Maintaining Deep Ocean Observations: The ALOHA Cabled Observatory

长期海洋监测点位于夏威夷瓦胡岛以北100公里处，被称为ALOHA站（长期寡营养栖息地评估站），自20世纪80年代末以来一直是反复观测的地点。最近，在ALOHA站附近建立了一个用电缆连接到岸上的深海观测站。ALOHA电缆天文台（ACO）于2011年6月部署，支持ALOHA站的创新科学研究。ACO为海洋科学界提供了必要的基础设施，并在ALOHA站进行持续的科学研究，ALOHA站是一个代表全球海洋很大一部分的贫营养（沙漠）站点。作为世界上最深的操作电缆站，它使新型海洋观测传感器和技术的科学开发、测试和操作成为可能，从深渊一直延伸到海面。ALOHA是一个可以从上到下连接海洋的地方，无论是字面上还是比喻上，都可以提高理解，这样我们就可以在所有时间和空间尺度上模拟和预测人类影响的生物地球化学和物理过程。阿罗哈电缆观测站（ACO）是地球上最深的电缆海洋观测站。ACO位于4728米水深的ALOHA站海底，为新的、令人兴奋的、全球相关的科学和技术提供基础设施和数据。该观测站补充了半月夏威夷海洋时间序列（HOT）船基测量和伍兹霍尔/HOT （WHOTS）水面系泊在ALOHA站的共同位置。总之，这三个程序独特地提供了开放海洋中高分辨率的全水柱测量。这些数据与来自许多相关过程研究的数据一起，形成了一个以一个地点为中心的独特的、多元的、长期的海洋状态数据集。凭借相对较高的功率（1200w）、数据带宽（100mb /s）和精确定时、一套基本的核心观测设备以及即将上线的新型远程操作车辆（ROV）， ACO可以支持新的创新科学研究，同时也可以补充HOT和其他ALOHA站的科学研究。科学问题包括：有多少碳被输出到深海、底栖生物和沉积物中？是什么决定了营养物注入到光带和输出到深海的事件？在整个水柱中混合的耦合生物和物理细节和影响是什么？深海中的生物和物理能量学是什么？次引力波模型的表现如何？海洋哺乳动物的数量和行为是如何随时间变化的？被动声学可以用来推断海洋温度吗？我们能从海底压力中了解到海啸和地震事件的什么信息？解决这些具有挑战性的问题需要先进的技术，如分布式底部阵列和水柱剖面系泊。这笔拨款用于支持科学界持续的ACO操作和维护。核心仪器将进行维修、部署和维护，包括一个基本的传感器包（压力、荧光计和温度/盐度）。所有数据，包括实时视频和音频流，都是公开的。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The long-term ocean monitoring site 100 km north of Oahu, Hawaii known as station ALOHA (A Long-term Oligotrophic Habitat Assessment) has been the location of repeated observations since the late 1980's. More recently, a deep-sea observatory, cabled to shore, was established near station ALOHA. The ALOHA Cabled Observatory (ACO) was deployed in June 2011 and supports innovative scientific research at Station ALOHA. The ACO provides the ocean science community with essential infrastructure and access for sustained science at Station ALOHA, an oligotrophic (desert) site representative of a large fraction of the global ocean. As the deepest operational cabled station, it enables the development, testing and operation for science of new ocean observing sensors and technology, from the abyss to the surface. ALOHA is one setting where it will be possible to connect the ocean from top to bottom, both literally and figuratively, to improve understanding so we can model and predict for human impacts biogeochemical and physical processes at all temporal and spatial scales.The ALOHA Cabled Observatory (ACO) is the deepest operating cabled ocean observatory on our planet. Situated on the seafloor at Station ALOHA in 4728 m water depth, the ACO provides infrastructure and data for new and exciting, globally relevant science and technology. The observatory complements the quasi-monthly Hawaii Ocean Timeseries (HOT) ship-based measurements and Woods Hole/HOT (WHOTS) surface mooring co-located at Station ALOHA. Together, these three programs uniquely provide high-resolution, full-water column measurements in the open ocean. These data together with those from many associated process studies form a unique, multivariate, long-term data set of the ocean state centered at one location. With the availability of relatively high power (1200 W), data bandwidth (100 Mb/s) and precise timing, a basic suite of core observations, and a new remotely operated vehicle (ROV) coming on-line, the ACO can support new and innovative science studies, in their own right as well as to complement HOT and other Station ALOHA science. Science questions include: How much carbon is exported to pelagic depths, the benthos and the sediment? What governs nutrient injection events into the euphotic zone, and export events to the deeper sea? What are the coupled biological and physical details and impacts of mixing throughout the water column? What are the biological and physical energetics in the abyssal ocean? How well are infra-gravity wave models performing? How do marine mammal populations and behaviors change over time? Can passive acoustics be used to infer ocean temperature? What can we learn about tsunamis and seismic events from the bottom pressure? Addressing such challenging questions will require technology advances such as distributed bottom arrays and water column profiling moorings. This grant supports continued ACO operations and maintenance for the scientific community. Core instrumentation will be repaired, deployed, and maintained, including a basic sensor package (pressure, fluorometer, and temperature/salinity). All data, including real time video and audio streams, are publicly available.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.