Scripps Institution researchers win DOD grants

LaJollaLight: Scripps Institution researchers win DOD grants

Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have won three Department of Defense awards to that will help Navy SEALs mount amphibious assaults, improve ocean weather and climate prediction, and help navigators understand major Pacific currents.

The Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) grants support the development of instruments that have a wide range of military applications:

• Fluorometers used by Scripps oceanographer Robert Guza determine how water moves in surf zones. This information can guide nearshore movements of military personnel in areas where polluted waters present hazards to troops.

• Instrument packages for ship-deployed and recovered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed in Ken Melville’s laboratory will enhance the reach and effectiveness of ship-based air-sea interaction research and lead to improved models and predictions of ocean weather and climate.

• A new generation of robotic floats to be acquired by Scripps oceanographer Dan Rudnick is aiding efforts to predict the dynamics of the key ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean. The DURIP award will fund acquisition of up to 30 SOLO-II floats. The new floats, also used in the international Argo network that monitors all ocean basins, now are equipped with Iridium satellite equipment that enables two-way communication between operators and the profilers.

“This well-deserved award exemplifies Scripps and UCSD as worldwide leaders in science, technology and innovation,” said U.S. Rep. Susan Davis, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee whose district includes Scripps Oceanography. “This federal funding will help us better understand our oceans and provide critical information to the Navy.”

Dr. Michael Kassner, director of research in the Office of Naval Research, congratulated “all the DURIP award winners. This program is vitally important to the Navy executing its critical national security research mission. As many others have said, superior technology translates to superior military capability. It is very important that national security researchers have access to state-of-the-art research instrumentation to support transformative oceanographic research.”

UCSD won a total of six DURIP grants in the current funding cycle. Final funding amounts have not been confirmed.

Source: Scripps Institution of Oceanography