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

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From the Director:

We still need your help to assess the Ocean Enterprise Sector! IOOS/NOAA are requesting the help of businesses who provide infrastructure or products that support or conduct ocean observation and measurement by participating in the Ocean Enterprise Study 2020.

NOAA will use the results to help inform the U.S. Department of Commerce about the currently changing needs of the Ocean Enterprise sector. Your business matters! The study will deliver an update to the initial study conducted in 2015.

We invite any company, large and small, working in this sector, to contribute to this important study through participation in an online survey. Click here for more information or to take the survey. We request responses by 8/31/2020 so don’t delay!

Best wishes and stay safe,
Carl

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

  • Welcome Dr. Tracy Fanara: Welcome to Dr. Tracy Fanara, who recently joined the NOS and IOOS team as the NOS Coastal Modeling Portfolio Manager. In this role she will coordinate the portfolio of projects NOS conducts internally and through grant funding to the extramural community.  Important goals for this cross NOS position are to enhance collaboration across NOS project teams that develop and test ocean models, accelerate research to operations transitions by engaging with the Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed program community, and coordinate with other line offices to ensure that NOS coastal models are integrated into the Unified Forecast System. Tracy is an engineer and research scientist with a BS, ME, and PhD from the University of Florida’s Department of Environmental Engineering. Tracy spent almost a decade modeling hydrodynamic systems with engineering consulting firms on projects around the world focused on watershed-scale integrated modeling to restore predevelopment hydrology in urban areas.  Tracy was the design engineer/modeler on two nationally winning EPA design teams, was a National Science Foundation SPICE fellow, subcontracted for the United States Geological Survey, and was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow by the US Federal Government. For the past 6 years, Tracy has been managing the Environmental Health research program at Mote Marine Laboratory where she designed and developed models, tools and programs to protect wildlife and water quality. Tracy spends time outside of work communicating science (TV, podcasts, classroom visits and public speaking), was recently Xylem YSI’s Mission: Water, Water Hero, and was featured in Marvel’s Unstoppable Wasp which led to her co-produced comic series, Seekers of Science. 

    • In Case You Missed It: Challenger Deep Dive: From the Heights to the Depths - A Webinar with Dr. Kathryn Sullivan: Former NOAA Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan participated in a great webinar held by the Marine Technology Society on August 19th. If you missed it, you can view a recording of the webinar now.  Dr. Sullivan is the first person to both walk in space and reach the deepest spot in the ocean, the Challenger Deep in the southern end of the Marianas Trench. In this webinar, she talked about this historic dive, her experience as an astronaut, and her work with Caladan Oceanic's Hadal Exploration System - the only submarine certified with an official "depth unlimited" rating.

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

  • Surface Current Mapping: (IOOS Surface Currents Program Manager, Brian Zelenke, brian.zelenke@noaa.gov): 

    • HFR Community and Wind Turbine Interference Mitigation: The oceanographic high-frequency radar (HFR) community is currently working to put in writing a list of questions for offshore wind farmers (i.e., developers and lease holders) that it has related to offshore energy wind turbine interference mitigation (WTRIM).  IOOS Surface Currents Program Manager Brian Zelenke will be serving as the lead for the U.S. HFR network and Tom Vinson at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) will serve as the point-of-contact to get answers to the HFR community’s questions from the offshore wind farmers.  If you know someone who would like help in writing the HFR community’s WTRIM questions for the wind farmers, please contact brain.zelenke@noaa.gov.

    • New Glider Tracking Records: The GCOOS glider data portal GANDALF is now tracking a record 17 gliders at once! Spread throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the U.S. east coast, the bulk of the fleet is dedicated to running a hurricane picket line to map ocean heat content. Having accurate ocean water temperature data is vital to predicting hurricane formation and strength. The neatest thing? GANDALF creator Bob Currier has added new 3-D visualizations! This addition helps modelers and research teams find anomalies quickly and, if needed, allows them to investigate further. This glider tracking tool and new visualization capabilities are especially important now, with hurricane season off to a record start and NOAA revising its predictions for an even busier end to the season — now up to 25 named storms, the most they’ve ever forecast for a season. Check out GANDALF here.

