Ocean Observatory Initiative News Feed
News from Ocean Observatory Initiative
A new era of oceanography
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POGO Fellow Aditi Sharma Returns from Sea and Reflects on 17-Day Expedition
Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) Fellow Aditi Sharma has returned from a 17-day expedition aboard the R/V Sikuliaq to recover and deploy OOI’s Global Station Papa in the Gulf of Alaska. A PhD candidate at the National Institute of Oceanography India, Aditi was chosen from over 80 applicants for a shipboard training fellowship sponsored by POGO, WHOI, OOI, and the Nippon Foundation. Back on land, Aditi is reflecting on her time at sea and her goals for the future. How did you benefit from the training? The training has been immensely beneficial as it provided me with a chance to engage in work and learn from the experts in the field. The hands-on operations of winch, deployment procedures, data downloading, and calibration techniques have given me confidence in practical skills essential for the fieldwork. These experiences are particularly relevant as I now intend to apply them to my current project at my parent institute, which involves monitoring diverse environmental variables in the coastal Bay of Bengal using advanced meteorological sensors on a fixed mooring buoy. This training has helped in enhancing my capability to contribute meaningful insights to the project. In addition to the scientific aspects, the training has provided me with an understanding of the operational challenges during expeditions. It has highlighted the need for improvisation in adverse weather conditions and emphasized collaborative work approaches. Additionally, it has instilled in me a strong sense of time management that I aim to apply both in my career and in my personal life. What are your future aspirations? I am currently working towards my PhD at the National Institute of Oceanography. Upon completing my PhD, I aim to pursue postdoctoral studies and collaborate with fellow scientists in my specialized field. This journey represents a vast ocean of knowledge that I am eager to explore, with a strong desire to effectively share and discuss my insights with peers. [caption id="attachment_34524" align="alignnone" width="640"]
Aditi Sharma aboard R/V Sikuliaq[/caption] -
Opportunity to Add New Sensors/Equipment to Pioneer MAB Array
Proposed notice for ending the Pioneer MAB PI-Added Instrument hiatus The U.S National Science Foundation (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is excited to report that the relocation of the Pioneer Array to the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) is now complete and the OOI facility is again considering requests by Principal Investigators to add new sensors and/or equipment to the Pioneer MAB Array. The process for requesting additions to the Array is described here. The MAB deployment is the culmination of a three-year, multi-tiered process to relocate the Pioneer Array from its former location off the New England Shelf to the MAB. The NSF and the OOI Facilities Board (OOIFB) hosted a series of workshops in 2021 to elicit community input on where a relocated Pioneer Array might best meet science and educational needs. Based on input from these community workshops, the NSF gave its approval to the MAB site and the process was launched. Data from most instruments is available in real-time from the OOI Data Explorer. All non-telemetered data will be available after instruments are recovered on Array maintenance cruises that occur at nominal six-month intervals (April, October). “Completing installation of the Pioneer Array in the MAB was the culmination of a significant effort by the OOI Team,” said Al Plueddemann, who served as the Chief Scientist for the first deployment of the array in the MAB and is Principal Investigator for OOI’s Coastal and Global Scale Nodes. “The time is right for researchers to propose additional sensors or equipment be added to the array so its full data collection potential can be realized.” Notes:- The installation of some sensors, especially acoustic sensors, may be subject to compliance with NSF’s Memorandum of Understanding with the US Navy.
- While the requests must be made for any additions to the Array, OOI would appreciate notification on plans to deploy stand-alone instrumentation within the OOI footprint.
Pioneer MAB Layout[/caption] -
Graduate Students Apply Now for Endurance Fall Shipboard Experience
Upcoming cruise volunteer opportunity on NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative Coastal Endurance Array Expedition When: Leave Newport, Oregon on October 4, 2024; return to Newport on October 20, 2024 Applications Due: August 30, 2024 There is an opening for a student volunteer in the Fall 2024 as part of the U. S. National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Coastal Endurance Array on R/V Sikuliaq. The Coastal Endurance Array team will deploy and recover oceanographic moorings, profilers and gliders off Washington and Oregon. Seven surface moorings will be deployed and recovered along with up to four profilers and six gliders. The team will also conduct CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) casts, with bottle sampling, and collect underway ship data for comparison to data from deployed equipment. The selected volunteer will have the opportunity to assist in the deployment and recoveries of moorings and water sample processing. They will also have opportunities to work directly with OOI data. The cruise will consist of two legs, each lasting about 8 days. Interested applicants can apply to participate on either or both legs. Domestic (within the USA) travel reimbursement is possible. The primary goal of this program is to provide graduate students currently completing (or who have recently completed) a degree in a field of oceanographic research with the opportunity to participate in a research cruise. The participant will be a member of the scientific party and be involved in data collection and all other activities at sea. It is envisioned that the individual will be familiar with the science to be conducted at sea, and thus, form new collaborations and potentially develop new research directions. To be eligible to participate, the individual must either currently be studying at a U.S.-based institution or be a recent graduate, and have either a U.S. Passport or an applicable U.S. Visa. Questions and application materials should be sent to Edward.Dever@oregonstate.edu. Application materials are:- a CV or resume
- a one page letter of interest describing how this opportunity fits their professional and/or research interests
- contact information for two references.
