Recent technological advances have brought us to a new era in ocean research - one in which an integrated network of ocean observing systems provides researchers with a continuous scientific presence in the ocean.  Join John Orcutt as he describes how these observatories will allow researchers, students, politicians, and the public to access near-real-time data, control sensors and autonomous underwater vehicles remotely, view live video and images from the seafloor, and collaborate in thousands of virtual laboratories. (#17803)