Sensor Array Projects and Networks & Other Useful Links
Gregory Bonito
Research Assistant
LTER Network / San Diego Supercomputer Center
gbonito@lternet.edu
Last Update: October 3, 2003
The following aquatic and terrestrial environmental research and monitoring networks are involved in projects that deploy in situ and remote sensors. Continuous long-term efforts, involving innovative technology and the management of large data sets, have been listed, as well as test-bed projects and some international environmental agencies and international collaborations toward these efforts.
Table of Contents:
AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) - is an optical ground based aerosol monitoring network and data archive. One receiving site, consisting of an automatic sun-sky scanning spectral radiometer, is located at BBSR. The data collected provides a near real-time observations of aerosol spectral optical depths, aerosol size distributions, and precipitable water in diverse aerosol regimes. http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Bermuda Atlantic Time Series (BATS) - involves making monthly measurements of important hydrographic and biological parameters throughout the water column at several sites. http://www.bbsr.edu/cintoo/bats/bats.html
Bermuda Bio-Optics Project (BBOP) - has been making time-series measurements of the optical properties of the water column near Bermuda since 1992, providing a basis for these studies. The Satellite Laboratory has been making remote sensing studies of the Sargasso Sea since mid-1994. We are interested in the application of remote sensing and ocean optics technology to the problem of assessing biogeochemical cycles in the Sargasso Sea. http://www.crseo.ucsb.edu/bbop/bbop.html
Bermuda Testbed Mooring (BTM) - BTM has been deployed since June 1994 and provides a deep-water platform for developing, testing, calibrating, and intercomparing instruments which can obtain long-term data sets. http://www.opl.ucsb.edu/btm.html
California Coastal Ocean Observation (CalCOOS) System STC - The mission of the California Coastal Ocean Observation System (CalCOOS) is to provide an observation-based description of the resources of California's coastal ocean in support of science, coastal resource management and emergency response. http://www.es.ucsc.edu/~swifs/oceanscience.htm
CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean (CARIACO) - The CARIACO (CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean) Program has studied the relationship between surface primary production, physical forcing variables like the wind, and the settling flux of particulate carbon in the Cariaco Basin in a time series started in November 1995. http://imars.usf.edu/cariaco/
Caribbean Time Series (CaTS) - an initiative of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) established in 1994, is made possible by funding through UPR and NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. The time series station located approximately 26 miles south of Puerto Rico, is visited monthly aboard R/V CHAPMAN (126' LOA). CaTS provides an observing station for researchers interested in the assessment of the magnitude and periodicity of basin-scale phenomena affecting the optics and biogeochemistry of regional waters. http://www.cats-uprm.org/
Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) - collects, analyzes and distributes historical and real-time observations and predictions of water levels, coastal currents and other meteorological and oceanographic data. http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/
The Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology
(CICEET) - In alliance with the NOAA, the CICEET supports the scientific
development of innovative technologies for understanding and reversing the impacts
of coastal and estuarine contamination and degradation. http://ciceet.unh.edu/index_flash.html
Dynamics of Earth and Ocean Systems (DEOS) - Welcome to the home page for DEOS, a planning effort to promote observatory science from the seafloor, to understand Earth and ocean processes in the temporal domain and complete our spatial imaging of Earth structure. TheDEOS planning effort aims to coordinate the growing interest in seafloor observatory science among geoscience initiatives such as RIDGE, MARGINS, JOIDES, OSN and CABLE. http://www.gulfbase.org/organization/view.php?oid=deos , http://www.deos.org/
Environmental Data Sensors Program (Race Rocks) - The following is a summary of the range of sensors that we are planning to eventually be able to deploy to provide real time and archived data on the racerocks .com website. Live streaming video, Marine Protected Area, Race Rocks, Lester Pearson College, Victoria, BC http://www.uwc.ca/pearson/racerock/data/datarrcom.htm
Florida Current Time Series - Voltage measurements between West Palm Beach, Florida and Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama Island, observed since 1985 by use of an in-service cable, are used to measure the Florida Current transport. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/wbcurrents/cabletransport.html
GEOSTAR - is a scientific and technological project aimed at the development of an innovative deep sea benthic observatory devoted to continuous and long-term Geophysical, Oceanographic and Geochemical observations. http://geostar.ingv.it/
U.S. GLOBEC Georges Bank Program - A large multidisciplinary multi-year oceanographic effort. The proximate goal is to understand the population dynamics of key species on the Bank - Cod, Haddock, and two species of zooplankton - in terms of their coupling to the physical environment and in terms of their predators and prey. The ultimate goal is to be able to predict changes in the distribution and abundance of these species as a result of changes in their physical and biotic environment as well as to anticipate how their populations might respond to climate change. http://globec.whoi.edu/globec.html
Gulf of Maine Web - This environmental information network, located at gulfofmaine.org, is the Gulf's electronic communications hub. The network functions as a repository and source of information for scientists, educators and others interested in the health of the Gulf. http://netviewer.usc.edu/web/index2.html , http://www.gulfofmaine.org
Hawaii-2 Observatory (H2O) - In September 1998, a permanent deep ocean scientific research facility - the Hawaii-2 Observatory, or H2O - was installed on a retired AT&T submarine telephone cable that runs between Oahu, Hawaii and the California coast. The facility consists of a sea floor junction box and scientific sensors located in 5000m of water near 28N latitude, 142W longitude, or about halfway between Hawaii and California. http://www.whoi.edu/science/GG/DSO/H2O/