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Global Station Papa Expedition Succeeds Despite Weather
And what a wild ride it was! The US National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) 11th expedition to the Global Station Papa Array aboard the R/V Sikuliaq had a bit of trouble with the weather gods during its 17-day journey in the Gulf of Alaska. For safety reasons because the ship cannot deploy large moorings in conditions with ~20’ seas and high winds, the ship spent almost five of the 17-days moving in and out of the array site, trying to find “safer ground” to wait out the worst of the storms. Nonetheless, the Coastal and Global Scale Nodes team (CGSN) based at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and a Waverider mooring team from the University of Washington succeeded in meeting all their mission objectives. Despite the extra transit and down days, the teams recovered and deployed three OOI subsurface moorings and two open ocean gliders. They recovered and deployed a Waverider mooring for the University of Washington. A POGO Fellowship awardee was onboard and gained valuable shipboard experience, including experiencing how safety is the underlying foundation of these at-sea operations. [media-caption path="https://oceanobservatories.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Hybrid-1.jpg" link="#"]The CGSN team successfully deployed a Hybrid Profiler Mooring (HYPM) at the Station Papa Array. The HYPM is in a water depth of ~4000m and is equipped with two profiling vehicles that move up and down the riser wire at regular intervals to collect data for almost the full water column. An anchor (left) holds the mooring in place during its yearlong deployment. Credit: Dee Emrich © WHOI.[/media-caption] [media-caption path="https://oceanobservatories.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/hybrid2.jpg" link="#"] An anchor holds the Hybrid Profiler mooring in place during its yearlong deployment. Credit: Dee Emrich © WHOI.[/media-caption] The team also successfully conducted water sampling at the deployment sites and collection of shipboard underway data. “It was a pleasure participating in the Papa 11 cruise with such a professional and able team,” said Chief Scientist Kristopher Newhall. “And as always, I can’t say enough about the skill and professionalism of the R/V Sikuliaq’s officers and crew.” This is the fifth time Newhall has led the annual recovery and deployment cruise to Global Station Papa. [media-caption path="https://oceanobservatories.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Biofouling-2.jpg" link="#"]In addition to deployments of OOI moorings and gliders, the CGSN team assisted colleagues at the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory deploy a waverider mooring at the Global Station Papa Array, providing wave data wave such as height, period, and direction from this important site. Credit: Dee Emrich © WHOI.[/media-caption] The site is in the Gulf of Alaska, about 620 nautical miles offshore, in a critical region of the northeast Pacific with a productive fishery subject to ocean acidification, low eddy variability, and impacted by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. “We are pleased that Station Papa is now set to provide data for the next year from this critically located region,” Newhall added. A more detailed report of the expedition can be found here. [media-caption path="https://oceanobservatories.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_6769-scaled.jpeg" link="#"]Credit: Jim Edson © WHOI.[/media-caption] -
Amber Stronk Appointed New OOI Community Engagement Manager
Principal Investigator of the U.S. National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Program Office James B. Edson today announced that Amber Stronk is the new OOI Community Engagement Manager. Stronk assumed her responsibilities on June 24, taking over for Darlene Trew Crist, who has served in this role since January 2020. Trew Crist announced her retirement in January 2024, which led to an exhaustive search to find a qualified replacement. “Darlene’s done an exceptional job for OOI and leaves very big shoes to fill, but we are delighted to have Amber assume the reins of this well-run effort. Amber brings a wealth of experience running communication and engagement operations for environmentally focused organizations and has a deep understanding of both the scientific and communication strategies essential to OOI. We are enthusiastic about the new energy and insights she will bring to the position,” said Edson. Stronk most recently served as the Communications & Engagement Manager for the Marketing Science Institute. Previously, she was the Communications Manager for Sailors for the Sea Powered by Oceana, the world’s leading advocacy organization dedicated to ocean conservation. Her extensive background also includes communications roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard. Stronk holds a master’s degree in marine biodiversity and conservation from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a BA in communications from Marist College. To ensure a smooth transition, Stronk and Trew Crist will overlap in the position for two weeks, until July 5 when Trew Crist formally leaves Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where OOI’s program office is based. The Ocean Observatories Initiative is a long-term infrastructure project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to gather physical, chemical, and biological data from the ocean, atmosphere, and seafloor and to deliver that data on demand and in near real-time online. The program includes moored instrument arrays and autonomous underwater vehicles deployed at critical locations in the coastal and open ocean worldwide. Data from the observatories help researchers address questions across short and long time periods, small and large spatial scales, and from the ocean surface to the seafloor. OOI is managed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and implemented by WHOI, the University of Washington and Oregon State University.