The Eyes on the Ocean™ Bi-weekly is an informal way of keeping you up-to-date on US IOOS® activities.

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From the Director:

Hello IOOS Community,

I am happy to announce the MBON federal sponsors (NOAA, NASA, ONR and BOEM), on behalf of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), have awarded six new three-year MBON projects. We are excited to welcome new and returning members to the team, and we look forward to a productive three years! Read more about the projects in the MBON section below. 

At the end of the month, I'll be coming to you from the MTS/IEEE OCEANS 2019 conference in Seattle.  If you'll be there, come see me Tuesday morning in the exhibit hall where I'll talk about harmful algal bloom work with NANOOS' Jan Newton and Northwest Fisheries Science Center's Stephanie Moore.  Tuesday afternoon I will speak on a panel discussing the federal strategic vision for ocean observing with NOAA, BOEM, DOE, ONR, NASA, EPA, and NSF representatives. Be sure to also stop by and see our set up with NOAA in the exhibit hall!

Best wishes,
Carl

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

  • U.S. IOOS Ocean Technology Transition Funding Opportunity: Last Call for Optional Letters of Intent!  Optional letters of intent are due 18 October.  The form to submit a letter of intent is located here: https://forms.gle/Ko1X6ZdwXdDwCkA17. The U.S. IOOS Program, in conjunction with NOPP, is seeking to fund projects, subject to the availability of funds, which advance new or existing technology-based solutions that address long standing and emerging coastal observing, product development, and data management challenges. See the bullet under “Grants & Funding Opportunities” below for more info. View the full notice here. More information can be found at the following links:
  • IOOS Advisory Committee Meeting: The IOOS Advisory Committee will meet in Washington, DC, February 11 & 12, 2020. More information will be made available on the IOOS Website soon. An announcement will be published in the Federal Register Notice as well. 
  • Save the date! 2020 IOOS Spring Meeting: March 4 - 5, 2020: The IOOS Association, IOOS Regional Associations, and the IOOS Program Office will meet for their annual spring meeting March 4-5 in Washington, D.C. Check back for more information. Questions? Contact Katie Liming, Katie.Liming@ioosassociation.org.

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

  • NOAA Buoy Helps Save Lives: In September, four people with their lives hanging in the balance were hoisted to safety after finding refuge on a nearby NOAA weather buoy when their vessel took on too much water. The survivors used their vessel’s Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)—one of three types of emergency beacons used to transmit distress signals—to alert the Savannah Coast Guard that they were in need of immediate rescue. Read more about this rescue here: https://www.weather.gov/news/192509-buoy

  • Surface Current Mapping: (IOOS PO POC, Derrick Snowden, Derrick.Snowden@noaa.gov):  

    • New HF radars deployed near Bering Strait: Two new high-frequency radar installations are underway in Wales and Shishmaref, Alaska. At the moment, there is no real-time outlet, but the installation teams are working out GCI cell modem data issues and reports from the setup in Wales were of excellent data returns. The University of Alaska Fairbanks HF radar team Hank Statscewich, Rachel Potter, Jordi Maisch and Seth Danielson hope to have some radial maps to share on the AOOS Real Time Sensors page on the data portal shortly.

    • Video: Hurricane glider launch in the mid-Atlantic: Step aboard the R/V Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe with UCI Marine Scientist Jim Nickels, Monmouth University student Bryce McCall, and Rutgers University scientists Scott Glenn and Travis Miles in this video as they deploy a pair of U.S Navy gliders off the New Jersey coast. The gliders’ mission was to cruise the New York Bight during the hurricane season, gathering data on the interactions between water conditions and storms, with the ultimate goal of improving storm modeling. Additional project partners include MARACOOS - Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System, IOOS and NOAA.
    • Gliding into the Honguedo Strait: Using Gliders for Critical Ocean Monitoring for Whales at Risk: A group of researchers from Canada and the United States have embarked on a study to evaluate the effectiveness of baleen whale monitoring systems in and around the Honguedo Strait (between Anticosti Island and the northern Gaspé Peninsula in the Gulf of St. Lawrence). The information gathered will help scientists and managers understand hazards for whales, and inform appropriate steps towards conserving one of the world’s most endangered species. Read more on Canada’s Ocean Tracking Network’s website: https://oceantrackingnetwork.org/international-team-of-researchers-glides-into-the-honguedo-strait/
    • No update.

Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem and Tools Built on IOOS data ((DMAC listserv – contact Micah Wengren, DMAC System Architect, data.ioos@noaa.gov)

  • NDBC Harvesting of Real-Time IOOS Observation Data: NDBC has successfully harvested real-time observations (water temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity) from two PacIOOS nearshore stations (51045 and 51046) via the PacIOOS ERDDAP server.  This is a major step forward in the effort to switch the data harvest mechanism from individual XML data files pushed to NDBC by RAs and/or data providers to NDBC harvesting from centralized RA ERDDAP servers. The IOOS DMAC team worked closely with Axiom, PMEL, and NDBC representatives to ensure proper attributes were in place for NDBC to successfully harvest the QC’ed data.  These two PacIOOS stations were not previously sent to NDBC via FTP, so they are new additions. NDBC plans to do another test to pull a station via ERDDAP with meteorological data or ocean current data, possibly with SECOORA or AOOS. For stations currently being delivered by RAs via FTP, NDBC plans to coordinate a switch-over to ensure seamless data delivery. The ERDDAP project team will coordinate with the RA data managers directly before any testing begins.

  • QARTOD (National Coordinator Mark Bushnell, mark.bushnell@noaa.gov):
    • Updates to In-situ Temperature and Salinity Data Manual: We’ll begin an incremental update to the Manual for Real-Time Quality Control of In-situ Temperature and Salinity Data in November. Your suggestions, corrections, and recommendations are welcomed! Please send them to Mark.
    • Ocean Best Practice System update – The third Annual Evolving and Sustaining Ocean Best Practices Workshop will be held at the IOC/IODE offices in Oostende, Belgium during 2-3 December, 2019. The outcome of the OceanObs’19 Ocean Best Practice breakout session, knowledge gained from the OBPS survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OBPS-Survey), and your direct input will be used to create the vision and directions for Best Practices for the next decade.

Modeling and Analysis Subsystem (IOOS PO and IOOS Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT) POC –Tiffany Vance, Tiffany.C.Vance@noaa.gov):   

  • COMT Annual Meeting: The COMT Annual Meeting will be held October 22-23rd in Silver Spring, MD. For more information, contact Aijun Zhang, aijun.zhang@noaa.gov.

    • COMT Data Upload Tool Tutorial: COMT PIs attending the COMT Annual Meeting are required to bring seminal datasets for an in-person tutorial at the end of Day 1 (Tues Oct 22), led by Kathy Bailey and RPS Ocean Science representatives.  The tutorial will cover how to upload these datasets to the Data Upload Tool, for publication in a THREDDS server and the COMT website. (https://comt.ioos.us/). Seminal datasets mark substantial progress in a COMT project, as determined by the COMT PI, and can include: data that represent an advancement in model development; a reference dataset used as basis of measurement for model improvements or that shows new capability; inputs used for data assimilation, which increase the capability of data assimilation; data a COMT PI wants to highlight as important; and/or data used as the basis for a publication.

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

  • Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) (IOOS PO POC Gabrielle Canonico, Gabrielle.Canonico@noaa.gov):

    • Congratulations to the new US MBON projects!  The MBON federal sponsors (NOAA, NASA, ONR and BOEM), on behalf of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), have awarded six new three-year MBON projects. The new projects are intended to build on the lessons learned and the progress made during the initial set of US MBON demonstrations (Arctic MBON, Sanctuaries MBON, Santa Barbara Channel MBON). We are excited to welcome new and returning members to the team, and we look forward to a productive three years!  Visit us at marinebon.org for news and project updates, and please join us in congratulating:

      • Francisco Chavez, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: The CeNCOOS MBON: Integrating remote sensing, in situ data and models to understand central California ecosystem responses to environmental change

      • Katrin Iken, University of Alaska - Fairbanks: A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea

      • Maria Kavanaugh, Oregon State University: Marine Biodiversity Observing Network in the Northern California Current: Understanding patterns and drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning from plankton to seascapes

      • Bob Miller, University of California - Santa Barbara: Southern California Bight Marine Biodiversity Observation Network

      • Ru Morrison, Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS): MBON expansion into the Gulf of Maine: the NERACOOS/NROC Integrated Sentinel Monitoring Network (ISMN)

      • Frank Muller-Karger, University of South Florida: Implementing a Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) in South Florida to Advance Ecosystem-Based Management

  • NOAA 2020 tide tables are now available: NOAA tide predictions are used by both commercial and recreational mariners for safe navigation. NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services produce these tide tables on an annual basis. Learn more here: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/oct19/tide-tables-2020.html 