Hydrostation S - Biweekly profiles of temperature, salinity and oxygen are done at the Hydrostation S site located 26 km SE of Bermuda. http://www.bbsr.edu/Labs/hanselllab/s2o2/hydro.html
Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) - focus is to study the ocean carbon cycle. A new field of ocean biogeochemistry emerged from the program, with an emphasis on quality measurements of carbon system parameters and interdisciplinary field studies of the biological, chemical and physical processes, which control the ocean carbon cycle. http://www1.whoi.edu/jgofs.html
Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Area (Sensor Web 3) - The Kennedy
Space Center sits on a large wildlife refuge. In particular, the Merritt Island
National Wildlife Refuge, the Canaveral National Seashore, EPA National Estuarine
Program, and Florida Aquatic Reserve contain more threatened and endangered
species than any other park or refuge system within the United States. We have
partnered with the aquatic research team at the Kennedy Space Center to develop
a Sensor Web capable of being deployed in the lagoons surrounding the shuttle
launch pads. http://sensorwebs.jpl.nasa.gov/resources/kscshuttle_sw3.html
LEO-15 - consists of two unmanned seafloor observatories 1.5 kilometers
apart approximately 9 kilometers off the central coast of New Jersey. They have
been linked to the Rutgers Marine Field Station (gif) in Tuckerton, NJ, with
an electro-optic cable which contains optical fibers to transfer information
and copper wires to transfer power. This link provides a real-time connection
between the undersea world off the coast of New Jersey and the Internet, providing
scientists, engineers, and educators with realtime access to the sea. http://www.whoi.edu/science/AOPE/dept/OSL/LEO/
Lotic Inter-site Nitrogen Experiment (LINX) - In this study, we used
6-week 15NH4 additions to streams to determine NH4 uptake length and uptake
rate, nitrogen turnover rates, and food web transfer of nitrogen. http://intranet.lternet.edu/archives/documents/Newsletters/NetworkNews/spring00/spring00_pg05.html
MARS - The MARS network is a foundation that unites Europe's marine
laboratories, scattered over many countries, and that serves as a forum and
as an interest group vis-a-vis the managers of European research, including
the European Science Foundation in Strasbourg and the Commission of the European
Communities in Brussels. Its members are located all over Europe, along the
shores of the Atlantic, the North, Irish, Baltic and Adriatic Seas, and the
Black and Mediterranean Seas. http://www.marsnetwork.org/
Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
is developing a coastal fiber optic seafloor observatory to be deployed off
of the south coast of the island of Martha's Vineyard. This observatory will
include a core set of subsea oceanographic sensors and shore based mast with
meteorological sensors. Numerous additional "guest" ports will be
provided for additional sensors, both subsea and on the meteorological mast.
http://mvcodata.whoi.edu/cgi-bin/mvco/mvco.cgi
Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) - and VENUS (the Victoria
Experimental Network Under the Sea) are nearshore observatories under development
in the US and Canada as proof-of-concept sites for project NEPTUNE, which will
ring and cross the Juan de Fuca lithospheric plate with a fiber optic/power
cable on the deep-sea floor http://www.mbari.org/mars/Default.html
Moored In-situ Trace Element Serial Sampling Program MITESS - MITESS is deployed at ~45 m on the BTM mooring and collects trace metal uncontaminated 500 cc water samples at approximately weekly intervals. The samples are analyzed for lead and iron and the data is used to better understand the ocean biogeochemistry of these elements. http://www.bbsr.edu/Labs/hanselllab/s2o2/mitess.html , http://boyle.mit.edu/~ed/MITESS/MITESShomepage.html
MOOS Upper-Water-Column Science Experiment (MUSE) - This coordination effort involves broadening the scope of the proposed natural iron enrichment project to incorporate additional science projects and additional observational assets including AUV's, drifters, and gliders. The goal of the natural iron enrichment project, to track the evolution of biological communities across nutrient-rich upwelling fronts, encompasses the goals of several other science proposals. http://www.mbari.org/muse/
National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) - consists of approximately 190 water level measurement stations distributed along U.S. coasts, in the Great Lakes and connecting channels, and in the U.S. territories and possessions. One hundred forty stations are considered "long-term control" and "primary" stations. These have been in operation at least 19 years, are still in continuous operation and transmit data in near-real-time, i.e., every three hours. http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/d_nwlop.html
NEPTUNE - The goal of the NEPTUNE project is to establish a network of underwater observatories within the depths of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. NEPTUNE's 2000 miles of fiber-optic cable will provide power and communications to scientific instruments. http://www.neptune.washington.edu/
New Millennium Observatory (NeMO) - studies the dynamic interactions between submarine volcanic activity and seafloor hotsprings at an observatory, Axial seamount. A near-real-time system links instruments located in the caldera of an active submarine volcano to the Internet. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/nemo/index.html
Oceanic Flux Program (OFP) - The Oceanic Flux Program (OFP) sediment trap time-series was initiated in 1978 near the Hydrostation S site. http://www.whoi.edu/science/MCG/ofp/
Ocean-Systems for Chemical, Optical, and Physical Experiments (O-SCOPE) - addresses the need for next-generation autonomous near real-time long-term time series measurements in critical regions of the world oceans. The O-SCOPE interdisciplinary sensor suites (e.g., pCO2 sensors, nitrate analyzers, and spectral optical sensors) have been tested on testbed moorings near Bermuda and Monterey Bay. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/oscope/
