Ocean Observing
 The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is a NSF Division of Ocean Sciences program that focuses the science, technology, education and outreach of an emerging network of science driven ocean observing systems.Building on the heritage of the ship-based expeditionary era of the last century, oceanography is commencing a new phase in which research scientists increasingly seek continuous interaction with the ocean environment to adaptively observe the earth-ocean-atmosphere system. Such approaches are crucial to resolving the full range of episodicity and temporal change central to so many ocean processes that directly impact human society, our climate, and the incredible range of natural phenomena found in the largest ecosystem of the planet. The OOI Program will conduct transformational ocean science using an integrated ocean observatory with a network of interactive nodes studying interrelated ocean processes on coastal, regional, and global spatial scales and through a continuum of time scales, from microseconds to decades. NSF will fund the planned facility through its Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) account. The OOI is an outgrowth of scientific planning efforts by the national and international ocean research communities over the past two decades and is motivated in part by rapidly expanding development of computational, robotic, communications, and sensor capabilities. |
The Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST) established the IWGOO in coherence with the U.S. Ocean Action Plan. Interagency collaboration is essential to achieving ocean science and technology priorities and, in particular, for planning and coordinating an integrated ocean observation system. |
Latest from the Ocean Observing News Archive:
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