The Eyes on the Ocean™ Bi-weekly is an informal way of keeping you up-to-date on U.S. IOOS® activities. Email us to get it delivered to your inbox, and connect with us to keep up with the latest news! From the Director: Hello IOOS Community, Please see the message below from Acting NOS Assistant Administrator, Nicole LeBoeuf commemorating the passing of Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings. Best wishes, From Nicole LeBoeuf, Acting National Ocean Service Assistant Administrator: NOAA lost a steadfast champion and strong voice in support of its mission last weekend. Former Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings passed away on Saturday at his home in South Carolina at the age of 97. Though perhaps more widely known for his work on social and fiscal issues, here at NOAA, we know him as one of the founding figures of our agency and a true ally of the NOS mission to preserve and protect our coastal and ocean special places while supporting economic prosperity. Senator Hollings played a leading role in NOAA’s establishment as a federal agency, and he was instrumental to the passing of crucial legislation in the 1970s to protect our nation’s coasts and oceans, including the seminal Coastal Zone Management Act in 1972. He provided the resources that initiated the NOAA Coastal Services Center in 1994 as a national-in-scope leader for technical and management assistance to coastal communities. The Center was later integrated with the NOS Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management to create NOS’ Office for Coastal Management. The Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, a world-class science and technology facility, is named after the senator. He secured funding for its construction and envisioned the unique partnership that exists among its federal, state, and academic researchers. The laboratory is an invaluable resource that brings scientists together in a collaborative environment to improve our understanding of coastal ecosystems and the links between environmental condition and the health of marine organisms and humans. Senator Hollings’ leadership also fostered early development of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. And, he co-sponsored the Oceans Act of 2000, leading directly to the establishment of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, which continues to drive ocean governance and policy forward today. Not only a cornerstone of NOAA’s past, but a key to its future, Senator Hollings’ legacy will continue to live on in the form of the Hollings Scholarship, established in his honor after his retirement in 2005. The scholarship gives two years of academic assistance and a 10-week summer internship with NOAA to help us train future ecologists, oceanographers, and others to ensure the continued advancement of these fields and access to a solid cadre of emerging professionals. More than 1,683 students have benefited from these scholarships over the past 14 years. One of these students is Leah Moore, a junior at the University of South Carolina studying environmental science and physical geography. She’ll be working at NOS' OR&R in Seattle this summer on a project focusing on the recovery of ecosystems after contamination caused by disasters. Another is Jory Fleming who worked at the Office for Coastal Management in 2016, creating data visualizations to study the economic impacts of sea level rise. Since birth, Jory learned to overcome various disabilities, including autism. His story was an inspiration to NOAA staff that interacted with him. He is currently a Rhodes Scholar pursuing a Masters of Philosophy in Environmental Change Management. Again, in recognition of the efforts of the former senator, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation grants the Ernest F. Hollings Ocean Awareness Award annually, which aims to increase stewardship of natural and cultural resources in America’s ocean and Great Lakes. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly $2 million to more than 60 groups for research, conservation, education, and outreach projects supporting the National Marine Sanctuary System and a healthy ocean. I am in awe of Senator Hollings and his achievements. His dedication to the cause of preserving and protecting our coastal and ocean special places is inspiring and has created an enduring legacy throughout NOS and NOAA. I hope that you all will take a moment with me to pause and reflect on the impact of Senator Hollings at this time of his passing. We may have lost an esteemed partner and champion, but his legacy lives on through our work. In this, his efforts will never be forgotten. From the U.S. IOOS Office: Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies: Surface Current Mapping: (IOOS PO POC, Derrick Snowden, Derrick.Snowden@noaa.gov): Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem and Tools Built on IOOS data (DMAC listserv – contact Micah Wengren, DMAC System Architect, data.ioos@noaa.gov) IOOS Catalog 1.4 Released! A new version of the IOOS Catalog was released on April 11. IOOS Catalog Release 1.4 includes several important new features: 1) filtering of datasets by date/time coverage by way of a new custom-built widget, 2) Google Dataset search integration, 3) harvest by NOAA Data Catalog and Data.gov, 4) filtering of datasets by data provider, 5) improved GCMD keyword display, 6) update to the latest CKAN data catalog software (2.8.2). More information about this important release can be found on the Releases page of the Catalog documentation site. DMAC Annual Meeting - April 30-May 2: The 2019 DMAC Meeting will take place April 30- May 2, 2019 in Silver Spring, MD. A draft agenda is available here: https://ioos.noaa.gov/project/dmac/. Please