Oleander Section - Since the Fall of 1992 a commercial freighter, the CMV OLEANDER, has been measuring upper ocean currents in the North atlantic between New Jersey and Bermuda with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). http://www.bbsr.edu/Labs/hanselllab/s2o2/s2o2index.html
PALACE Floats: subtropical and tropical North Atlantic - The subtropical/tropical PALACE float array is designed to observe long-term ocean circulation and hydrography in the upper 1000m, and in particular to observe annual variations in the part of the shallow overturning circulation associated with the formation of Subtropical Underwater. http://flux.ocean.washington.edu/
PALACE Floats: Western North Atlantic - Temperature and salinity of the top 1000m of the water column are presently being measured from an array of approximately 80 drifting PALACE floats in the western North Atlantic. These data are then transmitted to land stations and can be viewed on the web in real-time. http://flux.ocean.washington.edu/
Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies (PISCO) - is a large-scale marine research program that focuses on understanding the nearshore ecosystems of the U.S. West Coast. An interdisciplinary collaboration of scientists from four universities, PISCO integrates long-term monitoring of ecological and oceanographic processes at dozens of coastal sites with experimental work in the lab and field. http://www.piscoweb.org/
Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) - is a program of the National Ocean Service that supports safe and cost-efficient navigation by providing ship masters and pilots with accurate real-time information required to avoid groundings and collisions. This technological innovation has the potential to save the maritime insurance industry from multi-million dollar claims resulting from shipping accidents. http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/d_ports.html
Sargasso Sea Ocean Observatory (S2O2) - is being formed to coordinate and enhance the contributions of the many marine biological, biogeochemical, hydrographic and atmospheric studies that are conducted in time series mode in and above the western North Atlantic. The S2O2 comprises several ongoing ocean and atmospheric observation and modeling programs, which are in turn managed by several institutions. Links to involved groups and projects are provided. http://www.bbsr.edu/Labs/hanselllab/s2o2/s2o2index.html
Seaweb Network for FRONT Oceanographic Sensors - This project advances communications technology in support of the scientific objectives of the NOPP Front-Resolving Observational Network with Telemetry (FRONT) effort. We apply undersea acoustic communication (telesonar) and seaweb networking now being developed for ocean surveillance and other Naval missions. These technologies provide data telemetry and command and control capabilities for a set of widely spaced oceanographic sensors at an environmentally complex site on the North American continental shelf. http://www.onr.navy.mil/sci_tech/ocean/reports/docs/nopp_funded/02/bcbrice2.pdf
Sensor Intercomparison and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Oceanic Studies (SIMBIOS) - program was conceived in 1994 as a result of a NASA management review of the agency's strategy for monitoring the bio-optical properties of the global ocean through ocean color remote sensing from space. http://simbios.gsfc.nasa.gov/
South Atlantic Bight Synoptic Offshore Observational Network (SABSOON)
- A real-time observational network has been developed on the U.S. Southeastern
continental shelf. Eight large offshore platforms, currently operated by the
U.S. Navy for flight training, are being instrumented to provide a range of
oceanographic and meteorological observations on a continuous real-time basis.
http://www.marine.unc.edu/COOL/sabsoon/
, http://www.skio.peachnet.edu/research/sabsoon/
Tropical Atmosphere Ocean Project - The TAO array (renamed the TAO/TRITON
array on 1 January 2000) consists of approximately 70 moorings in the Tropical
Pacific Ocean, telemetering oceanographic and meteorological data to shore in
real-time via the Argos satellite system. The array is a major component of
the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Observing System, the
Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Global Ocean Observing
System (GOOS).http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/
UK DEOS - This is the British DEOS planning site, serving the international DEOS community -- a collaboration between researchers in marine geology and geophysics, physical, chemical and biological oceanography and air-sea interactions. DEOS seeks to establish a global network of permanent and relocatable multi-disciplinary ocean observing systems featuring real-time telemetry and remote instrument control. http://www.deos.org/
US Argo Project - Argo is an international program that calls for the deployment of 3,000 free drifting profiling floats, distributed over the global oceans, which will measure the temperature and salinity in the upper 2,000 m of the ocean providing 100,000 T/S profiles and reference velocity measurements per year. This will allow continuous monitoring of the climate state of the ocean, with all data being relayed and made publicly available within hours after collection. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/ARGO/HomePage/
UV radiation monitoring system - The ultraviolet radiation monitoring system includes a spectroradiometer that continuously measures surface UV irradiance and a profile spectroradiometer that measures water-colum transmission of UV-A. http://www.bbsr.edu/satellite/uvbop/
VENUS - To perform geophysical and multidisciplinary real-time measurements on the ocean floor,it has been attempted to reuse decommissioned submarine cables. The VENUS project reuses one of these systems and runs across the entire Philippine Sea Plate between Guam Island and Okinawa Island. The VENUS System comprises an ocean floor observatory based on a submarine cable and land system. The major components of the ocean floor observatory are geophysical instruments and a telemetry system. http://www.venus.uvic.ca/
World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) - is the WCRP program designed to investigate the ocean's role in decadal climate change. Scientists from more than 30 countries have collaborated during the WOCE field program to sample the ocean on a global scale with the aim of describing its large-scale circulation patterns, its effect on gas storage, and how it interacts with the atmosphere. http://www.soc.soton.ac.uk/OTHERS/woceipo/ipo.html
