Eyes on the Ocean™ – IOOS Bi-weekly – 20 February 2019 - The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)

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
Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies
DMAC Subsystem and Tools Built on IOOS data
Modeling and Analysis Subsystem
Interagency and International Collaboration/News
Delivering the Benefits
Congressional
Communications/Outreach
Upcoming Meetings

From the Director:

Hello IOOS Community,

In October, a PacIOOS wave buoy broke free of its mooring and drifted out to sea. After 46 days at sea, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia (WLB 215), stationed in Guam, was able to recover the buoy and the critical data the buoy had collected. I’d like to extend my appreciation for the efforts of the USCG; the crew of the Sequoia; LCDR W. Christian Adams, Commanding Officer of the Sequoia; and the PacIOOS team to successfully recover this important observing asset. Read more about this story below in “Delivering the Benefits”.

Best wishes,
Carl

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

High Frequency (HF) Radar/Radio: (IOOS PO POC, Jack Harlan; Jack.Harlan@noaa.gov):
- No update.
Gliders (IOOS POC LCDR Benjamin LaCour, Benjamin.Lacour@noaa.gov):
- New Trinidad Head glider plots: Data plots for all missions (2014-present) of the Trinidad Head Seaglider are available through the NANOOS NVS Glider app. This now includes plots for oxygen and optical data too! The Trinidad Head Seaglider transects from ~10 km offshore of Trinidad Head, California to ~400 km offshore every 15-20 days. It is jointly supported by NANOOS and CeNCOOS and operated by OSU. We have also updated the historical data plots for the La Push Seaglider that ran off Washington to include the oxygen and optical data as well
- 8th EGO Meeting & International Glider Workshop, w/o May 20, 2019: The European (EGO) and US (UG2) autonomous underwater glider user groups are coming together to host the 8th EGO Meeting and International Glider Workshop. The goal of the meeting is to strengthen international collaboration through community dialogue, exchanges of information, sharing of experiences, and development of best practices to support the glider community. This international meeting will offer a mix of presentations, panels, breakout groups, poster sessions, and open community dialog. It will provide a forum in which scientists, engineers, students and industry can exchange knowledge and experiences on the development of glider technology, the application of gliders in oceanographic research and the role of gliders in ocean observing systems.

Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem and Tools Built on IOOS data (DMAC listserv – contact Derrick Snowden, Derrick.Snowden@noaa.gov)

Axiom Holds Data Workshops at Alaska Marine Science Symposium: Axiom Data Science attended the Alaska Marine Science Symposium to host three workshops focused on data tools leveraging the AOOS data system. New this year was the JUPYTER NOTEBOOK BOOTCAMP, which provided hands-on experience for creating reproducible analysis and data visualizations for AOOS data accessed through the Research Workspace. The Metadata 411 workshop provided an overview on how to write metadata to describe scientific datasets. Last, Axiom held Metadata Office Hours which offered one-on-one data management assistance for researchers working on storing, documenting, and sharing their project data. All three workshops were held concurrent to AMSS science talks, which limited the participation by conference attendees. Axiom plans to offer these workshops again in 2020 and not overlap with presentations to increase participation. Axiom, in collaboration with IOOS, ONR, and AOOS, has developed a prototype of the Animal Telemetry Network portal to provide access to real-time and delayed mode animal movement data. The prototype is undergoing internal testing and bug fixes and is planned for public release in March 2019. The data portal will be available at: https://atn.ioos.us/.
QARTOD (National Coordinator Mark Bushnell, mark.bushnell@noaa.gov):
- Real-Time QC Workshop for pH Observations: A real-time QC workshop for pH observations has been proposed as an auxiliary event at the Association for the Sciences of Limnology & Oceanography Is 2019 aquatic sciences meeting in Puerto Rico during the week of 2/25/19 – 3/1/18.

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

COMT Annual Meeting: The COMT Annual Meeting is being scheduled for late October. The final dates will be announced soon.

