (http://www.pnwgp.net/). All data are archived at the U. of Washington, pending completion of the OOI CyberInfrastructure in October 2015. In 2014, community requests to access data to assess inflation at Axial Seamount, resulted in NSF releasing real-time data from 7 seismometers and 3 pressure sensors (IRIS: http://www.iris.edu/hq/). On April 20-22, 90 participants, met in Seattle to explore scientific responses to an eruption (http://novae.ocean.washington.edu). On April 24, Axial did erupt; seismic events rose dramatically to many hundreds/hour the Axial caldera floor dropped 2.4 m in 16 hours and water temperatures rose by 0.7°C, then declined in 3 weeks to normal values. Water-borne acoustic signals indicated seafloor activity along the rift zone north of Axial. Water column observations also indicated that a large plume of hydrothermal fluid was released during the eruptions. Follow-on field programs documented a 127 m thick lava flow on the northern rift, and a thin eruption within the caldera. These events signal a new era in Ocean Sciences as instantaneous Internet access to events far offshore begin allowing interactive responses to complex processes unfolding within our ocean. The attached figure shows the contact between 3.5 month old lava (black) and a much older flow.

  6. A biologically relevant method for considering patterns of oceanic retention in the Southern Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mori, Mao; Corney, Stuart P.; Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica; Klocker, Andreas; Sumner, Michael; Constable, Andrew

    2017-12-01

    Many marine species have planktonic forms - either during a larval stage or throughout their lifecycle - that move passively or are strongly influenced by ocean currents. Understanding these patterns of movement is important for informing marine ecosystem management and for understanding ecological processes generally. Retention of biological particles in a particular area due to ocean currents has received less attention than transport pathways, particularly for the Southern Ocean. We present a method for modelling retention time, based on the half-life for particles in a particular region, that is relevant for biological processes. This method uses geostrophic velocities at the ocean surface, derived from 23 years of satellite altimetry data (1993-2016), to simulate the advection of passive particles during the Southern Hemisphere summer season (from December to March). We assess spatial patterns in the retention time of passive particles and evaluate the processes affecting these patterns for the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. Our results indicate that the distribution of retention time is related to bathymetric features and the resulting ocean dynamics. Our analysis also reveals a moderate level of consistency between spatial patterns of retention time and observations of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) distribution.

  7. Norwegian Ocean Observatory Network (NOON)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferré, Bénédicte; Mienert, Jürgen; Winther, Svein; Hageberg, Anne; Rune Godoe, Olav; Partners, Noon

    2010-05-01

    The Norwegian Ocean Observatory Network (NOON) is led by the University of Tromsø and collaborates with the Universities of Oslo and Bergen, UniResearch, Institute of Marine Research, Christian Michelsen Research and SINTEF. It is supported by the Research Council of Norway and oil and gas (O&G) industries like Statoil to develop science, technology and new educational programs. Main topics relate to ocean climate and environment as well as marine resources offshore Norway from the northern North Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean. NOON's vision is to bring Norway to the international forefront in using cable based ocean observatory technology for marine science and management, by establishing an infrastructure that enables real-time and long term monitoring of processes and interactions between hydrosphere, geosphere and biosphere. This activity is in concert with the EU funded European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) roadmap and European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observation (EMSO) project to attract international leading research developments. NOON envisions developing towards a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). Beside, the research community in Norway already possesses a considerable marine infrastructure that can expand towards an international focus for real-time multidisciplinary observations in times of rapid climate change. PIC The presently established cable-based fjord observatory, followed by the establishment of a cable-based ocean observatory network towards the Arctic from an O&G installation, will provide invaluable knowledge and experience necessary to make a successful larger cable-based observatory network at the Norwegian and Arctic margin (figure 1). Access to large quantities of real-time observation from the deep sea, including high definition video, could be used to provide the public and future recruits to science a fascinating insight into an almost unexplored part of the Earth beyond the Arctic Circle. More information about NOON is available at NOON's web site www.oceanobservatory.com. PIC

  8. Evaluation of High Resolution IMERG Satellite Precipitation over the Global Oceans using OceanRAIN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kucera, P. A.; Klepp, C.

