Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate Project Records, 1991-1996 (SAC 32)

OFF-SITE STORAGE: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Restrictions: Original media formats are restricted. Viewing/listening copies may be available for researchers.

Extent: 15.6 Linear feet (39 archives boxes)

Digital Content

All content in series 6) AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL has been reformatted. Viewing/listening copies may be available for researchers. Please place requests for recordings through the finding aid.

The collection consists of administrative files, technical documents, legal materials, correspondence and audiovisual materials from the Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate Project.

The Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC) Project was launched in 1993 after several decades of mounting global warming concerns. The theoretical origins of ATOC can be traced as far back as 1975 when scientists Walter Munk and Carl Wunsch suggested acoustic tomography as a technique for measuring temperature variations across large expanses of the ocean.

This approach led to the 1991 Heard Island Feasibility Test (HIFT). Two sound sources were installed: one on Pioneer Seamont off central California and the other north of Kauai. Designed to establish the usable parameters of long-range acoustic transmissions in the ocean, this experiment determined that underwater sounds transmitted from Heard Island in the South Polar Sea could be discerned at great distances around the globe. These results provided the necessary conceptual foundation for the launch of the ATOC program in 1993.

ATOC was administered by the Cecil and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. The purpose of the project was to investigate climate change using satellite altimetry, acoustic thermometry and climate modeling in the North Pacific Ocean. As originally hypothesized, data analyses from ATOC confirmed that acoustic thermometry can be used as an effective tool for measuring large-scale ocean temperature variability.

Although ATOC was initially approved and the appropriate permits were attained, the project stirred considerable public controversy regarding the effects of underwater acoustics on marine mammals. Although the sound sources transmitted were in accordance with marine mammal study protocols, continuous negative media attention compelled the funders of the project to withdraw their support. ATOC was gradually defunded and ultimately discontinued in 2006. When the ATOC office closed, Peter Worcester transferred the Project's records to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Archives.

The collection consists of administrative files, technical documents, legal materials, correspondence and audiovisual materials from the Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate Project. Subjects of note include project publicity and the Marine Mammal Research Program.

Arranged in six series: 1) MEETINGS, 2) LEGAL FILES, 3) PUBLICITY, 4) SUBJECT FILES, 5) CORRESPONDENCE and 6) AUDIOVISUAL RECORDINGS.

The following collections include additional material on the ATOC Project:

SIO Office of Communications Records, SAC 13. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.

Walter Munk Papers, SMC 17. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.

Container List

MEETINGS

Meeting minutes

Box 1 Folder 1
1992 November-1993 June
Box 1 Folder 2
1993 April-1993 October
Box 1 Folder 3
1994 February-1994 September

Meeting minutes notes

Box 1 Folder 4
1992 January-1993 April
Box 1 Folder 5
1993 April-1993 August
Box 1 Folder 6
1994 May-1994 July
Box 1 Folder 7
1994 August-1994 October
Box 2 Folder 1
1994 October-1995 January
Box 2 Folder 2
1995 January - 1995 June, 1995 January-1995 June
Box 2 Folder 3-5
Rogers, Cindy - Notes, 1992 February-1995 February
Box 2 Folder 6
Sheaham, Susan - Notes, 1994 February-August

LEGAL FILES

Box 3 Folder 1-6
Applications for permits, 1991 January-1994 January
Box 4 Folder 1
Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) Special Use Permit, 1995 July

California

California Coastal Commission

Box 4 Folder 2
1994 April - 1994 December
Box 4 Folder 3
1995 January - 1995 May
Box 4 Folder 4
1995 June - 1995 November
Box 4 Folder 5
Public Hearing, 1995 June 15
Box 4 Folder 6-7
Environmental Impact Statement, 1994-1995
Box 5 Folder 1
Department of Fish and Game, 1992 December-1994 August
Box 5 Folder 2
Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Conservation District Use Application, 1994 July-1995 July
Box 5 Folder 3
General permit resources and information, 1994 May-1995 February
Box 5 Folder 4-6
Great Whales Foundation, Inc. vs. California Coastal Commission, UC San Diego, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, 1994 April-1995 December
Box 6 Folder 1-2
Great Whales Foundation, Inc. vs. California Coastal Commission, UC San Diego, Scripps Institute of Oceanography (cont.)

