Todd Anderson

A new paradigm for ocean carbon observations is emerging with the rapid advances in autonomous measurements of carbon systems with the success of robotic ocean profiling Carbon Explorers, autonomous sensors for particulate organic and inorganic carbon (POC and PIC), and new instruments which will measure year-long high frequency records of POC and PIC sedimentation in the very observation-poor but biologically-active upper kilometers of the ocean. The new observing capability described here is critical for improved prediction of the substantial biotic carbon flows in the ocean. There are excellent prospects for an enhanced ocean carbon observing system fully capable of autonomous real time monitoring, measurement, and verification of ocean carbon sequestration. Paul Bissett Remote Sensing. Title: Imaging Spectroscopy in the Coastal Environment: Fun with Watercolors Authors: Paul Bissett, Curt Davis, David Kohler, Curt Mobley, Robert Steward Florida Environmental Research Institute Oregon State University, Cooperative Institute for Oceanographic Satellite Studies Sequoia Scientific, Inc. Abstract: It is more difficult to use aircraft and satellite imagery to describe the environmental properties of the coastal ocean than to use such data for open ocean applications. These difficulties lie in two domains. The first domain is the time/space variability of the environmental signal. In this domain, the near shore physical forcing of the optical properties imparts a more complex time/space distribution of the color field. The second domain of difficulty lies in the complexity of the optical properties themselves. In the near shore environment, the water column color constituents are more diverse and co-vary less than in open ocean environments. This is in part a function of the enhanced variability in physical forcing; but it is also a function of the nearness of the benthic and terrestrial sources of nutrients and color. In addition to the enhanced complexity of the water column properties, the atmospheric properties are also more variable and complex in the near shore environment. The impact of atmospheric transmission on image quality increases as a function of the altitude of the sensor. At higher altitudes, the atmospheric contamination of the total image signal is far more difficult to quantify in turbid coastal environments compared to open ocean environments. These two sets of difficulties give rise to requirements for imaging spectroscopy in the coastal ocean that are far more stringent in its time/space/spectral resolution, as well as image quality, than are necessary for open ocean applications. Yet, the difficulty in imaging spectroscopy is matched by the demand for information products. The coastal environment is the subject of great ecological and economic interest. The demand for frequent, robust information to help assess, manage, and protect the well-being of the coastal resources has accelerated in recent years, forcing the research community to focus on overcoming the imaging difficulties. This talk will describe the difficulties in coastal ocean spectroscopy, potential solutions to these difficulties, as well as some of the applications for these imaging products Renato Castelao Remote Sensing Title Sea-surface temperature fronts in the California Current System: Observations from geostationary satellite Authors: authors: Renato M. Castelao(1), John A. Barth(1) and Timothy P. Mavor(2) (1) College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University (2) NOAA, National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service Abstract: Four years of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) data are used to study the seasonal evolution of sea-surface temperature (SST) fronts in the California Current System (CCS), focusing on the interactions with topographic perturbations. Maps of the probability of detecting a front (PDF) reveal significant temporal and spatial variability in the area. Winter is characterized by very low PDF along the entire coast. The PDF increases substantially during spring, especially to the south of Cape Blanco, Oregon, consistent with the wind stress seasonal cycle. The continuous input of energy from the wind to the system leads to intensification of the fronts, and maximum PDF is found during summer. Several studies have suggested that Cape Blanco is the northernmost location where the upwelling jet leaves the coast in the CCS. The SST frontal data confirms that the jet is deflected toward deeper waters at Cape Blanco, but suggests that late in the upwelling season (July-October) the upwelling front (and jet) leaves the shelf to the north of that, around Heceta Bank, Oregon. During fall, the PDF decreases considerably, but the offshore extent of the area of higher activity is maximum. Dudley Chelton Remote Sensing Title Summertime Influence of Sea-Surface Temperature on the Wind Stress Field Over the California Current Abstract: Three years of satellite measurements of surface wind stress by the QuikSCAT scatterometer and sea-surface temperature (SST) by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) are analyzed to investigate the relationship between SST and wind stress on monthly time scales in the California Current region. The QuikSCAT data analyzed here have a resolution of 25 km and can measure the wind field to within about 35 km of land. The AMSR data have a resolution of 56 km and can measure SST to within about 75 km of land. In the region where QuikSCAT and AMSR measurements are both available beyond 75 km from the coast, the satellite