    2017-12-01

    Precipitation is a key parameter of the essential climate variables in the Earth System that is a key variable in the global water cycle. Observations of precipitation over oceans is relatively sparse. Satellite observations over oceans is the only viable means of measuring the spatially distribution of precipitation. In an effort to improve global precipitation observations, the research community has developed a state of the art precipitation dataset as part of the NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) program. The satellite gridded product that has been developed is called Integrated Multi-satelliE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), which has a maximum spatial resolution of 0.1º x 0.1º and temporal 30 minute. Even with the advancements in retrievals, there is a need to quantify uncertainty of IMERG precipitation estimates especially over oceans. To address this need, the OceanRAIN dataset has been used to create a comprehensive database to compare IMERG products. The OceanRAIN dataset was created using observations from the ODM-470 optical disdrometer that has been deployed on 12 research vessels worldwide with 6 long-term installations operating in all climatic regions, seasons and ocean basins. More than 6 million data samples have been collected on the OceanRAIN program. These data were matched to IMERG grids for the study period of 15 March 2014-01 April 2017. This evaluation produced over 1500 matched IMERG-OceanRAIN pairs of precipitation observed at the surface. These matched pairs were used to evaluate the performance of IMERG stratified by different latitudinal bands and precipitation regimes. The presentation will provide an overview of the study and summary of evaluation results.

  9. The National Ocean Sciences Bowl: An Effective Model for Engaging High School Students in Ocean Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holloway, A. E.

    2016-02-01

    The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is an informal high school education program that engages students in ocean and environmental science and exposes them to the breadth of ocean-related careers. The NOSB strives to train the next generation of interdisciplinary capable scientists and build a STEM-literate society that harnesses the power of ocean and climate science to address environmental, economic, and societal issues. Through the NOSB, students not only learn scientific principles, but also apply them to compelling real-world problems. The NOSB provides a richer STEM education and exposes students to ocean science topics they may not otherwise study through classroom curriculum. A longitudinal study that began in 2007 has shown that NOSB participants have an enhanced interest in ocean-related hobbies and environmental stewardship and an increasing number of these students have remained in the STEM pipeline and workforce.While the NOSB is primarily an academic competition, it has evolved since its creation in 1998 to include a variety of practical and professional development components. One of the program enhancements, the Scientific Expert Briefing (SEB), gives students the opportunity to apply what they have studied and think critically about current and ongoing ocean science challenges. The SEB helps students connect their knowledge of ocean science with current and proposed policy initiatives. Students gain significant research, writing, and presentation skills, while enhancing their ability for collaboration and consensus building, all vital workforce skills. Ultimately, the SEB teaches students how to communicate complex scientific research into digestible information for decision-makers and the general public.This poster will examine the impact of the NOSB and its role in strengthening the workforce pipeline through a combination of independent learning, competition, and opportunities for communication skills development.

  10. Atmospheric correction using near-infrared bands for satellite ocean color data processing in the turbid western Pacific region.

    PubMed

    Wang, Menghua; Shi, Wei; Jiang, Lide

    2012-01-16

    A regional near-infrared (NIR) ocean normalized water-leaving radiance (nL(w)(λ)) model is proposed for atmospheric correction for ocean color data processing in the western Pacific region, including the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea. Our motivation for this work is to derive ocean color products in the highly turbid western Pacific region using the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) onboard South Korean Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS). GOCI has eight spectral bands from 412 to 865 nm but does not have shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands that are needed for satellite ocean color remote sensing in the turbid ocean region. Based on a regional empirical relationship between the NIR nL(w)(λ) and diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (K(d)(490)), which is derived from the long-term measurements with the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite, an iterative scheme with the NIR-based atmospheric correction algorithm has been developed. Results from MODIS-Aqua measurements show that ocean color products in the region derived from the new proposed NIR-corrected atmospheric correction algorithm match well with those from the SWIR atmospheric correction algorithm. Thus, the proposed new atmospheric correction method provides an alternative for ocean color data processing for GOCI (and other ocean color satellite sensors without SWIR bands) in the turbid ocean regions of the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea, although the SWIR-based atmospheric correction approach is still much preferred. The proposed atmospheric correction methodology can also be applied to other turbid coastal regions.

