Dawn in the newmillennium of oceanography: The Ocean

Observatories Initiative

OOI will provide scientistsan enduring in situ

infrastructure to study episodic events in extreme

ocean environments.

Oceans are complex and central to the Earth system

Oceans are complex and central to the Earth system

Oceans ecosystems are still being discoveredHighest Temperature Organism on Earth from Finn

2030

2060

2090

Polar Amplification of Global Warming20051979

Example: ARCTIC CHANGESExample: ARCTIC CHANGES

1980 2000YEAR

Ourchildren

Ourgrand

children

Us

Oceans are changing

Humans are changing the oceans and Humans are changing the oceans and this will impact feedback on humanity in unknown ways.this will impact feedback on humanity in unknown ways.

ALTERED NUTRIENTALTERED NUTRIENTCYCLES AND CYCLES AND

EUTROPHICATIONEUTROPHICATION ALTERED CHEMISTRYALTERED CHEMISTRYDEEP IN OCEANDEEP IN OCEANHuman fossil fuelHuman fossil fuel

Has penetrated over 1000 m Has penetrated over 1000 m in the oceanin the ocean

Myers and Worm

OVERFISHINGOVERFISHING

ATMOSPHERE/CLIMATE

Sabine 2002

IPC TAR

Kirkpatrick and Crowley

Fossil Fuel CO2

pCFC-12

The oceans are chronically underThe oceans are chronically under--sampledsampled

Oceans are spatially complex and hard to sample: Single moorings and ships have limitations

Plant variability at multiple scales around Tasmania from CZCS image(varies on timescale of a day)

GSFC, NASA

NATURAL VARIABILITY: Where do you put a mooring?NATURAL VARIABILITY: Where do you put a mooring?Where do you drive the ship? When should I be out there?Where do you drive the ship? When should I be out there?

Thanks to Mossian and Wilkins

Thanks to Dickey

1E10 bioluminscent photons/s

Longitude(~2km)

Latitude(~5km)

Dep

th (m

)

0

15

Ship Sampling for Bioluminescent Photons

3E10 bioluminscent photons/s

Oceans are complex and hard to sample: Small scale variability

Dep

th (m

)

Longitude(~500m)

Latitude(~300m)

Robot Sampling for Bioluminescent Photons

Thanks to Moline

Oceans are complex and hard to sample: We only have a surface synoptic view

The Surface Biological Provinces in the Worlds OceansOOI ushers in the era of sub-surface remote sensing

Thanks to Oliver and Irwin

http://ocean.ceq.gov/about/sup_jsost_prioritiesplan.html

• Theme 1: Stewardship of Natural and Cultural Resources

• Theme 2: Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards

• Theme 3: Enabling Marine Operations

• Theme 4: The Ocean’s Role in Climate Change

• Theme 5: Improving Ecosystem Health

• Theme 6: Enhancing Human Health

“A Framework for Research Investments in Ocean Science for the coming Decade”

Three Central Elements:1) Ocean Observing System2) Forecast Models for Key Ocean and

Ocean-Influenced Processes 3) Scientific Support for Ecosystem Based

Management

“Deploying an ocean-observation system will revolutionize the access to and view of the ocean and increase the pace, efficiency, and scope of ocean research.”

Moorings, tripodcable nodes

AUVsAUVs

GlidersGliders

Satellites

Models

Ocean Observatories Initiative spans the time & space scales

Ocean Observatories Initiative spans the time & space scales

The high priority science and infrastructure design has been iteThe high priority science and infrastructure design has been iterated in 14 national rated in 14 national science reports, and since the year 1998 five large internationascience reports, and since the year 1998 five large international meetings. l meetings.

Community Requests for Assistance resulted in Community Requests for Assistance resulted in 48 proposals (549 investigators; 137 research, academic, government institutions; 35 states). Over 80 Community

volunteers serving on advisory committees.

The community has developed over a decade The community has developed over a decade a conceptual design based on the high priority sciencea conceptual design based on the high priority science

The community has conducted a series of iterative system designs

Hanson, Widder, Quigg, Delong, Johnson, Firedrichs, Chavez, Malkei

Single cell imagingSingle cell imagingMacro & MicroMacro & Micro

nutrientsnutrients

Acoustics, video,Acoustics, video,bioluminscencebioluminscence

physicsphysicsAirAir--sea exchangesea exchange Gene profiles, mRNAGene profiles, mRNA

HolographyHolography

We are now able to measure things as never before asocean sensor technology is in a revolution

OOI will provide a sustained high bandwidth and high power presence in several extreme and critical ocean biomes. The network will allow for the new generation of instruments are coming online

High powered fixed assets are combined with fleets of spatially resolving autonomous networks

At this time estimates of dynamic fluxes have not be made, although it is known that ocean systems are highly variable and are undergoing change.

The OOI will provide long timeThe OOI will provide long time--series of measurements using series of measurements using

new generation sensors to new generation sensors to quantify the range of secular quantify the range of secular

changes in coastal ocean changes in coastal ocean processes in extreme ocean processes in extreme ocean

environments. environments.

Locations of existing databases used to estimate global coastal annual air-sea CO2 flux (Cai et al. (2006); Borges (2005).