    • Upcoming Training Announcement: The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) will be conducting UxS certificate classes this summer and fall.  This two-tiered training gives the working knowledge from ocean science to engineering (ocean, electrical and mechanical) for operators and pilots to safely and successfully execute UxS missions.  This will be the first offering of Tier 2 program with a heavy focus on buoyancy gliders. These courses/certificates have been developed in collaboration with NOAA, Navy, academia, and industry partners to meet the user’s needs.  This is a great opportunity for operators/pilots at all levels that are planning and conducting UxS missions. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: UNMANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS, PHONE: 228.688.3177 • FAX: 228.688.1121. Admissions Information: https://www.usm.edu/ocean-science-engineering/unmanned-maritime-systems-ums-certification.php

      • Unmanned Maritime System (UMS) CERTIFICATE PROGRAM — TIER 1 - Aug 24 – Sep 25, 2020 - Students will learn foundational material in oceanography and ocean engineering related to unmanned undersea and surface vehicles (UUVs and USVs), such as powered gliders. This 10-credit hour program compressed into five weeks of instruction is intended to provide sufficient background to safely operate vehicles in challenging marine environments as well as work with a variety of sensors.

      • Unmanned Maritime System (UMS) OPERATOR CERTIFICATE PROGRAM — TIER 2 - Oct 12 – Nov 13, 2020 - The Tier II follow-on Curricula will be focused on specific types of vehicles, but with topics generalized across vehicle types where appropriate. In this first module focused on gliders, students will learn about glider operations including mission planning, mission execution and management and maintenance and management of assets.  The curriculum draws knowledge from real- world case studies of specific situations, sensors, and platforms. Students will apply these concepts in developing and conducting operations during a short field project.  The UMS Operator Certificate program consists of four courses totaling 12 credit hours compressed into five weeks of instruction including a field project during which students will conduct mission analysis & planning, specific vehicle and sensor matching, specific vehicle preparation, launch, operation, and recovery, followed by quality review of collected data.

    • Acoustic Telemetry Buoys off the Outer Cape Cod Beaches are Transmitting  White Shark Detections in Real-Time to Town Managers, Lifeguards and National Seashore Rangers: NERACOOS, ATN and the U.S. Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR ) have partnered to support the deployment of 5 real-time acoustic tag detection receivers/buoys along the outer beaches of Cape Cod to support white shark monitoring and research by Dr. Greg Skomal, Senior Fisheries Scientist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. This availability of real-time detection data of sharks that have been tagged is useful not only as a public safety and beach management system, but also provides more timely datasets for the examination of local shark-specific residency and site fidelity patterns, for the development and validation of white shark forecast models, for the development of much-needed beach management strategies, and for the education of the public on the presence of this species.

    • Seventh ATN Steering Group Meeting, SG-7, Convened August 11, 2020: The U.S. Animal Telemetry Network (ATN) brought together all 13 federal and non-federal members of its Steering Group (SG) in mid-August for our virtual SG-7 Meeting in Silver Spring, MD.  SG members are recruited from the telemetry community and provide guidance and direction on the ATN plans and activities. This three hour meeting focused on a number of topics including the FY-20 ATN funding profile, the substantial progress that has been made in implementing the features and capabilities of our Data Assembly Center (DAC), the ATN participation in the newly approved GOOS Network AniBOS (Animal Borne Ocean Sensors), Data Policy discussions and creating teams to address three priority ATN activities: supplying tags for researchers, implementing user fee mechanisms, and organizing the next 5-Year ATN Implementation Plan. The annual SG Chairperson election process selected Bill Woodward and Samantha Simmons (Marine Mammal Commission) as Co-chairs for the coming year. Minutes from the meeting will be available in a few weeks on the ATN Website https://ioos.noaa.gov/project/atn/ under the meetings tab.