data reveal that SST exerts a strong influence on the wind stress field during the summertime upwelling season from late May until late October. As has been observed elsewhere in open-ocean areas with strong SST fronts, the wind stress is higher over warm water than over cold water. The meandering SST front associated with the California Current thus generates complex structure in the wind stress field. This structure is manifest locally as a curl of the wind stress that is linearly related to the crosswind component of the SST gradient and a divergence of the wind stress that is linearly related to the downwind component of the SST gradient. This relationship breaks down in the vicinity of the expansion fan associated with Cape Mendocino. The SST influence on the wind stress field is weak between November and May. James Churnside Remote Sensing Title Airborne LIDAR Measurements abstract: Starting with tests in 1997, NOAA has been developing an airborne LIDAR system for applications in marine fisheries management. The LIDAR uses a short pulse of green light in much the same way that an echo sounder uses a short pulse of sound to get scattering intensity as a function of depth in the water column. We typically fly at an altitude of 300 m and a speed between 60 and 90 m s-1. Penetration into the water column varies from 20 – 30 m in “green” water to over 50 m in “blue” water. Performance in “brown” water is generally not as good. While the LIDAR was primarily developed to survey small, schooling pelagic fishes, it also detects larger, individual fish, zooplankton, and water clarity. Internal waves have been observed through their effects on the scattering layer. Under some conditions, the level of dissolved organic carbon can be estimated. Other instruments are often flown on the same aircraft to obtain additional information. These include visible and thermal imagers for birds and marine mammals, a thermal radiometer for sea-surface temperature, and visible radiometers for ocean color. Starting with tests in 1997, NOAA has been developing an airborne LIDAR system for applications in marine fisheries management. The LIDAR uses a short pulse of green light in much the same way that an echo sounder uses a short pulse of sound to get scattering intensity as a function of depth in the water column. We typically fly at an altitude of 300 m and a speed between 60 and 90 m s-1. Penetration into the water column varies from 20 – 30 m in “green” water to over 50 m in “blue” water. Performance in “brown” water is generally not as good. While the LIDAR was primarily developed to survey small, schooling pelagic fishes, it also detects larger, individual fish, zooplankton, and water clarity. Internal waves have been observed through their effects on the scattering layer. Under some conditions, the level of dissolved organic carbon can be estimated. Other instruments are often flown on the same aircraft to obtain additional information. These include visible and thermal imagers for birds and marine mammals, a thermal radiometer for sea-surface temperature, and visible radiometers for ocean color. Tim Cowles Mature Talk or Poster Title Mesoscale biological and physical patterns in the Califiornia Current System as revealed by COAST and GLOBEC surveys Authors: Tim Cowles, OSU Jack Barth, OSU Steve Pierce, OSU Christopher Wingard, OSU Abstract: Three consecutive summers (2000, 2001, 2002) of mesoscale observations of physical and biiological parameters were obtained through SeaSoar surveys off the Oregon coast. The SeaSoar instrument suite included a CTD and bio-optical sensors, and a towed bio-acoustical system provided coincident assessment of zooplankton biomass. Shipboard ADCP revealed the velocity fields. This unique dataset provides an interannual comparison of the biological response to physical forcing, as reflected in the cross-shelf and alongshore patterns of phytoplankton biomass, bio-optical characteristics of phytoplankton, and bio-acoustical estimates of zooplankton biomass. Of particular note is the spring to summer development of steep alongshore gradients in biological patterns of biomass distribution, coincident with the evolution of the coastal jet and its seasonal development around coastal topographic features. The interannual comparison reveals consistent cross-shelf patterns of near-bottom particulate matter that had been resuspended from the sediment surface. The distribution patterns of fluorescent chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) also provide insight into the timing and intermittency of the advective and mixing processes operating just above the seafloor over the continental shelf. Patrick Cummins General Poster Title A regional index of NE Pacific variability based on satellite altimeter data Co-Authors: Gary Lagerloef, Earth and Space Research Gary Mitchum, University of South Florida Abstract: An index of climate variability to monitor the state of the upper ocean is proposed for the northeast (NE) Pacific Ocean based on sea surface height (SSH) data from satellite altimetry. While sea surface temperature (SST) is often used characterize ocean variability, SSH reflects the integrated influence of temperature and salinity anomalies through the water column. A canonical correlation analysis shows that SSH and SST anomalies vary coherently at large spatial scales and low frequencies over the region. SSH anomalies are less subject to short period variability and the temporal components for SSH resemble smoothed, low-pass-filtered versions of the SST components. Also examined is the relationship