Eyes on the Ocean™ – IOOS Bi-weekly – 20 March 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 U.S. IOOS® activities.

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From the Director
From the U.S. IOOS Office
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:

This week, the IOOS Association, Regional Association Directors, the IOOS Program Office, and NOAA partners met for the annual spring meeting. National Ocean Service Acting Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf and NOS Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator Jeff Payne both spoke and discussed partnership opportunities with the regional associations. The group also had the opportunity to hear about updates on biological observations, including increasing collaboration with the National Centers for Coastal Science on harmful algal bloom monitoring and working with the National Marine Fisheries Service. They also heard an update on the surface current program and High Frequency Radar funding and gap filling progress. Overall it was a very productive meeting with lots of dialogue toward strategic alignment.

We call this time of year March Madness - though not related to basketball. This week our regions will go for visits on Capitol Hill to brief congressional members on the importance of IOOS and the great work being done to advance ocean observing for the Nation. I will conduct follow on visits later this Spring to brief on the progress of the ICOOS Act and provide an update on U.S. IOOS work. Spring has certainly sprung here!

Best wishes,
Carl

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

Save the Date! DMAC Annual Meeting - April 30-May 2: The 2019 DMAC Meeting will take place April 30- May 2, 2019 in Silver Spring, MD. Please save these dates in your calendars. A hotel block of rooms is available for reservations here: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1543853969044&key=GRP&app=resvlink A preliminary agenda will be available soon! 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.
IOOC Meeting, March 11, 2019: Carl Gouldman reported the annual update on U.S. IOOS to the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee (IOOC) last Monday. The report was well received and included highlights of IOOS activities from IOOC federal agencies, IOOC Task Teams, national programs, and IOOS Office Program accomplishments. We will make the presentation available on our website soon. Derrick Snowden also delivered a DMAC two-year recap and upcoming priority presentation at the meeting. The presentation was developed by the Ops Division and was intended to highlight data interoperability activities among the various National projects and DACs, as well as set the stage for expectations from OceanObs’19 conference. Other topics discussed at the meeting included an update on the Metrics Task Team and an update on the planning for OceanObs’19 conference.
COL Public Policy Forum, March 12, 2019 - Carl Gouldman, Krisa Arzayus, and Becca Derex attended this year’s Forum which focused on Ocean Policy: past, present, and future. There were panels for each component, comprised of distinguished contributors from the community. For more information on the Forum, including a list of speakers, see https://oceanleadership.org/public-policy-forum/2019-public-policy-forum/
National Academies of Science announces round 2 funding opportunity: $2.5 Million Available to Advance Understanding and Prediction of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System: The Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine is offering up to $2.5 million in Round 2 grants to support the development or testing of innovative theories, technologies, or methodologies that would help advance understanding and prediction of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System by expanding the knowledge base or improving tools available for observing and modeling the Loop Current System. A letter of intent is required for this opportunity. Submit your application by June 5, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Also in case you missed the December announcement: look up[ project summaries totaling $10.5M in awards for Understanding Gulf Ocean Systems Grants 1

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

Surface Currents and High Frequency (HF) Radar/Radio: (IOOS PO POC, Derrick Snowden, Derrick.Snowden@noaa.gov)
- On March 19 the IOOS Office and IOOS Regional Executive Directors and board members convened in Washington DC and held a dialogue session focused on strategic opportunities and visioning for the next ten years of the national surface current monitoring network.
Gliders (IOOS POC LCDR Benjamin LaCour, Benjamin.Lacour@noaa.gov):
- 8th EGO Meeting & International Glider Workshop - May 21-24, 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 at Rutgers UNiversity, New Jersey. 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. More info here: https://gliders.ioos.us/ug2_ego_2019/
Animal Telemetry Network (ATN) (National Coordinator Bill Woodward, Bill.Woodward@noaa.gov):
- Update on Program to Pay Argos Satellite Fees: Our forward looking ONR-funded ATN Program to pay the Argos satellite fees for U.S. marine animal telemetry researchers is now supporting 12 programs and 216 tags! Additional marine animal telemetry programs are encouraged to apply. To apply go to: https://atn.ioos.us and under Quick Links click on ‘Covering ARGOS Fees through the ATN’
- Save the Date: May 6-7, 2019 NERACOOS ATN-MBON-OTN Workshop: The workshop will be held at the Univ. of New Hampshire. The meeting is open to all. A Save-the-Date Notice will be on the NERACOOS website (neracoos.org) this week. Please contact Jackie or Bill for info: jackie@neracoos.org, bill.woodward@noaa.gov

