Program News

Ocean Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination

Technology Development

The overarching objective of the OTIC Technology Development Program is to support efforts to develop new tools and capabilities for conducting ocean science research. In some cases technology development is undertaken as part of a research project, and in other cases technology development projects lay the groundwork for providing the research community with new tools and capabilities. Laying the groundwork for new capabilities that address sustained, time-series observations remains a high priority for the Program. Two areas have been identified that require new and improved capabilities: systems for making sustained observations for ocean research, and long-term chemical and biological sensors.

In July 2000, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Ocean Studies Board published a report entitled “Illuminating the Hidden Planet: The Future of Seafloor Observatory Science.” Two findings included the statements that “seafloor observatories have significant scientific merit and they will complement and extend current scientific approaches” and “the extent to which seafloor observatories will address future requirements for conducting multidisciplinary research is very significant, and essential in some fields.” The NAS lead recommendation was that “NSF should move forward with the planning and implementation of a seafloor observatory program.” Plans are underway to develop an initiative that will start building a network of ocean observatories to facilitate the collection of long time-series data streams needed to understand the dynamics of biological, chemical, geological and physical processes. The NAS report validates the premise that future ocean research requirements will require capable research vessels and other mobile platforms to enable the spatial exploration of our oceans. Additionally, a new paradigm requires a system of observatories to facilitate the ‘temporal’ exploration of our oceans.

The NAS report further points out that some technologies are ready for establishing and maintaining a system of observatories, while others need further development, especially in the field of chemical and biological sensors. At a sensor workshop held at the Spring 2000 ASLO meeting, it was agreed that a lack of inexpensive and reliable sensors impedes chemical and biological research. For example, it was cited that 3,000 profiling floats are planned to be deployed as part of the international ARGO Program (http://www.argo.ucsd.edu) to monitor global changes in ocean temperature and salinity as part of a climate observing system. The inability of biogeochemists to utilize any of these floats was perceived as a tremendous missed opportunity to link physical, chemical, and biological processes to climate variability. Relevant sensors are just not available.

A sensor network and information exchange has been established on the www.aslo.org web page. The exchange will include an interactive, searchable directory where individuals and industry representatives will be able to submit or update statements about their research activities, interests, and basic contact information. Other features will include links to sensor-related web sites, and a discussion forum.

The OTIC program would welcome proposals for developing innovative new sensors that address ocean science research requirements. Program would also be receptive to proposals for conducting one or more community workshops along the lines of the MARCHEM workshop in 1993. A feature of that workshop was participation by several commercial instrument manufacturers and several analytical chemists. The cross-fertilization of ideas among these individuals and the ocean scientists produced some creative sensor designs and resulted in several successful prototypes.

Coastal Ocean Processes (CoOP) program

The two new CoOP research projects on Wind-Driven Transport Processes in the NE Pacific have successfully gotten underway. One is headed by Jack Barth at Oregon State University entitled “Coastal Ocean Advances in Shelf Transport (COAST).” Field studies will be organized into three specific campaigns employing two ships, moorings, and aircraft and satellite-based observations. Two of these campaigns will occur during upwelling in 2001 and one during downwelling in 2003. The second project is headed by John Largier at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, with collaborators at San Francisco State University, and University of California - Davis and Santa Cruz, and is entitled “Wind Events and Shelf Transport (WEST).” WEST is a 5-year study of the role of wind-driven transport in shelf productivity. Investigators aim to better understand the competing influences of wind on productivity by studying the 3-dimensional circulation, wind field, size-structured plankton distributions, productivity processes and transport over the shelf off Bodega Bay in northern California.

The two major projects in CoOP’s Great Lakes initiative, KITES and EEGLE, are in their fourth year, having completed their final field seasons. Both projects have two years to go for data processing and analysis. Links to these projects’ web sites, as well as the COASTS and WEST web sites, are on the CoOP web page http://www.skio.peachnet.edu/coop/.

And CoOP has recently published a new report entitled “Transport and Transformation Processes over Continental Shelves with Substantial Freshwater Inflows.” This is the report from the CoOP Buoyancy-Driven Transport Processes Workshop held in October 1998. The CoOP Science Steering Committee has recommended that buoyancy-driven transport be the topic for the next major process study. An Announcement of Opportunity is anticipated in FY 2002. Copies of the report are available through the CoOP Office.

Larry Clark (hclark@nsf.gov)
Lisa Rom (erom@nsf.gov)