direct any questions regarding scheduling, general inquiries, etc. to Rachel Horoschak rachel.horoschak@noaa.gov. Questions or suggestions about the agenda should go to Micah Wengren micah.wengren@noaa.gov. Frontiers has accepted the manuscript / OceanObs’19 community white paper for publication: “From the Oceans to the Cloud: opportunities and challenges for data, models, computation, and workflows”. Authors: Tiffany C. Vance, Micah Wengren, Eugene F. Burger, Debra Hernandez, Timothy Kearns, Encarni Medina-Lopez, Nazila Merati, Kevin M. O'Brien, Jonathan O'Neil, James Potemra, Richard P. Signell, and Kyle Wilcox doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00211 In this paper, we provide an introduction to cloud computing, describe current uses of the cloud for management and analysis of observational data and model results, and describe workflows for running models and streaming observational data. We discuss topics that must be considered when moving to the cloud: costs, security, and organizational limitations on cloud use. Future uses of the cloud via computational sandboxes and the practicalities and considerations of using the cloud to archive data are explored. In conclusion, visions of a future where cloud computing is ubiquitous are discussed. QARTOD (National Coordinator Mark Bushnell, mark.bushnell@noaa.gov): Modeling and Analysis Subsystem (IOOS PO and IOOS Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT) POC – Derrick Snowden, Derrick.Snowden@noaa.gov): Interagency and International Collaboration/News: Delivering the Benefits: Gliders Listen in on Whales: On December 1, 2018, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) launched the first-ever NERACOOS sponsored autonomous glider to determine where whales, including the seriously endangered North Atlantic right whale, are wandering. These gliders steer themselves along a pre-programed route, recording the calls of whales in the immediate area, regularly transmitting findings back to project leaders. As of April 1, the WHOI glider is still traveling the Gulf of Maine, having successfully recorded data for the past three months. Read more in (and subscribe to) the NERACOOS newsletter here. NANOOS' Surfer's App Updated: A recent update to the NVS Surfers App allows users to click anywhere on the map and see the current value of all observations and model outputs at that location. This capability was requested though NANOOS' engagement with the Pacific Northwest surfing community. We are proud to be able to incorporate what users want to see and we know that is an on-going engagement. New data source for California HAB Bulletin: Statewide information for Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) detection and assessment is being bolstered by new samples and data coming from the Bodega Marine Laboratory - University of California, Davis. This new work contributes to the California HAB Bulletin that helps inform researchers and managers about changing conditions. The Bulletin is produced in cooperation with CeNCOOS and leadership from the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System. Buoys return to the Great Lakes after winter: As the temperatures rise, buoys are starting to go back into the Great Lakes and data is flowing back into the Great Lakes Buoy Tool. Buoys are removed from the Lakes in the winter months to prevent damage, and put back to work throughout the spring. Data streams will populate as buoys come back online, so check in and see if your area is streaming yet, and read more here. GLOS Featured in Ocean Conservancy Smart Buoys Video: The Ocean Conservancy produced a video on how data from buoys in the Great Lakes ensure safe drinking water. In the video, Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) Executive Director Kelli Paige explains how multiple agencies collaborate to monitor environmental conditions and make Great Lakes data available to drinking water managers, policymakers, and the public. Watch the video here: https://noaaglerl.blog/tag/water-quality/ NOAA National Data Buoy Center working to repair marine weather stations in Cook Inlet: On April 6, five Coastal and Marine Automated Systems (C-MAN) stations in Cook Inlet failed after running out of date storage in their GPS systems due to a GPS Rollover. Through a collaborative Alaska NOAA effort, one station has already been repaired and a schedule for repairing the others is in place. Read more here. MARACOOS Provides Data for Annapolis Flood Mitigation: As nuisance flooding continues to plague Annapolis, Maryland, MARACOOS provides data that helps the Office of Emergency Management to assess the risk of flooding while also supporting collaboration between the city and the U.S. Naval Academy to address long-term mitigation. Read more here. Congressional: IOOS Association Visits with Congressional Offices: On March 20, IOOS Association members visited over 100 Congressional offices to brief staff on how IOOS makes a difference in the lives of American citizens and thanked them for their support. The IOOS Office will schedule similar briefings in the next month. ICOOS Reauthorization Update: The Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act of 2019 S. 914 (of which, Title I is the ICOOS reauthorization bill), was introduced in the Senate on 3/27/2019, reported by the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation without amendment on 4/3/2019, and marked up by the Senate. In the house, HR 1314, the ICOOS Act Amendments of 2019 was introduced in February and referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife on 3/8/2019. The House will hold a hearing on HR 1314 and other related bills in early May. Communications/Outreach/Education: HABs, a new Story Map: In collaboration with NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and the University of Washington, NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center created an interactive story map to call attention to the social and economic impacts of harmful algal blooms. Using the latest nationwide economic figures and told through the stories of those citizens personally affected by the 2015 U.S. West Coast event, these new materials document the human toll of harmful algal blooms in coastal communities. SECOORA Data Challenge Announces Winners: Learn about the winning projects selected for the 2019 SECOORA Data Challenge, Using Web Camera Data for Environmental Monitoring. Updates from the GCOOS Annual Meeting: GCOOS held its annual meeting earlier this month in New Orleans. Catch up on all the action in this special edition of their newsletter! MARACOOS data supports doctoral research: Kelsey Brunner is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, where MARACOOS data are assisting in her research. Kelsey studies the surface currents on the continental shelf of the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). Establishing a better understanding of the physics of these circulation patterns can equip scientists with the knowledge necessary for preparing for and predicting storm patterns, implementing more efficient search and rescue plans, and cleaning up after storms. Read more here. SeaCast Recognized for Excellence: SeaCast, which is now provided through NANOOS Visualization System (NVS), has been awarded Oregon State University's Vice Provost Outreach and Engagement Award for Excellence, which "recognizes outstanding projects that significantly advance the mission of outreach and engagement across the university and beyond." Congratulations to Ted Strub and Flaxen Conway for this recognition! Apply Now for the Vembu Subramanian Ocean Scholars Award: Apply today to be the next Vembu Subramanian Ocean Scholar! This year’s award value has increased a thousand dollars to $3500. Deadline to submit proposals is May 24, 2019. Visit the website for more information. 2nd Annual Vembu Cup: Be sure to sign up for the 2nd Annual Vembu Cup! This year's 4-man scramble will start at 8am Sunday May 5th at Mangrove Bay Golf Course in St. Petersburg, FL with an after party to follow. All proceeds will be used to support the University of South Florida Vembu Subramanian MSAC scholarship. It will be an annual award for a USF College of Marine Science graduate student who best reflects Vembu's unifying spirit through service to the college and their fellow students. For additional information contact Linda Kelbaugh, USF College of Marine Science, office: 727-553-1634, email: lkelbaugh@usf.edu IOOS Enterprise in the News Forecasts of Wave-Induced Coastal Hazards in the United States Pacific Islands: Past, Present, and the Future (PacIOOS), Frontiers in Marine Science, 4/5/2019 Salmon season has arrived. Here’s what to expect. (CeNCOOS), The San Francisco Chronicle, 4/10/2019 Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation: Mid-Atlantic Telemetry Workshop, 18-29 April 2019, Newark, DE: The workshop is hosted by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, NMFS Chesapeake Bay Office, MARACOOS and the ATN. For info. contact: Bill Woodward bill.woodward@noaa.gov or Matt Ogburn ogburnm@si.edu DMAC Annual Meeting 30 April 30–2 May 2019: The 2019 DMAC Meeting will take place April 30- May 2, 2019 in Silver Spring, MD. Please save these dates in your calendars. Please direct any questions regarding scheduling, general inquiries, etc. to Rachel Horoschak rachel.horoschak@noaa.gov. Questions or suggestions about the agenda should go to Micah Wengren micah.wengren@noaa.gov. NERACOOS ATN-MBON-OTN Workshop, 6-7 May 2019, Durham, NH: For more information and to register, please go to http://neracoos.org/. MARACOOS Annual Meeting May 14th, Annapolis, MD: For more details and registration, click here. CeNCOOS Spring 2019 Governing Council Meeting, 16–17 May 2019, Santa Cruz, CA: This meeting will be held at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Santa Cruz, CA. Check here for more information: https://www.cencoos.org/about/events/2019/spring-2019-governing-council-meeting 8th EGO Meeting & International Glider Workshop, 21-23 May 2019, New Brunswick, NJ: The European (EGO) and US (UG2) autonomous underwater glider user groups are coming together to host the 8th EGO Meeting and International Glider Workshop at Rutgers University, New Jersey. Learn more here: https://gliders.ioos.us/ug2_ego_2019/ Save the Date! NASA Biodiversity and Ecological Forecasting Team Meeting, 21–23 May 2019: The meeting will be held in the DC area, May 21-23, 2019. Save the Date! Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) All Hands Meeting, 24 May 2019: The meeting will beheld in the DC area, May 24, 2019. Save the Date! CARICOOS 2019 General Assembly on May 24, 2019, San Juan, PR: Registration and additional details forthcoming. IOSTIA’s BlueTech Expo, 4–5 June 2019, Washington, DC: IOSTIA and Sea Technology Magazine will host an expanded BlueTech Expo in Washington, D.C. on June 4-5, 2019. Organized to coincide with Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW), this year's program will feature a one-day interactive technical program focused on new developments, innovative practices, regulatory & funding issues, and case studies of interest to both government and industry. Followed by a day of exhibits featuring industry’s leading providers and a special networking reception hosted by Oceanology International. Save the Date! SECOORA 2019 Annual Meeting, 18–20 June 2019, Wilmington, NC: Please save the date for the SECOORA's 2019 Annual Meeting in Wilmington, NC. Participate in the ocean observing