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

The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is a community-inspired and community-serving research observatory. Its mission is to safely operate and maintain sophisticated arrays of instruments and associated infrastructure that collect, archive, and distribute quality oceanic and marine atmospheric data to the ocean and Earth science communities. OOI measurements provide comprehensive insights into the Earth, ocean, and atmosphere for scientists, educators, students, laypersons, industry, and policymakers.

OOI data and derived products improve our understanding of the processes that impact climate variability, ecosystems, fisheries, geohazards, and the subseafloor environment, which in turn advance the capabilities of decision-makers charged with the stewardship of ocean resources. Common and open access to OOI data and resources fosters partnerships between international academic and non-academic organizations.

All OOI data are backed up by documented procedures and metadata, distributed freely to users via a common web portal (at www.oceanobservatories.org), and archived. OOI’s open data policies support early career scientists and investigators as well as an array of educational programs. The breadth and depth of capabilities provided by the OOI provide transformative scientific and educational opportunities for the community at large.

OOI manages and operates five ocean arrays located at scientifically strategic locations in the open ocean (Global Arrays), shelf waters (Coastal Arrays), and on the seabed (Cabled Array). The Global Irminger Sea Array (off Greenland) provides physical, biological, and chemical measurements of the water column. It captures mesoscale variability and air-sea fluxes in a region of documented deep-water formation, which impacts the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and changes in ocean heat transport.

The Station Papa Array (Gulf of Alaska) quantifies water column properties and mesoscale variability in a region of longstanding scientific interest for studies ranging from ocean circulation and air-sea fluxes to carbon cycling and biological productivity amongst others. In 2024, the Pioneer Array will be relocated to the Mid-Atlantic Bight where it will enable new science and educational opportunities in a high-energy continental shelf environment.

Its design will address the influence of the strong western boundary current in this part of the Atlantic as well as terrestrial freshwater inputs to the biologically productive and diverse ecosystems found there. The Regional Cabled Array brings high-power and high-bandwidth capacity, which allows real-time, two-way communications with the oceans. It will continue to provide new insights into interlinked seismic, volcanic, and hydrothermal processes operating off the Oregon coast, the flux of methane from the seafloor, and the seafloor biosphere.

The Endurance Array provides interdisciplinary observations within the coastal upwelling region of the Oregon and Washington coasts, provides observations of the eastern boundary current regime at both short and longer, climate-relevant time scales that lead to new insights into shelf/slope nutrient exchange, air-sea property exchange, carbon cycling, and ocean acidification.

This renewal award to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), for continued operations and management, builds upon the accomplishments of the initial award and incorporates new operational and outreach changes in response to community input. WHOI, the University of Washington (UW), and Oregon State University (OSU) will continue to provide scientific and technical management and operation and maintenance for the next phase of the Ocean Observatories Initiative.

The organizational structure of the initial award will be retained with the Program Management Office (PMO) residing at WHOI under the direction of the National Science Foundation. Each of the three institutions will continue to maintain the marine and computing assets for which they are currently responsible; WHOI will operate the Pioneer Array, and the two Global Arrays in the Irminger Sea and at Station Papa, UW will operate the Regional Cabled Array, and OSU will operate the Endurance Array and the Cyberinfrastructure systems, including data ingestion and delivery.

Performance metrics for OOI include quantification of scientific output, program management, systems performance, data usage, data quality, and community engagement.

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.