III. Biological Oceanography Component of the Global Program 



Biological Oceanography contributes major components to the Global Ocean Studies Program, and 

 a minor component to the Ocean Lithosphere Studies Program, the latter in connection with the 

 biological communities associated with Ridge Crest Processes. Planning funds have been assigned 

 starting in 1987. 



Within the context of Global Ocean Studies, the biological and chemical components of Global 

 Ocean Flux Studies (GOFS) are furthest advanced, and are scheduled to begin pilot field studies in 

 1989. The Land/Sea Interface study, a program being jointly planned with the Chemical 

 Oceanography Program and the Division of Biotic Systems and Resources, is scheduled to receive 

 funds for planning beginning in 1988. Recruitment Processes and Ecosystem Dynamics as a 

 subinitiative has been endorsed by the Ocean Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences, 

 and following further planning workshops it will start in 1989. Coastal Fluxes and Dynamics, a 

 multidisciplinary series of programs, is beginning to be organized and may also be expected to 

 become structurally defined by 1989 in preparation for major field activities in the next 

 decade. The biological component of Global Circulation, Climate, and Productivity is seen 

 in a supporting role for all of the above. The order of presentation below maintains consistency 

 with the other parts of this document and does not reflect an order of priority. 



1. Global (Circulation, Climate, and) Productivity. Within the ocean sciences, this 

 program encompasses such well-established efforts as TOGA and WOCE. Within the Biological 

 Oceanography Program, global productivity studies will not be developed as a major focus, but 

 continuing core studies will serve the needs of the coastal and ocean flux studies subinitiatives, 

 as well as those for recruitment processes and the land/sea interface. If these efforts are to 

 succeed, significant supplementary funds must be set aside for the acquisition, groundtruthing, 

 assimilation, and management of the expected data stream from satellite and aircraft sensors 

 and from ships at sea. 



Although the coastal zone color scanner is now a memory, there will be a new generation of color 

 sensors, the earliest of which could be spaceborne by late 1 990, followed by multispectral 

 instruments capable of resolving up to 100 separate spectral bands. These sensors are likely to 

 be commercialized and hence the cost of their data gathering may have to be borne by NSF in 

 partnership with other agencies for the academic community. In addition, there already 

 exists a wealth of productivity data collected from past programs and stored in a variety of often 

 inaccessible data bases scattered through the literature, both in published and technical report 

 form. Additionally, major cruises of the global ocean programs, including TOGA, WOCE, and 

 GOFS, will generate new productivity data over the next decade. 



Funds must be projected now for (1) aquisition of hardware, facilities, and data links for 

 academic institutions; (2) training of graduate and postdoctoral students in remote sensing 

 technology and integration of biology into coupled ocean/atmosphere models requiring super 

 computers; (3) detailed analysis of currently archived data; (4) ground truthing and the 

 development of new algorithms for higher latitudes and the conversion of ocean color to reliable 

 production estimates; (5) the actual cost of new commercial products; and (6) development of 

 data assimilation and management schemes, identification of specific sites for these activities, 



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