Ocean and Climate Observations, Analysis, and Prediction

cimas cimas
cimas cimas

Research conducted under this theme will focus on:

  • understanding oceanic and atmospheric processes associated with global and regional climate change on various temporal scales, as well as the impacts of climate variability and change;
  • determining effective regional adaptation strategies, and developing and studying new climate information products and tools appropriate for evolving user needs, particularly in the Southeast U.S. and the Caribbean;
  • the collection and analysis of observations of the ocean and coastal environment that are important for understanding and monitoring geophysical, chemical, and biological processes for all timescales. Specific focus areas include an emphasis of the global carbon cycle, ocean acidification and ocean variability that impacts sea-level, ocean circulation, extreme weather, marine ecosystems and climate;
  • the development and improvement of ocean and coastal observation platforms and instruments that measure the ocean and coastal environments including biological, physical, and chemical characteristics including the use of unmanned systems;
  • studying the optimum configurations for observation networks;
  • modeling, data assimilation, and diagnostic analysis of local, regional, and global data sets; information product development with an emphasis on in situ observations using machine learning and artificial intelligence; earth system modeling;
  • improving model representation of ocean processes and particularly the processes governing sea surface temperature, upper ocean heat content, and salinity variability including air-sea exchanges, heat-flux, lateral ocean advection, and entrainment at the base of the ocean mixed layer that play a significant role in controlling short-term variability in ocean and coastal circulations as well as long-term variations of the climate system that affect biological, chemical, and geophysical processes in the Southeast U.S. coastal areas, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the high seas Atlantic Ocean