Research

The center conducts research in Coastal-Margin Science, Coastal-Margin Observatories and Enabling Technologies. The research is organized to contribute to a better characterization and distinction between variability and change in coastal margins. We think of cyclic variations as variability, and of shifting trends as change.

Coastal Margin Science
Much of our science effort is in exploratory analysis of microbial communities in the Columbia River river-estuary-plume-shelf system. The center conducts Research Cruises that have led to a wealth of samples, processed with multiple RNA and DNa-based techniques. We use sophisticated circulation models and contextual physical/ecological observations to help support the scientists on the cruises. The results are providing exciting insights into community composition and activity in the river-to-ocean continuum, including patterns of bacterioplankton biogeography and bacterial productivity.

The center is also conducting research to characterize the physical variability in the Columbia River estuary and plume. At the same time, increasing our research into the physical-biological scales of variability–both activities poised to provide increasingly formal context for the microbial studies. Exploratory work is being conducted in contamination pathways, an area of likely growth for the activities of the center.

Coastal Margin Observatories
The center is developing an advanced observatory for the Pacific Northwest coastal margin. The observatory is an integration of heterogeneous modeling systems, observation networks and cyberinfrastructure, which will offer transformative opportunities to understand processes, variability and change.

Currently anchoring the center's infrastructure is CORIE, an early pioneer among coastal margin observatories. This is a complete observatory with a modeling system, observation network, and cyber-infrastructure. CORIE offers an excellent platform for evolution towards a next-generation high-end collaborative observatory, SATURN. While built upon CORIE as a foundation, SATURN is developing distinctive capabilities in critical areas. We anticipate that over the coming years CORIE will become one of several sub-systems of SATURN, which will progressively assume the umbrella identity.

There are four major projects:
SATURN/CORIE modeling systems
SATURN/CORIE observation network
SATURN mobile platforms
SATURN/CORIE cyber-infrastructure

Enabling Technologies
Progress is being made in the development of a broad range of technologies, envisioned to enable SATURN and other next-generation observatories to transform coastal margin science. These technologies follow under three categories: modeling and simulation, sensors and platforms, and cyber-infrastructure.