The Coastal Ocean Processes (CoOP) Program is an NSF OTIC effort to conduct large-scale, interdisciplinary research to improve our quantitative understanding of the processes that dominate the transports, transformations and fates of biologically, chemically and geologically important matter within continental margin systems. This effort developed from an NSF-sponsored workshop held in 1987 to build consensus in the academic coastal ocean scientific community regarding priorities for coastal zone research. Support of CoOP currently comes from the National Science Foundation. In the past, both the Office of Naval Research and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have funded CoOP planning activities as well as field process studies.
The CoOP Office moved to the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography with Dr. Richard Jahnke as Chair in 2000. Prior Chairs have been Drs. Ken Brink of WHOI and Mike Roman of UMCES. In addition to the Chair, CoOP is guided by a Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) of scientists from institutions throughout the US and Canada. Members are drawn equally from the five major oceanographic disciplines: Biological, Chemical, Geological and Physical Oceanography, and Marine Meterology. The Committee members generally serve a three year rotation. |