Atmospheric Integrated Monitoring Network (AIRMoN) - The Atmospheric Integrated Research Monitoring Network is an array of stations designed to provide a research-based foundation for the routine operations of the nation's deposition monitoring networks -- the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) for wet deposition, and the Clean Air Status and Tends Network (CASTNet) for dry. http://www.arl.noaa.gov/research/programs/airmon.html
AmeriFLUX - A major mission of the initiative is to establish an infrastructure for guiding, collecting, synthesizing, and disseminating long-term measurements of CO2, water, and energy exchange from a variety of ecosystems in the Nation. http://public.ornl.gov/ameriflux/Participants/Sites/Map/index.cfm
BigFoot Project - Linking In Situ Measurements, Remote Sensing, and Models to Validate MODIS Products Related to the Terrestrial Carbon Cycle . The overall goal of BigFoot is to provide validation of MODLand (MODIS Land Science Team) science products, including land cover, leaf area index (LAI), fraction absorbed photosynthetic active radiation (fAPAR) , and net primary production (NPP). To do so, we use ground measurements, remote sensing data, and ecosystem process models at sites representing different biomes. http://www.fsl.orst.edu/larse/bigfoot/
Bonanza Creek, Alaska LTER - Wireless sensor experimental network. This is 1 of 3 test bed sites. Dave Hughes explains the process and challenges encountered in outfitting this Alaskan field station with wireless technology capabilities. http://wireless.oldcolo.com/biology/BonanzaMenu.htm
Detrital Input and Removal Treatment (DIRT) - an intersite study of the controls on soil organic matter storage in forest and grassland ecosystems in which leaf and root inputs to soils have been manipulated. http://www.fsl.orst.edu/lter/research/related/dirt.cfm?topnav=37
Ecology network (GTN-E) - This network was established in 1997 by the original 12 members of GT-Net. Further evolution of the concept has meant that these members have become a network unto themselves and are collaborating in the implementation of the GTOS demonstration project on Net Primary Productivity. http://www.gosic.org/ios/GTN_E.htm
Elevated CO2 Network (GCTE) - The main focus of this task is placed on the effects of elevated CO2 on ecosystem function, and whenever possible, on the net effect of elevated CO2 along with other drivers of climatic and atmospheric change, such as temperature, N deposition, precipitation, and ozone. http://gcte-focus1.org/CO2.html
Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) - Studies aimed to understand the response of ecosystems to elevated CO2 concentrations in-situ. http://www.co2science.org/subject/f/face.htm , http://www.face.bnl.gov/
Glacier network (GTN-G) - It measures glacier length at approximately 700 sites and undertakes mass balance measurements on a subset of about 50 glaciers. http://www.fao.org/gtos/gt-netGLA.html , http://www.fao.org/gtos/index.html
Global Terrestrial Observing Network (GT-Net) - is envisaged as a "system of networks", formed by linking existing monitoring sites and networks as well as planned satellite remote sensing systems, with the aim of better understanding global and regional change. http://www.fao.org/gtos/index.html
High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN) - is creating, demonstrating, and evaluating a non-commercial, prototype, high-performance, wide-area, wireless network in San Diego county. The NSF-funded network includes backbone nodes on the UC San Diego campus and a number of "hard to reach" areas in San Diego county. Not only is HPWREN is used for network analysis research, but the network also provides high-speed Internet access to field researchers from several disciplines (geophysics, astronomy, ecology) and educational opportunities for rural Native American learning centers and schools. http://hpwren.ucsd.edu/
Huntington Botanical Gardens (Sensor Web 3) - Sensor Web 3 represents a new milestone in this emerging technology. The individual sensor pods are more environmentally robust, consume significantly less power, and are more user flexible than their predecessors. Each pod measures light levels, air temperature and humidity, with optional measurements of soil temperature and soil moisture. http://sensorwebs.jpl.nasa.gov/resources/huntington_sw3.shtml
James Reserve, CA - a unit of the University of California, Natural Reserve System, the James Reserve is involved in the deployment of innovative new sensors into the environment. Many near real time data are on-line. http://www.jamesreserve.edu/
Lancaster Farms (Sensor Web 3) - We have partnered with the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and Lancaster Farms in Virginia to move Sensor Web technology beyond Southern California. In a bold experiment, we shipped a Sensor Web to Lancaster Farms to determine if new users could set it up without prior training or instruction. http://sensorwebs.jpl.nasa.gov/resources/lancaster_sw3.shtml
Long Term Decomposition Experiment Team (LIDET) - The Long-Term Decomposition Experiment Team (LIDET) is composed of field collaborators who oversee the study at their respective sites; modelers who will predict C, N, and P dynamics and validate models from the field study; and a central analysis group which performs chemical analysis, data management, and preliminary data analysis. http://lternet.edu/collaborations/syn_04.html
Permafrost network (GTN-P) -. TOPC has also been working with the International Permafrost Association IPA) to establish a global network for permafrost observations. http://sts.gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/gtnp/
Rain Forest Network Luquillo Forest Puerto Rico, LTER - Wireless links
to sensors capable of sensing a variety of physical, chemical, and biological
variables will be created, requiring in most cases solar, wind, or water driven
battery re-charging systems. One of 3 test bed sites. http://wireless.oldcolo.com/biology/scope.htm
Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) - is an
international, non-governmental, non-profit and interdisciplinary body of natural
science expertise, its scientific programme is designed to cover environmental
issues-either global or shared by several nations-in urgent need of interdisciplinary
syntheses. http://data.ecology.su.se/scopesi/about_scope.htm
Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate (TOPC) - was set up jointly
by GTOS and GCOS in 1995 to design and implement a long-term observing system
to monitor terrestrial processes affecting climate or affected by climate change.