What is the role of the oceans in global carbon cycle?What is the role of the oceans in global carbon cycle?

High priority as ocean carbon sequestration is episodic and High priority as ocean carbon sequestration is episodic and shows seasonal and intershows seasonal and inter--annual variabilityannual variability

InterInter--annual variability at the in open oceanannual variability at the in open ocean

Seasonal variability in the coastal oceanSeasonal variability in the coastal ocean

Thanks to Boehme and Thanks to Boehme and DeGrandpreDeGrandpre

Thanks to Karl, Thanks to Karl, BidigareBidigare, and Lukas, and Lukas

Public release on 12/3/2007Climos Inc., Ecosecurities, and DetNorske Veritas outline procedures for large scale fertilization of the

oceans.

Total CO2 flux

AnthropogenicCO2 inventory

Need to observe not only the fluxes and inventory changes, but the physical and biological processes that determine and modulate them

(Emanuel & Edson )

The OOI will provide the capability to collect data during

extreme weather events on decadal time scales.

EXTREME EVENTS IN THE ATMOSPHEREEXTREME EVENTS IN THE ATMOSPHEREWhat is the role of vertical mixing in the ocean interior for deWhat is the role of vertical mixing in the ocean interior for determining the termining the

global distribution of heat and nutrients in the ocean?global distribution of heat and nutrients in the ocean?H

eat

Wind Speed

EXTREME EVENTS IN THE SEAFLOOR: EXTREME EVENTS IN THE SEAFLOOR: EARTHQUAKESEARTHQUAKES

What are the forces acting on plates and plate boundaries that result in local and regional plate deformation?

Change in earthquake distribution after Cape Mendocino earthquakes, July 1992. OOI will provide critical seafloor seismic information.

How are many of the major ecosystems in the ocean crust modulated by Earthquakes?

NOW

OOI will provide the scientists theOOI will provide the scientists thefirst sustained presence in the deep seafirst sustained presence in the deep sea

How do tectonic, oceanographic processes modulate the flux of carbon into and out of the submarine gas hydrate reservoirs?OOI will provide the scientists the first sustained OOI will provide the scientists the first sustained

presence in hydrate fieldspresence in hydrate fields

OOI will provide the scientists a OOI will provide the scientists a sustained realsustained real--time presence in the time presence in the

deep seadeep sea

Wind Forcing andLarge-Scale Circulation

Sea-surface temperatureCoastal Upwelling Fuels Primary Production

Courtesy of T. Strub (OSU)

chlorophyll temperature

125 124.8 124.6 124.4 124.243.9

44.1

44.3

44.5

44.7

Longitude (°W)

Latit

ude

(°N

)

50

Heceta Bank

Stonewall Bank

HH-Line

NH-Line

0% 1-25% 26-50% 51-75%76-100%

SH-Line

70100200300400

Newport

100

500

B

Florence

A

124

Crab Mortality Classes

Percentage of Pots0 50 100

Thanks to Grantham and Barth

The low dissolved oxygen resulted in mass mortalities of

fish and shell fish.

The causes and frequency of these extreme events are

unknown.

The OOI will provide The OOI will provide sustained spatial timesustained spatial time--series observations from series observations from the local to the the local to the mesoscalemesoscaleto understand to understand interannualinterannual

variability of hypoxia on the variability of hypoxia on the east and west coasts. east and west coasts.

What physical processes that drive large scale shifts in What physical processes that drive large scale shifts in the chemistry and biology in the oceans?the chemistry and biology in the oceans?

PNW Assets with

Endurance Array

Shelfbreak• plankton gradients• mud bottom• cross-shelf flux• sourcewater

A distributed network of fixed and mobile assets to A distributed network of fixed and mobile assets to spatial time series of a marine ecosystemspatial time series of a marine ecosystem

Climate forcing of zooplankton(processes not understood due to lack of sustained observations)

NAO with center of action south of Greenland

Concentration of calanus finmarchicus, the dominant zooplankton species of N.Atlantic

Correlation of calanus and NAO

NAO = North Atlantic Oscillation

In Contrast: Climate, weather, and human structuring of In Contrast: Climate, weather, and human structuring of coastal coastal foodwebsfoodwebs..

Hurricane and Hurricane and Tropical Storm Tropical Storm

TracksTracks

– Shelf-break and coastal zone are the most

important marine habitats in the Mid-Atlantic Bight

– Shelf-break has highest diversity of marine

mammals in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic EEZ

Natural Resources Defense Council, 2001

What physical processes that structure the ecosystems in What physical processes that structure the ecosystems in the coastal oceans?the coastal oceans?

Intergated OceanObserving System

(IOOS)

MaCOORA

OOI Pioneer Array

THANK YOUTHANK YOUOOI will provide scientistsan enduring in situ

presence to study episodicevents in extreme ocean environments.

OOI Science Areas

1. Ocean-Atmosphere Exchange2. Climate Variability, Ocean Circulation, and Ecosystems3. Turbulent Mixing and Biophysical Interactions4. Costal Ocean Dynamics and Ecosystems5. Fluid-Rock Interaction and the Subseafloor Biosphere6. Plate-scale and Ocean Geodynamics