NSF Advances Endurance Array Redeployment
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has begun the phased redeployment of its Ocean Observatories Initiative (NSF OOI) Endurance Array, restoring critical ocean observations following planned maintenance and servicing.
The redeployment of gliders this summer will restore seasonal observations, enabling scientists to monitor seasonal hypoxia over the central Oregon and Washington shelves. The gliders will also capture changing ocean conditions as El Niño is expected to develop later this year, bringing warmer waters and a deeper thermocline to the region. NSF OOI glider data are available in near real time through the OOI Data Explorer and the national Glider Data Assembly Center (GDAC).
Looking ahead, several moorings are scheduled for redeployment aboard the R/V Revelle in early October, including the Oregon and Washington Shelf surface moorings and the Washington Offshore Profiler Mooring. Redeploying these moorings ahead of the developing El Niño will restore continuous observations of winds, waves, and water column conditions throughout the fall and winter. Data from the redeployed moorings will be available on the OOI Data Explorer and the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems NANOOS; meteorological data will also be available through the NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC).
Planning is also underway for redeployments in the spring of 2027 that will fully restore mooring and glider operations across the Endurance Array.
In parallel with redeployment efforts, the Endurance Array team continues to support the broader ocean observing community through scientific leadership. Project Scientist Ed Dever is chairing a session “Ocean Observing Systems at a Crossroads: Accomplishments, Innovations, & Vision” at the Eastern Pacific Ocean Conference.
Dever is also co-convening the Fall 2026 AGU session “Long-Term Ocean Observatories as Drivers of Sensor & Data Science Innovation” with Mike Vardaro and Wendi Ruef of the University of Washington Regional Cabled Array.
NSF OOI Endurance Array staff recover glider 384 to adjust its ballast before sending it on its mission over the Oregon Shelf. Photo credit: Scarlett Arbuckle (Oregon State University).