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

  • OOS/ESIP Biological Data Standards Workshop: The Biological Data Standards workshop, sponsored by the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (US IOOS), will take place in three stages: 

    • Stage 1 (Completed): June 2020, Workshop participants were invited to view pre-recorded videos on a number of biological data standards, with the intention that participants will enter Stage Two of the workshop with a broad overview of the standards landscape. See videos here: https://www.esipfed.org/biostandards-overview 

    • Stage 2 (Completed): July 13th, 2020  ~ 64 participants came together online to catalyze community efforts around biological data standards and discuss topics including:   

      • Data standard and stewardship best practices 

      • Vocabularies and ontologies 

      • Shared technology, shared knowledge, and knowledge transfer 

      • Development of methodologies 

      • Data transformation and management processes 

    • Stage 3 (starting in August) : Participants will be invited to join the ESIP Biological Data Standards Cluster, which will meet monthly and work towards the following objectives:  

      • Plan for additional steps for standardizing marine biological data 

      • Refocus US participation in global standards bodies (TDWG)

      • Develop a consortium among US Federal agencies, non-Federal, and academic partners around standardizing biological data and providing guidance

      • Develop guidance for data submitters and providers

  • 2020 DMAC Annual Meeting Update: Like many other groups, the IOOS Ops Division has decided against planning in-person events for the time being.  Therefore, the dates we had tentatively rescheduled this year's DMAC meeting for (Tuesday Oct 13 - Thursday Oct 15) will be used to hold a virtual DMAC plenary/presentation session and group breakout discussions. Please save the hours of 2 - 5 PM ET, Oct 13 - 15 if you'd like to participate.  More details to follow, however our plan at the moment is for a daily schedule of:

    • 2 PM - 3:30 PM: Presentations and project updates

    • 3:45 PM - 4:45 PM: Breakout discussions

    • 4:45 PM - 5 PM: Daily Recap

    • QARTOD Board of Advisors Meeting: The QARTOD Board of Advisors held their last FY20 quarterly meeting on Aug 03, to consider the present status of the project and FY21 intentions. It was recommended that the next manual to be updated should be the Manual for Real-Time Quality Control of Water Level Data. The recommendation was based upon the importance of water level due to sea level rise, storm inundation, and the proliferation of contracted private sector deployments. The tentative plan is to issue the update by the end of March 2021.

    • Ocean Best Practice System: Registration for the 4th OBPS annual workshop is now open. The overarching goal of the workshop is to gather recommendations to help the OBPS serve communities and advance:

      • Sharing of information and knowledge

      • Endorsement of methodologies

      • Convergence of methodologies

      • Guidance – how can the OBPS support your region/community in building best practices?

      • More information is available a https://www.oceanbestpractices.org/#events 

    • U.S. CLIVAR Ocean Uncertainty Quantification Working Group: OceanUQ working group members and others with an interest in uncertainty quantification will virtually meet during the 4th annual OBPS workshop, in an Ocean Uncertainty Quantification session. The session goal is to develop recommendations which guide OBPS activities that support and promote uncertainty considerations and standards. We plan presentations from those with experience in the development of uncertainty statements, and discussions with others seeking guidance for their uncertainty efforts. Uncertainty estimates can be surprisingly complex, but they must be addressed.

       

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

  • EarthCube RCN Model Data Workshop: Tiffany Vance, IOOS PO attended the virtual EarthCube RCN, "What About Model Data?" Determining Best Practices for Archiving and Reproducibility workshop held August 3-5, 2020.  https://modeldatarcn.github.io/ These workshops involve representatives from across the geoscience modeling spectrum, including both operations and research, and ranging across complexity and size. The ultimate goal of these workshops is to provide model data best practices to the community, including scientific journal publishers, and funding agencies. To achieve this goal, this team of researchers suggests to craft rubrics based on the model descriptors that will help researchers and centers describe their model data in consistent terms so that proper decisions are made regarding archiving and retention.