  11. MULTIMERMAID: A dedicated multichannel seismic/weather/zoological float for monitoring of the oceans

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hello, Y. M.; Bonnieux, S.; Joubert, C.; Sukhovich, A.; Argentino, J.; Yegikyan, M.; Nolet, G.

    2013-12-01

    Delays of seismic P waves are used to make scans or 3D images of the variations in seismic wave speed in the Earth's interior using the techniques of seismic tomography. Observations of such delays are ubiquitous on the continents but rare in oceanic regions, mostly because of the large cost associated with deploying ocean-bottom seismometers. At the same time, several thousand free-drifting profiling floats measure the temperature, salinity and current of the upper 2000 m of the ocean in the Argo program, but are incapable to record and transmit seismic signals. Simons et al. (JGR, 2009) developed the idea to use such floats in order to compensate for the lack of seismic delay observations, especially in the southern hemisphere. We built and tested a prototype of such a seismological sensor using an Apex float from Teledyne Webb Research, a Rafos hydrophone, and electronics developed in collaboration with Osean, a small engineering firm in France. This `MERMAID', for `Mobile Earthquake Recorder in Marine Areas by Independent Divers', has concluded its final design stage and a fleet of 20 units is available for experiments. Since 2012, half of these floats have been deployed in the Mediterranean and in the South Indian Ocean. 10 more will be deployed early in 2014 near the Galapagos islands in the Pacific. Analysis of the first data is allowing us to sharpen the wavelet-based algorithm parameters used to discriminate P-waves from the continuous input signal and adapt it to specific noise conditions. A new multidisciplinary version of Mermaid using a dedicated hydrophone is designed to enlarge the band pass for acoustic signals with much higher frequency than seismic. By combining the same algorithm using wavelet transforms, and by adopting a different monitoring strategy with a dedicated processing, Mermaid is able to continuously analyzes acoustic signals to detect major seismic events, while at the same time regularly checking for weather phenomena such rain, drizzle, open sea and ice, or whale migration. This extension to multi-purpose applications makes the Mermaid very attractive for the Argo program. In fact, Mermaids using passive low cost sensors form a very light and complementary solution that can easily be integrated with an Argo float since CTD data are taken during ascent. Such multidisciplinary approach should allow seismologists to participate in international programs such as Argo and obtain the dense ocean coverage needed to image the deep structure of the Earth. We estimate that about 300 Mermaids, operated over a time span of five years, can provide a ray coverage beneath the oceans comparable to that now available beneath the continents with the Global Seismic Network (GSN). To compensate for the extra energy needed for multidisciplinary applications, Geoazur and Osean are developing a new float, called Multimermaid, that uses the same 17' glass sphere as the Ocean Bottom Seismometers constructed by Geoazur. The Multimermaid can navigate up to a depth of 3000 m and hold 2.5 times more battery power than a conventional float.

  12. Verification of Meteorological and Oceanographic Ensemble Forecasts in the U.S. Navy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klotz, S.; Hansen, J.; Pauley, P.; Sestak, M.; Wittmann, P.; Skupniewicz, C.; Nelson, G.

