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Bathymetry
Bathymetry is a standard tool used to map the topography of the ocean floor. Exploration of the ocean bathymetry progressed after World War II, and revealed that the ocean bottom was not flat as previously assumed. The ocean bottom consists of a system of diverse topographic features, and can be divided into three large provinces: the continental margins, deep ocean basins and the mid oceans ridges. Surprisingly, much of the ocean remains to be mapped. Bathymetric data is important for monitoring oceanographic features and processes. Bathymetric data can be applied to scientific questions with geological, biological, physical and chemical emphases.
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Oceanographic
Cruise Data
Oceanographic data has been collected on cruises all over the world for hundreds of years. People were initially interested in winds, currents, tides, and bathymetry for navigation. Today's techniques of sampling from a ship are quite sophisticated.
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Mooring Data
Moored instruments are anchored to the ocean floor. This prevents the instruments from drifting in currents, and enables them to take measurements repeatedly at the same location. These units can be equipped with several different instruments depending on what oceanographers are interested in investigating. Most measure temperature and salinity. Often they are outfitted with a current meter to measure the velocity of water in the area.
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Drifting Buoy Data
As their name implies, drifting buoys are not anchored to the bottom but are allowed to drift over time. It is assumed that they remain with the same water parcel as they are pushed around. Their position and data about the seawater are transmitted to satellites.
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Satellite Data
Although very useful, data collected by the above methods does not have high resolution. The oceans cover approximately 70% of the surface area of the globe, and ships and buoys can only sample a small portion of this area. Many satellites are now equipped with instruments pointed at the oceans which measure sea surface temperatures, winds, and even chlorophyll concentration.
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Shorezone
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Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of waves generated by the sudden displacement of a large volume of water. They can be initiated by earthquakes, underwater landslides, volcanic eruptions, or the impact of a meteorite.
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Arctic Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (AOMIP)
For the Arctic Ocean, modeling is essential for understanding past conditions and for explaining recently observed changes. The international Arctic Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (AOMIP) is focused on the investigation of different aspects of the ocean and sea ice changes for the time period 1948-present. Among the major AOMIP themes are investigations of the origin and variability of Atlantic Water (AW) circulation, mechanisms of accumulation and release of fresh water (FW), causes of sea level rise, the role of tides in the shaping of climate, and sea ice variability. In this site, we focus on sea ice representation in different AOMIP regional and global models.
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Arctic Ocean Biodiversity (ArcOD)
The Arctic Ocean is unique on Earth in its physical and biological properties. It is the most extreme ocean in regard to the seasonality of light and its year-round existing ice cover. Current knowledge indicates that the Arctic seas hold a multitude of unique life forms highly adapted in their life history, ecology and physiology to the extreme and seasonal conditions of their environment. Our knowledge of what currently lives in the Arctic Ocean is still rudimentary compared to most other regions, due to the logistical challenges imposed by its multiyear ice and inhospitable climate.
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Freshwater Flux
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North Pacific Research Board, NPRB
The North Pacific Research Board (Board) was created by Congress in 1997 to recommend marine research initiatives to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), who is charged with making final funding decisions. The Board has 20 members hailing mainly from Alaska, Washington and Oregon. Its staff and home office are located in Anchorage, Alaska.
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