http://www.fao.org/gtos/TOPC.html
Trout Lake, Wisconsin LTER - Wireless sensor experimental network. This is 1 of 3 test bed sites. Dave Hughes explains the process and challenges encountered in outfitting Fresh water lake field stations with wireless sensor technological capabilities. http://wireless.oldcolo.com/biology/TroutLakeMenu.htm
III. OTHER - (Seismic/Tectonic & Hydrologic Networks)
Earthscope - EarthScope is a bold undertaking to apply modern observational,
analytical and telecommunications technologies to investigate the structure
and evolution of the North American continent and the physical processes controlling
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. http://www.earthscope.org/
General Earthquake Observation System (GEOS) project - This site contains earthquake and aftershock data collected by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) GEOS project in Menlo Park, California. http://nsmp.wr.usgs.gov/GEOS/geos.html
Hydrology network (GTN-H) - Eleven key variables have been identified as a priority for global hydrological observations, namely: Surface water discharge, surface water storage fluxes, ground water fluxes, biogeochemical transport from land to ocean, isotopic signatures, water use, precipitation, evapotranspiration, vapour pressure, soil moisture, and snow depth and water equivalent. http://www.nwl.ac.uk/ih/devel/wmo/wmohh.html
IRIS Global Seismographic Network (GSN) - is one of the four major components of the IRIS Consortium. The goal of the GSN is to deploy 128 permanent seismic recording stations uniformly over the earth's surface. The GSN provides funding to two network operators: IRIS/ASL Network Operations Center Albuquerque, New Mexico, operated by the United States Geological Survey. IRIS/IDA Network Operations Center La Jolla, California, operated by personnel from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. http://www.iris.washington.edu/about/GSN/
Japanese Ridge Flux Project - We selected the superfast-spreading (>14 cm/year) southern East Pacific Rise (SEPR) as a target where magmatic events could recur in intervals as short as 10 years. Scientists from the Ridge Flux group in Japan, in collaboration with scientists from USA and the UK, installed multi-disciplinary, long-term sea-floor observatory equipment at two hydrothermal sites. http://triton.ori.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~intridge/obs-sepr.htm
Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) - is a national network intended to facilitate ecological and environmental research on biocomplexity. It enables the efficient discovery, access, interpretation, integration, and analysis of complex ecological data from a highly distributed set of field stations, laboratories, research sites, and individual researchers. http://knb.ecoinformatics.org/
MODIS Web - There are 44 MODIS data products that scientists are using to study global change. These products are being used by scientists from a variety of disciplines, including oceanography, biology, and atmospheric science. http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Ocean Seismic Network (OSN) - The JOI/IRIS Ocean Seismic Network (OSN) coordinated ongoing efforts to develop a global network of permanent seismic observatories on the deep ocean floor as part of the planned Global Seismic Network. http://www.joiscience.org/OSN/OSN.html
PANGA Geodesy - The Laboratory's primary scientific role is to support high precision geodetic measurements using Global Positioning System (GPS) observations in order to characterize crustal deformation, plate tectonic motions, coastal and earthquake hazards, and other environmental science applications. http://www.geodesy.cwu.edu/
PALEOMAP Project - The goal of the PALEOMAP Project is to illustrate the plate tectonic development of the ocean basins and continents, as well as the changing distribution of land and sea during the past 1100 million years. Pangea, contintental drift. http://www.scotese.com/
Program for the Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) - is one of two major instrumentation programs of IRIS (the other being the Global Seismic Network or GSN). PASSCAL operates a pool of over 400 portable seismic instruments to record active source reflection data, active source refraction data or natural source recordings of earthquakes (see Instrumentation for more details). The instrumentation is currently housed and supported by an instrument center at New Mexico Tech, Socorro, New Mexico. http://www.iris.washington.edu/about/PASSCAL/
Project HOTSPOT - This page is a brief introduction to Project HOTSPOT, a joint seismological study being conducted in Iceland by Princeton University, Durham University and Vedurdtofa Islands (The Icelandic Meteorological Office). The page outlines the goals of the project and the PASSCAL array instalation. http://www.geology.wisc.edu/~rallen/ICELAND/HOTSPOTinstallation/
Real-Time Environmental Sensors in Humboldt County - From the California
Data Exchange Center (CDEC). River / climate data.
