EAGER: Filling a Crucial Oceanographic Observation Gap in the Southern Ocean with Animal-borne Instruments

由于海冰和陆地冰川/冰盖的出现阻碍了研究区域的进入，对南大洋沿海水域主导的许多过程的研究很少。沿海冰阻碍了传统系泊和滑翔机研究方法的使用，而这些方法是评估低纬度沿海系统结构和动态的常用工具。在过去的二十年中，对南大洋海洋哺乳动物使用动物载具（ABI）来收集栖息地使用模式、迁徙路线、觅食和繁殖热点以及人类在海洋捕食者附近活动的影响等方面的数据呈爆炸式增长。ABI传感器一直在收集温度、盐度、光线、荧光等方面的数据，这些数据可以补充基于船舶和近海系泊观测的传统海洋测量数据。这项研究将收集许多数据集，这些数据集是由居住在南设得兰群岛和凯尔盖伦岛附近地区的一个不同的海洋哺乳动物群落收集的。ABI数据将进行质量控制和评估，用于探索海洋学方面的变化，如混合层深度的变化、淡水（融水）侵入、光穿透和沿海地区表面温度的变化，这将补充其他数据集。该项目涉及国际合作者，将培养一名数据分析方面的研究生。通过开发供小学和高中课堂使用的学习模块，还将产生更广泛的影响。第二部分：技术描述：本研究将评估在南大洋两个区域的海洋学研究中，来自各种海洋掠食者的30年动物载具（ABI）档案数据集的潜力。动物跟踪数据将进行质量控制和处理，以获得近岸和冰下区域的深度、温度、光照和盐度等基于位置的测量结果。将对近岸和冰下收集的数据集进行分析，以确定ABI数据在探索海岸混合层深度、融水侵入和光线穿透等特征方面的可行性，这些特征可以补充传统的、但远离海岸的海洋观测系统数据。来自食肉动物觅食的研究较少的热点地区的数据可能特别重要。结果将通过美国和国际组织之间的合作进行分享，这些组织包括南极研究科学委员会（SCAR）和南大洋观测系统（SOOS）等。为了科学界的利益，将利用公共数据库提供数据。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。

Part 1: Non-technical description Many processes that dominate coastal waters in the Southern Ocean are poorly studied due to the occurrence of sea ice and land glaciers/ice sheets that prevent access to study areas. Coastal ice prevents use of traditional moorings and glider-based research approaches that are common tools to evaluate the structure and dynamics of coastal systems in lower latitudes. During the past two decades there has been an explosive increase in the use of Animal-Borne instruments (ABI) on Southern Oceans marine mammals to collect data on aspects such as patterns of habitat usage, migratory routes, foraging and reproductive hot-spots, and impacts of human activities near marine predators. ABI sensors have been collecting data on aspects such as temperature, salinity, light, fluorescence and other aspects that could supplement sparse traditional ocean measurements from ship-based and offshore mooring-based observations. This study will assemble many datasets collected by a diverse community of instrumented marine mammals inhabiting the regions near the Southern Shetlands Islands and Kerguelen Island. ABI data will be quality controlled and evaluated for use to explore oceanographic aspects such as variability in mixed layer depth, fresh (melt) water intrusions, light penetration and surface temperature variability in coastal areas that will supplement other datasets. The project involves international collaborators and will train a graduate student in data analysis. Broader impacts will also be accomplished through the development of learning modules for use in elementary and high-school classrooms. Part II: Technical description: This study will evaluate the potential of 30 years of archival Animal-Borne Instrument (ABI) datasets from a variety of marine predators for oceanographic studies in two regions of the Southern Ocean. Animal tracking data will be quality controlled and processed to obtain location-based measurements of depth, temperature, light, and salinity in near-shore and under ice regions. Nearshore and under ice collected datasets will be analyzed to determine the feasibility of ABI data to explore features such as coastal mixed layer depth, melt water intrusions and light penetration that could supplement more traditional, but further from shore, ocean observing system data. Data from poorly studied hotspot regions where predators feed could be of particular importance. Results will be shared using collaborations among U.S. and international organizations such as Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Southern Ocean Observing Systems (SOOS), among others. Data will be made available using public databases for the benefit of the scientific community.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.