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CTDs, devices that measure salinity (via conductivity), temperature, and depth in the ocean, are essential for almost all marine scientific research, whether oceanography, ecology, conservation, or management. But CTDs are often cost-prohibitive, making this essential tool of ocean science inaccessible to the majority of ocean knowledge seekers. The OpenCTD is a low-cost, open-source oceanographic instrument, built from relatively accessible components, that allows ocean knowledge seekers to collect data on salinity, temperature, and depth in waters as deep as 140 m, with depth accurate to <1 cm, temperature to ±0.1°C, and a salinity error rate of 1%, with a 90% response time of 1 second. The OpenCTD is an open, adaptable platform that allows users to integrate other sensors (e.g., dissolved oxygen, pH) to fit their specific needs or questions. The utility of the OpenCTD for both STEM education and community oceanography is demonstrated in real-world case studies. The OpenCTD offers researchers, community groups, educators, managers, and other ocean knowledge seekers the ability to collect baseline data about their local waters at a fraction of the cost of commercial alternatives and, for most use cases, with comparable data quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GEOTRACES is an international endeavor to elucidate the biogeo-chemical cycles of trace elements and their isotopes in the ocean. Inherently, this interdisciplinary program provides ample opportunities for students to develop professional, academic, and seagoing skills. This perspective recalls first-hand experiences gained from five years in the GEOTRACES community, spanning undergraduate and graduate research, including international engagement in Germany and seagoing oceanography in the South Pacific and Southern Ocean. Description of these opportunities reveals the framework that makes the GEOTRACES program a success and the culture that will ensure its ongoing legacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centuries of exclusion have resulted in a tangible human diversity deficit, where the diversity of oceanographers does not represent the global diversity of people impacted by ocean processes. We present six challenges faced by oceanographers who have one or more marginalized identities: (1) historical practices of conquest, discrimination, and exclusion underpin oceanography's modern diversity deficit; (2) undervalued and uncompensated labor by oceanographers from underrepresented groups can perpetuate a lack of representation by leading to burnout and attrition; (3) marginalized individuals are often forced to hide parts of their identities (languages, appearances, partners, behaviors) that deviate from outdated expectations of professionalism; (4) oceanography requires trainees to navigate extensive logistical and financial hurdles; (5) individuals from non-Western cultural and religious traditions often conceal their spiritual obligations in attempts to assimilate or avoid forgoing valuable research experiences; and (6) limited planning and transparency in oceanographic fieldwork can threaten the physical and mental safety of marginalized individuals. We highlight how holding multiple, intersecting identities can compound negative impacts on the well-being of marginalized oceanographers. Finally, we recommend solutions that individuals, mentors, professional societies, funding agencies, and institutions should undertake to move toward a more diverse oceanographic community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the advantages of cooperative learning in the field of oceanography. It explains that cooperative learning, which involves structured group work, can lead to better learning outcomes and positive experiences for students. The article highlights the importance of positive interdependence and individual accountability in successful group work. It also discusses various strategies and cooperative learning structures that can be used to promote these principles, including the well-known Jigsaw technique. The article specifically focuses on the application of the Jigsaw technique in oceanography education, providing examples and practical considerations for implementation. Overall, the author emphasizes the benefits of cooperative learning in enhancing student engagement and comprehension. [Extracted from the article]

The geoscience workforce, particularly in ocean sciences, lacks diversity. Implementing culturally responsive teaching and mentoring practices throughout the K-university pipeline is one way to help increase diversity in the field. Here, we describe initial results and lessons learned from a pilot course developed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography through a partnership between the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and the Ocean Discovery Institute (ODI), a local nonprofit that provides opportunities for low-income K-12 youths to learn about oceanography. The goals of the pilot course are to educate a racially diverse group of UCSD undergraduates in culturally sensitive mentoring practices and provide opportunities for them to apply their newly acquired skills while working with K-12 students at ODI. The undergraduates prepared and implemented lessons designed to demystify the college experience for their mentees. Through classroom experience and weekly journal reflections, undergraduates developed confidence and improved their ability to mentor youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional and scientific societies are increasingly engaging in efforts to create a science community that manifests justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). However, progress