| Summary: | Collaborators from five institutions will work to build and deploy an Arctic Ocean network of rugged and autonomous buoys (named "O-Buoys"), capable of observing three key atmospheric chemical species, bromine monoxide-BrO, ozone-O3, and carbon dioxide-CO2 through 2016 (with each O-Buoy being operational for up to 2 years). O3 and CO2 are two of the most important greenhouse gases that have, as yet, poorly understood behavior in the Arctic. BrO is a reaction intermediate that is involved in the extraordinary ozone and mercury atmospheric depletion that occurs during polar springtime, both of which have strong consequences for human and ecosystem health in the Arctic region. These buoys are immersed through the sea ice into the ocean surface, thereby providing a constant temperature (-1.7 degrees C) environment for sensor stability. The original O-Buoy project funded by NSF included design and testing of the O-Buoy. In the current project, 11 new O-Buoys will be constructed and deployed along with the four already built. As a pilot project, two of the new O-Buoys will include seawater sensors for CO2, oxygen, pH, fluorescence, backscatter, temperature and salinity in addition to the atmospheric O3, BrO, and CO2 sensors. Throughout the project, data from each O-Buoy will be subject to QA/QC protocols by automated processing initially, with preliminary data available on a regular basis on the Advanced Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service (ACADIS) site. All final data and metadata will be ultimately archived on ACADIS after final analysis at the end of each deployment. This network of O-Buoys, coordinated and clustered with other buoys in ice based observatories, will enable the scientific community to first observe and, next, better understand the impact of Arctic surface change on atmospheric composition and chemistry. Outreach to local K-8 schools will include an "Adopt-a-Buoy" program. Video footage from deployments/recoveries and interviews with colleagues and native Arctic people will be contributed to the ongoing http://www.arcticstories.net site, and activities and results will be communicated via the O-Buoy web site.
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