2009 Biennial (PDF, 12 MB) - Applied Physics Laboratory-University ...

RESEARch hIGhLIGhTS
ocean obServing SyStemS
A Nexus for Technology & Discovery
Rising sea levels, coastal erosion and flooding, undersea earthquakes, and
toxic algae blooms are just a few of the concerns of our coastal regions. What
sensors and observing systems could mitigate impacts on society? How will data be
collected and shared to further knowledge of oceanic processes that are critical to a
habitable planet? APL-UW is now on the forward edge of 21 st century ocean observing
technologies, developing the infrastructure required to make sustained, long-term,
and adaptive observations in the ocean, on the seafloor, and at the air–sea interface.
These efforts are motivated by the broad goals of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing
System: to improve predictions of climate change and weather, improve maritime
operations and national security, mitigate natural hazards and public health risks, and
sustain ocean and coastal resources. By congressional act in 2009 a federation of 11
regional associations representing all areas of the nation was established to contribute
to the U.S. IOOS vision.
Operational Observations by Regional Association
The Pacific Northwest regional component of the federation —the Northwest
Association for Networked Ocean Observing Systems— had its genesis at APL-UW in
2005. NANOOS is comprised of more than 30 organizations including tribes, state and
local governments, industry, academic institutions, and non-profit groups. Members
identified priority areas for data product development— climate, maritime operations,
fisheries, coastal hazards, and ecosystem impacts.
NANOOS integrates more than 50 kinds of ocean data from its regional stakeholders
and makes them available through a single access point—the NANOOS web portal.
Portal users can browse data products such as a coastal radar current mapping system
or seasonally-repeated hydrographic cruise surveys. They can also search by region
of interest, data type (observation, model, or forecast), and parameter (e.g., winds,
temperature, salinity, dissolved nutrients).
Data available at the portal have immediate, operational applications. Oregon tuna
fishermen, for example, use output from an ocean circulation model that forecasts
ocean temperature to optimize the timing of putting vessels to sea, thus reducing
fuel costs. The Quinault Nation’s coastline in Washington State has been the site of
hypoxia events that leave thousands of dead fish on the beach. NANOOS stakeholders
are running glider surveys in the region and posting data to the portal that trace when
and where low-oxygen water infiltrates the coast.
ReseARCh highLights
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