between the SST-based Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index and the large-scale, upper ocean variability reflected in the leading principal component of SSH anomalies. The comparison demonstrates that the SSH principal component provides a robust index of regional c! limate variability that is less noisy than the PDO. The results are used to examine the 1998-2002 climate event over the NE Pacific. Curtiss Davis Remote Sensing Title Monitoring the Coastal Ocean from Geostationary Orbit Authors: Curtiss O. Davis and Mark Abbott College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 Abstract: Coastal waters are highly dynamic. Tides, diurnal winds, river runoff, upwelling and storm winds drive currents from one to several knots. Hourly sampling from geostationary satellites can be used to resolve these features, and to track red tides, oil spills or other features of concern for coastal environmental management. To provide this capability NOAA is planning to include hyperspectral Coastal Waters imaging (HESCW) as part of the Hyperspectral Environment Suite (HES) on the next generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) to be launched in 2012. The HES-CW will image the U.S. coastal waters once every three hours, with selected regions hourly. It will have 300 m spatial resolution and the high signal-to-noise ratio necessary for coastal imaging. To prepare for HES-CW NOAA has formed the Coastal Ocean Applications and Science Team (COAST). COAST goals are to assure that ocean applications and science requirements are met and to help NOAA prepare for the immediate use of the data when HES-CW is launched. This presentation describes the HES-CW requirements, current status and the activities of the COAST team to prepare for HES-CW. Russ Davis Fireside Chat Title The Past and Future of Profiling Floats and Gliders Edward Dever Mature Talk or Poster Title Surface Boundary Layer Variability off Northern California during Upwelling Authors: Ed Dever OSU Clive Dorman SIO/SDSU John Largier UCD/BML Abstract: A five element mooring array is used to study surface boundary layer transport over the northern California shelf from May to August 2001. In this region, upwelling favorable winds increase in strength offshore leading to a strong positive wind stress curl. We examine the cross-shelf variation in surface Ekman transport calculated from the wind stress and the actual surface boundary layer transport estimated from oceanic observations. The two quantities are highly correlated with a regression slope near one. Both the Ekman transport and surface boundary layer transport imply curl-driven upwelling rates of about 3x10-4m s-1 between the 40 and 90 m isobaths (1.5 and 11.0 km from the coast respectively) and curl driven upwelling rates about 1.5x10-4m s-1 between the 90 and 130 m isobaths (11.0 and 28.4 km from the coast respectively). Thus curldriven upwelling extends to at least 25 km from the coast. In contrast, upwelling driven by the adjustment to the coastal boundary condition occurs primarily inshore of the 40 m isobath. The upwelling rates implied by the differencing the 40 m transport observations with the coastal boundary condition are up to 8x10-4m s-1. Clive Dorman Mature Talk or Poster Title Wind Stress and Wind Stress Curl Over the N. California Shelf as Measured by Buoys and Simulated by Atmospheric Model during WEST. Authors: C. Dorman, Scripps Institution of Oceanography,University of California San Diego Darko Koracin, Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada, Reno Ed Dever, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University Abstract: Many studies have confirmed that the effect of the along-shore wind stress on generating upwelling of coastal ocean waters is significant. The role of wind stress curl in driving coastal ocean processes, however, is not well understood. To investigate this, the WEST field program maintained an array of meteorological buoys for two years over the shelf off Bodega Bay, California to directly measure the winds, wind stress and curl of the wind stress. Four wind buoys were in diamond formation with the E-W and N-S buoys 10 km apart. At the center of the diamond was a 5th meteorological buoy. Wind stress curl is computed using the difference in the stress components between two buoys in the cross-shore and two buoys in the along-shore directions. Recent observations and mesoscale modeling results have emphasized that wind stress curl plays a significant role in forcing coastal ocean dynamics. Although the alternating periods of upwelling and relaxation are generally 8-10 days long, a much shorter variability—on the order of a day or so—is superimposed on the SST trend. The analysis of the field program over the shelf off Bodega Bay shows a much greater impact of wind stress curl than along-shore wind stress on SST. This study using observations and modeling also will reveal timescales of the oceanic response to forcing by wind stress and wind stress curl. Dave Foley Remote Sensing Title Satellite Data Distribution in the IOOS era Author: Dave Foley University of Hawaii/JIMAR Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division Abstract: Researchers interested in satellite-based oceanic measurements are often confronted by a bewildering array of data products and formats. With the continuing increase in diversity, frequency, and resolution of spacebourne measurements, this problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. The Environmental Research Division of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, and