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Research
U.S. JGOFS Program Description
The U.S. JGOFS program has consisted of six cooperating,
complementary activity elements: time-series measurements at Hawaii and
Bermuda, process studies, global surveys, synthesis and modeling efforts
and data management. U.S. JGOFS is the U.S. national program of JGOFS,
an international program sponsored by the Scientific Committee on Oceanic
Research (SCOR) and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).
U.S. JGOFS is also an element of the U.S. Global Change Research program.
The early history and broad framework of the U.S. JGOFS program has been
described in a Science Plan (Long-Range Plan, U.S. JGOFS Planning Report
Number 11, 1990). The Plan includes a full description of the JGOFS program
elements. A brief summary of those program elements appears below.
Synthesis and Modeling:
The main objective
of the Synthesis and Modeling Project (SMP) is to
synthesize knowledge gained from the U.S. JGOFS and related studies into
models that reflect our
current understanding of the ocean carbon cycle and its associated uncertainties.
In particular, the
processes that control carbon partitioning among ocean reservoirs, and
the implications on
ocean/atmosphere carbon exchange, are emphasized.
Data Management:
The Data Management Office (DMO) was developed to meet the data management
needs of U.S. JGOFS. During the U.S. JGOFS program, the DMO managed a web-based
data server system which provided access to U.S. JGOFS data sets and information
generated from the program's complementary elements.
Process Studies:
The U.S. JGOFS Process Study data was published
in volume 1 of this data report.
The objective
of the process studies component was to target key process links in models
of the oceanic biogeochemical system and enhance our causal understanding
of the processes. The goal of the process-oriented studies was to provide
a mechanistic understanding of ocean processes in sufficient detail to
predict
and stimulate biogeochemical fluxes at representative sites in the ocean.
Plans called for the deployment of moored arrays and detailed cruise operations
in well-defined boxes at strategic oceanic locations. The U.S. participated
in the four major JGOFS Process Studies and data reported from those studies
has been published and distributed as volume 1 of the final data report
and is available
from the U.S. JGOFS Planning Office 
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North Atlantic Bloom Experiment (NABE)
conducted during 1989 in the North Atlantic at 20°W
Equatorial Pacific Process Study (EqPac)
conducted during 1992 from 12°N to 12°S at 140°W
Arabian Sea Process Study
conducted during 1994-1996 in the northwest Indian Ocean
Antarctic Environment and Southern Ocean Process Study (AESOPS)
conducted during 1996-1998 in the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean
Much of the data gathered from the remaining elements
of the program (time-series, CO2 survey and satellite observations
of ocean color) is reported with the SMP results in this and other volumes
of this data report or has been published in other forms.
Time-series:
Starting in 1988, JGOFS initiated two time-series measurement programs
at Hawaii
and Bermuda time series stations (HOT and BATS, respectively). The objective
of the time-series
effort is to provide well-sampled seasonal resolution of biogeochemical
variability at a limited
number of ocean observatories, provide support and background measurements
for process-oriented research, as well as test and validate observations for
biogeochemical models.
The HOT and BATS records now span a period greater than 10 years with
well over 100 successful
cruises at each site and permanent moorings in place to assess ocean variability
in the oligotrophic ocean.
CO2 Survey:
The rationale for the large-scale survey component
of JGOFS is to provide a
composite, basin to global scale, biogeochemical view of the ocean. The
large-scale survey of
basin-to-global oceanic CO2 parameters conducted as part of the WOCE Hydrographic
Program
cruises is a major component of the JGOFS survey program element.
Satellite Observations of Ocean Color:
Satellites can provide a large-scale view of the ocean. In
particular, the ocean color sensor Sea-viewing Wide Field Sensor (SeaWiFS)
is of interest to JGOFS
due to its ability to measure surface chlorophyll distribution. Data
gathered from this component is reported with the Synthesis and Modeling results.
In addition to their inclusion in this data report, additional data from these elements
have been published elsewhere.
HOT
Hawaii Ocean Time-series
BATS
Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study
CO2 survey
from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC)
Ocean color
observations from NASA OceanColor Web
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