Background ~ CBOS and CCBOM

The Chesapeake Bay Observing System (CBOS) has established measurement stations (buoys or other instrument platforms) at several locations around the Chesapeake Bay to document winds, waves, tides, currents, salinity, and environmental parameters such as dissolved oxygen. Concurrent with these observational efforts, NOAA also has significant modeling capabilities, notably through application of computer models that simulate the tides and tidal currents throughout the Bay. In addition to its scientific objectives, the CBOS also fosters an educational component to increase public awareness of the scientific import of the Chesapeake Bay marine environment and to incorporate the ocean sciences into all educational levels.

Inclusion in the CBOS seems natural for the Naval Academy, given our location on the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis. The proposed research center will focus on the observation and modeling of the Chesapeake Bay with particular attention to the region near the Severn River. The Naval Academy research group can support both in-situ observations of key environmental parameters (currents, waves, dissolved oxygen, etc.) and numerical simulations of these and similar parameters. A primary goal of the USNA group, consistent with the mission of the Naval Academy, is to further education in the ocean sciences. As a result, field data and numerical simulations will be incorporated into several undergraduate courses and into the Naval Academy Summer Science Seminar for pre-college level students.

From an institutional perspective, creation of the center to foster multidisciplinary research of the Chesapeake Bay will allow the Naval Academy to play a greater role not only in understanding the local marine environment but also in understanding littoral regions more generally. The US Navy has numerous thrusts aimed at supporting naval warfare in the littoral zone, and central to these efforts is a better understanding of shallow water, coastal oceanographic conditions. Development of a concentrated group of faculty members dedicated to integrating littoral measurements and observations will enable the Naval Academy to contribute at a higher level to Navy research in the littoral environment. Integration of Midshipmen in these research efforts directly supports the Naval Academy Mission by infusing the educational environment with a tangible, hands-on, and exciting research experience.