Conference: Training the Next Generation of Physical Oceanographers in Seagoing Methods

This project will train the next generation of seagoing physical oceanographers through a field campaign in the South Atlantic Bight and adjacent Gulf Stream system. Under faculty mentorship, students will design and execute a sampling strategy to investigate shelf–Gulf Stream exchange and upper-ocean variability along the continental margin. The program integrates pre-cruise planning, shipboard data collection, and post-cruise data synthesis, providing participants with experience in observational oceanography and field campaign design. It expands access to ship-based training in physical oceanography to all types of institutions. These experiences equip participants with the technical and operational skills needed to contribute to ocean observing systems, field campaigns, and data-driven research. Cruise data and instructional materials will be made publicly available, enabling broader use in teaching, research, and regional ocean observing efforts.

The cruise will focus on observing physical processes associated with continental shelf and Gulf Stream interactions. Students will design and implement a targeted sampling plan to capture features such as frontal structure, stratification, and shelf-break exchange. Participants will gain practical experience deploying core physical oceanographic instrumentation while learning to adapt sampling strategies under operational constraints. Cruise observations will be processed, quality-controlled, and analyzed withing standard oceanographic dynamical frameworks. Data collected during the cruise will be archived in the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association repository, contributing to regional observing capacity. Students will also be introduced to the basics of regional ocean modeling, including how to configure and run a nested model domain representative of the observed region. Real-time modeling exercises informed by observations collected during the cruise will allow students to directly connect live field measurements with numerical model outputs.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Award Number: 2622251
Principal Investigator: Lilian Dove
Funds Obligated: $54,232
State: GA