The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided NOAA with nearly $3 billion to take action over five years in the areas of habitat restoration, coastal resilience, and weather forecasting infrastructure. At U.S. IOOS, these funds open up new possibilities for recapitalizing, modernizing, and expanding our national observing system to address those priorities.

U.S. IOOS takes responsibility for some funds in the Climate and Data Services initiative under the following topics:

Read on to find out how we're using those funds within the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System.

Flood and inundation mapping and forecasting

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Provision 3 “shall be for coastal and inland flood and inundation mapping and forecasting, and next-generation water modeling activities, including modernized precipitation frequency and probable maximum studies.”

IOOS Goals: Flood Inundation Mapping is critical to developing resilience in any communities subject to flood risk. These projects seek to expand both model capability and geographic coverage with the goal of expanding flood inundation mapping services from 300 miles to over 3.4 million miles of rivers and streams. This increased capability will provide more data and information to support decision making, specifically reaching previously underserved communities inland and along the coast, and the applications will better depict when, where, how deep, and for how long flood waters will be impactful, and inform emergency management decisions before, during, and after an event.

Projects:

Coastal Model System Acceleration: Deliver regional/national coastal models (including Great Lakes) to inform coupled system development (CIFIM-10)
Recipient: Rutgers University with North Carolina State University and the University of California Santa Cruz
Period: FY 2023 - 2024
Federal Funding: $2,060,000 (Year 1: $1,030,000, Year 2: $1,030,000)
Summary:  Locally focused ocean models operate throughout U.S. coastal waters, covering geographically bounded sections of our coast and waters. The West Coast Operational Forecast System (WCOFS), based on Rutgers’ Regional Ocean Model and operational since 2021, provides water level, current, temperature, and salinity nowcasts and forecasts for the entire contiguous U.S. West Coast. This model provides continuous, critical, high-quality ocean data to the National Weather Service, emergency managers, search and rescue operations, fishermen, and commercial and recreational mariners. This project will prototype a comparable system to run on the U.S. East Coast, the East Coast Community Ocean Forecast System (ECCOFS).  

Running models, particularly as resolution increases, requires significant computing power. So, in parallel, researchers will experiment on run times and costs of operating Regional Ocean Model-based data assimilation systems on commercial cloud computing services via the IOOS Cloud Sandbox.

Coupling Capabilities: Coupling NextGen National Water Model to NOS’ 3-D numerical coastal model delivered in CIFIM-10 (CIFIM-12)
Recipient: Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS)
Period: FY 2023 - 2027
Federal Funding: $1,732,500 ($346,500 per year for 5 years)
Summary: Coastal counties account for more than one third of the U.S. population, but make up two thirds of the population from Connecticut to Maine. Furthermore, coastal counties in the Northeast account for nearly three quarters of the states’ gross domestic product. As a result, the Northeast is especially vulnerable to impacts of coastal inundation, flooding, erosion, and other effects of severe weather conditions. Since 2010, the region has had 36 presidential disaster declarations, with many more coastal storms having significant impacts without triggering disaster declarations. Improved forecasts for coastal and inland flooding enable more effective preparation and response. This project will continue the development, testing, and transition of a methodology and technology for coupling 3D ocean models with the existing National Water Model and eventually with the NextGen National Water Model. Work will focus on four main points: 1) Dynamical coupling of the Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System with the National Water Model, 2) Advancing land-ocean/inundation model coupling, 3) Stakeholder engagement and 4) Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System grid and coupling methodology and technology transition.

Coupling Capabilities: Coupling NextGen National Water Model to NOS’ 3-D numerical coastal model delivered in CIFIM-10 (CIFIM-12)
Recipient: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Period: FY 2023 - 2027
Federal Funding: $1,582,500 (Year 1: $346,500; Year 2: $346,500; Year 3: $296,500; Year 4: $296,500; Year 5: $296,500)
Summary: Recent years have seen an uptick in hurricanes that are accompanied by unusually heavy precipitation that stall near the coast. These have brought new challenges to coastal communities in the form of compound flooding, or flooding that originates from multiple sources simultaneously, such as rivers, storm surge, and/or rainfall. Accurate simulation of compound flooding events requires a very tight coupling between water models and is best served by a unified modeling framework. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science and NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey recently developed the world’s first three-dimensional integrated compound inland-coastal flooding operational system, the Surge and Tide Operational Forecast System 3D. This project would build on that system to create a new forecast system, the Southeast Coastal Operational Forecast System (SECOFS), that will couple NOAA’s NextGen National Water Model to ocean circulation models. This will help understand and predict the combined effects of land processes, like riverine input/land runoff, and ocean processes, wind, waves, and tides, on coastal inundation, sediment transport and water quality in the coastal zone. This system will be compliant with the United Forecast System, and will also provide support for precision navigation and other coastal applications that serve a variety of end users.

