Kilo Moana

Refer to Research/Scope of Work in Charter agreement

Systematic long-term (greater than a few decades in length) time-series observations of aquatic and terrestrial environments have led to a more comprehensive understanding of the natural ecosystem variability and have enabled an assessment of human impacts on ecosystem dynamics. Because of their ability to store and transport large amounts of heat and to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the world's oceans play a critical role in modulating environmental conditions for the sustained well-being of both land-based and marine organisms including humans. Despite their recognized scientific and societal importance, long-term records of key ocean processes are rare. In 1988, the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program, near Hawaii was established. For over three decades, teams of scientists based at the University of Hawaii have made critical measurements of the 'state of our sea.' These long-term observations have established a baseline against which future states can be compared. The ship-based HOT program complements other diverse ocean observation programs including remote-sensing via satellites, moored buoys, profiling floats, and autonomous underwater vehicles. All HOT program data are publicly available and are frequently used by researchers and policy makers around the world.

Investigation of particulate organic sulfur, its formation within O2-deficient zones, and its impacts on sedimentary organic carbon preservation. We will collect sinking particles (with custom-built float-tethered arrays), suspended particles (with McLane pumps), and sediments (multicores) from three regions of the Mexican shelf and slope. Hydrographic data will be collected across a one-degree grid and complemented with multibeam data for regional context. The cruise would ideally be timed for maximum primary productivity in late spring to early (Northern Hemisphere) summer. Additionally, a short cruise from Washington to Clayoquot Sound, shortly prior to the main cruise, will permit testing of newly commissioned equipment and student training. On that cruise, we will deploy and recover the float-tethered trap arrays and conduct multicoring.

The goal of the proposed work is to field test hypotheses concerning the biological production and consumption of marine dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) related to its role as a potential ‘organic nutrient’ source sustaining net community production within the ocean’s subtropical gyres. A North Pacific cruise will use observations of DON concentration ([DON]), chlorophyll a concentration ([chl a ]), DON d 15 N, Dd 15 N(DON-NO 3 - ), and DON molecular composition to identify regions of net DON production and consumption in the context of biological productivity evaluated using measurements of net (O 2 /Ar) and gross O 2 (Triple O isotopes) production. Novel organic geochemistry tools will be used to identify the molecular composition of the allochthonous DON sustaining biological N demand in the subtropical North Pacific. Testing previously proposed hypotheses, t he depth of DON consumption will be investigated using ship-board incubations that expose surface DON collected from three stations with gradients in surface nitrate concentration ([NO 3 - ]) to microbial communities from the mixed layer and the sub-euphotic zone. Finally, a new semi-labile DON tracer will be encoded in a global ocean biogeochemistry model, with the organic matter and isotopic data sets serving to validate the model for semi-labile DON cycling using data assimilation techniques.

Systematic long-term (greater than a few decades in length) time-series observations of aquatic and terrestrial environments have led to a more comprehensive understanding of the natural ecosystem variability and have enabled an assessment of human impacts on ecosystem dynamics. Because of their ability to store and transport large amounts of heat and to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the world's oceans play a critical role in modulating environmental conditions for the sustained well-being of both land-based and marine organisms including humans. Despite their recognized scientific and societal importance, long-term records of key ocean processes are rare. In 1988, two ocean time-series programs were established: one in the North Atlantic near Bermuda and the other, the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program, near Hawaii. For the past three decades, teams of scientists based at the University of Hawaii have made critical measurements of the 'state of our sea.' These long-term observations have established a baseline against which future states can be compared. The ship-based HOT program complements other diverse ocean observation programs including remote-sensing via satellites, moored buoys, profiling floats, and autonomous underwater vehicles. All HOT program data are publicly available and are frequently used by researchers and policy makers around the world.

