| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 6, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 3, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1437015 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Baris Uz
bmuz@nsf.gov (703)292-4557 OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | March 15, 2015 |
| End Date: | February 28, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $5,834,156.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $5,956,945.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2016 = $1,318,241.00 FY 2017 = $1,821,949.00 FY 2018 = $1,157,913.00 FY 2020 = $1,005,006.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
8622 DISCOVERY WAY # 116 LA JOLLA CA US 92093-1500 (858)534-1293 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
9500 Gilman Dr San Diego CA US 92093-0230 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY, OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTRUMENTATION |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002021DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Earth's climate is changing, with large natural decadal variability in some regions. Among the most important and basic climate system components are the heat, freshwater, and carbon content and transport of the oceans, which directly interact with other essential components of the climate system in the atmosphere and cryosphere. In turn the associated variability and trends in the ocean's carbon content, carbonate saturation state, oxygen, and nutrients impact its internal biological environment, with notable large-scale regional changes. This joint study of the ocean carbon cycle and circulation is critical to identify critical areas where changes in ocean circulation could have serious consequences for future anthropogenic carbon uptake. Global warming-induced changes in the ocean's transport of heat and freshwater, which could affect the circulation, are being followed through these long-term measurements. Results to date have shown that the abyssal ocean is warming, taking up to 30% of the excess heat in the entire Earth system, leading to changes in circulation patterns and ventilation rates in the upper ocean. The uptake of anthropogenic carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean has been mapped and shows that the oceans are acidifying. Oxygen concentrations are declining in the ocean thermocline, and tropical oxygen minimum zones are expanding. The project is based on the fundamental concept that data collected belong to the community and need to be made quickly and freely available to the community at large through a recognized international data center. The project will continue to promote training and learning for graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and new scientists in sea-going work. Outreach activities will continue as opportunities arise.
The systematic and global re-occupation of select ocean hydrographic sections conducted for the past decade (2003-2014) will be extended into the 2015-2020 period with the continued objective of quantifying changes in the full-depth ocean. The project is in support of the U.S. CLIVAR (CLImate Variability and predictability) and the Carbon Science Programs, and is a component of a global observing system for the physical climate and carbon system. This long-standing project continues to contribute to the following overlapping scientific objectives: Data for Model Calibration, Validation and Model Based Synthesis; Carbon System Studies; Heat and Freshwater Storage and Flux Studies; Deep and Shallow Water Mass and Ventilation Studies; and Calibration of Autonomous Sensors. By integrating the scientific needs of the carbon, tracer and hydrographic communities, major scientific synergies and cost savings will continue to be achieved. In addition to efficiency, the coordinated approach produces scientific advances that exceed those of having individual programs. An average of two sections will be conducted every year, sometime collaboratively with international partner. The measurements made on each section include hydrography (full-depth vertical profiles of salinity, temperature, oxygen, nutrients, currents), Underway surface temperature, salinity, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), air-sea fluxes, bathymetry, navigation), carbon system (dissolved inorganic carbon, pCO2. Total Alkalinity, pH, dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen), and transient tracers. This project will collect the data and perform the quality control measures routinely carried out by providers of reference-quality data. Post-cruise data updates, distribution, and archive will continue to be managed by groups with separate funding. This ongoing project is integrated with a larger international effort to monitor the ocean's response to climate change.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
With completion of this funding, U.S. GO-SHIP has contributed significantly to international GO-SHIP's third quasi-decadal survey of the global oceans (1990s - WOCE; 2000s - CLIVAR/CO2; 2010s - GO-SHIP). GO-SHIP is the component of the international global ocean observing system (GOOS) for physical climate/CO2 that provides a systematic re-occupation of select hydrographic sections to quantify changes in storage and transport of heat, freshwater, carbon, oxygen, nutrients, and related parameters. GO-SHIP's high accuracies for Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) allow mapping of regional differences, and, importantly, trends in properties over time, especially as related to climate change. GO-SHIP contributes to the following overlapping scientific objectives:
- Data for Model Calibration and Validation
- Carbon System Studies
- Heat and Freshwater Storage and Flux Studies
- Deep and Shallow Water Mass and Ventilation Studies
- Calibration of Autonomous Sensors
GO-SHIP's highly accurate measurements are used not only for oceanographic studies, but also for calibration of autonomous platforms that measure EOVs. Of particular note are OneArgo floats, including the global Core and growing Deep Argo arrays of temperature and salinity profilers, and the growing global biogeochemical Argo array. GO-SHIP biogeochemical (carbon, nutrients, oxygen) and tracer observations are critical inputs to the GLODAP data set and climatology, which provides the data base used for calibration.
