04/19/2022
For a long time, the ocean was a place for mythic monsters and unreachable depths. Director of the Center of Oceanic-Atmospheric Prediction Studies and professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science at FSU Eric Chassignet just received a $9M grant from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to make the ocean a little less mysterious. Chassignet is working to improve water current predictions in the Gulf of Mexico.
Understanding these currents is vital for many industries. They impact extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, as well as the spread of pollution, and even everyday conditions like wind, waves, and swell. The oil and gas industries use this to help keep workers safe and understand when and where it would be best to set up rigs in the Gulf, fisheries use these currents to understand where resources will naturally occur so they can assess current and future populations and reduce mortality and danger to protected or endangered species.
This project, aptly named GOFFISH, is the third stage of a much larger project: the Gulf Ocean Systems program. The first phase entailed collecting radar data on ocean dynamics and assessing current forecasting systems. The second looked to use machine learning to create algorithms for forecasting and identifying the vital conditions for monitoring.
The project is currently focusing on a particular segment of the Gulf Stream known as The Loop Current, a deep, swift current which is known to be a main factor in creating other eddies that help quickly intensify tropical storms. What makes Chassignet’s project unique is its collective approach to data gathering and forecasting. GOFFISH includes data taken from airplanes as well as subsurface tools to measure a variety of variables such as temperature, salinity, surface velocity and more all at the same time. This approach allows Chassignet’s team to adapt their strategy real-time, adjusting how and what they sample to ensure the most accurate predictions.
This project could have profound and lasting effects on forecasting, and help improve the lives of communities and industries that rely on the Gulf of Mexico.