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

    • SCCOOS HABs data is now available in OBIS! Thanks to Matt Howard Memorial Funding from the IOOS Program Office, OBIS-USA’s leadership of a biology session at the Fall 2019 IOOS Code Sprint (https://glos.org/code-sprint/), and the hard work of the SCCOOS team and partners, SCCOOS HABs data is now available in OBIS, the global open-access data and information clearinghouse for marine biodiversity to inform science, conservation and sustainable development.  Check out the data here: https://obis.org/dataset/c9aaa0e9-8f6c-4553-a014-a857baba0680

  • NOAA’s Efforts to Improve Hurricane Forecasts Tested on Isaias: NOAA’s Extreme Events-Ocean Observations (EE-OO) Task Team supports the coordination of targeted and sustained ocean observing efforts to improve the understanding of air-sea interaction during high wind events, with the goal of improving the accuracy of hurricane intensity forecasts. The task team coordinated observations in front of and along the track of Hurricane Isaias with air deployed drifters and already in place Argo floats and gliders, and are now conducting analysis of data and potential ocean impacts. This effort is made possible with a team of scientists and researchers from AOML, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Rutgers University, WHOI, University of Miami, and support from the OAR’s Global Ocean Monitoring and Observation (GOMO) Program, US IOOS, and NWS. This team worked safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, following CDC and NOAA guidelines, to deploy for the third year an enhanced Hurricane Glider Picket Line to conduct ocean observations that are used in hurricane forecast models with the ultimate goal of protecting life and property in U.S. coastal areas. Read highlights and a full report.

  • National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Collects Damage Assessment Images of Tropical Storm Isaías: From August 3–5, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) collected aerial damage assessment images of areas affected by Tropical Storm Isaías. Imagery was collected in specific areas identified by NOAA in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard. Collected images are available to view online via the NGS aerial imagery viewer. View tips on how to use the imagery viewer. The flight crew flew over more than 2,700 square kilometers during 16.4 hours and collected 8,933 images of the storm damage. NOAA’s aerial imagery aids safe navigation and captures damage to coastal areas caused by a storm. Aerial imagery is a crucial tool to determine the extent of the damage inflicted by flooding, and to assess the damage to major ports and waterways, coastlines, critical infrastructure, and coastal communities. This imagery provides a cost-effective way to better understand the damage sustained to both property and the environment.

  • New Current Meters in New York/New Jersey Harbor: Navigation in and around the seaports of New York and New Jersey just got a little safer thanks to real-time current information now available for this area. NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) worked with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to install two new current meters on U.S. Coast Guard buoys as part of the New York/New Jersey Harbor Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS). Currents in this area often reach 2 knots and there are several turns and bends in the navigation channel in this area. This system provides real-time data to assist in the safe navigation of larger, deeper draft container vessels calling on the Port of New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority considers the information critical in vessel transit planning through the dynamic waterway.

  • Survey Ships Under Way for the 2020 Field Season: NOAA ships Thomas Jefferson and Rainier have begun the 2020 field season. The Rainier began surveys in a heavily trafficked area surrounding the islands of Maui Nui and Hawaii. Despite the volume of maritime traffic, the vast majority of bathymetric data in the project area were acquired prior to 1984. This project will provide modern bathymetry for updating nautical charts and support the Seabed 2030 global mapping initiative. Additionally, this survey will provide backscatter information for use in habitat mapping by the National Marine Fisheries Service's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. The Thomas Jefferson has been under way surveying the approaches to the Chesapeake Bay.

  • Below Average Summer ‘Dead Zone’ Measured in Gulf of Mexico: NOAA-supported scientists have determined that this year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” — an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life — is approximately 2,116 square miles. This measurement brings the five-year average to 5,408 square miles. Exposure to hypoxic waters has been found to alter fish diets, growth rates, reproduction, habitat use, and catchability. NOAA continues to fund monitoring and research efforts to understand the impacts of hypoxia on fish and fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico through its Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystems and Hypoxia Assessment. The Mississippi Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force uses the annual hypoxic zone size determination as a key metric to measure progress toward achieving the five-year average target of 1,900 square miles or smaller by 2035.