http://ceres.ca.gov/geo_area/counties/Humboldt/sensors.html
Real-time Environmental Information Network and Analysis System (REINAS) - is a distributed measurement-gathering environment built around one or more relational database systems and supporting both real-time and retrospective regional scale environmental science. Continuous real-time data is acquired from dispersed sensors and input to a logically integrated but physically distributed database. An integrated problem-solving environment supports visualization and modeling by users requiring insight into historical, current, and predicted oceanographic and meteorological conditions. http://enkidu.cse.ucsc.edu/projects/reinas/
Southern California Integrated GPS Network (SCIGN Geodesy) - has been under construction for years now, with its roots extending back more than a decade. It has been operational from the beginning, its individual "stations" returning continuous records of their location with millimeter-level accuracy, thanks to the constellation of satellites that make up the Global Positioning System (GPS). http://www.scign.org/
SIMBAD Project - The project's objective is to gather and analyze datasets of normalized water-leaving radiance and aerosol optical thickness for cal/val of satellite ocean color sensors. Such datasets are needed to verify whether satellite retrievals of water-leaving radiance are within acceptable error limits and, eventually, adjust atmospheric correction schemes. The approach is to use a dedicated, specifically-designed, hand-held radiometer, the SIMBAD radiometer, onboard ships of opportunity (research vessels, merchant ships) traveling the world's oceans. http://polaris.ucsd.edu/~simbad/
Vegetation-Ecosystem Modeling and Analysis Project (VEMAP) - VEMAP is a large, collaborative, multi-agency program to simulate and understand ecosystem dynamics for the continental United States. The project involves the development of common data sets for model input. These include a high-resolution topographically-adjusted climate history of the United States from 1895-1993 on a 0.5º grid, with soils and vegetation cover. http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/vemap/objectives.html
InfoHUB - US Department of Commerce/NOAA/NOS/CO-OPS - One stop shopping for real-time oceanographic products servicing local PORTS™ maritime communities. http://ports-infohub.nos.noaa.gov/
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) - A research institute building state-of-the-art sensors. One of the leading groups of marine scientists and engineers in the country working together to study oceanographic questions. http://www.mbari.org/default.htm
National Science Foundation (NSF) - The National Science Foundation is an independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting science and engineering through programs that invest over $3.3 billion per year in almost 20,000 research and education projects in science and engineering. http://www.nsf.gov/
National Undersea Research Program (NURP) - within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provides a unique national service by providing undersea scientists with the tools and expertise they need to work in the undersea environment. http://www.oar.noaa.gov/climate/climate_nurp.html#start
NOAA - Research is conducted primarily through the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, drives the NOAA environmental products and services that protect life and property and promote sustainable economic growth. NOAA research also develops innovative technologies and observing systems. Website contains many useful links - http://www.noaa.gov/research.html
NOAA Benthic Habitat Mapping - Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands - CCMA's Biogeography team is leading a project to consistently and comprehensively map the distribution of coral reefs and other benthic habitats throughout the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Aerial photographs are being used to create a digital map of the marine resources in the region including coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and other important marine resources for fisheries, tourism, and other aspects of the coastal economy. http://biogeo.nos.noaa.gov/projects/mapping/caribbean/
NOAA Fisheries - http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/
NOAA National Data Buoy Center - Real time data provided by 180+ ocean buoys located around the US. http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
NOAA Hydrographic Systems and Technology Programs (HSTP) - develops equipment and techniques that improve NOS's capability, accuracy, and efficiency in measuring ocean depths, including side-scan sonar, multibeam sonar, and airborne laser. It performs R&D activities in the use of GPS for water depth determination and for under-keel clearance. http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/csdl/htp/
NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service - The NOAA / NESDIS mission is to provide and ensure timely access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources to promote, protect, and enhance the Nation's economy, security, environment, and quality of life. To fulfill its responsibilities, NESDIS acquires and manages the Nation's operational environmental satellites, provides data and information services, and conducts related research. http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/
NOAA Ocean Explorer Technology - Mapping GIS, Satellites, Sonde and CTD, SPMD's, Drifters, Seaboard Computer System. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/tools/tools.html
Scripps Oceanographic Institute - There are more than 300 active research projects at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Scripps scientists can be found on every continent and in every ocean as they collaborate on research with colleagues throughout the United States and in 63 nations. This overview briefly describes some of the research projects that most directly benefit society. http://www.sio.ucsd.edu/
Tides Online - NOAA/NOS/Center for Operational Oceanographic Products
and Services. http://tidesonline.nos.noaa.gov/