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) (IOOS PO POC Gabrielle Canonico, Gabrielle.Canonico@noaa.gov):
- MBON partners advance technology to observe body temperatures in intertidal animals: MBON Pole to Pole partners in the Americas region are advancing development of "EnvLoggers" - sensors that record the body temperature of sessile intertidal animals. As part of MBON Pole to Pole, EnvLoggers have been deployed in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, USA, Colombia, Costa Rica, and just a few days ago in Antarctica. The loggers mimic the look of real animals and are inconspicuous in the intertidal environment; they provide valuable data on body temperatures of intertidal animals to help us understand how these animals respond to changes in their environment. Since the August 2018 Pole to Pole workshop in Brazil, team members have made improvements to the hardware, software and firmware supporting large scale deployments of the sensors. They have successfully tested the sensors at pressures equivalent to 75 meters of seawater and will subject them to higher pressures when they secure access to a larger pressure chamber. The loggers have also been successfully tested at temperatures around - 20 ºC, to assure correct functioning in polar areas. In addition to applications for MBON Pole to Pole, the developers have launched a new collaborative global network of coastal temperature sensors - WE-LOG - towards creation of a global "temperaturebank" for these observations.
- Publication on Earth Observations for Ecosystem Service Assessments: Congratulations to SCCOOS, MBON and other community experts for the recent publication “Reimagining the potential of Earth observations for ecosystem service assessments” in Science of The Total Environment (Volume 665, 15 May 2019, Pages 1053-1063, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.150).
- Future Oceans2 IMBeR Open Science Conference: The conference will be held at Le Quartz Congress Centre in Brest, France, June 17-21, with a focus on ocean sustainability for the benefit of society - understanding, challenges, and solutions. MBON team members (Frank Muller-Karger, Gabrielle Canonico, Isabel Sousa-Pinto and Mark Costello) are organizing a session at the conference titled “Towards a coordinated global marine biodiversity observing system.”
- MBON Pole to Pole regional workshop for the Americas: “Data from the Sea to the Cloud” -- April 2-5, 2019 near Puerto Morelos, Mexico. This workshop is a follow on to a five-day training program offered by MBON Pole to Pole, OBIS, and AmeriGEOSS in Brazil in August 2018. MBON Pole to Pole, with funding from NASA, is building a Community of Practice for understanding and conserving life in the ocean. The effort supports capacity building towards: expanded knowledge of biodiversity and its services; coordinated biodiversity monitoring and shared data, experiences, knowledge, and protocols; increased understanding of physical and biological connectivity; and development of biodiversity indices needed for ecosystem assessments and science-based decision making. The effort and outcomes are designed to be scalable from the Americas to other regions.
OceanObs’19 Updates and Planning:
- OceanObs’19 Call for Breakout Session Leads and Proposals: The OceanObs’19 organizers are seeking community leaders for the thematic Breakout Sessions during the conference. We are seeking nominations and proposals by no later than February 20, with limited exceptions for U.S. Federal employees pending the duration of government closure. Nominations for session leaders should include a one-page proposal outlining the core focus of the chosen Breakout Session including an overview of the approach, expected outcomes, and benefits. Find more instructions here: http://www.oceanobs19.net/breakout-sessions/
- Interested In Exhibiting At OceanObs’19? Applications for potential exhibitors are open! OceanObs’19 is interested in exhibits demonstrating ocean observing systems in action. Anything thing ranging from dynamic displays that connect attendees, in real-time, to instruments and platforms at sea to static displays of hardware are welcome. Modeling results and simulations with real-world impact interpretive elements are also encouraged. For more information on exhibits at OceanObs’19 and to apply, check out the website here: http://www.oceanobs19.net/exhibit/
- OceanObs’19: Registration Is Now Open! For more information on fees, deadlines, posters, and event registration, visit here. Early bird registration closes March 1.
Registration now open! US CLIVAR Sea Level Rise Workshop: An East Coast Sea Level Rise workshop, “Sea Level Hotspots from Florida to Maine: Drivers, impacts, and Adaptation”, will be held in Norfork, VA April 23-25, 2019. From Florida to Maine, coastal communities are on the frontline of climate change. Regional “hot spots” for sea level change and variability can be found up and down the coast, where highly populated and developed areas are vulnerable to tidal and episodic flooding. Studies show that flooding events have been increasing in frequency and intensity, and are projected to further accelerate with sea level rise. Planning and adaptation efforts to improve coastal resilience are already in place in large urban areas such as New York City, Miami, and others. But are these plans sufficient, and what best practices can be shared with other communities? This workshop provides an avenue to discuss the drivers, impacts, and adaptation to sea level changes from Florida to Maine, with a focus on benefiting community efforts and enhancing collaboration. The workshop will bring together the scientific community, decision makers, and coastal stakeholders to discuss the state-of-the-art of knowledge about sea level changes in the region. More info here: https://usclivar.org/meetings/sea-level-hotspots-florida-maine