    2013-12-01

    The Navy Ensemble Forecast Verification System (NEFVS) has been promoted recently to operational status at the U.S. Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC). NEFVS processes FNMOC and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) meteorological and ocean wave ensemble forecasts, gridded forecast analyses, and innovation (observational) data output by FNMOC's data assimilation system. The NEFVS framework consists of statistical analysis routines, a variety of pre- and post-processing scripts to manage data and plot verification metrics, and a master script to control application workflow. NEFVS computes metrics that include forecast bias, mean-squared error, conditional error, conditional rank probability score, and Brier score. The system also generates reliability and Receiver Operating Characteristic diagrams. In this presentation we describe the operational framework of NEFVS and show examples of verification products computed from ensemble forecasts, meteorological observations, and forecast analyses. The construction and deployment of NEFVS addresses important operational and scientific requirements within Navy Meteorology and Oceanography. These include computational capabilities for assessing the reliability and accuracy of meteorological and ocean wave forecasts in an operational environment, for quantifying effects of changes and potential improvements to the Navy's forecast models, and for comparing the skill of forecasts from different forecast systems. NEFVS also supports the Navy's collaboration with the U.S. Air Force, NCEP, and Environment Canada in the North American Ensemble Forecast System (NAEFS) project and with the Air Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC) program. This program is tasked with eliminating unnecessary duplication within the three agencies, accelerating the transition of new technology, such as multi-model ensemble forecasting, to U.S. Department of Defense use, and creating a superior U.S. global meteorological and oceanographic prediction capability. Forecast verification is an important component of NAEFS and NUOPC. Distribution Statement A: Approved for Public Release; distribution is unlimited

  13. Verification of Meteorological and Oceanographic Ensemble Forecasts in the U.S. Navy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klotz, S. P.; Hansen, J.; Pauley, P.; Sestak, M.; Wittmann, P.; Skupniewicz, C.; Nelson, G.

    2012-12-01

    The Navy Ensemble Forecast Verification System (NEFVS) has been promoted recently to operational status at the U.S. Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC). NEFVS processes FNMOC and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) meteorological and ocean wave ensemble forecasts, gridded forecast analyses, and innovation (observational) data output by FNMOC's data assimilation system. The NEFVS framework consists of statistical analysis routines, a variety of pre- and post-processing scripts to manage data and plot verification metrics, and a master script to control application workflow. NEFVS computes metrics that include forecast bias, mean-squared error, conditional error, conditional rank probability score, and Brier score. The system also generates reliability and Receiver Operating Characteristic diagrams. In this presentation we describe the operational framework of NEFVS and show examples of verification products computed from ensemble forecasts, meteorological observations, and forecast analyses. The construction and deployment of NEFVS addresses important operational and scientific requirements within Navy Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC). These include computational capabilities for assessing the reliability and accuracy of meteorological and ocean wave forecasts in an operational environment, for quantifying effects of changes and potential improvements to the Navy's forecast models, and for comparing the skill of forecasts from different forecast systems. NEFVS also supports the Navy's collaboration with the U.S. Air Force, NCEP, and Environment Canada in the North American Ensemble Forecast System (NAEFS) project and with the Air Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC) program. This program is tasked with eliminating unnecessary duplication within the three agencies, accelerating the transition of new technology, such as multi-model ensemble forecasting, to U.S. Department of Defense use, and creating a superior U.S. global meteorological and oceanographic prediction capability. Forecast verification is an important component of NAEFS and NUOPC.

  14. Putting Science First: Using the Precautionary Principle in the Central Arctic Ocean to Prevent a Fishing Disaster Before it Occurs (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nachman, C.