US Long-term Ecological Research Networks (LTER) - The Long Term Ecological
Research (LTER) Network is a collaborative effort involving 24 field stations,
more than 1100 scientists and students investigating ecological processes over
long temporal and broad spatial scales. http://lternet.edu/
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) - WHOI is dedicated to research and higher education at the frontiers of ocean science. Its primary mission is to develop and effectively communicate a fundamental understanding of the processes and characteristics governing how the oceans function and how they interact with Earth as a whole. http://www.whoi.edu/
Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD) - ACSAD is a regional center for research and studies pertaining to the development of the arid and semi-arid areas of the Arab World. http://www.acsad.org/
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) - AMAP's current objective is to provide reliable and sufficient information on the status of, and threats to, the Arctic environment, and provide scientific advice on actions to be taken in order to support Arctic governments in their efforts to take remedial and preventive actions relating to contaminants. http://www.amap.no/
Arctic-Alpine Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Initiative (ARTERI) -
ARTERI is the arctic-alpine component of TERI. It is not a research project,
but a three-year Concerted Action. http://www.nerc.ac.uk/ukgeroff/globe39.htm#arteri
Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) - The Asia-Pacific
Network for Global Change Research (APN) is an inter-governmental network for
the promotion of global environmental change research and links between science
and policy making in the Asia-Pacific Region. http://www.apn.gr.jp/
Baltic Sea Region On-Line Environmental Information Resources For Internet Access (BALLERINA) - This service provides a forum for announcements and discussions on anything related to environment, sustainable development or natural resources in the Baltic Sea region. http://www.baltic-region.net/
Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) - At present, CERN is a ecosystem research network cosist of 29 field stations of CAS which cover the fields of important agriculture, forest, grassland, lake and marine ecosystems, 5 disciplinary subcenters of hydrology, soil, atmosphere, biology and aquatic, and 1 synthesis center. http://www.cern.ac.cn/
Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) - The Program for the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) was established to address the special needs of Arctic species and their habitats in the rapidly developing Arctic region. http://www.grida.no/caff/
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) - Our mission is to contribute to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through research, partnerships, capacity building, and policy support, promoting sustainable agricultural development based on the environmentally sound management of natural resources. http://www.cgiar.org/
Environmental Change Network, UK (ECN) - One objective of the ECN is
to establish and maintain a selected network of sites within the UK from which
to obtain comparable long-term datasets through the monitoring of a range of
variables identified as being of major environmental importance. http://www.ecn.ac.uk/
Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) - An Ecological
Monitoring Coordinating Office (EMCO) has been established within Environment
Canada to oversee ecological monitoring and research. EMCO is facilitating the
development of an Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) based
on research nodes, satellite sites and extensive monitoring sites and the expertise
of government, universities and other stakeholders that take an integrated approach
to environmental issues. http://www.cciw.ca/eman/intro.html
Environment and Natural Resources Information Networks (ENRIN) - A UN
sponsored international environmental consortium. http://www.grida.no/enrin/index.htm
European Forest Ecosystem Research Network (EFERN) - EFERN is a pan-European
network initiative with the aim to promote co-ordination of forest ecosystem
research and to improve communication among scientists working in that field.
http://ifff.boku.ac.at/efern/
European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) - UNECE focuses on economic analysis, environment and human settlements, statistics, sustainable energy, trade, industry and enterprise development, timber and transport. EMAP is responsible for environemental monitoring programs. http://www.emep.int/
European Science Foundation (ESF) Scientific Networks - The European Science Foundation promotes high quality science at a European level. It acts as a catalyst for the development of science by bringing together leading scientists and funding agencies to debate, plan and implement pan-European initiatives. http://www.esf.org
FLUXNET - A global network of micrometeorological tower sites that use
eddy covariance methods to measure the exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO2), water
vapor, and energy between terrestrial ecosystem and atmosphere. At present,
over 150 tower sites are operating on a long-term and continuous basis. Researchers
also collect data on site vegetation, soil, hydrologic, and meteorological characteristics
at the tower sites.
http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/FLUXNET/
Forest Ecosystem Research Group - Our core work has been to continuously monitor the chemistry of water from where it enters the forest as rain, to where it leaves as percolating groundwater or streamwater. In recent years, we have extended this work to include a much wider range of ecological monitoring, and are working towards the establishment of an ecological monitoring network for Ireland. http://www.ucd.ie/~ferg/
Forest Reserves Research Network - The objectives of the COST Action
E4 include creating a European network of forest reserves in order to collect
information on and unify ongoing research and research methodologies as well
as to have access to a central data bank for the exchange of research results.