the West Coast Regional Node of the NOAA CoastWatch Program are working together to mitigate some of the confusion through the development of delivery mechanisms which allow seamless access to satellite data and derived products of many types. Additionally, we seek to provide smooth transitions between near real time data and the delayed science quality data sets more appropriate for many research applications. This process is likely to be a very dynamic one; interested data users are invited to participate at a number of levels ranging from constructive criticism to the formation of partnerships which target the development of specific regional products. Michael Freilich Remote Sensing Title Microwave Remote Sensing of Ocean Surface Wind Speed and Direction: Accomplishments, Challenges, and Predictions Author: M.H. Freilich College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331-5503 Abstract:Satellite-borne microwave scatterometers on NASA and ESA research missions have been acquiring near-all-weather vector wind measurements since the early 1990s. Open-ocean scatterometer data have been extensively characterized, and the measurements have been widely used in numerical and subjective operational forecasting, as well as in scientific research. The NASA QuikSCAT mission was recently extended through 2007. Beginning in early 2007, ESA/EUMETSAT will fly a dual-swath scatterometer on the operational METOP satellites. The U.S. NPOESS operational program will acquire surface wind measurements using microwave polarimetric radiometry, starting no earlier than 2010; the Windsat proof-of-concept mission was launched in early 2003, and preliminary vector wind data have recently become available for validation and analysis. This talk will briefly review the bases of scatterometric and radiometric vector wind measurements, and summarize the quantitative accuracies of QuikSCAT and Windsat in both clear-sky and raining conditions. Examples of recent progress in the calculation of vector wind information with O(10 km) and higher resolution from QuikSCAT, especially in coastal areas, will be presented. Prognoses and challenges associated with planned and proposed future instruments on METOP and NPOESS, as well as issues related to the use of measurements with differing resolution, coverage, accuracy, and sampling characteristics will be outlined. Albert Hermann Mature Talk or Poster Title A comparison of remote versus local influences on the coastal circulation of the Northeast Pacific Authors: Albert J. Hermann 1, Enrique N. Curchitser 2, Dale B. Haidvogel 3 and Elizabeth L. Dobbins 1 1 Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington, P.O. Box 357941, Seattle, WA 98195, U.S.A. E-mail: [email protected] 2 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, P.O. Box 1000, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, N.Y. 10964-8000, U.S.A. 3 Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, 71 Dudley Rd., New Brunswick, N.J. 08901-8521, U.S.A. Abstract: A major goal of Northeast Pacific GLOBEC program has been to elucidate the magnitude and mechanisms of physical and biological covariance between the California and Alaska coastlines. In one such exploration, a set of nested circulation models has been used to explore the remote and local influence of the 1997-1998 El Nino on the circulation and temperature fields of the Northeast Pacific. Our nested set includes a basin-scale model of the North Pacific at ~40 km resolution (NPac), and a regional model of the Northeast Pacific at ~10 km resolution (NEP). The NEP model spans an area from Baja California through the Bering Sea, from the coast to ~2000 km offshore. In this context, “remote influence” refers to effects driven by changes in ocean velocity and temperature outside of the NEP domain; “local influence” refers to direct forcing by winds and runoff within the NEP domain. We have performed a series of sensitivity runs with the NEP model, which analyze the effects of: 1) hindcast winds (from NCEP reanalysis) and coastal runoff, as compared to monthly climatologies; and 2) hindcast boundary conditions (from the NPac model), as compared to monthly climatologies. Results indicate penetration of SSH and associated upwelling/downwelling anomalies from the basin-scale model into the NEP domain (e.g. “remote influence”), with propagation as Coastal Trapped Waves from Baja up through British Columbia. Most of the SSH anomaly off Alaska in El Nino years appears due to direct forcing by winds (“local influence”). We quantify such effects, including the penetration of anomalous temperatures through the southern boundary of the NEP domain, and suggest how they might impact patterns of primary production. Previous GLOBEC investigations with the NEP model explored the spatial structure of locally forced SSH and SST using EOF analysis. Here, this analysis is extended to: 1) compare the EOFs of surface properties, under local vs remote forcing, with satellite-based and in situ observations; 2) explore the EOFs of subsurface properties, and their response to local vs remote forcing; and thereby 3) explore to what extent covariances between the California and Alaska regions are locally vs remotely driven. Maria Jose Juan Jorda General Poster Title Integration of Oceanographic Information off the Oregon and Washington Coasts into Fisheries Management: Can we define “Ocean Fish Habitats”? Authors: Maria Jose Juan Jorda and John A. Barth,College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Science, Oregon State University Abstract:This work is an attempt to incorporate