assessment is challenging, and opportunities for community feedback are limited. During the 2022 Ocean Sciences Meeting, the Oceanography Society (TOS) JEDI committee led an interactive Town Hall to collect feedback from conference participants and TOS membership on three themes: challenges, initiatives, and opportunities related to advancing JEDI in ocean sciences. This Town Hall was preceded by a survey that was administered to the TOS membership. Survey respondents and Town Hall participants provided valuable observations and synthesis on the past, present, and future of JEDI work in ocean sciences. Discussion included both positive efforts and outcomes of JEDI work as well as harmful and ineffective practices. This paper synthesizes feedback received and highlights ways in which the ocean sciences community and professional and scientific societies can advance similar work. Gatekeeping, a system of implicit or explicit cultural and institutional constraints to and requirements for entry into a field, was identified as the most significant challenge to diversifying the ocean sciences. The majority of survey respondents agreed that efforts to broaden participation have been successful, and identified specific initiatives that have been effective, including the development and support of mentorship and training programs and partnerships with minority-serving institutions. Some challenges to advancing JEDI initiatives include targeted recruitment from the most "elite" institutions and "parachute science." Respondents agreed that professional and scientific societies have an important role to play in advancing JEDI in ocean sciences. Participants discussed strategies to broaden participation, including efforts that can be employed by professional and scientific societies such as regular data collection on demographics, improved information sharing, and stricter codes of conduct at professional meetings. We conclude by summarizing some new TOS-led initiatives that are designed to promote JEDI in ocean sciences and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information published annually by the National Science Foundation on its Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awardees was used to create an Awardees in Ocean Sciences (AOS) data set. This data set shows that women have been successful in receiving the fellowship award in the ocean sciences, receiving an overall 69% of the awards from 1996 through 2021 (458 women among 659 awardees). Women comprised at least 50% of awardees in the six ocean sciences disciplines listed as GRFP subfields of study. The highest percentages of awards to women (72%) were in biological oceanography and marine geology/geophysics, followed by marine biology and chemical oceanography (69%), physical oceanography (67%), and ocean engineering (61%). Women were successful both as undergraduate applicants (69% of undergraduate awardees) and as graduate applicants (71% of graduate awardees). We estimate that GRFP women awardees made up 17.8% of the women obtaining doctoral degrees in oceanography from 2017 to 2021, compared with GRFP men awardees comprising 8.5% of the male doctoral recipients for the same period. Our analysis suggests future directions for study of GRFP awardees and highlights the need for data that would help inform community outreach to underserved student populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examine how women’s representation in National Science Foundation Ocean Sciences (NSF-OCE) awards changed between 1987 and 2019 and how it varied across different programs, research topics, and award types. Women’s participation in NSF-OCE awards increased at a rate of approximately 0.6% per year from about 10% in 1987 to 30% in 2019, and the strong similarity between the temporal trends in the NSF-OCE awards and the academic workforce suggests that there was no gender bias in NSF funding throughout the 33-year study period. The programs, topics, and award types related to education showed the strongest growth, achieving and surpassing parity with men, while those related to the acquisition of shared instrumentation and equipment for research vessels had the lowest women’s representation and showed relatively little change over time. Despite being vastly outnumbered by men, women principal investigators (PIs) tended to do more collaborative work and had a more diversified “portfolio” of research and research-related activities than men. We also found no evidence of gender bias in the amount awarded to men and women PIs during the study period. These results show that, despite significant increases in women’s participation in oceanography over the past three decades, women have still not reached parity with men. Although there appears to be no gender bias in funding decisions or amount awarded, there are significant differences between women’s participation in specific research subject areas that may reflect overall systemic biases in oceanography and academia more broadly. These results highlight areas where further investment is needed to improve women’s representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angelo Secchi was an astrophysicist and a pioneer in the use of spectroscopy in that field and also contributed to meteorology and geodesy. His only contribution to oceanography was on the physics of the "Secchi disk," a simple device that provides a measure of water transparency. While the Secchi disk was widely adopted after his death, the cruise report Secchi wrote in 1865 has unfortunately remained ignored, despite addressing many crucial questions in marine optics, such as how the angle of the sun, the disk's color and directional reflectance, the disk's diameter, the ship's shadow, and cloudiness influence