http://www.efi.fi/Database_Gateway/FRRN/
Global Climate Observing System - The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) was established in 1992 to ensure that the observations and information needed to address climate-related issues are obtained and made available to all potential users. It is co-sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Council for Science (ICSU). http://www.wmo.ch/web/gcos/gcoshome.html
International Cooperative Programme on Integrated Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Ecosystem (ICP IM) - The overall aim of integrated monitoring was originally to determine and predict the state and change of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in a long-term perspective with respect to the impact of air pollutants, especially nitrogen and sulphur. http://www.vyh.fi/eng/intcoop/projects/icp_im/im.htm
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) - Our scientific objective is to describe and understand the interactive physical, chemical and biological processes that regulate the total Earth System, the unique environment that it provides for life, the changes that are occurring in this system, and the manner in which they are influenced by human actions. http://www.igbp.kva.se/
International Long-Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER) - The International LTER is closely associated with the Global Terretrial Observing System (GTOS) and related efforts with networks within GTOS and the GT-Net Demonstration Project. As of May 2000, Twenty-one countries have established formal national LTER programs and joined the ILTER network. http://www.ilternet.edu/
MEDALUS -uses field investigations and the modelling that necessary for quantifying and understanding desertification processes at the field sites in Spain, Italy and Greece. The project methodology included undertaking co-ordinated field experiments and measurements and modelling development and implementation studies. http://www.medalus.demon.co.uk/ , http://www.medalus.demon.co.uk/workplanindex.htm
NATURA 2000 - verkoston avulla pyritään vaalimaan luonnon monimuotoisuutta Euroopan unionin alueella. http://www.vyh.fi/luosuo/n2000/natura_i.htm
NERC Centre for Population Biology - CPB conducts basic research in population biology and related disciplines to understand and predict the functioning of ecological systems, from populations to ecosystems. http://www.cpb.bio.ic.ac.uk/
Réseau d'Observatoires de Surveillance Ecologique à Long Terme (ROSELT) - ROSELT can contribute Multi-disciplinary (soil, vegetation, water resources, biodiversity, climate, and socio-economic) data collected in a wide range of ecosystems, land uses, and geographical coverage. ROSELT can also contribute to a better understanding of causes and effects of land degradation in arid and semi-arid Africa http://193.135.216.2/web/gcos/terre/networks/roselt.html
Rothamsted Insect Survey - This web site is designed to bring you up to date news on the distribution and abundance of pest aphids at a regional scale. The information is based on data from a network of fifteen suction traps (see map). The traps are emptied daily during the `aphid season' and the aphids identified to species in most cases. Each trap is representative of what is flying over an area of radius approximately 80 km, but there is considerable local variation in aphid density at ground level. http://www.iacr.bbsrc.ac.uk/insect-survey/
Soil Organic Matter Network (SOMNET) - The official GCTE Soil Organic
Matter Network Database http://www.nmw.ac.uk/gctefocus3/networks/somnet.htm
Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Initiative (TERI) - The overall objective
of TERI is to improve the ability to predict the consequences of the interactive
effects of changes in land-use, climate, and atmospheric composition and physics
on three areas of primary concern for European terrestrial ecosystems: 1) carbon,
nutrients and water pools and fluxes, and related trace gas emissions; 2) biodiversity
in terms of its significance for ecosystem functioning; & 3) future landscape
patterning constrained by changes in the above phenomena. http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/hometeri.html
Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Initiative Concerted Action (TERICA) -
TERI research is organised through 20 individual projects, each involving several
partners and networks of research sites throughout Europe. These projects are
listed on the Links page, which provides a connection to the home pages of each.
The role of TERI-CA (TERI Concerted Action) is to co-ordinate these individual
projects, while a parallel concerted action ARTERI provides co-ordination for
specifically Arctic and Alpine terrestrial ecosystems. http://www.nbu.ac.uk/terica/
Terrestrial Initiative in Global Environmental Research (TIGER) - TIGER
was established as a research programme of the Natural Environment Research
Council to study global environmental changes at the land surface. TIGER engaged
some 300 researchers at 60 different universities and research institutes. http://www.nwl.ac.uk/tiger/
UK Acid Waters Monitoring Network (UKAWMN) - The United Kingdom Acid Waters Monitoring Network (UKAWMN), funded by theDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was established in 1988 to monitor the ecological impact of acid deposition in areas of the UK believed to be sensitive to acidification. Fifteen years on, its data-base provides a long-term record of water chemistry and biology which is unique for upland freshwater systems in the UK. http://www.ukawmn.ucl.ac.uk/
UK National Tide Gauge Network - The UK national network of sea level
gauges was established after violent storms in the North Sea in 1953 resulted
in serious flooding in the Thames Estuary. POL is responsible for modernising
and maintaining this network, with the objectives of obtaining high quality
tidal information through telemetry and to provide warning of possible flooding
of coastal locations around the British Isles. http://www.pol.ac.uk/tgi/
UNECE ICP - on Assessment and Monitoring of Acidifiation of Rivers and
Lakes - Project aims to 1) assess the degree and geographic extent of acidification
of surface waters; 2) Collect information to evaluate dose/response relationships;
& 3) Define long-term trends and variations in aquatic chemistry and biota
attributable to atmospheric pollution. http://www.niva.no/icp-waters/
UNECE ICP on Integrated Monitoring - The integrated monitoring of ecosystems refers to the simultaneous measurement of physical, chemical and biological properties of an ecosystem over time and across compartments at the same location. In practice, monitoring is divided into a number of compartmental subprogrammes which are linked by the use of the same parameters (cross-media flux approach) and/or same/close stations (cause-effect approach). http://www.vyh.fi/eng/intcoop/projects/icp_im/im.htm
UNESCO Man and Biosphere: Biosphere Reserves (MAB-BR) - A network of worldwide biosphere reserves, monitoring stations and projects is found here. MAB has celebrated their 30 year anniversary. http://www.unesco.org/mab/
Worldwide Network of Biosphere Reserves (MAB) - Reserves that are part of the MAB project. http://www.unesco.org/mab/themnets.htm