The ambitious Ocean Observatories Initiative that’s been 20 years in the making will now be built, thanks to $106 million in federal stimulus money as well as a commitment from the National Science Foundation for a five-year project totaling $385 million.The University of Washington is set to receive $126 Million of those funds for the cable component of the OOI, the single largest research grant that the university has ever received.
The observatory will lay 500 miles of fiber optic cable on the ocean floor that will connect various sensors, instruments and cameras for display and interaction via the Internet. The undersea sensor web will be used to monitor earthquakes, ocean currents, water currents and other ocean processes.
“The OOI project presents an unprecedented opportunity and whole new approach to advance our understanding of how the ocean works and interacts with the atmosphere and solid earth. This project will allow scientists to answer complex questions only dreamed of a few years ago concerning important problems associated with the future health of this planet such as the oceans role in climate change. It is very exciting to be part of this huge step forward in the ocean sciences,” said Bob Gagosian, President and CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership.
The initial phases of construction are to begin this month. The initial data flow is scheduled for 2013, with full commissioning of the system by 2015.
OOI is a key and enabling U.S. contribution to the international Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS: www.earthobservations.org).
