The oceans have enormous importance for all of
Earth's ecological and climatic systems, yet there is
still much about them that humankind doesn't understand.
Research organizations around the globe seek to expand
our knowledge of the seas, and to find
solutions to the environmental threats they face. The
following institutions and companies, laid out in no
particular order, are striving to learn more about
the world's waters and the life they contain.
Leading us off at # 1 is the
Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi,
dedicated to seeking solutions for the ecological and
economic problems facing the Gulf of Mexico. The
organization's interdisciplinary approach includes diverse focus areas such
as HydroEcology Socio-Economics, and Marine Policy and Law.
HRI's researchers produce resources such as BlueValue, a
searchable database of ecosystem service valuations, and the
Freshwater Inflows tool, which provides ecological information to
policymakers.
Projects from HRI include ecosystem monitoring, habitat restoration,
and efforts to adapt to the impact of
climate change. The Institute helps to forge collaborations
like the Trinational Initiative, a joint research and
policy project between the United States Mexico, and
Cuba, and its Gulf Report Card framework, which
communicates environmental health information to the public. Student
Fellowships and other financial aid resources offer funding
for those interested in working with HRI.
Next on the list is # 2 the
Consortium for Ocean Leadership, which aims to advance
scientific and societal understanding of the seas. The
Consortium manages and supports research endeavors that explore
deep-water ecosystems, examine the repercussions of petroleum pollution,
and monitor the health of the planet's waters.
With events like the Marine Geoscience Leadership Symposium,
COL brings researchers from around the world together
to share knowledge and forge interdisciplinary collaborations.
COL's National Ocean Sciences Bowl introduces students and
educators to marine science as an interdisciplinary field
of study, through a variety of learning and
mentoring experiences culminating in a knowledge-testing competition. Other
outreach programs include In Search of Earth’s Secrets,
a STEM learning experience for under-served communities, and
the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative, which produces research-based public
policy recommendations.
Entry # 3 is the Ocean Observatories Initiative,
a global-scale integrated infrastructure program collecting marine data
for research purposes. The organization deploys and maintains
a variety of instruments that provide real-time monitoring
of conditions across the world, ranging from the
temperature of vents on the seafloor to the
velocity of winds on the surface. A diverse
array of communications devices transmit information from the
sensors to the internet, making it available for
public use.
Data collection from the OOI's arrays has enabled
important insights into underwater volcanic activity, marine species
diversity, and the circulation of heat within the
oceans, among many other areas of study. The
program's ongoing monitoring makes it possible to observe
long-term ecological patterns like changes in whale song
volume or seasonal variations in ocean surface temperatures.
The Initiative has developed tools to help researchers
make use of its data, including deep-sea time-lapse
videos and photographic catalogs of underwater fauna.
Coming in at # 4 is Saildrone, a
company that designs and manufactures wind- and solar-powered
autonomous surface vehicles for cost-effective ocean data collection.
Its Mission-as-a-Service model gives researchers access to a
global fleet of unmanned observation platforms to conduct
wildlife surveys, mapping expeditions, investigations of air-sea interactions,
and other scientific endeavors. The information collected is
transmitted via satellite to a secure web portal,
enabling real-time-tracking and control.
The standard sensor array of a Saildrone provides
diverse capabilities including object detection and sonar seafloor
mapping, while optional instruments enable specialized applications like
oil spill detection. The company's Data Explorer makes
large volumes of scientific information available to the
public, and each year it awards free data
collection capacity to an organization performing important environmental
research. Saildrone also offers a weather forecast app
driven by information from its global drone fleet.
Wrapping up our list is # 5 Future
Oceans Lab, a group of researchers investigating ways
to help marine systems adapt to the effects
of climate change. The team's work examines the
connections between ecology society, and institutions, to help
communities develop strategies for managing aquatic ecosystems for
long-term sustainability. FOL investigates research topics like the
economic and environmental impacts of small-scale fisheries, and
the climate vulnerability of various regions of the
world.
Through efforts like the PERCEBES initiative, FOL works
to identify techniques that conserve oceanic resources while
preserving the livelihoods of fishing communities. Other projects
work to quantify the financial value of healthy
ecosystems, or to demonstrate the economic benefits of
sustainable fisheries management. The MPA ENGAGE initiative focuses
on outreach, using in-person training events and educational
webinars to spur development of climate change adaptation
plans.