oceanographic information into fisheries management. To date, the use of oceanographic data in fisheries management has been minimal due to scarcity and the difficulty of accessing complete oceanographic datasets. Consequently, fish stocks are managed with limited knowledge about the habitat where fish live and incomplete understanding of what oceanographic conditions affect their populations. This inadequate scientific knowledge among other factors has lead to the management failure of the West Coast groundfish fishery. With the long term goal to improve the management of the groundfish fishery, this study assembles and merges oceanographic information off the Oregon and Washington coasts to investigate if there are particular ocean habitats associated with four different groundfish species with different life history. The fish data consist of NOAA NWFSC’s West Coast Groundfish 2004 Survey and the oceanographic data are comprised of temperature, salinity, chlorophyll concentration, and ocean current velocity from a variety of sources (satellite sensors, conductivity-temperature-depth instruments, acoustic Doppler current profilers and high frequency radars located on the coast) from the earliest time possible to the year 2004. Climotological monthly means and standard deviations for each of the oceanographic variables have been computed at various depths for the cold regimes (1946-1977, 2000-2004). The oceanographic and fish data are being organized in a GIS system, so that it may be combined with benthic habitat information. Work is in progress to carry out a statistical analysis between the oceanographic and fish data. David Kaplan Mature Talk or Poster Title The role of HF radar data in the WEST project Authors: David M. Kaplan, UC Davis John L. Largier, Bodega Marine Lab, UC Davis Louis W. Botsford, UC Davis Abstract: HF radar data is greatly expanding our knowledge of surface flow patterns in the area around Pt Reyes Peninsula, California. Here I will summarize results from three years (20012003) of near continuous surface current measurements in the area, with an emphasis on making connections with other biological and physical measurements taken during the project. Surface flow patterns reveal a strong bimodality in flow, with equatorward flow dominating during periods of upwelling favorable winds, particularly over the shelf edge, and considerable poleward flow occurring over the inner and midshelf during relaxation. Surface divergence patterns indicate significant upwelling of subsurface waters north of Bodega Head during periods of equatorward winds, consistent with the local wind maximum and higher seasurface temperatures south of Bodega Head. Positive divergence is also observed during relaxation periods when flow separates from the shore north of Pt Reyes. These patterns of flow and surface divergence suggest that the accumulation of upwelled waters south of Pt Reyes which are later transported northward and enriched by localized upwelling during relaxation events might be important for coastal productivity in the area. Julie Keister Extreme Event Title Unusually warm ocean Conditions and a collapsed food chain observed during summer of 2005 from N. California to British Columbia Authors: Julie Keister (Oregon State University) William T. Peterson (NOAA Fisheries NW Center) Abstract: During the spring and summer of 2005, conditions in much of the California Current north of approximately 37 N have resembled a major El Niño event yet no such event was recorded at the equator. The coastal ocean temperatures have been anomalously warm in 2005 with +4 deg C anomalies at the NOAA:Stonewall Bank buoy and + 6 deg C anomalies at nearshore hydrographic stations off Newport, Oregon. Some yet-to-be-discovered atmospheric or physical oceanic event has led to a persistence of winter (and El Nino)-like conditions through the spring and into calendar summer. These unusual and anomalous conditions have led to changes in the normal seasonal cycle of production and persistence of a winter (and El nino)-like zooplankton community that appear to have ramifications for food chain structure and subsequent energy flow up the food chain. Most of the changes appear to be chiefly related to local production because there have not been any observations of unusual fish or nekton species with tropical affinities in waters of the Pacific Northwest. It is noteworthy that the warm-water event of 2005 may have been initiated as early as October 2002 since both the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Multivariate ENSO indices changed sign to positive at that time. When changes in sign of these large climate indicators persist for more than a few months, changes in ecosystem structure can be expected. Indeed, zooplankton species composition off Oregon has been dominated by warm-water copepods since late 2002, and the abundance of euphausiid (krill) eggs declined starting in 2002; no eggs were detected in 2005 until late July, which is unusually late in the season. Juvenile salmon catches in pelagic-trawl surveys were low in both 2004 and 2005, indicating low marine survival. The 2004 catches were less than half the 1999-2003 averages, and 2005 catches were even lower than the previous low catch in 1998. Hey-Jin Kim Mature Poster Title Stratification changes and upwelling efficiency in Southern California Current Authors: Hey-Jin Kim, Art Miller, Doug Neilson, and John McGowan Scripps Institution of Oceanography Abstract: California current System (CCS) is highly variable and very productive. Many physical processes interact with