  • Detailed Agenda Available and Registration open: 2020 Americas Symposium (September 7th & 8th): The 2020 Americas Symposium aims to bring communities together to ​identify the synergies ​and paths toward collaboration ​​among​ regional efforts related to ​the integration of​ Geographic, Statistical, Environmental and other information. As a community, we recognize that data integration is the first step toward transforming data into meaningful and valuable information and that a joint effort is needed to achieve this goal. These talks intend to elevate the conversation beyond programmatic updates and facilitate an insightful discussion about multilateral cooperation. To register for this event or to find more information, please visit the official "2020 America's Symposium" website. This Symposium of the Americas is presented by AmeriGEO, the regional organization for the Group on Earth Observations, and the United Nations Regional Committee on Global Geospatial Information Management in the Americas, UN-GGIM: Americas. 

  • Grants & Funding Opportunities:

    • ROSES-20 Amendment 30: Ocean Salinity Field Campaign Final Text and Due Dates Released: This Ocean Salinity Field Campaign program is intended to clarify the role of salinity in ocean-ice interactions by characterizing salinity signatures and possible salinity-ice feedback mechanisms in rapidly-changing polar environments. Outcomes of this field campaign are also expected to inform the development of new concepts of future remote sensing capabilities that improve salinity retrievals in cold waters. Notices of intent are requested by August 27, 2020 and the due date for proposals is September 24, 2020. Read more about this opportunity on SARA's ROSES blog.

    • NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research FY2021 Federal Funding Opportunity: The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research has decided to extend the FY21 Federal Funding Opportunity pre-proposal deadline to July 8, 2020 to allow the broadest participation in the funding opportunity. The fall deadline for full submissions remains October 22, 2020. The full announcement for this opportunity may be found online at https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/about/funding-opps/welcome.html.

Delivering the Benefits:

  • Beta Test new Mariculture Map for Alaska: Axiom Data Science participated in the Mariculture Task Force meeting on July 28th to demonstrate the latest updates to the beta Mariculture Map. The Mariculture Map is an online data viewer to inform kelp and shellfish mariculture planning and permitting in Alaska. The tool is built on the AOOS data platform and leverages many existing data layers from the Ocean Data Explorer. The latest version of the Mariculture Map includes custom drawing, measurement, annotation, and map printing capabilities relative to permit requirements. To test out the latest beta features, click here.

  • June CA HAB Bulletin Published: Please check out the June CA HAB Bulletin for the latest collection of model output, observations, and advisories. Major contributors to the bulletin content are SCCOOS, CeNCOOS, NOAA CoastWatch, phytoplankton counts from the Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring & Alert Program (HABMAP) and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and stranding data from The Marine Mammal Center, Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute, the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, CA Wildlife Center, Marine Animal Rescue, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, and SeaWorld.

Congressional:

  • No update.

Communications/Outreach/Education:

  • AOOS seeks input on 5-year plan: Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) has released its Proposed Five-year Strategic Direction for Public Review document that outlines major elements of our strategic plan for AOOS for the next five years (2021-2026). The new priorities and detailed build-out plans presented here are the result of engagement with coastal communities, private industry, state and federal agencies, tribes, and others throughout Alaska over the past decade. It also reflects input received from the Request for Project Ideas circulated this spring and an associated review of these ideas by technical experts in June. Please see the announcement for more information and to link to the full document. 

  • NBC Connecticut Covers MARACOOS Hurricane Glider Work: MARACOOS Executive Director Gerhard Kuska and Rutgers University Partners Scott Glenn and Travis Miles were interviewed by NBC Connecticut Meteorologist about the hurricane glider work being done in the Mid-Atlantic. This work is part of a partnership that includes NOAA, the US Navy, U.S. IOOS (including MARACOOS) and many academic partners to study atmospheric/ocean interactions during hurricane season.  Read more and click through for the interview here. 

  • CARICOOS demos boating app for Fishery Management: CARICOOS had the opportunity to demo their boating app (Android | iOS) at the Caribbean Fishery Management Council Meeting on August 19 in St. Croix, USVI.