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

New DMAC Code Demos: Two new demonstration programs are now available at the IOOS DMAC "Code Gallery". The jupyter notebook "IOOS models" is the first in a new series of demos on how to programmatically access and use nine different NOAA-sponsored models. The other new notebook is called "Accessing data from SOS using NHC GIS files". It's also the first in yet another series of demos, showing how to access oceanographic data (like sea surface height) given the coordinates of a hurricane track. You can find these demo programs at http://ioos.github.io/notebooks_demos/code_gallery/
QARTOD (National Coordinator Mark Bushnell, mark.bushnell@noaa.gov):
- Status of real-time pH QC manual: We’re presently gathering input from sensor manufacturers, system operators, and data users – your input would be greatly appreciated! Over twenty subject matter experts have volunteered to review the initial draft of the manual, which we hope to issue by the end of March. Two subsequent review iterations will follow, so there will be plenty of opportunities to contribute.
- Ocean Best Practice System update: At the recent IOC International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange General Assembly, the OceanBestPractices System was recommended as a project for IOC. This would create a long term sustained home for ocean best practices. The Best Practices Working Group will meet this week to discuss long term best practices strategies and participation in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development Decade and the OceanObs’19 conference. The OO’19 community white paper is being edited in response to reviewer comments, and an OO’19 breakout session has been proposed for the conference.

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):
- 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: Registration Is Open! For more information on fees, deadlines, posters, and event registration, visit here.
- Submit an Oceanobs’19 Poster: OceanObs’19 poster submissions are available through the registration process until June 27. To make any edits to your submission, log into the registration site before the new deadline. More info: http://www.cvent.com/events/oceanobs-19/custom-19-ab37c0e2c6f9491a9cfe7d1ac100f1ce.aspx
- Planning A Side Event At OceanObs'19? We'll be compiling and advertising a list of side events and workshops occurring during the conference. To add your event to the list, please submit any information you'd like to make public here: http://www.cvent.com/events/oceanobs-19/custom-37-ab37c0e2c6f9491a9cfe7d1ac100f1ce.aspx

Registration still 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
2019 NOAA Emerging Technologies Workshop: NOAA will hold its third Emerging Technologies Workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 25-26 at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction (NCWCP) in College Park, Maryland. Registration is now open and free, but on a first come, first serve basis. Click here to register now and learn more about this year’s workshop, focusing on the Blue Economy and Resilience to Extreme Weather and Water. Sponsored by the NOAA Observing Systems Council, NOAA Ocean and Coastal Council, NOAA Research Council, and the Weather Water and Climate Board, NOAA’s 2019 Emerging Technologies Workshop is a public showcase for innovative technologies designed to optimize NOAA’s observing capabilities and data synthesis. The workshop engages presenters from within NOAA as well as external researchers, analysts, and practitioners representing academia, private businesses, and other government agencies with technologies that have the potential to expand NOAA’s ability to observe the environment, improve efficiency, or reduce costs. Like previous workshops, this year’s event will focus on new and evolving technologies that are already being explored by users in NOAA, and in development by our partners and by industry. The report from the most recent workshop can be found here. The draft agenda is available here. We invite you to join us for this exciting opportunity to learn more about the emerging technologies that could be used to make NOAA’s observation enterprise more agile, effective, and efficient.
Office of Coast Survey (OCS) Helps Ships and Boats, Large and Small, Navigate Waters: It is not an exaggeration to say that ALL types of vessels use NOAA charts. We know that large commercial ships, such as tankers and freighters, rely on NOAA charts in U.S. waters, and for that matter, so do recreational boaters. But kayakers? Some of the most enthusiastic and appreciative comments we receive are sent to us by kayakers. Learn more about how Booklet Charts™ have kayakers sending comments of praise to OCS https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/updates/?p=171361#more-171361
NGS Publishes Updated Strategic Plan: The National Geodetic Survey’s (NGS) Strategic Plan has been updated to focus on the next 5 years, 2019 – 2023, and is now available online. The update does not significantly change NGS priorities; rather, it reflects the progress NGS has made in implementing the current strategic plan over the past 5 years. The plan is invaluable to setting NGS priorities, managing its limited resources and supporting its mission. It details the activities NGS will undertake to modernize and improve the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS); support NSRS users; expand the NSRS stakeholder base through partnerships, education, and outreach; develop and enable a workforce with a supportive environment; and improve organizational and administrative functionality. For more information, contact juliana.blackwell@noaa.gov
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:

