Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON) - Salt River Bay (St. Croix, USVI) 2006 Meteorological and Oceanographic Observations (NODC Accession 0049446)

The Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) of OAR is conducting research on the influence of meteorological and oceanographic factors upon coral bleaching, and other biogeochemical processes occurring on coral reefs. Instrument arrays to measure the various environmental influences are being deployed at key coral reef areas to gain long-term temporally intensive data coverage, to provide near real-time information products, and to surface-truth NOAA satellite sea surface temperature (SST) products used for coral bleaching predictions (HotSpot products). OAR has developed expert system software plus the instrument array (together called a Coral Reef Early Warning System, or ICON, station) to screen data in near real-time to test for appropriate data ranges for each of the instruments, and to issue alerts as to conditions thought to be conducive to coral bleaching, and other modeled events. At each ICON station, local collaborators also provide feedback on the presence and progress of coral bleaching and thus validate coral bleaching predictions made by satellite HotSpots and ICON information products.

美国海洋与大气研究办公室（Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, OAR）下属的大西洋海洋与气象实验室（Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, AOML）正对气象与海洋学因子对珊瑚礁白化及珊瑚礁上发生的其他生物地球化学过程的影响开展研究。研究团队正在关键珊瑚礁区域部署用于监测各类环境影响因子的仪器阵列，以获取长期高时间分辨率的数据覆盖范围、提供近实时信息产品，并对用于珊瑚礁白化预测的美国国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA）卫星海表温度（Sea Surface Temperature, SST）产品（即HotSpot产品（HotSpot products））开展地面验证。OAR已开发专家系统软件与配套仪器阵列（二者合称为珊瑚礁早期预警系统（Coral Reef Early Warning System, ICON）站点），可对数据进行近实时筛查，验证各仪器的合理数据区间，并针对被认为利于珊瑚礁白化及其他模拟事件发生的环境条件发布警报。在每个ICON站点，当地合作方还会提供珊瑚礁白化发生情况与发展进程的反馈信息，以此对卫星HotSpot产品及ICON信息产品生成的珊瑚礁白化预测结果开展验证。