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The Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research
(CICOR) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), a not-for-profit
research institute that has fostered collaborative research between NOAA
scientists and university scientists and students since its inception in
1999. CICOR provides a framework at WHOI for coordinating NOAA-funded research,
to build ties between WHOI investigators and colleagues at NOAA laboratories,
and for developing cooperative NOAA-funded research at academic institutions
in the northeastern United States. At the same time CICOR provides NOAA
investigators with access to WHOI facilities, including 4 ships and 2 submersibles
(one manned and one operated remotely), and the Northeast National Ion Microprobe
Facility. In collaboration with WHOI's Academic Programs' Office, CICOR
supports graduate education through a joint program with MIT, as well as
postdoctoral and undergraduate summer student fellowships. Major research
and planning activities have been carried out in partnership with several
NOAA laboratories: Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory,
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, and Earth System Research Laboratory;
the Northeast Fisheries Science Center; the NOAA Climate Office; and the
Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research.
CICOR research focuses on three themes: (1) The Coastal Ocean and Near-shore
Processes - Includes scientific research on fundamental processes of
coastal biology, physical oceanography, and sediment and sand transport,
as well as the effects of contaminants and the changing environment upon
coastal ecosystems and habitats for marine mammals, fish, and humans; (2)
The Ocean's Participation in Climate and Climate Variability - Recognizes
the critical role of (sub-basin scale) oceanographic processes in the dynamics
of the overall climate system and that these processes, which operate on
seasonal to millennial and beyond timescales, require sustained observational
studies; and (3) Marine Ecosystem Processes Analysis - Encompasses
a wide range of community and ecosystem level studies, many of which concern
the interaction of biology composition and structure with physical, chemical
or geological characteristics of the marine environment.
CICOR research activities have resulted in approximately 43 scientific publications
annually, of which 70% appear in peer-reviewed publications. Environments
studied have ranged from coastal estuaries, salt marshes, offshore shelves,
and bank regions to the oceanic water column, the abyssal sea floor, and
the hydrothermal vents of ocean ridges. Research on the species composition,
trophic structure, and evolutionary history of a variety of marine ecosystems
as well as the development of instrumentation have long been central strengths
of WHOI and are aligned with NOAA's goals through CICOR research.
CICOR's research activities assist NOAA in three of its Mission Goals: (1)
Protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through
an ecosystem approach to management; (2) Understand climate variability
and change to enhance society's ability to plan and respond; and (3) Provide
critical support for NOAA's mission.