  • NANOOS Quote-of-the-month: NANOOS users from Winchester Bay Oregon let us know: "This Tuna Fishers App is very helpful to us in our commercial Tuna fishing business - Thank you very much. We are sharing it with all our fishing friends !!" This is how IOOS was intended...use observations and model forecasts in ways consumable by a wide cross-cut of society to enable good decisions, better safety, and sustained economies in coastal communities. If you depend on tools from IOOS and the RAs, let us know!

Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation (Please check links as we move forward as things may change quickly for planned events):

  • Sustaining Ocean Observations Phase 2 Workshop, 16 – 18 September 2020, Virtual: There is wide recognition within the ocean observing community that enhanced coordination and partnership among federal agencies, academic and research institutions, private industry, and other sectors could contribute to a stronger collective impact. This upcoming workshop will bring together this diverse groups of stakeholders of ocean observing. The goal of the workshop is to explore partnership and organizational models to foster efficiency, continuity, and quality of the most critical ocean observations to support the broad spectrum of applications and users, both now and in the future. An outline of the workshop topics can be found on the registration page. The full agenda is coming soon to the registration page and the project website.

  • Ocean Best Practices Workshop IV, 18, 21-25, & 30 September 2020, Virtual: The workshop will host plenaries on September 18 and 25 with a final mini-plenary on September 30. Working groups will meet at selected times during the period of September 21 to 24. The format of the meeting has evolved to focus more on conversations and smaller working groups. There will be two instances of the second and third plenary to support the challenges of time zones. See https://www.oceanbestpractices.org/events/evolving-and-sustaining-ocean-best-practices-iv/ for more information.

  • Sept 29 - Oct 1: Restore America’s Estuaries 2020 Summit - Virtual. Early registration closes Aug 31: The National Coastal Estuarine Summit will be held virtually September 29 – October 1, 2020.  This will be a highly interactive, state of the art, virtual opportunity to network with colleagues, share lessons learned, and hear from experts on the latest in coastal restoration and management. More than 300 expert panels, presentations, and posters have been selected and more than 30 sponsors have already committed to support this year’s virtual Summit. For more info and to register: https://estuaries.org/summit/

  • 2020 AGU Fall Meeting - Dec 7-11, 2020 - Virtual: The 2020 AGU Fall Meeting will take place Dec 7-11th. For the first time ever, the conference will be “mostly virtual” meaning much broader participation is possible than in past years. Please note that AGU’s abstract submission portal is now open and accepting submissions until Wednesday, July 29th, 2020 at 11:59 pm EDT. Helpful links: AGU Fall Meeting Website: https://www.agu.org/Fall-Meeting. Information about abstract submission: https://www.agu.org/Fall-Meeting/2020/Present/Abstracts.

    • The NASA Capacity Building Program is chairing two sessions focused on different aspects of capacity development of Earth observation users. As we strive to build the community of practice around skill building and capacity building of Earth observations users, we hope you will join us for these virtual sessions. Please consider submitting an abstract to one (or both!) of our sessions. AGU’s abstract submission portal is now open and accepting submission until Wednesday, July 29th, 2020 at 11:59pm EDT.

      • Session SY001: Addressing the Need for Earth-Observation Capacity Development at the Local, National, Regional, and Global Scales

      • SY004: Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Conducting Virtual Capacity Building Activities

    • GEO at AGU Fall Meeting: As part of the upcoming 2020 AGU Fall Meeting themed “Shaping the Future of Science,” the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is supporting several key sessions and invites members from the AmeriGEO community to submit their abstracts to take part. Sessions focused on Earth observations (EO) and Capacity Development, COVID-19, the Sustainable Development Goals, and several being led by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) may be of interest and we encourage you to explore the opportunities to support these sessions. Please see all the sessions and how to participate in the following link: https://www.earthobservations.org/geo_blog_obs.php?id=449

  • 101st AMS Annual Meeting, 10 – 14 January 2021, New Orleans: Planning is underway for an AMS EPIC session at the AMS Annual Meeting - panel discussion and then paper session hosted by EIPT, R2O, Python, AI, and HPC communities of AMS.

