About the Branch: About Home

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Research within the Oceans Sciences Branch consists of a very strong ocean biology program that includes broad ocean color and ocean carbon cycle research, and a physical oceanography program that extends from ocean circulation-climate research to air-sea interaction.

Branch scientists are a driving force in research on marine optics, ocean biology, and global biogeochemical cycles (e.g., Carbon), utilizing ocean color measurements and models. Scientists are actively involved analyzing data from NASA's SeaWiFs and MODIS instruments. The group provides leadership in the calibration and validation activities and participates in many field campaigns. Scientific studies are focused on light in the sea, global ocean productivity, the ocean carbon cycle, and tropical ocean biogeochemistry. Scientists are developing on site laboratories to examine primary productivity and dissolved organic carbon. The group is involved with major international programs and the continuing development of NASA's Carbon Cycle science program.

Our members carry out physical oceanographic research with models, data analysis, and instrument development to improve understanding of earth system dynamics. Researchers are involved in the analysis of satellite data, using missions such as NASA's TOPEX-POSEIDON and Jason-1 altimeter and QuikSCAT scatterometer instruments, to understand large-scale ocean circulation processes. They are engaged in instrument development and field testing to build future satellite systems, such as Aquarius sea surface salinity and ocean lidars to study upper ocean mixing. Branch scientists participate in the NASA Seasonal-to-Interannual Prediction Project (NSIPP), which utilizes satellite measurements to improve seasonal-to-interannual climate prediction. The branch participates in major international physical oceanographic programs, such as the CLImate VARiability (CLIVAR) program and the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE).

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