    2017-12-01

    As ice conditions change and ocean temperatures continue to rise, the potential for living marine resources to migrate farther north and for vessels to journey north with them is expanding. To date, the central Arctic Ocean (CAO) has remained relatively unexposed to human activities, including commercial fishing. However, as conditions continue to change, the potential for expansion of fishing fleets exists. In July 2015, the five Arctic coastal states signed a declaration concerning the prevention of unregulated high seas fishing in the CAO. Recognizing the need to involve additional nations with interests in the Arctic region, in December 2015, the five Arctic coastal states, along with China, the European Union, Japan, Iceland, and Korea, began a process to negotiate a binding agreement to prevent unregulated fishing in the high seas of the CAO. A key underlying goal of the negotiations is to reach agreement that nations would establish a joint program of scientific research and monitoring to better understand the CAO ecosystem and whether fish stocks might exist there that could be harvested on a sustainable basis and the possible impacts of such fisheries on the ecosystems. The data collected through the international joint science program will compose a key piece of the decision-making at the policy level regarding establishing appropriate measures or organizations to manage fishing in the CAO should the science indicate potentials for commercial fishing in the CAO. Since the beginning of these high-level negotiations, the policy makers have consistently agreed that conducting collaborative science is the primary way to determine whether sustainable commercial fishing could one day occur in the region. I will highlight the policy negotiation process and parallel science meetings to date to demonstrate how science can influence policy to prevent a fishing disaster.

  15. Hydrothermal impacts on trace element and isotope ocean biogeochemistry.

    PubMed

    German, C R; Casciotti, K A; Dutay, J-C; Heimbürger, L E; Jenkins, W J; Measures, C I; Mills, R A; Obata, H; Schlitzer, R; Tagliabue, A; Turner, D R; Whitby, H

    2016-11-28

    Hydrothermal activity occurs in all ocean basins, releasing high concentrations of key trace elements and isotopes (TEIs) into the oceans. Importantly, the calculated rate of entrainment of the entire ocean volume through turbulently mixing buoyant hydrothermal plumes is so vigorous as to be comparable to that of deep-ocean thermohaline circulation. Consequently, biogeochemical processes active within deep-ocean hydrothermal plumes have long been known to have the potential to impact global-scale biogeochemical cycles. More recently, new results from GEOTRACES have revealed that plumes rich in dissolved Fe, an important micronutrient that is limiting to productivity in some areas, are widespread above mid-ocean ridges and extend out into the deep-ocean interior. While Fe is only one element among the full suite of TEIs of interest to GEOTRACES, these preliminary results are important because they illustrate how inputs from seafloor venting might impact the global biogeochemical budgets of many other TEIs. To determine the global impact of seafloor venting, however, requires two key questions to be addressed: (i) What processes are active close to vent sites that regulate the initial high-temperature hydrothermal fluxes for the full suite of TEIs that are dispersed through non-buoyant hydrothermal plumes? (ii) How do those processes vary, globally, in response to changing geologic settings at the seafloor and/or the geochemistry of the overlying ocean water? In this paper, we review key findings from recent work in this realm, highlight a series of key hypotheses arising from that research and propose a series of new GEOTRACES modelling, section and process studies that could be implemented, nationally and internationally, to address these issues.This article is part of the themed issue 'Biological and climatic impacts of ocean trace element chemistry'. © 2015 The Authors.

  16. Hydrothermal impacts on trace element and isotope ocean biogeochemistry

    PubMed Central

    Dutay, J.-C.; Heimbürger, L. E.; Jenkins, W. J.; Measures, C. I.; Mills, R. A.; Obata, H.; Turner, D. R.; Whitby, H.

    2016-01-01

    Hydrothermal activity occurs in all ocean basins, releasing high concentrations of key trace elements and isotopes (TEIs) into the oceans. Importantly, the calculated rate of entrainment of the entire ocean volume through turbulently mixing buoyant hydrothermal plumes is so vigorous as to be comparable to that of deep-ocean thermohaline circulation. Consequently, biogeochemical processes active within deep-ocean hydrothermal plumes have long been known to have the potential to impact global-scale biogeochemical cycles. More recently, new results from GEOTRACES have revealed that plumes rich in dissolved Fe, an important micronutrient that is limiting to productivity in some areas, are widespread above mid-ocean ridges and extend out into the deep-ocean interior. While Fe is only one element among the full suite of TEIs of interest to GEOTRACES, these preliminary results are important because they illustrate how inputs from seafloor venting might impact the global biogeochemical budgets of many other TEIs. To determine the global impact of seafloor venting, however, requires two key questions to be addressed: (i) What processes are active close to vent sites that regulate the initial high-temperature hydrothermal fluxes for the full suite of TEIs that are dispersed through non-buoyant hydrothermal plumes? (ii) How do those processes vary, globally, in response to changing geologic settings at the seafloor and/or the geochemistry of the overlying ocean water? In this paper, we review key findings from recent work in this realm, highlight a series of key hypotheses arising from that research and propose a series of new GEOTRACES modelling, section and process studies that could be implemented, nationally and internationally, to address these issues. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Biological and climatic impacts of ocean trace element chemistry’. PMID:29035265

  17. A Servicewide Benthic Mapping Program for National Parks

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moses, Christopher S.; Nayegandhi, Amar; Beavers, Rebecca; Brock, John

    2010-01-01

    In 2007, the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program directed the initiation of a benthic habitat mapping program in ocean and coastal parks in alignment with the NPS Ocean Park Stewardship 2007-2008 Action Plan. With 74 ocean and Great Lakes parks stretching over more than 5,000 miles of coastline across 26 States and territories, this Servicewide Benthic Mapping Program (SBMP) is essential. This program will deliver benthic habitat maps and their associated inventory reports to NPS managers in a consistent, servicewide format to support informed management and protection of 3 million acres of submerged National Park System natural and cultural resources. The NPS and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) convened a workshop June 3-5, 2008, in Lakewood, Colo., to discuss the goals and develop the design of the NPS SBMP with an assembly of experts (Moses and others, 2010) who identified park needs and suggested best practices for inventory and mapping of bathymetry, benthic cover, geology, geomorphology, and some water-column properties. The recommended SBMP protocols include servicewide standards (such as gap analysis, minimum accuracy, final products) as well as standards that can be adapted to fit network and park unit needs (for example, minimum mapping unit, mapping priorities). SBMP Mapping Process. The SBMP calls for a multi-step mapping process for each park, beginning with a gap assessment and data mining to determine data resources and needs. An interagency announcement of intent to acquire new data will provide opportunities to leverage partnerships. Prior to new data acquisition, all involved parties should be included in a scoping meeting held at network scale. Data collection will be followed by processing and interpretation, and finally expert review and publication. After publication, all digital materials will be archived in a common format. SBMP Classification Scheme. The SBMP will map using the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) that is being modified to include all NPS needs, such as lacustrine ecosystems and submerged cultural resources. CMECS Version III (Madden and others, 2010) includes components for water column, biotic cover, surface geology, sub-benthic, and geoform. SBMP Data Archiving. The SBMP calls for the storage of all raw data and final products in common-use data formats. The concept of 'collect once, use often' is essential to efficient use of mapping resources. Data should also be shared with other agencies and the public through various digital clearing houses, such as Geospatial One-Stop (http://gos2.geodata.gov/wps/portal/gos). To be most useful for managing submerged resources, the SBMP advocates the inventory and mapping of the five components of marine ecosystems: surface geology, biotic cover, geoform, sub-benthic, and water column. A complete benthic inventory of a park would include maps of bathymetry and the five components of CMECS. The completion of mapping for any set of components, such as bathymetry and surface geology, or a particular theme (for example, submerged aquatic vegetation) should also include a printed report.

  18. Air-Sea Enthalpy and Momentum Exchange at Major Hurricane Wind Speeds

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-06-01

    momentum fluxes. Hurricane simulations using the Navy Coupled Ocean / Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System are also sensitive to the surface flux and sea... Atmospheric Research NWP Numerical Weather Prediction NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration PTH Pressure, Temperature, relative Humidity RE87... Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for organizing the CBLAST field program and collecting the data used for this study. xx THIS PAGE

  19. Oceanotron, Scalable Server for Marine Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loubrieu, T.; Bregent, S.; Blower, J. D.; Griffiths, G.