Jessica Fitzsimmons, James Moffett, and Nicholas Hawco propose to collect four large volume (1000 L) seawater samples to develop an archive of consensus materials for trace metal analysis. Samples will be collected from the surface and 1000m at the Station ALOHA, and from two stations in the Gulf of Mexico influenced by the Mississippi River outflow. Samples will be collected and filtered using trace metal clean techniques into large-volume tanks, homogenized, and then dispensed into 500mL bottles for archiving and distribution to the community. Samples will be analyzed by groups worldwide for a suite of dissolved trace metals. Their data will be analyzed in collaboration with Antonio Possolo, of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Consensus values derived from this synthesis for each element will be reported on the US GEOTRACES Web Site and in a peer-reviewed publication. The majority of samples will be archived for distribution, replacing the exhausted archives of previous intercomparison projects. The last two decades have seen great advances in our knowledge about the distribution and biogeochemical cycles of trace elements in the ocean. This was possible because laboratories worldwide had confidence that their analyses were producing consistent results. The establishment and distribution of consensus standards, from the SAFe (2004) and GEOTRACES (2008-2009) programs, were critical in this development. We propose to collect samples from Station ALOHA, where water chemistry will be very similar to the valuable samples collected in those former consensus-building programs. Those earlier efforts also revealed that there were some intercalibration issues that need to be addressed. For example, copper displays surprising variability in reported values that did not appear to arise from contamination, but could reflect artifacts arising from Cu complexation by organic matter for specific protocols. Cobalt shows similar issues, while vanishingly low surface oligotrophic concentrations of cadmium, zinc, and iron can prevent strong consensus against significant blanks at the picomolar level. These issues and others will be explored by Fitzsimmons, Moffett, Hawco, and other participants in the course of consensus building. Recent field campaigns in margins and estuaries have underscored the importance of a consensus standard in waters containing high concentrations of dissolved organic matter, which may create analytical artifacts for copper and other metals. It also needs to be determined what the constraints on long term storage are for such samples. This is the rationale for collecting a high-organics, lower salinity sample in the Gulf of Mexico.

Systematic long-term (greater than a few decades in length) time-series observations of aquatic and terrestrial environments have led to a more comprehensive understanding of the natural ecosystem variability and have enabled an assessment of human impacts on ecosystem dynamics. Because of their ability to store and transport large amounts of heat and to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the world's oceans play a critical role in modulating environmental conditions for the sustained well-being of both land-based and marine organisms including humans. Despite their recognized scientific and societal importance, long-term records of key ocean processes are rare. In 1988, the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program, near Hawaii was established. For over three decades, teams of scientists based at the University of Hawaii have made critical measurements of the 'state of our sea.' These long-term observations have established a baseline against which future states can be compared. The ship-based HOT program complements other diverse ocean observation programs including remote-sensing via satellites, moored buoys, profiling floats, and autonomous underwater vehicles. All HOT program data are publicly available and are frequently used by researchers and policy makers around the world.

From August 26–31, 2026, the R/V Kilo Mauna will host an instructional and research cruise around Oahu and Kauai, offering University of Hawaii undergraduate and graduate students hands-on experience with cutting-edge oceanographic methodology. Participants will experience a suite of multidisciplinary measurements, including Shipboard ADCP and multibeam bathymetry, CTD/Rosette system water column profiling, sediment collection, and eDNA sampling. The scientific team will also monitor continuous underway carbon metrics (pCO 2 , total alkalinity, and pH), deploy 10 fish aggregating devices (FADs), and conduct evening squid collections for downstream DNA characterization. This cruise serves as a critical academic springboard: the datasets generated will directly support Global Environmental Science (GES) undergraduate theses, while simultaneously allowing graduate students to fulfill their mandatory ship time requirements. Beyond its academic utility, the cruise is designed to broaden students' horizons regarding the multiple career opportunities within marine science. Students will gain firsthand exposure to vital, non-academic professional paths. The close quarters of the R/V Kilo Mauna also break down traditional campus barriers, offering a unique, informal setting where undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty can network, share mentorship, and build lasting professional relationships.

Ocean/atmosphere coupling influences atmospheric river (AR) track, timing, and intensity. Uncertainty in ocean conditions both far upstream and just prior to landfall – as well as inadequacies in the parameterizations of air-sea exchange in forecast models – can yield significant forecast uncertainty even on short time horizons (1-3 d). Similarly, it is not yet clear the extent to which ocean/atmosphere interactions impact the development of extreme AR events, for example from “stalling” fronts (e.g. Zou et al. 2023), or those that occur during conditions of anomalous ocean heat content (e.g. El Nino; Bartusek et al. 2021). Key to improving our understanding of the coupled ocean/atmosphere evolution during the formation and passage of an atmospheric river is the collection of in situ research-grade air/sea fluxes and ocean boundary layer response in high resolution and in real time. Under past ONR funding, we have collaboratively developed a system that provides this information at the sea-surface and continuously across the ocean boundary layer to depths of several hundred meters, utilizing a unique ocean wave-powered profiler and a relatively low-cost, easy-to-deploy buoy.

