An Ocean Bottom Seismic Instrument Center at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

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Seismology is the primary tool that scientists use to investigate Earth's structure and dynamic processes, such as earthquakes and volcanism. About 70% of Earth's surface is covered by water, and while data from land seismographs can tell us much about large-scale structure and seismicity under the oceans, many questions related to the nature of mid-ocean ridges, hot-spots, subduction zones, and continental margins can only be addressed by data acquired with ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS). The construction, operation and maintenance of OBS requires specialized facilities and technical expertise that are beyond the ability of most individual investigators to maintain. The Ocean Bottom Seismometer Instrument Center (OBSIC) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will provide instrumentation and the skilled personnel to operate these instruments to all NSF-funded investigators whose research would benefit from seafloor seismic observations. WHOI has over 40 years of experience developing and operating ocean-bottom seismic instrumentation.The Ocean Bottom Seismometer Instrument Center (OBSIC) will provide state-of-the-art OBS instrumentation to the community while also evolving OBS operations toward an optimal, stable and strategic state. The state of the facility is optimal when data quality and the quantity of data that the facility can deliver are maximized for the available funding; it is stable when it is immune to perturbations (such as personnel changes or fluctuations in user demand), and it is strategic when new technologies and procedures are anticipated and seamlessly incorporated and standards of excellence are continuously rising. Key components of OBSIC include standardization of instrumentation, enhanced component tracking and the maintenance of instrumentation at a high readiness state, economical maximization of operational capacity through a combination of permanent OBSIC personnel and trained technicians from the UNOLS Marine Tech Pool and the USGS, and following a staffing and hiring plan that promotes continuous transfer of expertise, reducing risk to the health of the facility. Expansion of seismic capabilities to the marine environment has and will be necessary for national and international needs such as Earth hazards mitigation, environmental monitoring and marine resource exploitation. OBSIC will provide training in OBS science and instrumentation for a postdoctoral researcher, as well as for several engineering undergraduates. Outreach and information will be provided through an OBSIC website and through open meetings at the American Geophysical Union Annual Fall Meeting.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.