the transparency measurements. This article aims to correct these oversights by calling attention to the scientific contributions of Angelo Secchi to optical oceanography. It shows how his training as an empirical physicist, his meticulousness, and his dedication enabled him to establish Secchi disk science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the earliest French oceanographic expeditions dedicated to investigating the deep sea. Though these expeditions, conducted from 1880 to 1883, were quite successful in terms of both science and what today we call “outreach,” they are often overlooked in histories of oceanography or mentioned only in passing. They produced a substantial literature of over 100 scientific publications. Participants’ descriptions of 176 new species are still considered valid today. Among the remarkable scientific discoveries were culturable and pressure-tolerant bacteria in deep-sea sediment samples, which led to the origin of deep-sea microbiology, and iconic deepsea fish such as the gulper eel. Specimens, instruments, and equipment from these expeditions were on display for the general public at an exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris in early 1884. Between 1885 and 1891, expedition scientists authored three mass-market books on deep-sea life and the expeditions. Following a summary of the expeditions and their results, some speculation is provided as to why such an auspicious nineteenth century beginning of oceanography in France did not lead to a sustained interest in oceanography. A supplementary file contains a bibliography of expedition publications and a list of the species described from expedition collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct observations of marine ecosystems are inherently limited in their temporal scope. Yet, ongoing global anthropogenic change urgently requires improved understanding of long-term baselines, greater insight into the relationship between climate and biodiversity, and knowledge of the evolutionary consequences of our actions. Sediment cores can provide this understanding by linking data on the responses of marine biota to reconstructions of past environmental and climatic change. Given continuous sedimentation and robust age control, studies of sediment cores have the potential to constrain the state and dynamics of past climates and ecosystems on timescales of centuries to millions of years. Here, we review the development and recent advances in “ocean drilling paleobiology”—a synthetic science with potential to illuminate the interplay and relative importance of ecological and evolutionary factors during times of global change. Climate, specifically temperature, appears to control Cenozoic marine ecosystems on million-year, millennial, centennial, and anthropogenic timescales. Although certainly not the only factor controlling biodiversity dynamics, the effect size of temperature is large for both pelagic and deep-sea ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inlinino is an open-source software data logger whose main purpose is to log scientific measurements collected during extended periods at sea. Here, we present an application of this software to data collected with commercial instrumentation. Inlinino also provides real-time visualization of the recorded observations, which helps users troubleshoot instruments in the field and prevents the collection of bad data. Inlinino is written in Python and runs on regular computers for instruments that have a serial interface. For less than $57, we built a separate data acquisition module--a precision analog-to-serial converter--for interfacing instruments that output analog signals to Inlinino. Inlinino was designed for optical sensors but can be used with any environmental sensor that communicates through analog or serial ports. The code is sufficiently modular that anyone with moderate coding skills can add new sensors. To date, Inlinino has been deployed successfully on several research vessels and logged more than 650 days of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since late fall 1992, CMV Oleander III has been measuring upper ocean currents during its weekly trips between Bermuda and Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, by means of an acoustic Doppler current profiler installed in its hull. The overarching objective of this effort has been to monitor transport in the Gulf Stream and surrounding waters. With 25 years of observation in hand, we note that the Gulf Stream exhibits significant year-to-year variations but no evident long-term trend in transport. We show how these data have enabled studies of oceanic variability over a very wide range of scales, from a few kilometers to the full 1,000 km length of its route. We report that the large interannual variations in temperature on the continental shelf are negatively correlated with flow from the Labrador Sea, but that variability in the strength of this flow cannot account for a longer-term warming trend observed on the shelf. Acoustic backscatter data offer a rich trove of information on biomass activities over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. A peek at the future illustrates how the new and newly equipped Oleander will be able to profile currents to greater depths and thereby contribute to monitoring the strength of the meridional overturning circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To support conservation practices, societal demand for understanding fundamental coastal ocean ecosystem mechanisms has grown in recent decades. Globally, these regions are among the world’s most productive, but they are highly vulnerable to extractive and non-extractive stresses. In 1999, we established