Program Time-Line

U.S. GLOBEC proposes to conduct alternate-year process studies of theCCS and CGOA ecosystems, concurrent with longer-term monitoring of both systems for a 5-7 year period. We expect that modeling, retrospective data analysis, and monitoring, will begin prior to the 5-7 years of process-oriented studies, and that final synthesis will extend beyond the conclusion of the field studies. Synthesis in this timeline includes coordination and integration activities that link together various research, monitoring, and modeling activities occuring in the Northeast Pacific (see section on Synthesis). Using five years of process studies as an example, we envision the following time-line (Table 1) for Northeast Pacific U.S. GLOBEC activities.

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Table 1. Time-line for U.S. GLOBEC Northeast Pacific Program.

Activity Yr 1 Yr 2Yr 3Yr 4Yr 5Yr 6Yr 7Yr 8
ModelingXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 
Retrospective DataXXXXXXXXXXXX   
SynthesisXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
         
CCS        
MonitoringXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 
Process  XXX XXX XXX 
         
CGOA        
MonitoringXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 
Process   XXX XXX  
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This timeline reflects several trade-offs that will be necessary to accomplish an integrated Northeast Pacific (NEP) GLOBEC program. First, there are insufficient ship resources to conduct process studies in the CCS and CGOA simultaneously. Process studies will be conducted during years 3-7 of this timeline--the emphasis in years 3, 5, and 7 is on the CCS; in years 4 and 6, the CGOA will be the primary focus. Modeling, retrospective data analysis, synthesis and monitoring will overlap in time. Monitoring activities will begin prior to the process studies, but will ramp up to a full effort over three years, as experience suggests which observations are crucial and the frequency of monitoring required. The second limitation is that to accomplish the program above will require that the monitoring activities be restricted. Frequent, broad-scale, detailed spatial surveys, of the type being conducted by U.S. GLOBEC on Georges Bank, are unaffordable on the spatial scale of the program proposed for the Northeast Pacific. Monitoring work in the NEP program will consist of standard suites of observations obtained periodically along several key onshore-offshore transect lines. These dedicated surveys will be supplemented by buoy, satellite, and volunteer observing ship data. See the section below on monitoring. An important aspect of U.S. GLOBEC research in the Northeast Pacific is a synthesis of (1) existing data resources from the CCS and CGOA, (2) data generated by new monitoring programs, (3) U.S. GLOBEC supported process studies in the CCS and CGOA, and (4) data collected by other programs (CalCOFI, SPACC, IAI-Amigo, SEA, EVOS, OCC, PNCERS, CLIVAR/GOALS, etc.) studying the ecosystems of the California Current, Coastal Gulf of Alaska, and the entire Pacific Basin (see the section below on Synthesis).

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