August marks a transition to new leadership for one of the longest-running open ocean research programs in the world. Angelicque White, an oceanography associate professor at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, will lead the next chapter of the monumental Hawaiʻi Ocean Time-series (HOT) program.
In 1988, with a focus on the biology and chemistry of the open ocean north of the Hawaiian Islands, the HOT program was established by David Karl and Roger Lukas, SOEST oceanography professors. For more than 30 years, the HOT program has provided consistent, long-term observations of physical, biological and chemical properties of the open ocean in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, and has led to many discoveries in marine ecology and ocean and climate sciences.
Ceremony marks leadership change
An August 1 gathering at the UH Marine Center, held prior to the departure of the 314th cruise of the HOT program, commemorated new leadership after three decades. In attendance were Karl and White, past and present HOT faculty, staff and students, the captains and crew of UH research vessels, and SOEST administration.
Speakers addressed the breadth of scientific findings made possible by the program and the educational and personal importance of their involvement in the time-series.
“Science is a team sport, and we have assembled the best team on the planet to address research with great scientific and societal relevance—research that matters!” said Karl, who will remain a HOT co-investigator with James Potemra.
Added White, “Sustained observation of our planet is a moral imperative for our generation and those to come. I am proud to lead this program forward with an incredible team at my side.”
The HOT program receives primary funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation in partnership with the Simons Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and State of Hawaiʻi.
See the full story on the SOEST website.
Read more about the HOT program on UH News.
—By Marcie Grabowski
