The Ocean Observatories Initiative: Wiring the Ocean for Interactive Scientific Discovery

The National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Science has established the Ocean Research Interactive Observatory Networks (ORION) Program to operate and manage existing and future ocean observing sites funded by NSF including those constructed by the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). The OOI is an integrated observatory system with three elements: 1) deep-sea buoys with capabilities appropriate to the experiments they will host with some designs capable of deployment in harsh environments such as the Southern Ocean, 2) a regional electro-optical cabled network consisting of interconnected sites on the seafloor spanning several geological and oceanographic features and processes, and 3) new construction or enhancements to existing facilities leading to an expanded network of coastal observatories. These three components are linked through a forward-looking cyberinfrastructure. This paper will provide an update on current activities related to the OOI Project and the ORION Program