Great Lakes water treatment workers better equipped to monitor harmful algal blooms after calibration event: Water managers and researchers from Lake Erie cities gathered to calibrate sensors used to detect harmful algal blooms (HABs). The event, held at University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center, brought together individuals from The Ohio State University, University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University and municipal water treatment facilities from as far away as Poland, Ohio. Read more here: https://glos.org/water-treatment-workers-better-equipped-to-monitor-harmful-algal-blooms-after-winter-calibration-event/
New wind data available via OceansMap: MARACOOS has made wind barb data available in their OceansMap. Check it out here: http://oceansmap.maracoos.org
CeNCOOS PI co-authors new study on heatwave impacts on marine invertebrates: A new study co-authored by a CeNCOOS P.I. Prof. John Largier looked at the ecological effects on diversity and abundance of intertidal invertebrates during the severe marine heatwave California experience from 2014-2017. The researchers found a range expansion poleward of southern species was aided through anomalous poleward currents, which is believed to reinforced dispersion. The study utilized the extensive HF Radar surface current network off of Central and Northern California to track changes alongshore currents. Sanford, E., Sones, J. L., García-Reyes, M., Goddard, J. H. R., & Largier, J. L. (2019). Widespread shifts in the coastal biota of northern California during the 2014–2016 marine heatwaves. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 4216. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40784-3
SECOORA Data Management and Communication Services Request for Quotes: SECOORA is requesting quotes from data management service providers to manage and enhance the SECOORA data management and communications (DMAC) infrastructure. The period of performance is June 1, 2021 – May 31, 2026. Responses should be sent to Jennifer Dorton (jdorton@secoora.org) by 5PM ET, May 22, 2019. Click here for full DMAC RFQ: https://secoora.org/data-management-and-communication-services-request-for-quotes/
SECOORA Funding Opportunity to Collect Additional Observations that Address Identified Environmental Concerns: The Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) invites proposals for research projects that address one or more of the following environmental concerns within the Southeast US region: harmful algal blooms, sound in the marine environment and coral health. Link: https://secoora.org/funding-opportunity-to-collect-additional-observations-that-address-identified-environmental-concerns/

Congressional:

ICOOS Act reintroduced in the House: HR 1314 – “To reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009” was reintroduced in the House Feb. 20 with Alaska Rep. Don Young as sponsor, and Oregon Rep. Suzanne Bonamici as co-sponsor. The Senate version should be introduced soon.

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: http://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://glos.org/

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/

Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation:

2018 MTS Buoy Workshop, April 9-12: The 12th MTS Buoy Workshop will be held 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). More information is available here: http://www.whoi.edu/

Save the Date! GCOOS Spring Members Meeting: Please save the date! The Spring Members meeting will be held Thursday, April 19th, 2018.

Global Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) Workshop: A workshop has been scheduled immediately following the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. All those interested in life in the sea and in building the global MBON are encouraged to attend, including existing and potential new partners. Please contact Gabrielle.Canonico@noaa.gov for more information.

Save the Date! DMAC Annual Meeting: This year’s meeting will take place Monday, May 21 to Wednesday, May 23 at the Silver Spring Civic Building in downtown Silver Spring. Stay tuned for more information including hotel block information and a request for agenda topic ideas. Please save those dates in your calendars and plan your travel to get together again this year in Silver Spring.

Save the Date! SECOORA 2018 Annual Meeting: The SECOORA 2018 Annual Meeting will be held May 22, 23 and 24, 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina. Check in with SECOORA for more information as it's available: http://secoora.org/annual-meeting-2018/

Save the Date for OCEANS 2018: Mark October 22 - 25, 2018 on your calendars now for the OCEANS 2018 Charleston Conference - the leading global OCEANS conference bringing science, technology, and ocean leaders together to help advance the world’s ocean professions. We look forward to seeing you in Charleston, South Carolina.

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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