US GO-SHIP program for 2015-2020 (2022)
This phase of US GO-SHIP was originally planned for 2015-2020. The COVID19 pandemic resulted in delays and reorganization; funding was extended through NCEs through 2022, with the last hydrographic section, P02, occupied in mid-2022. Two delayed sections are being completed soon under the new funding ('A13.5' and 'I05'), while logistically-possible sections were carried out earlier than planned.
Sixteen distinct hydrographic cruises were occupied by US GO-SHIP during 2015-2022 (Figure 1). The other GO-SHIP countries occupied 24 sections in the same years (http://go-ship.org).
To improve accessibility of GO-SHIP data to individual users, various portals ingest the data sets from its CCHDO archive. Within this phase of US GO-SHIP, we collaborated to build a cruise-based product, GO-SHIP Easy Ocean (Katsumata et al., Scientific Data 2022).
Some science highlights
To construct observation-based energy time series for the entire Earth system (Figure 2), in situ measurements of ocean temperature are necessary. The ocean has absorbed about 90% of the excess energy in the climate system. GO-SHIP's repeat section temperature measurements are the source for estimates of deep ocean warming (Figure 2); Argo profiles, calibrated from climatologies that include GO-SHIP data, provide the upper ocean coverage.
The quasi-decadal survey's suite of measurements is used to construct the distribution of the extra oceanic carbon 'Cant' resulting from anthropogenic carbon in the atmosphere. GO-SHIP provides coincident DIC, temperature, salinity, oxygen, alkalinity, and nutrients to statistically estimate Cant. This Pacific example (Figure 3) shows the importance of the downwelling subtropical gyres for Cant uptake, and the especially strong Southern Hemisphere response.
GO-SHIP tracer measurements have delineated the abyssal circulation and its time scales, specifically in Antarctic bottom water (Figure 4). Changes in abyssal T/S and stratification have revealed warming and weakening stratification (not shown). The abyssal layer most affected is also that of the highest diapycnal diffusivity (Figure 5).
Scientific and technical evolution
Ocean mixing studies are frequently a product of GO-SHIP surveys, which routinely include LADCP measurements in addition to CTDs (both Level 1), and also more experimental instruments (chipods, deployed throughout this phase of GO-SHIP under separate funding) (Fig. 5).
A GO-SHIP nutrient chemist participated in SCOR working group 147 for improvement in global ocean nutrient data; US GO-SHIP nutrient chemists have participated on international GO-SHIP cruises to provide or intercompare measurements and training.
During this phase of GO-SHIP, techniques for biological observing, particularly of the planktonic ecosystem, had matured sufficiently for long section repeat surveys. 'Bio GO-SHIP' measurements (Clayton et al., 2022) were inaugurated on the later sections, and are now included on current GO-SHIP cruises (through 2026) (Fig. 6).
Program management and training
A US GO-SHIP program manager was instituted during this phase, focused on continuity of cruise planning and execution. The US program was formally reviewed by US CLIVAR and OCB in 2019, in preparation for the proposal that was submitted for the currently funded phase of US GO-SHIP, and also resulted in improvements in operations.
Training the multiple generations of oceanographers in each component of US GO-SHIP is an essential part of the funded program, and was solidified during this reporting period. We initiated a Postdoctoral Fellowship program to provide science analysis aspect for US GO-SHIP; 5 postdocs were funded. Each served as a co-Chief Scientist, and they are moving into early career leadership. Chief Scientists are mostly drawn from the pool of science team leaders and previous co-Chief Scientists. Each cruise includes many graduate students funded through this program; this is a reliable beginning for students who then become researchers and leaders in ocean observations.
Last Modified: 06/29/2023
Modified by: Lynne D Talley
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