Small, medium, and revolutionary advances to global ocean Geographic Information Systems

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have modernized the way we conceptualize ocean science. This study involved three, innovative applications of ocean GIS: bathymetric mapping, three-dimensional thermocline production, and geodesic discrete global grid system application. In the first project, high-resolution rasters were added to a mosaic dataset and edited to reflect hillshade transparency and appropriate color ramps. This technique emphasized the most efficient way to accurately outline sections of ocean floor topography. Updating existing bathymetric data with the most recent advances in benthic terrain mapping ensures navigational safety, maintains precise political boundaries, and reflects physical changes over time. The second project utilized a maximum cell statistics function to determine maximum temperature change. Values of the differences between temperature layers were stacked together and run through Model Builder and a Python interation program to identify maximum temperature change per depth. A three-dimensional visualization of the global thermocline was created to highlight information about annual changes and create a foundation for other stratification layers, e.g., haloclines and pycnoclines. Since ocean temperatures are in constant flux, thermocline models can generate early warnings regarding environmental anomalies and potentially identify precursors in areas prone to anoxic and euxinic conditions. The last project employed DGGRID software to transform the typical latitude-longitude system into hexagonal sections on the surface of the earth. Vertical stratification of these hexagons to the ocean floor created a water column framework that is continuously revised with ocean attribute information per depth. This organized ocean attribute repository is the first step in the development of an Ecological Marine Unit that will, ideally, identify significant relationships between abiotic environments and species biogeography