MRI:Acquisition of Ocean Gliders for Marine Science Research Support at the University of the Virgin Islands

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The PI’s request funding to acquire two gliders with CTD and ADCP to provide the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) with the capability to support integrated ocean research and education at UVI and within the Eastern Caribbean region. Gliders provide a way to collect open ocean and near-shelf measurements without large research vessels. UVI researchers have existing projects that would benefit from regional offshore glider data. A glider program would create new student educational and research opportunities for learning about physical oceanography, ocean observing, and integrating ocean physics into marine science and other disciplines. Gliders are excellent training tools. By learning how to pilot the gliders, the students become both the scientist and ship captain for planning research. Creating a hands-on glider program UVI will have a positive impact on students’ (including minorities) education in marine science.UVI scientists have identified numerous research projects that would benefit from glider data including spawning and behavior of commercially important fish species; understanding of temperature and salinity variability at the shelf break and its importance to coral health; longer-term climatological impacts on coral reefs, internal wave variability and ecosystem impacts at the shelf break; improved US Caribbean ROMS models; studing energetics of the internal wave fields and their role in regional ocean dynamics; studies of Caribbean heat and fresh water fluxes; studies of ocean circulation and hurricane intensification; animal tracking and acoustics; and ongoing ocean acidification and productivity research.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.