The ocean observatories initiative: Scientific investigation in a changing ocean from anywhere on Earth

Sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) has the potential to revolutionize ocean science. Its 24/7 telepresence will capture climate, carbon, ecosystem, and geodynamic changes on the time scales on which they occur, rather than when research vessels are able to be in the area. Data streams from the air-sea interface through the water column to the seafloor will be openly available to educators and researchers in any discipline, making oceanography available to citizens and scholars who might never go to sea.The ocean science community has long recognized the inter-connectivity of the ocean with the Earth system as a whole on many temporal and spatial scales, along with the essential need to provide concurrent time-series data and adaptive sampling capabilities. The OOI will provide cutting edge observational capability in parts of the ocean only sparingly accessed now, via multidisciplinary measurements at high frequency that are rare or unobtainable currently. These data are needed to address urgent questions on environment change, to enhance international scientific cooperation through integrated data streams, and to bring the oceans to the desktop in schools, aquariums and museums.