Station ALOHA is a circle of 6 mile radius in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii where varied oceanographic research projects converge to produce a remarkable collection of observations about our dynamic oceans and atmosphere. |
Station ALOHA is the focal point of a range of oceanographic studies conducted over great temporal scale that intend to understand and explain the trends of the greater North Pacific Ocean. Station ALOHA was established in 1988 at the start of A Long-term Oligotrophic Habitat Assessment (ALOHA) and this assessment continues today in many forms. The most extended form is the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) in which scientists from the University of Hawaii (UH) conduct 4 day research cruises to the site almost monthly. Scientists with HOT study the physical and biogeochemical properties of the site. In 2004, a collaboration between Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and HOT PO, called the WHOI Hawaii Ocean Time-series Site (WHOTS), began deploying a mooring yearly to observe upper ocean-atmosphere interaction. Since 2008, SeaGliders visit Station ALOHA several times a year to add baseline data about the upper ocean to the already impressive pool of observations about this representative site. The newest dimension of ocean observation at Station ALOHA is the ALOHA Cabled Observatory (ACO), installed in June of 2011 on the seafloor 5 km below the surface. With ACO, researchers at UH now have the ability to send electric power and commands to instruments on the seafloor at Station ALOHA instantly and observe the little-seen habitat for years to come in real-time. To access a full list of Station ALOHA publications as of April 2022, click here. |
*Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.