The Collaborative O-Buoy Project: Deployment of a Network of Arctic Ocean Chemical Sensors for the IPY and beyond

Collaborators from five institutions will work to build and deploy an Arctic Ocean network of rugged and autonomous buoys (named "O-Buoys"), capable of observing three key atmospheric chemical species, bromine monoxide-BrO, ozone-O3, and carbon dioxide-CO2 through 2016 (with each O-Buoy being operational for up to 2 years). O3 and CO2 are two of the most important greenhouse gases that have, as yet, poorly understood behavior in the Arctic. BrO is a reaction intermediate that is involved in the extraordinary ozone and mercury atmospheric depletion that occurs during polar springtime, both of which have strong consequences for human and ecosystem health in the Arctic region. These buoys are immersed through the sea ice into the ocean surface, thereby providing a constant temperature (-1.7 degrees C) environment for sensor stability. The original O-Buoy project funded by NSF included design and testing of the O-Buoy. In the current project, 11 new O-Buoys will be constructed and deployed along with the four already built. As a pilot project, two of the new O-Buoys will include seawater sensors for CO2, oxygen, pH, fluorescence, backscatter, temperature and salinity in addition to the atmospheric O3, BrO, and CO2 sensors. Throughout the project, data from each O-Buoy will be subject to QA/QC protocols by automated processing initially, with preliminary data available on a regular basis on the Advanced Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service (ACADIS) site. All final data and metadata will be ultimately archived on ACADIS after final analysis at the end of each deployment. This network of O-Buoys, coordinated and clustered with other buoys in ice based observatories, will enable the scientific community to first observe and, next, better understand the impact of Arctic surface change on atmospheric composition and chemistry. Outreach to local K-8 schools will include an "Adopt-a-Buoy" program. Video footage from deployments/recoveries and interviews with colleagues and native Arctic people will be contributed to the ongoing http://www.arcticstories.net site, and activities and results will be communicated via the O-Buoy web site.

五家机构的合作团队将携手构建并部署北冰洋O-Buoys（O浮标）坚固型自主浮标网络，该浮标可开展观测至2016年，单台O浮标的可持续运行时长可达2年，可监测三类关键大气化学成分：一氧化溴（BrO）、臭氧（O3）与二氧化碳（CO2）。
臭氧（O3）与二氧化碳（CO2）是两类最为重要的温室气体，目前学界对二者在北极地区的行为机制仍知之甚少。一氧化溴（BrO）作为一种反应中间体，参与极地春季发生的异常臭氧与汞大气损耗过程，这两种过程均会对北极地区的人类健康与生态系统健康造成显著影响。
这些浮标将穿过海冰部署至海洋表层，从而为传感器提供恒定的-1.7℃环境，保障传感器运行稳定性。由美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation, NSF）资助的初代O浮标项目已完成浮标的设计与测试工作。在本次项目中，团队将新建11台O浮标，并与已建成的4台浮标一同完成部署。
作为试点项目，其中2台新建O浮标将额外搭载海水传感器，可监测二氧化碳、溶解氧、pH值、荧光度、后向散射系数、温度与盐度，同时保留原有的大气臭氧（O3）、一氧化溴（BrO）与二氧化碳（CO2）传感器。
在整个项目周期中，所有O浮标的采集数据将首先通过自动化流程开展质量控制与质量保证（QA/QC）规范处理，初步数据将定期发布于高级合作北极数据与信息服务（Advanced Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service, ACADIS）平台。所有最终数据与元数据（metadata）将在每次部署周期结束后完成最终分析，最终归档至ACADIS平台。
该O浮标网络将与其他冰基观测站中的浮标进行协同组网与集群部署，助力科研学界首先实现北极地表变化对大气组分与化学过程影响的观测，进而加深对该影响机制的理解。
项目将面向当地K-8学段学校开展科普推广活动，其中包括“浮标领养（Adopt-a-Buoy）”计划。团队还将把浮标部署与回收作业的影像素材，以及与科研同仁和北极原住民的访谈内容上传至持续更新的http://www.arcticstories.net 网站，并通过O浮标官方网站同步项目活动与研究成果。