Collaborative Research: The Oleander Project: Sustained observations between New York and Bermuda

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The Oleander project began in 1992 as an effort to conduct high-resolution upper-ocean velocity measurements on a sustained multiyear basis. The Oleander project was established to track near surface heat-fluxes in the Gulf Stream region by taking continuous measurements over a long period of time. In the past 15 years of this project, upper-ocean velocity and near-surface temperatures have been sampled by an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) mounted in the hull of a container vessel (CMV Oleander) that operates weekly between New Jersey and Bermuda. These transects include measurements taken in four distinct and oceanographically important regions: the continental shelf, the Slope Sea, the Gulf Stream, and the northwestern Sargasso Sea. In addition to creating a long-term record of measurements, results from the Oleander project have been used by a variety of researchers and in a range of oceanographic fields. Intellectual Merit: Currently, ocean scientists from the University of Rhode Island in collaboration with an oceanographer from SUNY at Stony Brook will continue in leading the efforts of the Oleander project. In addition to maintaining the measurements for this long-lasting record, they will be further analyzing the collected data to elucidate the long-term climatological variability of the upper-ocean mass- and heat-fluxes, as well as investigating the linkages between velocity and heat flux regimes in the Gulf of Mexico and their connections to large-scale forcing fields. Broader Impacts: The measurements from the Oleander project have made valuable contributions to the CLIVAR (CLImate VARiability and predictability) program and compliment the measurements taken by other research initiatives such as the Ocean Observatory Initiative's Pioneer Array and the deep western boundary current measurement program. The PIs will continue their outreach program for high school students with Bayonne High School in new Jersey. Funding from this research will support research and education opportunities for graduate students.