Once per month, we will replace our Weekly Newsletter with an update on the ocean science and education programs that we manage at Ocean Leadership. Recent news stories about Ocean Leadership and about each program are available here. We are interested to hear your feedback about these updates and our Weekly Newsletter. Please contact us and let us know what you think.

DISCOVERY

Census of Marine Life
The U.S. National Committee recently held its biannual meeting from March 10-11, 2008 at the Ocean Leadership offices. The meeting focused on the major process of synthesizing the exciting information and findings from the first eight years of the CoML program. Among other key topics was discussion of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) as well as the future of the entire CoML program within the United States after October 2010.

The Census of Marine Life has finalized a strategy to support synthesis of findings across its 14 field projects, History of Marine Animal Populations (HMAP), Future of Marine Animal Populations (FMAP) and Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). The Census Synthesis Group has released a Request for Letters of Intent from the Census Community that calls for multiple projects to work together to integrate information to address pressing questions about the global diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life. Proposals will be selected this summer. More information can be found at www.comlsecretariat.org

Ocean Observatories Initiative
The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is moving forward with preparations for the Final Design Review (FDR) that will be conducted in the October/November timeframe to determine the readiness of the OOI’s detailed design, execution plans, and risk analysis for full construction. The OOI Project Office will also continue to facilitate and coordinate science-planning efforts on behalf of the ocean research community while conveying the importance and transformational nature of the program.

The OOI Project Team developed a comprehensive suite of design and management documents for the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, conducted for the National Science Foundation. These documents, various presentations made throughout PDR, and additional supporting and background documents can be downloaded here.

OOI held a successful Town Hall meeting at the Ocean Sciences Conference in Orlando and also hosted an all day session entitled “Research Ocean Observatories: Progress and Emerging Technologies”. The final report from the July 2007 Ocean Leadership-sponsored Profiler Mooring Workshop is now available and can be found here.
 

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
The JOIDES Resolution continues undergoing a complete refurbishment in a Singapore shipyard. Delivery is anticipated in August 2008, and the ship is currently scheduled to begin IODP operations in November 2008. There have been many delays because demand for shipyards is at all-time high levels. Labor is stretched among many projects worldwide thus the shipyard cannot keep up with the schedule agreed to when the project began. IODP is still committed to implementing the Canterbury Basin and Wilkes Land expeditions from November 2008 to January 2009 and January to March 2009, respectively. However, the first Pacific Equatorial Age Transect expedition will be pushed back, and the Bering Sea expedition has returned to the Operations Task Force for future scheduling consideration.

Program officials are working to secure long-term solutions to the budget shortfalls that impact our ability to conduct operations. Efforts are underway by program administrators to organize an industry consortium that will work on the JOIDES Resolution and make use of its facilities, beginning in FY 2010 at the earliest, while the ship is not carrying out IODP expeditions. Other long-term alternatives to fill the gaps are also being investigated for FY 2009 and beyond.

Science Development and Coordination
The U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) associated with the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) recently led sessions on IODP-related science at both the NCSE 8th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment and the AAAS Annual Meeting. Following a highly successful advisory committee meeting, USSSP forwarded staffing recommendations for the upcoming Canterbury and Wilkes Land expeditions and funded a workshop to enable community-wide collaboration and planning on Arctic Ocean drilling proposals. The application period for the NanTroSEIZE Stage 1b expedition is expected to open soon; announcements will be distributed by Ocean Leadership and posted on the website. USSSP also encourages institutions to apply for a Distinguished Lecturer to speak during the 2008-2009 academic year; applications are due April 4. For more information on these and other opportunities to participate in IODP, please visit www.oceanleadership.org/usssp

National Oceanographic Partnership Program
On April 3-4, a panel will convene at the Ocean Leadership offices to review research proposals submitted to the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) under the topic ‘Sensors for Measurement of Biological, Bio-Optical or Chemical Properties of the Ocean.’ This year the program received a record number of submissions, a testament to NOPP’s significance within the oceanographic research community. It is anticipated that 10 to 14 projects will be awarded a total of approximately $15M over the next three years.

UNDERSTANDING

National Ocean Sciences Bowl
Approximately 2,000 students from over 300 schools competed in 25 regional competitions last month. The winning teams will face off at the 11th Annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) in Seward, Alaska April 25-27. The list of winning teams competing for trips, awards and the honor of being a national champion can be found at www.nosb.org

Deep Earth Academy
Deep Earth Academy will be launching its brand new web-based interactive - "Bubba's Tour" of the research ship for IODP - at the National Science Teachers Association Conference in Boston March 27-30. View the video invitation to Deep Earth Academy's presence at NSTA here.

ACTION

Advocacy
Ocean Leadership was very active during Washington Ocean Week (February 25-29) advocating on behalf of our priorities at various meetings with congressional and federal officials. We also hosted our Annual Public Policy Forum and reception on Capitol Hill. The forum focused on ocean infrastructure and featured panels on earth observations from space, access to the sea and ocean observatories. Representatives from federal ocean agencies, Congress and the research community participated including remarks from Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Jack Reed (D-RI). Pictures, presentations and the agenda for the forum can be found here.

Congress is currently working on several ocean related bills including ocean acidification research, ocean exploration, an integrated ocean observing system, and coastal mapping measures that could become law this year. We are currently drafting and will soon circulate our annual appropriations requests to the membership for their comments.