The coastal component of the Ocean Observatories Initiative is planned to have significant infrastructure on the US west coast. There will also be an East Coast component. The coastal effort is being coordinated closely with other components of the OOI to provide maximum multi-scale science opportunities.
The coastal margin of the Northeast Pacific ocean is unique in that it is strongly influenced by local wind- and buoyancy-driving, by interannual variability originating in the tropical Pacific, and by variations in the large-scale North Pacific circulation.
The physical setting within the Pacific Northwest region offers important contrasts for comparative studies , for example, narrow versus wide continental shelves, smooth versus highly-variable coastline and bottom bathymetry, and various degrees of freshwater forcing.
Sufficient field data exist to help site observatory assets and, in a few places, there are historical records of ecosystem response to long-period climate variability, a legacy upon which to base multidecadal OOI observations.