Systematic long-term (greater than a few decades in length) time-series observations of aquatic and terrestrial environments have led to a more comprehensive understanding of the natural ecosystem variability and have enabled an assessment of human impacts on ecosystem dynamics. Because of their ability to store and transport large amounts of heat and to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the world's oceans play a critical role in modulating environmental conditions for the sustained well-being of both land-based and marine organisms including humans. Despite their recognized scientific and societal importance, long-term records of key ocean processes are rare. In 1988, the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program, near Hawaii was established. For over three decades, teams of scientists based at the University of Hawaii have made critical measurements of the 'state of our sea.' These long-term observations have established a baseline against which future states can be compared. The ship-based HOT program complements other diverse ocean observation programs including remote-sensing via satellites, moored buoys, profiling floats, and autonomous underwater vehicles. All HOT program data are publicly available and are frequently used by researchers and policy makers around the world.

The Work consists of a submarine cable route geophysical survey in Hawaii State waters and the adjacent U.S. EEZ, as requested by Marker Offshore, LLC. The survey comprises three discrete offshore segments, two lines along each segment, as depicted in Figure B-1 below. All segments are conducted as dedicated survey passes; no intermediate port calls are planned.

Systematic long-term (greater than a few decades in length) time-series observations of aquatic and terrestrial environments have led to a more comprehensive understanding of the natural ecosystem variability and have enabled an assessment of human impacts on ecosystem dynamics. Because of their ability to store and transport large amounts of heat and to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the world's oceans play a critical role in modulating environmental conditions for the sustained well-being of both land-based and marine organisms including humans. Despite their recognized scientific and societal importance, long-term records of key ocean processes are rare. In 1988, the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program, near Hawaii was established. For over three decades, teams of scientists based at the University of Hawaii have made critical measurements of the 'state of our sea.' These long-term observations have established a baseline against which future states can be compared. The ship-based HOT program complements other diverse ocean observation programs including remote-sensing via satellites, moored buoys, profiling floats, and autonomous underwater vehicles. All HOT program data are publicly available and are frequently used by researchers and policy makers around the world.

Systematic long-term (greater than a few decades in length) time-series observations of aquatic and terrestrial environments have led to a more comprehensive understanding of the natural ecosystem variability and have enabled an assessment of human impacts on ecosystem dynamics. Because of their ability to store and transport large amounts of heat and to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the world's oceans play a critical role in modulating environmental conditions for the sustained well-being of both land-based and marine organisms including humans. Despite their recognized scientific and societal importance, long-term records of key ocean processes are rare. In 1988, the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program, near Hawaii was established. For over three decades, teams of scientists based at the University of Hawaii have made critical measurements of the 'state of our sea.' These long-term observations have established a baseline against which future states can be compared. The ship-based HOT program complements other diverse ocean observation programs including remote-sensing via satellites, moored buoys, profiling floats, and autonomous underwater vehicles. All HOT program data are publicly available and are frequently used by researchers and policy makers around the world.

Systematic long-term (greater than a few decades in length) time-series observations of aquatic and terrestrial environments have led to a more comprehensive understanding of the natural ecosystem variability and have enabled an assessment of human impacts on ecosystem dynamics. Because of their ability to store and transport large amounts of heat and to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the world's oceans play a critical role in modulating environmental conditions for the sustained well-being of both land-based and marine organisms including humans. Despite their recognized scientific and societal importance, long-term records of key ocean processes are rare. In 1988, the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program, near Hawaii was established. For over three decades, teams of scientists based at the University of Hawaii have made critical measurements of the 'state of our sea.' These long-term observations have established a baseline against which future states can be compared. The ship-based HOT program complements other diverse ocean observation programs including remote-sensing via satellites, moored buoys, profiling floats, and autonomous underwater vehicles. All HOT program data are publicly available and are frequently used by researchers and policy makers around the world.

Systematic long-term (greater than a few decades in length) time-series observations of aquatic and terrestrial environments have led to a more comprehensive understanding of the natural ecosystem variability and have enabled an assessment of human impacts on ecosystem dynamics. Because of their ability to store and transport large amounts of heat and to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the world's oceans play a critical role in modulating environmental conditions for the sustained well-being of both land-based and marine organisms including humans. Despite their recognized scientific and societal importance, long-term records of key ocean processes are rare. In 1988, the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program, near Hawaii was established. For over three decades, teams of scientists based at the University of Hawaii have made critical measurements of the 'state of our sea.' These long-term observations have established a baseline against which future states can be compared. The ship-based HOT program complements other diverse ocean observation programs including remote-sensing via satellites, moored buoys, profiling floats, and autonomous underwater vehicles. All HOT program data are publicly available and are frequently used by researchers and policy makers around the world.