conversation and network with coastal ocean scientists from around the Southeast. Link: https://secoora.org/2019-annual-meeting/ NANOOS Annual Meeting, August 2019, Vancouver, WA: Details forthcoming. OceanObs’19, 16–20 September 2019, Honolulu, HI: The OceanObs19 conference planning is well underway! The conference will take place September 16-20 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Check out the conference website for more details: https://council.science/events/oceanobs-19/ Other Upcoming Meetings: OceanPredict '19, 6–10 May 2019, Halifax, Canada: Registration for OceanPredict ’19 is open. Click here for details on registration fees, and to register for this important gathering of the world’s leading ocean scientists, ocean observation specialists, industry representatives, service providers and users of ocean data & products from across the local, national & international operational oceanography community. GODAE OceanView continues to provide coordination and leadership in consolidating and improving global and regional ocean analysis and forecasting systems. Further information about the symposium, themes and description of sessions is now available from the OceanPredict ’19 website: http://www.oceanpredict19.org Coastal Sediments 2019 (CS19), 27–31 May 2019 - Tampa, FL: Coastal Sediments 2019 (CS19) is the 9th Conference in the Coastal Sediments Series. CS19 will be held in Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL, with the theme of "Advancing Science & Engineering for Resilient Coastal Systems." Oral and poster presentations and accompanying papers will be selected from abstracts submitted on a variety of topics including special sessions. http://coastalsediments.cas.usf.edu/ Capitol Hill Ocean Week, 4–6 June 2019, Washington, DC: Join the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and visionaries in ocean and Great Lakes policy and conservation for two days of plenaries, panels, and networking. Learn more and register here: https://marinesanctuary.org/capitol-hill-ocean-week/ First International Operational Satellite Oceanography Symposium, 18–19 June 2019, Washington, DC: The First Operational Satellite Oceanography Symposium will take place from 18 to 19 June 2019 in the Washington, DC area. The symposium aims to enable the understanding the barriers (perceived or actual) and facilitate the widespread incorporation of satellite ocean observations into the value chain from data to useful information across the range of operational applications. In this symposium, an international community of satellite operators, information producers and users will exchange facts and ideas to 1) understand user needs and expectations, and 2) develop interoperability standards and establish best practices that will lead to more universal use of ocean satellite data. For further information see the meeting website for announcement flyer and return again later for further details: https://coastwatch.noaa.gov/OSOSymposium Email: veronica.lance@noaa.gov 2019 NOAA Environmental Data Management Workshop, September 4-5, 2019 Seattle, WA: The NOAA Environmental Data Management Committee (EDMC) is pleased to announce the 9th annual NOAA Environmental Data Management Workshop (EDMW) that will be held September 4-5, 2019 in Seattle, WA. The theme for this year’s workshop is “Unleashing NOAA's Data as a Strategic Asset for Science, Service, Stewardship and Innovation.” The workshop will be hosted at the Motif Hotel in downtown Seattle. Please forward this announcement to NOAA colleagues that may be interested in attending or presenting. The 2019 NOAA EDM Workshop will include presentations and working sessions that focus on efforts to improve the collection, stewardship, interpretation, and delivery of NOAA data that enable the agency to carry out its mission and programs effectively. Attendees are primarily NOAA personnel, but we expect to have a few slots for external people. The formal approval process including the NOAA Group Travel Request will begin soon, as will other workshop planning activities including calls for sessions, papers, and registration. To receive future announcements on the 2019 EDM Workshop, please sign up for the 2019 EDMW Mailing List. https://goo.gl/forms/VNmMEyRsDyT3SVAF2 Save the Date! Pecora 21 & ISRSE 38, October 2019, Baltimore, MD: A joint symposium of the 21st William T. Pecora Memorial Remote Sensing Symposium and the 38th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment will convene in Baltimore, Maryland, USA from October 6 – 11, 2019. The organizers have released a call for special sessions and are inviting proposals for sessions that deal with issues and advances in the broader field of Earth observation. Job & Internship Opportunities: Research Specialist, Texas A&M: The Research Specialist will serve as a Data Scientist in the Coastal and Marine Geospatial Lab of the Harte Research Institute and will assist in the development of statistical models and programming modules to discover insights in coastal and oceanographic data through the use of statistical modeling, visualization techniques, and data mining algorithms. This person will design, develop, test, deploy, and document software packages and interactive user interfaces deployed via the Internet. Read more and apply here. Deputy Director, NANOOS: The Ocean Physics Department (OPD) in the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington (APL-UW) seeks an Oceanographer IV to assists the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) Executive Director in management and oversight of the program. Open until filled. View the announcement and apply here. 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!
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