Research Infrastructure: Management and Operations of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI 2.5)

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award funds the NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a major research facility dedicated to the operation and maintenance of advanced arrays of oceanographic instrumentation and supporting infrastructure. Its mission is to collect, archive, and distribute high quality oceanic and marine atmospheric data, fostering ocean discovery and innovation. OOI measurements offer comprehensive insights into the Earth, ocean, and atmosphere, and their derived products enhance our understanding of processes affecting ocean variability, ecosystems, fisheries, geohazards (i.e., earthquakes, tsunamis), and the subseafloor environment. These insights promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and support decision-makers responsible for the stewardship of ocean resources. OOI manages and operates five ocean arrays: Global Arrays (open ocean), Coastal Arrays (shelf waters), and the Cabled Array (seabed). The Global Irminger Sea Array, situated off Greenland, provides physical, biological, and chemical measurements of the water column, capturing mesoscale variability and air-sea exchanges in a region critical for deep-water formation and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. The Global Station Papa Array in the Gulf of Alaska quantifies water column properties and mesoscale variability, supporting studies on ocean circulation, air-sea fluxes, carbon cycling, and biological productivity. The Endurance Array, positioned within the coastal upwelling region of the Oregon and Washington coasts, provides observations of the eastern boundary current regime at multiple time scales, yielding new insights into shelf/slope nutrient exchange, air-sea property exchange, carbon cycling, and ocean acidification. The Pioneer Array in the Mid-Atlantic Bight enables research in a high-energy, hurricane prone, continental shelf environment influenced by a strong western boundary current and terrestrial freshwater inputs. The Regional Cabled Array, located off the Oregon coast, offers real-time, two-way communication with seabed instruments, facilitating studies of seismic, volcanic, and hydrothermal processes, methane flux, and the seafloor biosphere. All data are freely accessible through the facility data portal supported by a dedicated cyberinfrastructure team. The arrays are operated by three organizations and overseen by the Program Management Office (PMO) at the lead institution, under the direction of the U.S. National Science Foundation. 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.