    2013-12-01

    Ifremer, French marine institute, is deeply involved in data management for different ocean in-situ observation programs (ARGO, OceanSites, GOSUD, ...) or other European programs aiming at networking ocean in-situ observation data repositories (myOcean, seaDataNet, Emodnet). To capitalize the effort for implementing advance data dissemination services (visualization, download with subsetting) for these programs and generally speaking water-column observations repositories, Ifremer decided to develop the oceanotron server (2010). Knowing the diversity of data repository formats (RDBMS, netCDF, ODV, ...) and the temperamental nature of the standard interoperability interface profiles (OGC/WMS, OGC/WFS, OGC/SOS, OpeNDAP, ...), the server is designed to manage plugins: - StorageUnits : which enable to read specific data repository formats (netCDF/OceanSites, RDBMS schema, ODV binary format). - FrontDesks : which get external requests and send results for interoperable protocols (OGC/WMS, OGC/SOS, OpenDAP). In between a third type of plugin may be inserted: - TransformationUnits : which enable ocean business related transformation of the features (for example conversion of vertical coordinates from pressure in dB to meters under sea surface). The server is released under open-source license so that partners can develop their own plugins. Within MyOcean project, University of Reading has plugged a WMS implementation as an oceanotron frontdesk. The modules are connected together by sharing the same information model for marine observations (or sampling features: vertical profiles, point series and trajectories), dataset metadata and queries. The shared information model is based on OGC/Observation & Measurement and Unidata/Common Data Model initiatives. The model is implemented in java (http://www.ifremer.fr/isi/oceanotron/javadoc/). This inner-interoperability level enables to capitalize ocean business expertise in software development without being indentured to specific data formats or protocols. Oceanotron is deployed at seven European data centres for marine in-situ observations within myOcean. While additional extensions are still being developed, to promote new collaborative initiatives, a work is now done on continuous and distributed integration (jenkins, maven), shared reference documentation (on alfresco) and code and release dissemination (sourceforge, github).

  20. Southwest Pacific Ocean Circulation and Climate Experiment (SPICE) scientific advances and future west pacific coordination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ganachaud, A. S.; Sprintall, J.; Lin, X.; Ando, K.

    2016-02-01

    The Southwest Pacific Ocean Circulation and Climate Experiment (SPICE) is an international research program under the auspices of CLIVAR (Climate Variability and Predictability). The key objectives are to understand the Southwest Pacific Ocean circulation and Convergence Zone (SPCZ) dynamics, as well as their influence on regional and basin-scale climate patterns. It was designed to measure and monitor the ocean circulation, and to validate and improve numerical models. South Pacific oceanic waters are carried from the subtropical gyre centre in the westward flowing South Equatorial Current (SEC), towards the southwest Pacific-a major circulation pathway that redistributes water from the subtropics to the equator and Southern Ocean. Water transit through the Coral and Solomon Seas is potentially of great importance to tropical climate prediction because changes in either the temperature or the amount of water arriving at the equator have the capability to modulate ENSO and produce basin-scale climate feedbacks. On average, the oceanic circulation is driven by the Trade Winds, and subject to substantial variability, related with the SPCZ position and intensity. The circulation is complex, with the SEC splitting into zonal jets upon encountering island archipelagos, before joining either the East Australian Current or the New Guinea Costal UnderCurrent towards the equator. SPICE included large, coordinated in situ measurement programs and high resolution numerical simulations of the area. After 8 years of substantial in situ oceanic observational and modeling efforts, our understanding of the region has much improved. We have a refined description of the SPCZ behavior, boundary currents, pathways, and water mass transformation, including the previously undocumented Solomon Sea. The transports are large and vary substantially in a counter-intuitive way, with asymmetries and gating effects that depend on time scales. We will review the recent advancements and discuss our current knowledge gaps and important emerging research directions. In particular we will discuss how SPICE, along with the Northwestern Pacific Ocean Circulation and Climate Experiment (NPOCE) and Indonesian ThroughFlow (ITF) programs could evolve toward an integrative observing system under CLIVAR coordination.

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