    • Session Title: The Earth Prediction Innovation Center – Enabling a community-based approach to advance Numerical Weather Prediction

    • Session Description: Congress has mandated that NOAA establish an Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) to accelerate community-developed scientific and technological advancements into the operational applications for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). The EPIC is responsible for enabling collaboration among scientists and engineers in areas important for improving operational weather prediction and for creating a community global weather research modeling system. Meeting the goals of EPIC will require the efforts of all segments of the weather enterprise. This session invites papers presenting progress to date in this initiative as well as papers presenting innovative technologies and capabilities with potential for adoption by EPIC to enable the collaborative community, establish the community modeling system, and advance operational NWP.

    • Dr. DaNa Carlis has agreed to be the EIPT participant in the panel discussion.

    • Abstract submissions for this session, and all AMS sessions are due 3 August.  The meeting is in early January 2021.  Originally scheduled to be in New Orleans, a decision on whether it will go virtual will be made soon.  

  • Extended! Abstracts due August 31st - Oceanology International Americas - San Diego, 15 – 17 February 2021: As part of the three-day conference program, OI Americas will run a series of technical tracks exploring the latest developments in ocean technology and its application in support of scientific research, safe and sustainable use of the ocean and ocean resources and the protection of the marine and coastal environment. The technical track program will cover all stages of ocean technology innovation; connecting technology push with application pull. Scientists, technologists and engineers engaged in the ocean technology innovation chain, and those concerned with application of technologies in support of scientific understanding of the ocean, the use of the ocean and ocean resources and protection of the marine and coastal environment are invited to submit abstracts to the Oi Americas 2021 conference program covering one or more of the following topics:

    • Sensors and Instruments

    • Vessels, Vehicles and Platforms

    • Data Communications

    • Data Management

    • Data Analysis and Interpretation

    • End-use Case Studies

Other Upcoming Meetings:

  • Drones in the Coastal Zone, 14 October 2020, 10am ET: SECOORA's Drones in the Coastal Zone in-person workshop https://secoora.org/drones-in-the-coastal-zone-workshop/ scheduled for October in Beaufort, NC has been cancelled due to ongoing concerns for gatherings of over 100 people. The planning team recognizes the importance of the hands-on drone work and the desire for in-person training, therefore they are changing gears and developing a new format that will permit for virtual and (limited) in-person participation. Ideas discussed include a webinar series in fall 2020, online activities/ trainings, and the potential for an “air show” in 2021 (limited capacity workshops in different states). Please save the date for the Drone Workshop kick off webinar on on October 14. If you have further questions, please contact Abbey Wakely at abbey@secoora.org.

  • WMO Data Conference - 16-18 November 2020: The WMO Data Conference aims to develop a common understanding among entities from all sectors of society of the roles, requirements and arrangements for international exchange of observations and other data for monitoring and prediction of the Earth System environment, including weather, climate and water. The World Meteorological Organization and its predecessor, the International Meteorological Organization, have coordinated and regulated the free and unrestricted international exchange of observations and other meteorological data for the last 150 years. Building on this exchange, dramatic progress has been made in weather forecast and climate analysis capabilities over the last few decades. The Conference is expected to formulate recommendations to WMO and its partner organizations and stakeholders regarding current needs and modalities for data exchange and specifically regarding the ongoing WMO review of its data policies. Participants interested in contributing a paper should submit an abstract (max 250 words) to the DataConference@wmo.int by 23 August. For more information: https://public.wmo.int/en/events/WMO-Data-Conference 

  • SAVE THE DATE! 2nd International Operational Satellite Oceanography Symposium, 25 – 27 May 2021, Darmstadt, Germany: The Executive Steering Committee of the 2nd International Operational Satellite Oceanography Symposium, co-chaired by EUMETSAT and NOAA, is pleased to announce the next Symposium will be held in Darmstadt, Germany May 25-27, 2021.  The Committee will share more information, including the meeting website and the Programme Committee members in the coming months.  

  • EMODnet 2nd Open Conference and Jamboree - New Dates Announced: 14 – 18 June 2021: The second EMODnet Open Conference and Jamboree will be held the week of 14 June 2021. During the event, EMODnet partners, communicators and data providers and users will take stock of EMODnet achievements over the past 10 years, connect across stakeholder communities and set goals for the future. To start the week, the EMODnet Open Conference will focus on use cases and requirements for developing essential open marine data services for blue economy actors, the public sector, civil society and the research community. More details will follow soon.

 

Webinars:

  • Corals, shipwrecks, and dolphins, oh my! Diving into Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary - August 21, 2020 - 11 am Pacific / 2 pm Eastern: Join Blue Star Diving operators Key Dives and Fury Water Adventures while they swap sea stories of their favorite moments beneath the waves of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. During this live interaction, you will learn about the wonders that are protected within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, how you can become an underwater explorer, and what you can do to help protect this special place. Hear from Florida Keys dive experts on their experiences inside the sanctuaries stunning reefs. Join us for this live interaction to learn more! Register for the Webinar here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6753431723786778895

  • SERIES MTS’ 2020 Virtual Symposia: An Online Series for Marine Technology Professionals: With the cancellation/postponement of a number of events in 2020 and many working from home or remotely, MTS is bringing together a series of virtual seminars of interest to the marine technology community. You are invited to attend these free, interactive symposia where you can learn about cutting-edge topics from some of the best and brightest minds working the field.  Keep up with upcoming & past symposia on the MTS Events page. Upcoming webinars: 

    • 8/11: Modern Hydrographic Workflow

    • 8/19: Dr. Kathy Sullivan - Women in Ocean Science

    • 9/9: The Ocean Enterprise Study: Changes Within the Last Five Years

  • SERIES EMB launches new webinar series: The European Marine Board is launching a new webinar series, #ThirdThursdayScience, which will focus on the science underpinning the research and policy recommendations in EMB publications. The free webinars will take place on the third Thursday of each month, and will run for one hour between 13:00 - 14:00 CEST. Webinars will also be live-streamed on YouTube and will be made available to re-watch later on the EMB YouTube Channel. Upcoming webinars:

    • 8/20: Future Science Brief 4 on Marine Ecosystem Modelling

    • 9/17: Navigating the Future V: The cells of ecosystem functioning: Towards a holistic vision of marine space

  • Observations at the West Florida Shelf Pressure Point, 25 August 2020, 12pm ET: How the Pressure Point Affects both the Shelf and the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current: Join SECOORA for webinar on August 25 at 12 PM ET. Dr. Robert Weisberg from University of South Florida College of Marine Science  will discuss how a special “Pressure Point” region impacts the West Florida Shelf, affecting both its fisheries ecology and harmful algal blooms and, in turn, how the WFS impacts the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current’s ability to penetrate into the Gulf of Mexico. Click here for more information and registration. 

  • Celebrating 10 Years of EMODnet, 22 September 2020, 14:00-17:00 CEST: Showcasing a decade of achievements connecting marine data to knowledge: Celebrate 10 years of EMODnet by joining us at a virtual gathering on 22 September 2020 14:00-17:00 CEST. This webinar will be an opportunity to take stock of key EMODnet achievements over the past decade with showcases and testimonials from data providers, users and partners – as a celebration moment. This online event will also set the stage for a forward look at the Open Conference in June 2021 to co-design the next phase of EMODnet. Register for the webinar here: https://www.emodnet.eu/webinar

Job & Internship Opportunities:

  • Executive Director, Alaska Ocean Observing System: The Board of the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) has initiated a search for a new Executive Director to replace Molly McCammon, who will be stepping down as the organization’s current director in late 2020. Molly will remain with AOOS as a part-time Senior Advisor. She has been executive director since starting the organization in 2003. Please see the Position Announcement and Specific Duties and Responsibilities and circulate them broadly to your contact lists. Closes September 4, 2020.

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? Contact us at: eoto@noaa.gov.

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