The Ocean Climate Stations (OCS) project at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory deploys and maintains deep ocean moorings for climate studies. At present, moorings are deployed at the former ocean weather ship station Papa in the Gulf of Alaska, and at the Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO) in the Kuroshio Extension recirculation gyre east of Japan.
OCS moorings carry a suite of meteorological, physical and biogeochemical sensors to monitor the air-sea heat, moisture, momentum, and carbon dioxide fluxes; ocean acidification; and upper ocean temperature, salinity and near-surface currents. OCS moorings are part of the global network of OceanSITES time series reference sites.