2018 Industry Forum Proceedings Document: In late 2018, in collaboration with Meridian Institute, COL hosted the 2018 Industry Forum, entitled U.S. Offshore Aquaculture: Will We Fish or Cut Bait? This forum, which pulled together more than 100 representatives from across the federal, academic, industry and nonprofit sectors, resulted in several key ideas and themes regarding both the challenges and the opportunities raised by the prospect of cultivating an offshore finfish aquaculture industry in the United States. We are pleased to announce the proceedings are now available on the COL website here.
National Ocean Service 2018 Annual Report: View more than 40 examples of outstanding accomplishments across National Ocean Service programs in the newly released Fiscal Year 2018 Year in Review. Read more here: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/aa-updates/nos-annual-report-020719.html
Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) 2018 Report Card Released: The Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) released its 2018 Report Card on the U.S. National Spatial Data Infrastructure (http://cogo.pro/uploads/2018COGOReportCard.pdf). A follow up to its 2015 Report Card, COGO leveraged input from subject matter experts from the public and private sectors to assess the eight national framework data themes in the 2018 Report Card. The full report assesses the condition of the nation's geospatial data infrastructure, a national asset necessary to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs. The NGS-led "Geodetic Control" data theme received an "A-," an improvement from the 2015 COGO report card grade of "B+." The "Elevation" theme, which includes topography (led by USGS) and bathymetry (led by NOAA), also improved. Please visit the COGO website (cogo.pro) to learn more.
NOAA Improves Etolin Strait Data with New NOAA ENC® Layout: NOAA recently released 13 new large-scale electronic navigational charts (NOAA ENC®) of Etolin Strait, Alaska. These charts provide a nearly twenty-fold increase in scale over the previous ENC coverage. New Etolin Strait hydrographic surveys and the resulting ENCs served as a pilot project for the overall rescheming of the entire NOAA ENC suite with a regular, gridded layout for ENC charts, as outlined in NOAA’s National Charting Plan. No corresponding NOAA raster nautical chart products in Etolin Strait will be produced. This is in keeping with Coast Survey’s “ENC-only” production concept, which generally maintains the current raster chart product coverage, but only creates new larger scale coverage in the ENC product line. Read more here: https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/updates/?p=171741
TPOS 2020 Second Report ready for review: You are invited to review and provide feedback to the Draft of the TPOS 2020 Second Report. This draft is being circulated to experts and stakeholders who we believe can critically assess the draft and provide guidance on how it should be adjusted and improved. This will be the ONLY round of review for the Second Report of TPOS 2020. The TPOS 2020 project was established in 2014 to review all aspects of the Tropical Pacific Observing System, and to consider a redesign to meet the science needs of coming decades, taking full advantage of both satellite observations and evolving in situ sampling technology. The Project, its objectives and its major sponsors and stakeholders, are described in documents available at http://www.tpos2020.org, as is the TPOS 2020 First Report. The report is available for download at the TPOS 2020 Website; the reviewer template is also available there. Please use this template to provide your feedback to the report. Comments may be provided anonymously or attributed. Correspondence and questions should be addressed to tpos2020@gmail.com. Comments should be received by 28 February 2019.
2019 International Indian Ocean Science Conference Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 11-15 March 2019: The IOC PPO and Nelson Mandela University (NMU) are pleased to announce that they will co-host the third annual International Indian Ocean Science Conference (IIOSC) in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 11-15 March 2019. The conference, which will be held at NMU in Port Elizabeth, will attract up to 90 leading ocean scientists from around the world. The five-day conference will include the annual meetings of the 2nd International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2) Steering Committee, Indian Ocean Global Ocean Observing System (IOGOOS), Indian Ocean Region Panel (IORP), Sustained Indian Ocean Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (SIBER), Indian Ocean Observing System (IndOOS) Review, IndOOS Resource Forum (IRF) and IOC Regional Committee for the Central Indian Ocean. It will also showcase NMU's new Ocean Sciences Campus as well as the work of researchers across the Western Indian Ocean region. Look out for updates on the IIOE-2 website.