  • NOAA responds to bridge damage near Houston following Tropical Depression Imelda: While many are aware that hurricanes can inflict costly damage when they make landfall, tropical storms and depressions are not to be underestimated. Tropical Depression Imelda moved over the Texas coast in mid-September producing heavy rain and causing extensive flooding. Nine barges broke free from their mooring on the San Jacinto River and two of these barges hit the Interstate 10 bridge in Lynchburg, Texas. At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Houston-Galveston, NOAA’s Navigation Response Team (NRT)- Stennis was called in for rapid hydrographic survey response. Read more here: https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/updates/noaa-hydrographic-surveyors-respond-to-bridge-damage-near-houston/#more-172649 

  • New Story Map - NOAA Supports a Healthy Nation: NOAA has become a pillar of America’s health and economic vitality over our half century of existence.  NOAA’s new story map, NOAA Supports a Healthy Nation, demonstrates how we continue to build on this legacy.  From innovations in managing heat risks and detecting waterborne bacteria, to giving new life to endangered species and driving resilience with high-value environmental data, you’ll see examples from across NOAA on how we continue to push the bounds of scientific understanding to protect our Nation's health!    

  • NOAA and Partners Respond to Ongoing Outbreak of Coral Disease in Florida: The ongoing outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease in the Florida Reef Tract began in 2014 and continues to spread. It is highly active off Key West, Florida and appears to be expanding to the Caribbean region. The Lower Florida Keys are in the epidemic zone with the highest concentration of active disease. Learn more about what NOAA and partners are doing in response to the problem, and how you can help. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/july19/coral-disease.html 

  • POGO call for proposals: POGO is issuing a second call for proposals for 2019/20 POGO working groups, observational training, travel support and other support for ocean observing-related initiatives, with a deadline of 20th October 2019. Further information can be found and the relevant documents downloaded from http://ocean-partners.org/proposals.  Requests for extension of existing WGs are also invited at this time. Please inform the Secretariat in advance (by the end of September) if you intend to submit a proposal. The Secretariat, in consultation with the Board of Trustees, will be able to advise you as to whether your proposal fits the requirements, and answer any questions you may have.

  • Grants & Funding Opportunities

    • U.S. IOOS Ocean Technology Transition Funding Opportunity: The U.S. IOOS Program, in conjunction with NOPP, is seeking to fund projects, subject to the availability of funds, which advance new or existing technology-based solutions that address long standing and emerging coastal observing, product development, and data management challenges. The projects will be focused on those technologies for which there are demonstrated operators who commit to integrated, long term use of those technologies and open data sharing. A Transition Manager for the project should be identified and a Transition Plan will be a Year One deliverable. Closes 1/13/2020. View the full notice here

    • Notice of Funding Opportunity: NOAA’s Climate Program Office FY2020: NOAA’s CPO supports competitive research through three major program areas: Earth System Science and Modeling (ESSM); Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI); and Communication, Education and Engagement (CEE). Through this announcement, CPO is seeking applications for 10 individual competitions in FY20. Closes 10/28/2019. Read the full funding announcement here. 

    • DARPA BAA: This new BAA invites proposers to submit innovative basic or applied research concepts in the following technical domains: Frontiers in Math, Computation & Design; Limits of Sensing & Sensors; Complex Social Systems; Anticipating Surprise. The research topics of interest within each domain are described in the BAA. Closes June 12, 2020.

Delivering the Benefits:

  • Electronic Integrated Ecosystem Assessment project for Alaska: AOOS has received $50K this year to help broaden the utility of NOAA Fisheries ecosystem status reports and Integrated Ecosystem Assessments. The first planning meeting with NMFS was held September 25. The results of this effort will be used by several other IOOS regions to do something similar.
  • Kodiak, Alaska Wave Buoy: AOOS has entered an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to take over the operations and maintenance of their offshore wave buoy near Kodiak Island. AOOS is staging to service this buoy in October with the help of the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP). Stay tuned for updates next month with photos! The data from this buoy can currently be viewed on the Real Time Sensors page of the AOOS Data Portal.
  • Sargassum Outlook Update: Read the full story on the CARICOOS website here. The maps on this page show Sargassum abundance, with warm colors representing high abundance. During September 2019, Sargassum amount has decreased significantly from August 2019 in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Florida straits, Caribbean Sea (CS), and Central West Atlantic (CWA). The reductions are more than our August 2019 prediction, at rates higher than previous bloom years. In all regions combined, the total Sargassum amount is estimated to be ~3 million metric tons, lower than in September 2017 (5M tons), September 2015 (6.1M tons), or September 2018 (6.3M tons). The amount is much lower in the last week of September than in the first week of September, indicating a continuous reduction.

Congressional:

  • No update.

Communications/Outreach/Education:

  • Talk & Q&A: Ocean Acidification & Alaska: If you are in Anchorage on October 23, this is a great opportunity to learn about ocean acidification in Alaska. The event will be held following the Board of Fish meeting at the Egan Center. https://aoos.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/OA-Presentation_Oct23_Anchorage.pdf
  • New Alaska OA Video – Alaska Sea Grant, with support from the Alaska OA Network, produced a short video on ocean acidification research and impacts in Alaska, highlighting efforts in Kachemak Bay. 
  • NANOOS Director Interviewed on Marine Heat Wave Observations: NANOOS Director Jan Newton was interviewed by CBC's Ian Hanomansing on "The National" about the marine heat wave that has developed in the Northeast Pacific ocean. The film crew set out with the NANOOS Puget Sound ORCA buoy group (Chris Archer, Robert Daniels, UW) to visit the buoy, understand the conditions and see how available real-time observations are.  They also interviewed Bill Dewey at Taylor Shellfish about OA and Greg Johnson, NOAA PMEL, about the science of marine heat waves. See the piece that aired on TV: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1609137219989 
  • GLOS to release new five-year strategic plan: On October 22, GLOS will be rolling out their plan through 2025, and they'd like to invite you to join in via webinar.  For details and registration, click here
  • Tell your NERACOOS story: The NERACOOS Annual Meeting (December 6, 2019 in Portsmouth, NH) is a yearly one-day event that serves to highlight ocean observing and modeling efforts in the region. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the NERACOOS observing system. To celebrate the past, present, and future of ocean observing in the Northeast, we would like to hear how these data and information impacted people's lives, research and decisions. Read more here.

  • IOOS in the News:

Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation:

  • GLOS Annual Meeting, 22 October 2019, Ann Arbor, MI: “The next five years…” Tune in in person or via webinar to hear GLOS executive director Kelli Paige talk through the future of GLOS as detailed in our new strategic plan. The meeting will be held at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory facility in Ann Arbor.  For more information and registration, click here
    • During the meeting, GLOS will be rolling out their new strategic plan through 2025, and they'd like to invite you to join in via webinar.  For details and registration, click here.  
  • MTS/IEEE OCEANS 2019, 27 – 31 October 2019, Seattle, WA: OCEANS is the bi-annual event for global marine technologists, engineers, students, government officials, lawyers, and advocates. These industry thought leaders gather for four days to highlight relevant topics and current trends, while creating a community of learners and influencers who consistently advance research, practices, and policies for the marine field. The Marine Technology Society and the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society partner to present OCEANS, and this prestigious conference and exhibition draws an audience of more than 2,000 attendees. For more info: https://seattle19.oceansconference.org/
  • OCEANS 2019 Seattle - Marine Debris Town Hall - Tuesday, October 29, 6-8 pm: Panel session from 6 to 7 p.m. focused on: information needs for marine plastics and other debris: SDG 14.1 indicators; current knowledge of plastic debris in the oceans (water column, seabed, washed/deposited on shorelines); challenges to monitoring plastics in the oceans: coupling observation technologies and circulation models; and bringing the knowledge to society: existing and developing global platforms.  The panel session will be followed by a breakout session from 7 to 8 p.m. where the audience will be able to participate in a more detailed discussion of the issues and next steps for one of the 4 points above. These discussions will be followed by a brief summary of the discussions by each of the breakout session leads and the session will end with a wrap-up by the moderator presenting a plan for action and future progress meetings. http://ieeeoes.org/conferences/oceans-2019-seattle-marine-debris-town-hall/
  • Integrated Ocean Observing for a Changing California Coastline, 19 November 2019, Sacramento, CA: This one-day, public event will showcase California’s Ocean Observing System capabilities, communicate the value of our products and tools to the state, and guide the development of a vision for future collaboration between the State of California and the California Ocean Observing Systems.  Click here for registration and more information. 
  • Save the Date! NERACOOS Annual Meeting, 6 December 2019, Portsmouth, NH: More information coming soon. 
  • AGU Fall Meeting, 9-13 December 2019, San Francisco, CA: AGU’s Fall Meeting is the largest international Earth and space science meeting in the world. After meetings in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., it returns to the Moscone Center in San Francisco to celebrate the past and inspire the future during their Centennial. For registration and more information, click here: https://www.agu.org/Fall-Meeting 
  • Save the date: Ocean Obs RCN Annual Meeting - February 16, 2020, San Diego, CA: The Ocean Obs Research Coordination Network (RCN) will host an OceanObs’19 Conference follow-up meeting on February 16, 2020, in San Diego, CA, immediately preceding the AGU/TOS Ocean Sciences Meeting. The OceanObs’19 conference (Hawaii 16-21 September, 2019) will be the third conference of this series, held once every ten years. The Ocean Obs RCN annual meeting on 16 February 2020 will be dedicated to the synthesis of threads and recommendations emerging from the OceanObs’19 Conference. Of particular interest will be focusing the community on the planning for the implementation of initiatives emerging from OceanObs’19. The meeting will advance links between observation networks and operational users to facilitate the delivery of critical information to stakeholders, and to address critical policy issues that require multidisciplinary ocean observing systems. 
  • Ocean Sciences 2020 Meeting, 16 – 21 February 2020, San Diego, CA: The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) is the flagship conference for the ocean sciences and the larger ocean-connected community.  As we approach the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, beginning in 2021, it is increasingly important to gather as a scientific community to raise awareness of the truly global dimension of the ocean, address environmental challenges, and set forth on a path towards a resilient planet. More info here: https://www.agu.org/ocean-sciences-meeting

