Ocean Observatories Initiative

1
Ocean Observatories Initiative
Julie MorrisDivision of Ocean SciencesNational
Science Foundation
Public Policy Forum on Ocean Science
Infrastructure Washington, DC February 28, 2008
2
Ocean Observatories Initiative
Global
Coastal
Regional
Cyberinfrastructure

• Coastal ecosystem response to environmental
  change
• Ocean-atmosphere exchange, turbulent mixing, and
  biophysical interactions
• Chemistry and biology of fluids and life in the
  crust
• The oceans role in climate change and impacts on
  ocean processes

• Expanded power and bandwidth to the seafloor
• Interactive capabilities
• Integrated components
• Reconfigurable network components
• New way to provide access to the ocean for
  education/public awareness

• Dynamics of oceanic lithosphere and Earths
  interior

3
OOI Development Activities 2007

• Award of Implementing Organizations
• Regional Scale Nodes - March
• Cyberinfrastructure - May
• Coastal/Global Regional Scale Nodes - August
• Adaptation of Preliminary Network Design in
  response to community comments - August-October
• Blue Ribbon Science Review - October
• Worthy investment that when fully implemented
  will advance the understanding of ocean and Earth
  processes
• Several recommendations focusing on oversight,
  sensors, data access, education and public
  outreach
• Preliminary Design Review - December
• OOI will fundamentally change the way science is
  done in the ocean
• OOI Project team commended for amount of work and
  level of detail required to bring the OOI to PDR
• Successful at PDR level, but project not at FDR
  level
• Recommendations focused on education planning,
  project and design reviews, CI management and
  implementation, and risk mitigation

4
OOI Status

• Budget Rollout
• Legacy projects (NEON, ARRV and OOI) will now go
  through MREFC process for new projects, which
  requires successful Final Design Review (FDR)
  before asking NSB for approval, or Congress for
  additional construction funds
• OCE will fund OOI planning in FY 08, 09, in
  anticipation of starting construction in FY 10
• Next steps
• Preparation for FDR October/November 2008