Science at Sea Meeting Future Oceanographic Goals with a Robust Academic Research Fleet (2009) / Chapter Skim
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2 Future Science Needs
2 Future Science Needs
Pages 17-32
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From page 17... ...
As an example, understanding the role of the oceans in the Earth's climate system involves assessing the influence of topography on ocean circulation, storage and redistribution of heat, salt and carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ocean, exchange of energy between the ocean and atmosphere, biogeochemical changes influencing ocean uptake and release of greenhouse gases, and the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.
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From page 18... ...
Global arrays of autonomous platforms and sensors and ship-based hydrography and process studies are essential ��������������������������������������������������������� to progress in these research needs.��������������������������������������� Ocean circulation changes in the full water column have been linked to a wide range of climatic variations that are of clear and critical interest to society. ���������������������������� Ship-based measurements are needed (Hood et al., 2009)
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From page 19... ...
Process studies, such as deliberate tracer and mixing experiments (see Box 2-1) , will continue to require research vessels as platforms for science, as will the continuation of established time series (Bermuda Atlantic Time Series, Hawaii Ocean Time Series, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at 26.5°N, Line W mooring and hydrographic time series in the North Atlantic)
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From page 20... ...
. These surveys will continue to require Global class vessels, which are the only U.S.
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From page 21... ...
Sample collection in coastal regions often occurs on smaller spatial and temporal scales than for deep ocean physical oceanography and is especially likely to require vessels with shallow drafts and excellent maneuverability and station keeping. Research needs for coastal currents and physical dynamics will be driven by advances in coastal ocean observing systems and associated sensors, and will be best met by more capable Regional/Coastal and Regional class vessels.
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From page 22... ...
These types of research will require Global class ships that are capable of globally ranging, multi-investigator cruises with facilities that include adequate clean laboratory space and berthing accommodations for a large science party. With the exception of salinity measurements, temporal and spatial chemical variability in the oceans is poorly documented, even for macronutrients such as nitrate and silicate.
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From page 23... ...
In the following hypothetical future scenario, scientists investigate whether these blooms are intense sites of carbon export and how they affect food web dynamics. Although these blooms have been observed regularly in the North Pacific during the same season, scientists have not yet determined if they export particulate organic carbon (POC)
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From page 24... ...
Future research will focus on biogeochemical processes along coastal margins, offshore particulate fluxes, sediment dynamics, and interactions between benthic and pelagic processes. While data collected from coastal observing systems will help to quantify carbon sources and sinks in this region, Regional/Coastal and Regional class vessels capable of working in the nearshore can collect a greater variety and volume of sediment, biological, and water samples in areas that are difficult to access using stationary or autonomous instruments, especially in response to unpredictable events.
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From page 25... ...
The need for ship support of air-sea interaction studies is likely to increase in the future to carry out process studies, to support regional air-sea buoy networks, and to validate satellite-based measurements. Biological Oceanography Biological oceanography focuses on marine organisms and their relationship to ocean circulation, nutrients, and the biogeochemical cycling of elements.
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From page 26... ...
will be adapted for use on autonomous platforms, ocean observatories, and systems such as Argo, and will lead to worldwide, data-rich measurements of the organisms that drive biogeochemical cycles. However, in the near future, research vessels will still be required to collect water and organisms for biological oceanographic studies.
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From page 27... ...
attempt to understand long-term, basin-scale variations in marine ecosystems through a combination of process studies and food web modeling. In addition to sophisticated modeling efforts and ocean observatories with continuous data collection, technological drivers include acoustically quiet instrumentation and vessels that are able to effectively conduct fish stock and mammal research.
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From page 28... ...
The 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami led to renewed studies of subduction zone earthquakes and the mechanisms of tsunami generation. Human occupation of the coastal zone drives continued need for process studies related to sediment resuspension and transport at the land-ocean interface and along the coastal margin.
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From page 29... ...
Placement of the new node will depend on identifying preferred sediment pathways by mapping regions where organic carbon is being deposited. Large-scale geomorphic features such as Barrow Canyon as well as smaller-scale features such as grooves and iceberg scours created by glaciogenic processes influence sediment pathways and deposition rates.
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From page 30... ...
At present, the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) provides riser and riserless platforms to support drilling, while the 2007 commissioning of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
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From page 31... ...
In MGG, observatories are necessary to characterize volcanic eruptions and large earthquakes and to monitor their impacts on fluid discharge across the seafloor and chemosynthetic biological communities. These observatories will require significant Ocean and/or Global class ship time, with an ROV that is capable of deploying short runs of thin cable, junction boxes, and a wide variety of sensors.
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From page 32... ...
Ship-based measurements will continue to be required in the foreseeable future to further both basic research and new discoveries in the ocean. A capable academic research fleet will continue to be required for needs such as water sampling, calibration and validation of satellite remote sensors, seafloor mapping and drilling, focused process studies, and atmospheric sampling.
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