Hawaii

Box 6 Folder 3
Office of State Planning, Coastal Zone Management Program Consistency Certificate, 1995 January-July
Box 6 Folder 4
Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), 1995 June-December
Box 6 Folder 5
Environmental Center, University of Hawaii. The Hawaii State Environmental Impact Statement System: Review and Recommended Improvements , 1991 July
Box 6 Folder 6
Joint Statement by U.S. Representatives Patsy T. Mink and Neil Abercrombie on the Proposed Scripps Institution ATOC Project off Kauai, 1994 April
Box 6 Folder 7-8
Permit information, 1992-1995
Box 6 Folder 9
Kauai Environmental Impact Statement, 1994 July-1995 August
Box 7 Folder 1-2
Kauai Friends of the Environment/DNLR, Contested Case Hearing, 1995 August
Box 7 Folder 3
Letters of Protest to postpone hearing, 1994 November-1995 May

Marine Mammal Permits and Authorizations (MMPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Box 7 Folder 4-6
Public Hearing for MMPA Scientific Research Permit Application No. P557A, Transcript, 1994 May 16
Box 7 Folder 7-9
Public Hearing for MMPA Scientific Research Permit Application No. P557B, Transcript, 1995 January 6
Box 8 Folder 1-7
Public Hearings on Scientific Research Permit Applications P557 and P557A, 1994 March - 1994 April
Box 8 Folder 8-10
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), 1993-1995
Box 9 Folder 1
Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Point Sur, Naval Post Graduate School (NPGS) Agreement, 1994
Box 9 Folder 2-3
Pillar Point, 1994-1995
Box 9 Folder 4
Reauthorization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, 1994 February
Box 9 Folder 5
Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund Settlement Proposal, 1995 April-June
Box 9 Folder 6
State Lands Commission, 1993 June
Box 9 Folder 7-8
Stepath, et al. v. Department of Land and Natural Resources. University of California Motion to Intervene, 1996
Box 10 Folder 1
New Zealand permits

PUBLICITY

California Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Critical Response List, 1995 January-February

Box 10 Folder 3-4
Comments Received, 1994 April-1995 March
Box 10 Folder 5
Responses to Comments, 1995 January-March
Box 10 Folder 6
California Environmental Impact Report, 1994 May-1995 April
Box 10 Folder 7
Hawaii Environmental Impact Statement with Public Responses, 1994 June-1995 May
Box 10 Folder 8
MARMAM Marine Mammal Listserv, 1994 February-April
Box 11 Folder 1
MARMAM Marine Mammal Listserv, 1994 February-1995 July
Box 11 Folder 2-9
Press on ATOC, 1993 February-1995 March
Box 12 Folder 1-2
Press on ATOC, 1995 May-December
Box 12 Folder 3
Public Scoping Meeting, 1994 June 23
Box 12 Folder 4
Transcript of Public Hearing, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DNLR), 1995 July 27

SUBJECT FILES

Box 12 Folder 5-9
Acoustic Engineering Test (AET)/FLIP, 1994 April-November
Box 13 Folder 1
Acoustic sources figures and graphics, undated
Box 13 Folder 2
Addendum to CDR Documentation Package, 1993 July 16
Box 13 Folder 3-4
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), Global Ocean Climate Program Review of ATOC/GAMOT Programs, 1993 June 7
Box 13 Folder 5
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), Global Ocean Climate Program Review of ATOC/GAMOT Programs, 1993 September 16
Box 13 Folder 6
An Updated Array Design, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Keith van der Heydt, 1993 January 21
Box 13 Folder 7
Arctic Extension (Russian Federation on Ocean Climate Change Research), 1993 April-1994 December
Box 13 Folder 8
Atlantic receivers, 1993 February-December
Box 13 Folder 9-10
Cartwright, David E., 1992 February-1993 April
Box 13 Folder 11
CEROS array, 1994 March-1995 February
Box 13 Folder 12
Executive Committee Agenda on Surface Suspended Acoustic Receivers (SSARs), 1993 July-September
Box 13 Folder 13
First International Meeting on Global Acoustic Monitoring of the Ocean, 1992 June 8-10
Box 14 Folder 1
Global Acoustic Monitoring of Ocean Thermometry (GAMOT) SSARs, 1993 November-1994 December
Box 14 Folder 2
Hydroacoustics, Inc. (HAI) Proposal, 1992 May-1993 April
Box 14 Folder 3
Jervis Island Initial Source Test, 1993 October 18-22
Box 14 Folder 4
Keenan, Ruth. Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), parabolic equation predictions, 1993 March
Box 14 Folder 5
Marine Acoustics Inc., 1993

Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP)

Box 14 Folder 6
Administrative files, 1994 February-August
Box 14 Folder 7-8
Correspondence, 1991 November-1994 March
Box 14 Folder 9
Draft EIS/EIR Comments Received and Responses, 1995 January
Box 15 Folder 1-5
Draft EIS/EIR Comments Received and Responses (cont.), 1995 January
Box 15 Folder 6
Oregon State University Approval of MMRP on Endangered Whales, 1994 May-August
Box 15 Folder 7
Permits for Scientific Research under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, 1993 September-1995 January
Box 15 Folder 8
Pilot Study Protocol Outline, 1994 June
Box 15 Folder 9
Research Protocols, 1994 April-1995 November
Box 16 Folder 1-9
Miscellaneous administrative files, 1996 January-March
Box 17 Folder 1-11
Miscellaneous administrative files, 1996 April-October
Box 18 Folder 1-2
Miscellaneous administrative files, 1996 November-December
Box 18 Folder 3
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) permit application, 1993 September
Box 18 Folder 4
NAVFAC receivers, undated

New Zealand

Box 18 Folder 5
Agreement, Joint Research on ATOC, 1993 May - 1993 July
Box 18 Folder 6
Autonomous Vertical Line Array (VLA) Experiment Plan, 1994 March 9
Box 18 Folder 7
Bathymetry, undated
Box 18 Folder 8-9
Correspondence, 1992 April - 1993 March
Box 18 Folder 10
Fishing industry, 1993 July - 1993 September
Box 18 Folder 11
GLOWARM Project, 1993 April - 1993 July
Box 18 Folder 12
Presentation by Mike Guthries, undated
Box 18 Folder 13
Map of possible VLA sites, 1993 April
Box 18 Folder 14
Miscellaneous logistical information, 1993 March
Box 18 Folder 15
Report to SAIC-BECA, 1993
Box 18 Folder 16
Schiefen, Dave. ATOC New Zealand trip report, 1993 September 10
Box 18 Folder 17
Original "Shot", undated
Box 18 Folder 18
Point Sur communications configuration, 1993 June-July
Box 19 Folder 1
Point Sur facility issues, 1993 September
Box 19 Folder 2
Point Sur transmitter, undated
Box 19 Folder 3
Project definition documents, 1993 March
Box 19 Folder 4
Project Technical Logistics, presentation materials and viewgraphs, 1992-1993
Box 19 Folder 5
Report on European community interest in ATOC program, 1992 September
Box 19 Folder 6-7
Russian participation, 1993 January-1994 March
Box 19 Folder 8
Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), Acoustic Monitoring of the Global Ocean , 1995 February
Box 19 Folder 9
Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), Working Group 96 Meeting, 1992 June 10
Box 19 Folder 10
Second International Meeting on Global Acoustic Monitoring of the Ocean, 1993 June 20-22
Box 19 Folder 11
Seminar on Propagation and Climate, 1994 March 18
Box 19 Folder 12
SERDP Scientific Advisory Board, 1994 January
Box 19 Folder 13
Source issues, 1993 July-September
Box 20 Folder 1
Spiesberger, John. "Seasonal Trends from 1987 Basin-Scale Transmissions and Mapping Ocean Climate with Drifting Receivers" proposal
Box 20 Folder 2
Technical Proposal, 1992 June 1

Vertical Line Array (VLA), 1993 January-1994 July

Box 20 Folder 7
Vertical Line Array (VLA) cable design, 1993 May
Box 20 Folder 8
Vertical Line Array (VLA) design review, WHOI, 1993 July 29-30
Box 20 Folder 9
Vertical Line Array (VLA) graphics and figures, undated

