Ocean Observatories Initiative Transition

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is a National Science Foundation funded facility that provides continuous scientific observations from the oceans at key locations from the coasts to the deep sea. The OOI Observations come from over 500 deployed instruments aboard fixed (connected to the seafloor) and moving (underwater robotic gliders) platforms. Observations are made available to the community including constituencies such as scientists, fishermen, and interested science classes, in as near to real-time as possible, and without any additional costs. The current award will provide support to enable a successful transition of the management of the OOI Facility from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and their partners the University of Washington, Oregon State University, and Rutgers University. The transition will take place over a four-month period, resulting in minimal impact on the delivery of data to the community. The deliverables to be completed under the award include an Annual Work Plan for the period October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019, cost estimating plans, signed agreements and or contracts between the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the subawardees, re-assignment of leases, transfer of equipment custody, detailed plans for configuration control, document management, and reporting, and Environment, Health, and Safety Plan, procedures for environmental compliance, roles and responsibilities associated with data delivery to the community, a cybersecurity plan, and a community engagement plan. All of the deliverables will contribute towards a successful and seamless transition, benefitting the broad oceanographic community and all users of OOI data. OOI measurements improve our understanding of processes impacting climate variability, ecosystems, fisheries, geohazards, and the subseafloor environment. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.