Ocean and coastal observing systems

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Provision 11 “shall be for supporting improved and enhanced coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes observing systems.”

IOOS Goals: U.S. IOOS is an established system with observing assets and systems throughout the U.S. coastline. To continue to acquire and provide high-quality coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes data, the system needs investment and upgrades at regular intervals. Under this provision, projects focus on recapitalizing, replacing, or repairing assets and system components that support NOAA mission areas, followed by enhancing, upgrading and improving end to end systems within existing operations and maintenance budgets.

Projects:

Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS)
Period: December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $1,938,000 (Yr1: $964,000; Yr2: $974,000)
Summary: The goals of this award are to invest in modernizing existing measurement programs of observing infrastructure in Alaska and to continue the development of a Marine Life Data Assembly Center. Continuous ocean observations over long periods of time are key to establishing baselines and identifying change in Alaska’s coastal waters. This award focuses on three areas: gliders, high-frequency radars, and ecosystem moorings. Updating this equipment will allow for greater support for marine safety and Coast Guard operations, better understanding and forecasting of sea ice and storm surge conditions, and improved capacity for sustainable use of the seas for subsistence and commercial harvest and maritime transportation. The Marine Life Data Assembly Center, when completed, will allow for greater integration of open, accessible marine life data on a national scale.

Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS)
Period: January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024
Federal Funding: $1,169,000 (Yr1: $582,000; Yr2: $587,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to support and replace aging observing infrastructure, expand observing capabilities, monitor water quality in support of ongoing and foreseen coastal barrier restoration initiatives funded by the federal government following hurricane Maria. Improvements will also meet requirements from the maritime sector including port pilots, as required for sustaining critical port vessel traffic in challenging climatic conditions including after extreme weather events.

Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS)
Period: December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $1,169,000 (Yr1: $582,000; Yr2: $587,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to support and upgrade observing infrastructure in the central and northern California coasts. Updates and improvements would be made to all systems including high-frequency radar, shore stations, animal telemetry, and glider operations as well as data logging and transmission. With these upgrades, CeNCOOS is supporting improved weather and climate monitoring, marine commerce, and coastal community needs while expanding the suite of available observations and information through the use of additional gliders and bio tag sensors.

Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS)
Period: January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024
Federal Funding: $1,169,000 (Yr1: $582,000; Yr2: $587,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to support and update observing infrastructure related to waves, currents, and water column profiles along with making improvements to the gathering and dissemination of observing data and information. New support for high-frequency radars, gliders, and wave and current profilers augment and expand the available observations in the Gulf of Mexico, which in turn support maritime commerce and transportation, tracking and forecasting of harmful algal blooms, ocean acidification monitoring. These along with expansion of data delivery capabilities are crucial to improving hurricane tracking and forecasting, enabling and monitoring critical industry operations offshore, and the availability of water quality data throughout the gulf region.

Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS)
Period: December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $1,169,000 (Yr1: $582,000; Yr2: $587,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to support and upgrade observing infrastructure to address sustained monitoring capabilities throughout the Great Lakes region. As one of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems, the Great Lakes region requires continuous, sustained observations of coastal conditions in order to enable safe interactions with coastal areas and better informed management decisions. These improvements will not only modernize existing infrastructure, but will also continue to develop the emerging winter observing network, support lakebed mapping, and enhance future capacity to respond to emergency and unexpected events.

Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS)
Period: February 1, 2023 - January 31, 2025
Federal Funding: $1,569,000 (Yr1: $782,000; Yr2: $787,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to upgrade the Mid-Atlantic high-frequency radar system, support and improve the glider data assembly center and stakeholder-based product development, and create a pilot street-level coastal flooding observation testbed. High frequency radar throughout the MARACOOS region supports the safe and efficient maritime transportation as well as Coast Guard operations. Improvements to the Glider Data Assembly Center will improve user experience and efficiency while reducing overall costs. The coastal flooding map and new stakeholder-driven product development ensure that MARACOOS is addressing regional needs in an equitable way.

Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS)
Period: December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $1,169,000 (Yr1: $582,000; Yr2: $587,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to update and upgrade observing infrastructure throughout the Pacific Northwest coastal waters, estuaries, and shorelines. With these funds, buoys and gliders are being revitalized and equipped with newer tech sensors, furthering a commitment to the scientific and operational integrity of the regional ocean observing system. Upgrading and replacing assets assures that NANOOS can continue to provide data critical for forecasts relevant to boating and shipping, fishing and aquaculture, and conducting water-quality monitoring. This will also preserve NANOOS’ long-term time series data, which are essential to climate assessment and modeling. Resulting information products, like HAB Bulletins, water property anomaly plots, and hypoxia tracking, are used by tribal, state, local, and regional federal managers and support ecosystem modeling.

Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS)
Period: February 1, 2023 - January 31, 2025
Federal Funding: $1,169,000 (Yr1: $582,000; Yr2: $587,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to upgrade and update observing infrastructure in the Northeast region. These include improvements to the offshore buoy system, water quality sensors, water level monitoring stations, and high-frequency radar, as well as improvements to the data management and cyberinfrastructure system. NERACOOS data supports a broad stakeholder base, including maritime transportation and boating, fishing and aquaculture, Coast Guard operations, coastal managers, the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and more. This investment provides support for gathering and disseminating coastal and ocean data critical to many stakeholders and communities in the region.

Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS)
Period: December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $1,169,000 (Yr1: $582,000; Yr2: $587,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to update and upgrade observing infrastructure related to marine operations, water quality monitoring, and ecosystem resources. Updates to high-frequency radars, buoys, gliders, and models supports safe operations in and around the coasts, including emergency response and wave information which is the most requested data stream across the PacIOOS network. Water quality stations and moorings provide access to essential information for resource managers, NGOs, and state and county health officials so that they can effectively respond to and protect ecosystem, wildlife, and human health. In supporting animal telemetry, in particular the long-standing acoustic and satellite tagging of sharks, PacIOOS provides foundational information to fisheries, scientists, and resource managers to design and implement conservation strategies alongside commercial activity.

Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS)
Period: December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $1,169,000 (Yr1: $582,000; Yr2: $587,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to update and replace infrastructure related to surface currents, glider operations, shore stations, harmful algal bloom monitoring, and animal telemetry in southern California. Surface current data are critical to both oil spill response and search and rescue efforts, as well as maritime transportation. Gliders operating on cross-shore and alongshore transects at the California coast, in tandem with shore stations, gather coastal ocean information that underpins our ability to predict and model ecosystem change and manage activity along the coast. The California Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Bulletin is built on SCCOOS weekly monitoring and real-time robotic microscope data, and this award will support real-time observations and classification of phytoplankton taxa, revolutionizing the early HAB warning system for California. New acoustic buoys will augment our ability to track white shark movements along the coast and provide early warning to lifeguards and beach managers when white sharks are nearby.

Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA)
Period: December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $1,169,000 (Yr1: $582,000; Yr2: $587,000)
Summary: The goal of this award is to expand and update infrastructure in the southeastern region including water level, high-frequency radar, and buoy networks as well as investing in new infrastructure for ocean acidification monitoring. The increased capacity of the water level network will help fill in data gaps during coastal inundation events, allowing communities and businesses to make critical decisions. New and replacement equipment in the radar and buoy networks supports ongoing efforts to measure waves, currents, and more variables off the coast, providing observation data and information required for safe and effective marine operations, commercial operations, recreation, and community management. In addition, ocean acidification is increasingly a threat to the reefs off the coast of Florida, and this award will address gaps in the existing monitoring network.

Regional Ocean Partnerships

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Provision 12 “shall be for established Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs) to coordinate the interstate and intertribal management of ocean and coastal resources and to implement their priority actions, including to enhance associated sharing and integration of Federal and non-Federal data by ROPs, or their equivalent.”