 

Other Upcoming Meetings:

 

  • Ocean Waves Workshop, 17 October 2019, New Orleans, LA: The Ocean Waves Workshop brings together scientists, engineers and managers to present results and ideas related to the use of wave buoys, models and information to support at-sea operations. Workshop organizers are soliciting papers, case studies and participation from researchers, engineers, military officers and managers. More details and registration here
  • GEO Week, November 4-9, Canberra, Australia: In November 2019, Ministers from GEO’s 105 Member governments, business leaders, heads of international non-profits and passionate experts will meet in Canberra, Australia for GEO Week 2019 and the GEO Ministerial Summit. Building on the 2015 Mexico City Declaration, GEO Week will focus on accelerating the delivery of GEO’s Strategic Plan and will bring the GEO community together to scale-up the impact of Earth observations.
  • The Gulf of Maine 2050 symposium, 4 – 8 November, 2019, Portland, ME: Dedicated to increasing our collective understanding of how the region's coastline is expected to change in the next 30 years. It's open all sectors--industry, science, students, citizens--so consider joining in. Early bird registration through August 5, and there are scholarships available for people who may not have conference or hotel budgets. Learn more & register online.
  • Save the date: Esri Ocean and Atmospheric GIS Forum, 5 – 7 November 2019, Redlands, CA: Registrations, as well as calls for papers, lightning talks, posters, and story maps and apps is available at http://www.esri.com/events/ocean. Join us at the Esri Ocean and Atmospheric GIS Forum to share new data collection methods and research. Discuss ways multi-dimensional data and web apps can help people put scientific information to work in your organization. Consider the potential of sharing knowledge across disciplines and collaborating with multiple stakeholders. Work with the ocean, weather, and climate communities as they forge new and better concepts in GIS analytics and applications.
  • WOC 7th Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS), Paris, 20-22 Nov, 2019: The World Ocean Council (WOC) Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS) is the annual gathering of the global Ocean Business Community dedicated to advancing private sector action on responsible use of the seas. With the theme of “Investing in Ocean Futures: Finance and Innovation for the Blue Economy”, the SOS 2019 will be the foremost international business conference dedicated to investment and innovation for ocean sustainable development. More information available here: www.sustainableoceansummit.org
  • International Indian Ocean Science Conference (IIOSC2020), 16-20 March 2020, Goa, India. More info available: https://iiosc2020.incois.gov.in/  The International Indian Ocean Science Conference (IIOSC 2020) sponsored by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, will be held from 16-20 March 2019 in Dona Paula, Goa, India. The conference aims to not only act as a multi-disciplinary showcase of Indian Ocean oceanic and coupled climatic research in general, but will provide the opportunity to specifically present research resulting from the Second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2) (2015-2020) and so act as a platform for the recently proclaimed extension of IIOE-2 out to at least 2025. 

Job & Internship Opportunities:

  • Postdoctoral Researcher: Development of indicators to assess Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): The Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS) is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher for assessing changing conditions in the marine protected areas (MPA) of California. Learn more and apply here.
  • GCOOS Seeks Glider Community Coordinator: GCOOS is pleased to announce that an opening for a newly funded position: Coordinator for the U.S. Underwater Glider User Group (UG2). The Glider Community Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating and further developing UG2, facilitating the exchange of information and expertise among glider users throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the broader U.S., including sharing best practices.  Learn more and apply here
  • 2021 Knauss Fellowship Opportunity now open: The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. Students should apply by February 21, 2020. Learn more about the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.

Click here to view the IOOS Association Calendar

Do you have suggestions for new things you would like to see in the Eyes on the Ocean IOOS Bi-Weekly? Talk to us: eoto@noaa.gov!