Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Integrative Activities awarded $562,811 to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) to analyze long-term oceanographic data from the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) focused on frontal meanders and salinity intrusions along the U.S. East Coast. The project, which commenced September 1, 2026 and concludes August 31, 2029, applies machine learning algorithms and advanced data processing techniques to Ocean Observatories Initiative frontal zone glider observations from the Pioneer-New England Shelf Array. The research delivers time series analyses of dominant frontal and exchange processes, including frontal meanders, mid-depth salinity maximum intrusions, warm core ring interactions, and shelf break front dynamics. Quality-controlled glider transects are processed to compute onshore fluxes and examine offshore water export patterns, with theoretical parameterizations applied to advance understanding of regional oceanographic changes and water mass stratification effects.

The project produces tangible research products and datasets intended for broad application across the oceanographic community, including fisheries managers and the commercial fishing industry. The analysis validates prior computational and laboratory-based theoretical work against in situ observations, directly advancing knowledge of how recent warming trends and water mass property changes affect coastal exchange processes in the Northwest Atlantic continental shelf. No sub-awards are planned for this project.