The Centers for Space Oceanography (CSO) are an operating division of th
Argos Foundation Inc. CSO was established in August 2004 by a Memorandum of Understanding between the Argos Foundation, the
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
Aerospace Finance Corporation, the Florida Space Research Institute, and North American CLS, Inc. While operating under the corporate umbrella of the Argos Foundation, an executive appointee from each of the founding organizations form the Steering Committee of CSO. The first Chairman of the Steering Committee was Stephen Lee Morgan; the first Executive Director of CSO was Lawrence M. Harvey. In December 2005, NACLS withdrew from the Steering Committee, and was replaced by Gladius, LLC.
CSO exists to develop and operate "data fusion" capabilities involving the observation of the Earth's oceans from space, and tracking items (ranging from man-made assets such as ships, to
marine mammal
Marine mammals are aquatic mammals that rely on the ocean and other marine ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as seals, whales, manatees, sea otters and polar bears. They are an informal group, unified only by their reli ...
s and other animals) from space, enabling researchers to examine and understand the relationship of such "mobiles" with respect to physical
oceanographic
Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...
elements (such as currents, waves,
ocean temperature
The ocean temperature varies by depth, geographical location and season. Both the temperature and salinity of ocean water differs. Warm surface water is generally saltier than the cooler deep or polar waters; in polar regions, the upper layers of ...
gradients, etc.). Working with a number of Industrial Team partners, CSO and its associated university and agency researchers develop capabilities, which are then made available to the general public at no charge or at cost. Regionally specific affiliated centers are established to focus attention and resources upon a given region on the
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
's surface. The first such regional center was the Caribbean Center for Ocean Management & Research, established in Florida in 2006.
On 31 January 2006, CSO conducted its First CSO Symposium at
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
, Florida, hosting over 30 attendees from Government, universities, U.S. Federal and Florida agencies, and Industrial Team executives.
"Monitoring the Seas from Space"
(NASA press release, February 16, 2006) CSO continues as a division of the not-for-profit Argos Foundation, while the affiliated regional centers are established as separate legal entities controlled by CSO, but in some cases are for-profit organizations.
References
External links
Argos FoundationCaribbean Center for Ocean Management & Research
Oceanography
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