John R. Delaney - University of Washington

Candidacy Statement

I am the Principal Investigator on a major component of Ocean Observatory Initiative. The OOI is focused on using support from the Major Research Equipment Facilities Construction fund to launch a variety of novel approaches for conducting research and educational activites related to processes operating within the ocean basins.  The OOI element that I am involved in consists research enabled by deployment of more than 2000 km of submarine electro-optical cable to effectively ‘wire’ the Juan de Fuca Plate and the overlying ocean. This approach will provide sustained electrical power and very high bandwidth communications to hundreds, eventually thousands, of fixed and mobile sensor-robot systems distributed throughout this dynamic portion of the off-shore environment.

The Regional Cabled Observatory system will be a component of a larger program with globally distributed assets in both the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.   The RCO will be directly tied to the Internet allowing scientists and educators continuous access to near-real time information about earth and ocean processes operating in this portion of the NE Pacific.  Using both archived and real-time data flow, we expect to be able to detect, and robotically respond to, a host of events unfolding in the oceanic realm.  By comparing real-time data flow with theoretical models of the processes of interest, we will assimilate and manage a vast data flow while refining the models to more closely emulate reality.  The design life of the program is 25 to 30 years, and it will represent a powerful offshore complement to activities involved in Earthscope’s Plate Boundary Observatory.

I am especially interested in optimizing the interactions between these two NSF-supported MREFC programs.  I would bring to the UNAVCO Board knowledge and insights regarding the plate tectonic processes operating directly off-shore of a significant portion of the PBO footprint.  At the same time, I am interested in exploring new strategic approaches that might combine the resource bases and the intellectual power of the two programs in the coming decades.

Biographical Statement

Dr. Delaney, who has been at the UW for 29 years, has served as chief scientist on more than 40 oceanographic research cruises, many of which have included the Deep Submergence Vehicle Alvin and the Remotely Operated Vehicle Jason.  In September 2005, Delaney co-lead the VISONS ’05 research cruise, which successfully broadcast the first-ever live high-definition video imagery from the seafloor.  The general public was able to view these live broadcasts from the Juan de Fuca Ridge via cable TV on the Research Channel and over the Web.

In 1998, Delaney led a joint expedition with the American Museum of Natural History to successfully recover four volcanic sulfide structures from the Ridge.  This U.S./Canadian effort was the subject of a NOVA/PBS documentary.

Other activities and honors include being named a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 1995; co-leading the development and launch of the REVEL professional-development program that takes science teachers to sea; and service on multiple advisory panes, including the NASA committee planning missions to the moons of Jupiter, and the NSF Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education.

Last modified Friday, 09-Nov-07 15:06:03

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