CORRESPONDENCE

Box 20 Folder 10
1991 October-December
Box 21 Folder 1-7
1992 January-1993 April
Box 22 Folder 1-6
1993 April-June
Box 23 Folder 1-8
1993 July-October
Box 24 Folder 1-7
1993 November-1994 March
Box 25 Folder 1-9
1994 March-May
Box 26 Folder 1-8
1994 May-June
Box 27 Folder 1-7
1994 June-July
Box 28 Folder 1-8
1994 July-August
Box 29 Folder 1-10
1994 August-September
Box 30 Folder 1-7
1994 September-November
Box 31 Folder 1-8
1994 November-December
Box 32 Folder 1-9
1994 December-1995 January
Box 33 Folder 1-8
1995 January-March
Box 34 Folder 1-10
1995 March-May
Box 35 Folder 1-9
1995 May-June
Box 36 Folder 1-9
1995 July-October
Box 37 Folder 1-9
1995 October-December

AUDIOVISUAL RECORDINGS

Box 38 Folder 1
ARPA-Acoustic Monitoring of Global Ocean Climate (ATOC/GAMOT) status report - U-matic tape, 1993 November

Presentation graphics and figures, at-sea technical operations and FLIP orientation transformation. Color, silent, time 00:08:27.

Box 38 Folder 2
ATOC-Acoustic Engineering Test (AET) - U-matic tape, 1994 November

Onboard footage of FLIP submersible device deployment and retrieval through chute. Color, silent, time 00:06:55.

Box 38 Folder 3
"ATOC Defined" - Interviews with Peter Worcester, Walter Munk and Dave Schiefen - Betacam SP, 1994 January

Color, sound, time 00:54:21.

Box 38 Folder 4
Arthur Baggeroer's rendition of VLA flip test - 8mm video cassette, 1993 November

FLIP launch and at-sea technical operations. Color, silent, time 01:00:33.

Box 38 Folder 5
ATOC-IGPP - Hi-8 video cassette, 1993 October

Keith von der Heydt and Donald Edwin Koelsch of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution discuss WHOI technology developed for ATOC. Doug Peckham of Scripps Institute of Oceanography discusses SIO technology developed for ATOC. Color, sound, time 00:19:28.

Box 38 Folder 6
FLIP Flops off Point Loma - 8mm video cassette, 1993 November

Onboard footage of FLIP orientation transformation. Color, sound, time 00:20:45.

Box 38 Folder 7
Pt. Sur SAR #1: The Discovery - Hi-8 video cassette, 1994 September

Underwater footage of submersible robot interacting with sea floor devices.

Box 38 Folder 8
Pt. Sur SAR #2: The Recovery - Hi-8 video cassette, 1994 September

Underwater footage of submersible robot interacting with sea floor devices. Approximate time 01:30:00.

Box 38 Folder 9
NPR's "Morning Edition" ATOC story - Audiocassette, 1994 May

Sound recording of radio program featuring Joe Palka.

Box 38 Folder 10
To the Best of Our Knowledge: Oceans [Interview with Walter Munk] - Audiocassette, 1995 April

Segment of the University of Wisconsin radio program. Time 00:40:17.

Box 39 Folder 1
ATOC Global Array Design Software - VHS, 1993 September

Explanation and demonstration of ATOC computer software programs.

Box 39 Folder 2
Interview with Robert Spindel at IGPP, SIO - VHS, 1994 January
Box 39 Folder 3
Kauai source installation - VHS, 1996 October

Deployment of submersible device from ship deck. Color, sound (no narration).

Box 39 Folder 4
ATOC Science Meeting - VHS, 1993 October

Internal meeting, speaker presentations, remarks on marine mammal issues at 32:00:00.

Box 39 Folder 5
GAMOT MSU/NSF/ERC animated depictions of underwater acoustic technology - VHS, 1994 April
Box 39 Folder 6
Good Morning America on Acoustic Thermometry Ocean Climate (ATOC) experiment - VHS, 1994 April

Joan London introduces Michael Guillen reporting on the ATOC experiment at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Peter Worcester of SIO is interviewed, and Katy Payne discusses potential adverse effects on marine mammals.

Box 39 Folder 7
R/V Thomas Thompson footage at sea - VHS, undated

Deployment of submersible device, in-cabin operations (computer monitoring, conversation, etc.), Peter Worcester, whale watching segment.

Box 39 Folder 8
Standard SSAR, submersible device deployment off Bermuda - VHS, 1993 November