Delivering the Benefits:

Successful Recovery 800NM Offshore: In October 2018, PacIOOS' wave buoy off Tanapag, Saipan, broke free from its mooring in 20-25ft seas during Super Typhoon Yutu. Rough storm and ocean conditions prevented a speedy recovery, allowing the buoy to drift west in the Philippine Sea. Read the full story here!
LiveOcean comes to the Salish Sea! A new version of the UW Live Ocean model has been released! Alongside greater spatial resolution comes the coverage of the Salish Sea in the model's 3-day forecasts of variables like aragonite saturation state, oxygen, nutrients, and phytoplankton. Forecasts are available for many depths, including a bottom contour. See the LiveOcean homepage link below for more information and some great animations. Read more here.
CeNCOOS tags yield data to DAC: Data from a 2 year study of white shark movements tagged in the White Shark Café is now available on the IOOS Animal Telemetry Network Data Assembly Center. Led by researchers at Stanford University, the expedition followed 10 satellite-tagged white sharks tagged along the Central California coast between 2017 and 2018. These tags help track shark movements to improve understanding of the biological and ecological roles of these animals while also providing valuable subsurface physical measurements in areas that chronically undersampled.
GCOOS expands AUV tracking: The GCOOS data portal used to track Gulf glider missions in real-time has proven so popular and easy-to-use by glider operators that GCOOS is now tracking other autonomous ocean-going vehicles in other locales. Right now that means we're tracking a Navocean Nav2 Sail and Solar ASV being used to gather data in the Banana River Lagoon on Florida's east coast. Read more here.
AOOS Data Management Improvements: In addition to the AOOS Ocean Data Explorer, AOOS provides access to data subsets through regional or thematic portal (available at: https://aoos.org/aoos-data-resources/). With the exception of the Arctic Portal, the portals have been migrated to the version 2.9 to improve data search, access and visualization. Detailed information and an interactive guide can be found in the Help menu in the portal tool bar. Release notes detailing the features updates are available at: https://axiomdatascience.com/portal-updates/
NANOOS Tsunami Evacuation Mobile App: NANOOS, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, has a new (free!) smartphone app showing Pacific Northwest tsunami evacuation zones. Whether you are a coastal resident or just taking a trip to the coast, you can use the app to see if you are in a tsunami evacuation zone, plan your evacuation routes, and download published evacuation brochures. If you are logged into your myNANOOS account, all your places will be saved automatically! Oregon residents can create custom brochures centered on their area of interest. The Tsunami Evacuation app is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Nominate Yourself — or Your Favorite Colleague — for the GCOOS Board: Nominations are now open for the GCOOS Board of Directors. The nomination deadline is 5 p.m. (CST), Friday, March 1, 2019; Ballots will be sent out for a vote on Friday, March 15, 2019; Voting ends at close of business, Friday, March 29, 2019. Nomination Details & Info.

Congressional:

No update.

Communications/Outreach/Education:

IOOS PO Participation in 2018 Social Coast Forum: Sabra Comet, the IOOS PO’s new Sea Grant Fellow, attended the 2018 Social Coast Forum in Charleston, South Carolina February 5th through 8th. Hosted by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, the meeting focuses around the social science side of coastal management. Sabra attended a mix of talks, round-tables, mini-trainings, and skill building workshops to learn more about stakeholder engagement and the technology and tools available during the next year of her fellowship.

GCOOS Seeks Board Nominees: GCOOS’ Membership Committee is seeking nominations for the organization’s Board of Directors. We are seeking individuals interested in and committed to working within an organization dedicated to provide data, information and products to the Gulf of Mexico stakeholder community that includes the private sector, governmental agencies at all levels, academia and researchers, non-governmental organizations and the general public. The nomination deadline is 5 p.m. (CST), Friday, March 2, 2018. Click here to learn more about the duties and nomination process: https://gcoos.org/

SECOORA Webinar: Next Generation SECOORA Data Portal (v2.5): Building on many years of stakeholder feedback, SECOORA and its technical partner, Axiom Data Science, have been working on a significant overhaul to the SECOORA Data Portal. The updated portal is currently available in beta version (v2.5) to give users access to new features and a revamped design to get more out of the SECOORA data services. The webinar is February 27 at 12pm ET. To learn more and register, click here: http://secoora.org/next-generation-secoora-data-portal-webinar/

What do YOU want out of the next GLOS webinars? GLOS co-hosted two webinars recently, both sharing experience from other regions on harmful algal bloom observations. Participation was great and they’re wondering what else GLOS can do to add value to the Great Lakes data sharing community. Click here for more, and to add your voice: https://www.glos.us/webinars-and-other-sharing/

GLOS co-hosting the Marine Technology Society Buoy workshop, April 9-10: Join GLOS for the 12th MTS Buoy Workshop at the Michigan League, located on the University of Michigan Campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hosts this year are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR), and the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS). Read more here: http://www.whoi.edu/buoyworkshop/2018/index.html

Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation:

Coastal GeoTools, Myrtle Beach, 11 - 14 February 2019: IOOS PO staff Tiffany Vance, Kathy Bailey, and Micah Wengren, and Kelly Knee (RPS) and Stacey Buckelew (Axiom) will give a talk entitled “IOOS data and applications in support of coastal geospatial analyses and coastal resource management” at the upcoming Coastal GeoTools meeting [https://coastalgeotools.org/].
Save the Date: GCOOS Members Meeting - April 4th, 2019: The GCOOS Board of Directors will be hosting the organization's annual members meeting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, 2019, at the Renaissance New Orleans Pere Marquette in downtown New Orleans. All interested participants are welcome to attend, but must register in advance (registration is free and breakfast/lunch are provided). Registration Deadline: March 8, 2019. Register Now!
Save the Date! NASA Biodiversity and Ecological Forecasting Team Meeting: The meeting will be held in the DC area, May 21-23, 2019.
Save the Date! Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) All Hands Meeting: THe meeting will beheld in the DC area, May 24, 2019.
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: http://www.oceanobs19.net/

Other Upcoming Meetings:

12th Current, Waves, and Turbulence Measurement and Applications Workshop, 10-13 March 2019, San Diego, CA: IEEE/OES is holding its CWTMA Workshop March 10-13 2019 in San Diego, California. These Workshops, held every 4 years since 1978, provide the ocean community with a forum for technical information exchange and promotes coordination among those concerned with measuring current, waves, turbulence and applications. It is a great forum to learn the latest methods and instruments being used to measure water motions and how to translate those measurements into valuable information. More information coming soon!
MTS International Buoy Workshop, April 2019, Hobart, Australia: Save the date! The Marine Technology Society is holding the first International MTS Buoy Workshop, hosted at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisations (CSIRO) Hobart facilities, in April 2019. The event will bring together science, engineering and technical staff from across the region to share their experiences in the development and use of moorings in both research and commercial applications. For more info: http://www.whoi.edu/buoyworkshop/2019/
OceanPredict '19 - Registration is NOW OPEN! Registration for OceanPredict ’19 (6-10 May 2019, Halifax, Canada) 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
Registration Now Open! 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
Save the Date: Pecora 21 & ISRSE 38, October 2019: 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:

Job Opportunity: Director, Integrated Marine Observing System: The Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) is accepting applications for Director, Integrated Marine Observing System. IMOS is a national collaborative research infrastructure, supported by the Australian Government to undertake systematic observing of Australia’s marine environment. These observations produce data streams that are accessible via the Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) by researchers, governments and industry in Australia and internationally. The Director IMOS leads the development of long-term strategy in consultation with the IMOS Board and the marine and climate science community. In addition, the Director manages and negotiates high-level strategic relationships with universities, research institutes, governments, marine industries and independent collaborators, actively promotes the use of IMOS data streams and sits on national and international committees. The Director enhances organisational strength and financial viability and drives a positive, inclusive and high-performing team culture. Apply here. Deadline for application is 11 March 2019.

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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