Free Ocean CO2 Enrichment Experiment (FOCE)
Project Manager: Bill Kirkwood
Lead Scientists: Peter Brewer
Lead Engineer: Bill Kirkwood
In 2009 the FOCE team will carry out a series of experiments using the new flume deployed on the MARS cable. These will initially be engineering and geochemical studies; experiments on marine biological impacts will come later. The MARS cable is located at a depth sufficiently close to the oxygen minimum zone to detect the very large changes in the Ocean Respiration Index that are expected to occur with falling pH. A number of researchers at outside laboratories (University of Queensland, University of Washington-Friday Harbor, NOAA, Academia Sinica-Taiwan, etc.) have expressed strong interest in this experimental design for application to coral reef systems; they have the knowledge and skills to pursue cooperative research.