IOOS Goals: Regional Ocean Partnerships are voluntary organizations of federal, state, local, and tribal governments and stakeholders working collaboratively to address ocean and coastal issues of common concern for their region. The U.S. IOOS Regional Associations are natural partners for these ROPs and, where there is no established ROP, they are able to act as ROPs for their region. With these projects, RAs acting as ROPs will work to implement actions to address underserved communities, tribes, and states engaged in the development or implementation of regional data sharing and integration. They will also focus on characterizing and developing data sets and products that are made accessible and integrated with other regional data to address regional coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes management priorities.

Press Release

Projects:

Enhance Sharing and Integration of Federal and Non-Federal Data
Recipient: Alaska Ocean Observing System
Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)
This award will enhance data sharing and integration while prioritizing programs with a strong diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility component, including Alaska Native programs. The Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) works to improve the state’s ability to collect, deliver, and use ocean information. This funding will expand the organization’s capacity for increased engagement by hiring two new employees with extensive experience working with Alaska Native communities and in science
translation. Through the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, two interns will also be hired to participate in an internship supporting observation system activities. Additional funded activities include:
1) working with local fishers to develop a tool to deliver much-needed information from remote locations relative to rapid changes in ecosystems, fisheries, and species of concern;
2) providing critical funding tocontinue collecting and sharing information about the ice thickness on trails used by the Utqiaġvik whalers;
and
3) developing a low-bandwidth data product using existing data.

Improving the Availability of CARICOOS Data and Information by Hardening the Observing
System and Enhancing Products Tailored to Coastal Communities
Recipient: Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System
Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)
The goal of this award is to make pertinent data and information, originated by the federal government and partners, available to regional resource managers and stakeholders. For this project, the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS) will identify information voids regarding potential coastal hazards. These voids will be addressed via new data products, including a regional compound
inundation product, and by “translating” available products, such as the USGS Coastal Inundation Dashboard and NOAA’s Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper, for local use. The latter will be introduced, particularly to underserved communities, in focused educational meetings and other outreach efforts. A pilot project will explore the feasibility of working with middle and high school students as a means of
educating the community. The construction and operation of a platform dedicated to providing easy access to coastal hazard information will complement the aforementioned initiatives.

Infrastructure Investments in the Great Lakes Observing System
Recipient: Great Lakes Observing System
Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)
This award supports the priorities identified in NOAA’s Regional Data Platform Scoping Study, including year-round monitoring of new bathymetry data and improved data sharing, especially with underserved communities. The Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), the integrated ocean observing system association for the Great Lakes, is a bi-national nonprofit that provides the data services that support science, policy, management, and industry in the U.S. and Canada. This project will focus on
mapping high-density areas along the Great Lakes, as well as additional data collection, processing, and sharing. The project will further other organizational goals, such as improving the region’s ability to monitor environmental conditions, showcasing how to use data for management purposes, and exploring the use of new and innovative technologies. Supporting a partnership approach for these tasks, especially with
underserved and Indigenous communities, is another priority. Phase two of the Indigenous-led Smart Great Lakes initiative, for example, will be a workshop series focused on data sovereignty and knowledge sharing.

To Enhance Associated Sharing and Integration of Federal and Non-Federal Data to Inform
the Most Pressing Regional Coastal and Ocean Management Challenges
Recipient: Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System
Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)
This award will enhance the sharing and integration of federal and non-federal data by advancing the priorities of the local coastal resource manager. The Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) provides accurate and reliable coastal and ocean information, tools, and services that are easy to access and use. This project will increase these data holdings, using the documented needs of the region’s coastal zone
managers as a guide. Part of this project will include working with these partners to identify data gaps and needs, collect and manage the data, and provide training opportunities regarding how best to use these data and data tools.

Enhance Data Sharing and Integration of Federal and Non-Federal Data
Recipient: Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association
Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024
Federal Funding: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)
This award will sustain and enhance data accessibility in the region, with a focus on high-priority coastal and ocean management issues as prioritized by the coastal zone managers in the southeast. The Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) prioritizes, gathers, manages, and distributes observation data. The project has three focuses:
1) data and product development to support high-priority regional issues, including improved access to regional ecological data, the expansion of water level monitoring in underserved communities, and increased regional ocean data sharing web presence;
2) establishing communities of practice to address regional ocean data sharing needs by coordinating use of surface elevation tables and drones;
and
3) supporting resilience planning in the southeast through the Southeast and Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership.