Democratization of Ocean Research: A Model for the Post-Cold War Era?

Since the end of World War II the field of oceanography has enjoyed the generous patronage of the federal government under the social contract model for the support of science. This model is based on the principles of freedom and autonomy for scientists, insulation of science from politics, and emphasis on basic research. With the recent ending of the Cold War, the simple science policies of the post-World War II years are being philosophically and politically challenged and the rationales for the support of science are being questioned. National security is no longer the driving force behind science funding in the United States. With a heavy dependence on the federal government for support and strong roots in the Cold War, oceanographic science is particularly vulnerable at this time to shifts in national priorities. Calls have been made for the negotiation of a new social contract between scientists and the federal government. In this paper a model for a new social contract is suggested based on the democratization of science. Indicators of democratization are presented and data relevant to the oceanographic field are analyzed. It is concluded that a shift is underway toward the democratization of academic oceanography in the United States in the post-Cold War era

CPIES Data Collected Near Hydrostation S Southeast of Bermuda from June 2016 to June 2017

This report focuses on data collected from four current meter equipped pressure inverted echo sounders (CPIES), two with respectively two and one Popeye Data Shuttles (PDS) on them, and two dual-pressure CPIES each with a Paroscientific stable oceanographic sensor (SOS) and a 46K sensor that has a long track record of previous deployments with low-drift, deployed from June 2016 to June 2017 near Hydrostation S, 25 km southeast of Bermuda (Figure 1). The CPIES were moored at similar depths, ranging from approximately 3400 to 3600 m, at sites numbered clockwise around Hydrostation S as P1, P2, P3, and P4

PIES and CPIES Data Processing Manual

The Inverted Echo Sounder (IES) is an ocean bottom-moored instrument that measures the vertical acoustic travel time (VATT) round-trip from the seafloor to the sea surface and back. The VATT varies principally due to changes in the temperature profile of the water column, making the IES well-suited for monitoring changes in temperature structure and dynamic height (baroclinic signal). Currently, the Model 6.2, a combined IES, data-logger, and acoustic release, with measurements of bottom pressure and temperature (PIES) and optional measurements of current speed and direction (CPIES, with attached Aanderaa Doppler current sensor) is produced at URI/GSO. Data are processed in situ and are available (optional) remotely by an acoustic telemetry link. In addition to the IES-measured baroclinic signals, barotropic near-bottom pressure variations may be measured with the optional pressure sensor. A report was written in 1991 describing IES data processing [Fields et al., 1991]. Since that report, significant improvements have been made to both IES hardware and software, warranting an update of the IES data processing. The report by Kennelly et al. [2007] documents the standard processing steps contained in IESpkg 3, which has been used since the early 2000s, for IES/PIES/CPIES Models 6.1 and 6.2 at URI/GSO. More recently, IESpkg 4 was developed to allow more flexibility in the processing steps and data outputs, and to process the Fast PIES versions that sample 96 travel times each hour. This report documents the processing steps in IESpkg 4 and it repeats as much of the original text of Kennelly et al. [2007] as is still applicable. A separate document, Inverted Echo Sounder User\u27s Manual, IES Model 6.2, describes the IES hardware and instrument configuratio

An Intercomparison of Four Models of Current Meter in High Current Conditions in Drake Passage

Seven current meters representing four models were placed for an 11 month deployment on a stiffly buoyed mooring to intercompare their velocity measurements: two VMCMs, two Aanderaa RCM11s, two Aanderaa SEAGUARDSs, and a Nortek Aquadopp. The current meters were placed 6 m apart from each other at about 4000 m depth in an area of Drake Passage expected to have strong near-bottom currents, that were nearly independent of depth. Two high-current events occurred in bursts of semi-diurnal pulses lasting several days, one with peak speeds up to 67 cm/s and the other above 35 cm/s. The current speed measurements all agreed within about 5% when vector-averaged over simultaneous time intervals: the full time interval (198 days) when all instruments were working, and the two high-speed events lasting 21 days and 7 days. The VMCMs, chosen as the reference measurements, were found to measure the median of the mean-current magnitudes. The RCM11 and SEAGUARD current speeds had a nearly 1:1 relationship with the median. They agreed within 2% at higher speeds (35-70 cm/s), whereas in lower speed ranges (0-35 cm/s) the vector-averaged speeds for the RCM11s and SEAGUARDS were, respectively, 4-5% lower and 3-5% higher than the median. The Aquadopp current speeds were about 7% higher than the VMCMs over the range (0-40 cm/s) encountered through their shorter common time period

Mapping Circulation in the Kuroshio Extension with an Array of Current and Pressure Recording Inverted Echo Sounders

The Kuroshio Extension System Study (KESS) aimed to quantify processes governing the variability of and the interaction between the Kuroshio Extension and the recirculation gyre. To meet this goal, a suite of instrumentation, including 43 inverted echo sounders equipped with bottom pressure gauges and current meters [current and pressure recording inverted echo sounders (CPIES)], was deployed. The array was centered on the first quasi-stationary meander crest and trough east of Japan, which is also the region of highest eddy kinetic energy. KESS was the first experiment to deploy a large quantity of these new CPIES instruments, and it was unique in that the instruments were deployed in water depths (5300–6400 m) close to their limit of operation. A comprehensive narrative of the methodology to produce mesoscale-resolving four-dimensional circulation fields of temperature, specific volume anomaly, and velocity from the KESS CPIES array is provided. In addition, an improved technique for removing pressure drift is introduced. Methodology and error estimates were verified with several independent datasets. Temperature error was lowest on the equatorward side of the Kuroshio Extension core and decreased with depth (1.5°C at 300 m, 0.3°C at 600 m, and \u3c0.1°C below 1200 m). Velocity errors were highest in regions of strong eddy kinetic energy, within and south of the jet core. Near the surface, the error in geostrophic velocity between adjacent CPIES was typically 10 cm s−1, decreasing downward to 6 cm s−1 at 500-m depth and 5 cm s−1 below 800 m. The rms differences from pointwise current measurements are nearly twice as large as the geostrophic errors, because the pointwise velocities include submesoscale and ageostrophic contributions

Generation of high-frequency topographic Rossby waves in the Gulf of Mexico

The Loop Current Eddy (LCE) separation cycle energizes deep circulation in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, transferring energy from the surface intensified Loop Current (LC) to the typically quiescent lower layers. To document the generation and radiation of deep energy during this cycle, an array of 24 current and pressure recording inverted echo sounders (CPIES) is deployed in the region 89°W to 86°W, 25°N to 27.5°N with the intent to capture circulation near bathymetric features thought to be important for current-topographic interactions: Campeche Bank, Mississippi Fan, and West Florida Shelf. During the nearly two-year deployment, June 2019 to May 2021, three LCE separation events are observed, during which energy injected into the deep Gulf organizes into two distinct frequency bands (1/100 – 1/20 days–1 and 1/20 – 1/10 days–1). High-frequency variability dominates the array’s northwest corner in the vicinity of the Mississippi Fan. Wave properties are consistent with topographic Rossby Waves (TRWs) with wavelengths of 150 – 300 km. Their generation coincides with each LCE separation and is attributed to an upper-lower layer resonant coupling between surface meanders and the sloping topography of the Mississippi Fan. TRWs captured by the CPIES array will likely intensify as wavelengths shorten in steeper topography along propagation pathways towards the Sigsbee Escarpment, generating hazardous currents with the potential to disrupt oil and gas operations in the region

Inverted Echo Sounder Data Processing Manual

The Inverted Echo Sounder (IES) is an ocean bottom-moored instrument that measures the vertical acoustic travel time (VATT) round-trip from the sea floor to the sea surface and back. The VATT varies principally due to changes in the temperature profile of the water column, making the IES well-suited for monitoring changes in temperature structure and dynamic height (baroclinic signal). Currently, the Model 6.2, a combined IES, data-logger, and acoustic release, with optional measurements of bottom pressure, temperature and current speed and direction (with attached AanderaaTM Doppler current sensor) is produced at URI/GSO. Data are processed in situ and are available (optional) remotely by an acoustic telemetry link or expendable, satellite-link data shuttle. In addition to the IES-measured baroclinic signals, barotropic near-bottom pressure variations may be measured with the optional pressure sensor. A report was written in 1991 describing IES data processing (Fields et al., 1991). Since that report, significant improvements have been made to both IES hardware and software, warranting an update of the IES data processing. This report will document standard processing steps currently carried out for IES Models 6.1 and 6.2 at URI/GSO. A separate document, Inverted Echo Sounder User’s Manual, IES Model 6.2, describes the IES hardware and instrument configuration

Gulf Stream Recirculation Experiment (GUSREX) and line experiment SOFAR float data, 1980-1982

Thirty-nine neutrally buoyant SOFAR floats were tracked in the western North Atlantic at depths of 700 m and 2000 m. These floats were launched in an effort to measure the deep current structure of the Gulf Stream and its recirculation near 55°W. Three separate deployments were made in April and October 1980 and July 1981. The floats were tracked by means of moored autonomous listening stations. The basic data consist of float trajectories, and temperature, pressure, and velocity measurements along the trajectories. This report describes the GUSREX experiment and instrument performance. It presents plots illustrating the horizontal structure and scales of the general circulation in the Gulf Stream and its recirculation for the period October 1980 to May 1982.Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE 81-0914