the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) to perform basic and use-inspired, long-term ecological research at local to large marine ecosystem (LME) scales. Coordinated investigations of ecosystem patterns and dynamics focused on nearshore coastal waters and hard-bottom habitats (rocky intertidal and kelp forests) in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. Communicating relevant scientific discoveries to inform decision-making was an integral component, as was commitment to training new generations of interdisciplinary marine scientists, thereby building scientific capacity and expertise in marine conservation science and policy. Issues of climate change and ocean acidification, wildlife disease outbreaks, oil spills, and conservation strategies such as marine protected areas have spotlighted the immense value of long-term monitoring and research at the LME scale. Here, we reflect on PISCO’s approach and progress in linking science, conservation, management, and policy using 20 years of experience in the formation and operation of this research network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the large, diverse set of in situ data collected during the Salinity Processes in the Upper-ocean Regional Study 2 (SPURS-2) field campaign. The data set includes measurements of the ocean, atmosphere, and fluxes between atmosphere and ocean; measurements of the skin surface layer, bulk mixed layer, and deeper water; (mostly) physical, chemical, and biological measurements; and shipbased, mobile drifting/floating, and moored observations. We include references detailing the methods for collection of each data set, provide DOIs for accessing the data, and note some papers in this special issue that use them. To facilitate broader access to SPURS-2 data and information, we created an online tool that allows users to explore data sets organized by various categories (e.g., instrument type, mobility, depth). This tool will complement content available from the Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) and will be highly engaging for visual learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The salinity variability of the upper ocean is influenced by surface heat, momentum, and freshwater fluxes, which are in turn affected by atmospheric conditions. It is necessary to accurately measure these surface fluxes within their atmospheric environment to understand the linkages between rain events and the resulting upper-ocean salinity balance that occurs at cloud scales. We describe a comprehensive set of atmospheric and oceanic data collected during the second Salinity Processes in the Upper-ocean Regional Study (SPURS-2) experiment in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. These measurements included direct estimates of heat, moisture, and momentum fluxes using direct covariance flux systems on R/V Roger Revelle and a 3 m discus buoy. These are the first successful direct measurements of evaporation from a buoy over an extended period. The atmospheric moisture budget is estimated from a combination of data, including measured freshwater fluxes, upper air sounding data, and satellite data. This analysis reconfirms the important role of moisture convergence beneath the Intertropical Convergence Zone in this region. We perform an analysis of the near-surface vertical salinity structure and its relationship to these surface fluxes, highlighting the roles of stabilization by solar insolation and precipitation and the effects of rainfall on mixing of the upper ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiocarbon observations suggest that the deep Atlantic Ocean takes up to several centuries to fully respond to changes at the sea surface. Thus, the ocean's memory is longer than the modern instrumental period of oceanography, and the determination of modern warming of the subsurface Atlantic requires information from paleoceanographic data sets. In particular, paleoceanographic proxy data compiled by the Ocean2k project indicate that there was a global cooling from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age over the years 900-1800, followed by modern warming that began around 1850. An ocean simulation that is forced by a combined instrumentalproxy reconstruction of surface temperatures over the last 2,000 years shows that the deep Atlantic continues to cool even after the surface starts warming. As a consequence of the multicentury surface climate history, the ocean simulation suggests that the deep Atlantic doesn't take up as much heat during the modern warming era as the case where the ocean was in equilibrium at 1750. Both historical hydrographic observations and proxy records of the subsurface Atlantic are needed to determine whether the effects of the Little Ice Age did indeed persist well after the surface climate had already shifted to warmer conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a decade of program offerings, the Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention (MPOWIR) program initiated a community-wide survey to (1) assess the impact MPOWIR has had on retention of women in the field of physical oceanography, and (2) gauge where needs are being met and where gaps still exist. To investigate the impact of MPOWIR, we compare MPOWIR participants with male and female cohorts that did not participate in MPOWIR but were at a similar career stage. The survey results indicate MPOWIR has had a substantial impact by aiding individuals in finding and developing mentoring relationships. MPOWIR women are far more likely to have a mentor, and they report having mentors in addition to their advisors, indicating proactive seeking of mentoring relationships. Survey results identify many unmet mentoring needs for both men and women, but