The academic community is addressing science questions as described, for example, in the 1996 Future of Marine Geology and Geophysics (FUMAGES) report, that require short- and long-term deployments of large numbers of ocean-bottom seismometers and/or ocean-bottom hydrophones. In addition to supporting research funded through the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) Marine Geology & Geophysics Core Program, there is increasing use of ocean bottom seismometers by the EarthScope, Continental Dynamics, Ocean Drilling Program, and GeoPRISMS Programs. To provide the large number of instruments needed to support these programs, maintain the necessary technical capability, and provide access to Ocean-Bottom Seismic Instruments for a broad user community, the Ocean-Bottom Seismic Instrument Pools (OBSIP) were established in 1999. In light of the continuing demand for ocean bottom seismometers, the Marine Geology and Geophysics Program of OCE invited proposals to establish a Management Office for OBSIP (OMO). The OMO will provide essential improvements in oversight and management for OBSIP. Broader impacts of the OMO include its inherent contribution to the U.S. science infrastructure, support for the broad scientific objectives of the Marine Geology & Geophysics Program, and its specific contribution to scientific objectives that have particularly high societal relevance, such as earthquake hazards in the Cascadia region Washington, Oregon and Northern California.