various temporal and spatial scales, and they interact with the marine ecosystem. Long-term changes of the biological response to physical climate forcing are one of the main issues of interest, because the nonlinear ecosystem may not be linearly related to the persistent environmental disturbances (Hsieh et al., 2005). Roemmich and McGowan (1995) showed very unique observations of long-term physical-biological interaction in Southern California current and suggested that surface warming forced increased stratification, which capped the cold nutrient-rich upwelling cell, and consequently resulted in 70 % decrease in macrozooplankton biomass in the Southern California current. However, the linkage between stratification changes and zooplankton biomass is still not well understood. This study analyzes patterns of longterm stratification changes quantitatively in terms of mixed layer depth and thermocline depth with the in-situ dataset of 55 year CalCOFI (California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations), and examines the upwelling efficiency and the primary production related to the stratification changes by in-situ data and modeling study. Mike Kosro Remote Sensing? Title TBD Abstract: TBD Raphael Kudela Remote Sensing Title Detecting Iron From Space...Promise or Pipe Dream? Abstract: TBD Cathryn Lawrence Mature Poster Title Optimal wind patterns for plankton productivity: a WEST model analysis Authors: Cathryn A. Lawrence, UC Davis Hiroyuki Yokomizo, Kyushu University Louis W. Botsford, UC Davis Alan M. Hastings, UC Davis Abstract: One of the central questions in WEST was, “How does plankton production respond to winds?” Previously, we showed results for the optimal case when winds are constant, using a simplified model containing the mechanisms thought to be important. Here we show response to variable winds by comparing simulated productivity to predictions made from volume upwelled, the type of upwelling index typically used. Predictions on daily time scale are good and primarily due to common zeroes. Predictions are not as good on annual scales and correlations can be negative. We also address the question, “What is the optimal wind pattern?” as a step toward developing a modification of the upwelling index to use in assessing plankton productivity from winds. We will show how the results are related to best timing of wind and relaxation events. Steve Lentz Mature Talk or Poster Title Undertow Something to worry about? Authors: Steven J. Lentz, Melanie Fewings,Janet Fredericks, John Trowbridge WHOI Peter Howd University of South Florida Kent Hathaway CHL Field Research Facility Abstract: Surface gravity waves propagating shoreward force an onshore flow (Stokes drift) above the wave troughs and a compensating offshore flow below the wave troughs referred to as undertow. Current profile observations from a site in 13 m of water off Marthas Vineyard Massachusetts and seven sites in 5 13 m of water off North Carolina provide compelling evidence that the depth-averaged offshore flow (below the wave troughs) at these inner-shelf sites is primarily undertow. The observed offshore transports are correlated Predicted offshore transports estimated using linear wave theory and observed wave characteristics accounts for 50% or more of the observed offshore transports at each site. The theoretical estimates also reproduce the observed dependence of the offshore transport on wave height and water depth. During moderate to large waves and weak wind stresses, the flow profile in 13 m of water is curved with maximum offshore flow near the surface decreasing to near-zero flow at mid depth and below. The offshore flow is more sheared in summer than winter for the same wave characteristics, presumably due to the stronger stratification in summer. The observed undertow can be an effective mechanism for exchange between the beach/surfzone and the inner shelf. Thomas C. Malone OOS Title The Coastal Component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System Authors: T.C. Malone, L. Dantzler, M. Hemsley, A. Clark and R. Cohen Abstract: The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is being designed and implemented to provide data and information needed to significantly improve the nation’s ability to achieve seven societal goals: (1) improve predictions of climate change and weather and their effects on coastal communities and the nation; (2) improve the safety and efficiency of maritime operations; (3) more effectively mitigate the effects of natural hazards; (5) improve national and homeland security; (6) reduce public health risks; (6) more effectively protect and restore healthy coastal ecosystems; and (7) enable the sustained use of ocean and coastal resources. Achieving these goals depends on the establishment of a robust network of operational observing activities that routinely, reliably, and continuously provides data and information on oceans and coasts, in forms and at rates specified by groups that use, depend on, manage, and study marine systems. The global ocean-climate component of the IOOS is in the early stages of implementation. The recently completed First IOOS Development Plan focuses on the coastal component of the IOOS and addresses many recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, including those for establishing an IOOS with an emphasis on regional development, developing the capacity for ecosystem-based management, and linking IOOS data and information to applications. Design and implementation plans for the coastal component of the IOOS are the subject of this presentation.