MPOWIR participants appear to be receiving more from their mentoring relationships than their non-MPOWIR cohorts. The majority of survey respondents reported there were challenges to achieving career goals, but MPOWIR participants were significantly more likely to have attained their career goals, even though they had received their PhDs more recently. Eighty-eight percent of survey respondents with PhDs were employed in oceanography, irrespective of participation in MPOWIR. MPOWIR women indicate the program has had a large impact on their lives, with the greatest effect being expansion of professional networks and exposure to professional development skills. Senior participants in the program (who serve as mentors to junior scientists) also reported significant professional and personal growth from being involved. Data obtained independently of the survey show that, of the 173 women who have participated in MPOWIR, the recent PhDs are predominantly in postdoctoral positions as expected, but for participants receiving their PhDs prior to 2012, an impressive 80% are in faculty or university/government/nonprofit research positions. Thus, MPOWIR appears to have had an important impact on retention and career satisfaction of its participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) is a global problem, and particularly in San Jorge Gulf (SJG), Argentina, which supports important fisheries, HABs represent a risk to human health. We studied the diversity and distribution of toxigenic dinoflagellates in the SJG using toxin detection and quantification, and assessed the connections between cell densities, toxins, and oceanographic parameters. Phytoplankton net samples were taken for microscopic and liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS) analyses during an expedition aboard R/V Coriolis II in February 2014. Solid phase adsorption toxin tracking (SPATT) devices were also deployed to determine the presence of dissolved lipophilic toxins in seawater. Toxigenic dinoflagellate species and associated toxins showed different distribution patterns in the north and the south SJG. Protoceratium reticulatum and Dinophysis acuminata, together with yessotoxin and pectenotoxins, were predominantly detected in the northern SJG, mainly associated with low-nutrient, warmer waters. By contrast, Alexandrium catenella and paralytic shellfish toxins showed the highest relative abundances in the southern SJG, associated with high-nutrient, low-temperature waters. Cellular toxin content was also differently affected by environmental parameters, highlighting the complexity of HABs in this area. Spirolides were detected by SPATT for the first time in the SJG, suggesting the occurrence of A. ostenfeldii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss the use of stereographic projection for studying recent models of the flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss oceanic drift as relevant to applications in operational oceanography using examples from recent field experiments to highlight some of the challenges in modeling drift trajectories. Short-term predictions are important in timecritical operations, for example, for oil spill mitigation; hence, it is important that the transient response of the upper ocean to atmospheric forcing is modeled correctly. We emphasize the impact of surface waves and discuss the coupling between waves and mean flow in some detail. Because many objects of interest (e.g., person in water, oil spills) are in the wave zone, a better understanding of the details of the dynamics at the air-sea interface is needed. A clear separation of the forcing on such objects due to wind, waves, and ocean currents is needed in drift models, both to reduce dependence on empirical formulae and to make better use of drift data collected in field experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the velocity field and the threedimensional flow paths obtained from a recently developed three-dimensional, nonlinear model that can simulate observed features of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent. The sensitivity of the flow field and the paths to the undercurrent are examined. The flow paths or trajectories used in the model were obtained from the exact solution of the velocity field. Nonlinear, threedimensional features that can be simulated by the model include upwelling/downwelling, cellular flow structures, divergence of flow from the equator and extra-equatorial flows, a subsurface ocean "bridge" in the equatorial direction, and sharp changes in the gradient of the flow path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explicitly solvable models have recently been developed for the interaction of waves with the Equatorial Undercurrent in an f-plane approximation. We observe that these analyses can be dramatically simplified by a Boussinesqtype approximation, and that the additional errors introduced are for the most part negligible. The approximate formulas are easier to interpret and show that critical layers occur if and only if the disturbances of the thermocline and free surface are in phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that rotating spherical coordinates can and should be used for the study of steady, large-scale ocean flows, and describe the role of the stream function in simplifying the governing equations and for generating solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss some aspects of mesoscale ocean flows in which vorticity plays a key role. In addition to wave-current interactions on the continental shelf, where Earth's rotation is negligible, we also look into the interplay of wind forcing and the Coriolis force that drives large-scale ocean eddies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]