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:

Hello IOOS Community,

This year marks a new decade as well as two decades of IOOS as we celebrate 20 years and also NOAA’s 50th anniversary. NOAA’s 50th celebration is an opportunity to advance NOAA's organizational culture and diversity, varied partnerships, and overall value to the nation. Read more about NOAA’s 50th anniversary below.

We continue to celebrate 20 years of IOOS, reflecting on our past, celebrating our present success, and planning for the future. At the upcoming Ocean Sciences 2020 Meeting in San Diego, CA in February, we will host a Town Hall - “U.S IOOS: The Power of Partnership over 20 years and beyond” - that will highlight U.S. IOOS and SCCOOS partnerships with stakeholders in Southern California. The panel will discuss water quality and sea level rise issues, coastal resilience, and harmful algal blooms, with a focus on the US/Mexico border. At the Ocean Sciences Meeting, we will seek engagement with the oceanographic community, including physical, biological, and chemical oceanographers; ocean modelers; and economists and social scientists, to help us to continue to evolve the Enterprise toward improved products and services and propose direction for the next 20 years of ocean observing. We hope you will join us at the town hall on February 19th at 6:30pm and be sure to stop by the NOAA exhibit booth if you are attending the conference!

With deepest condolences,
Carl

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

  • Last Chance to Apply - Closing Today! Job Opportunities with the IOOS Program Office:
    • Surface Current Program Manager, U.S. IOOS: U.S. IOOS is hiring for a Program Manager to provide leadership and direction for the Surface Current Program with the management of intra- and extra-mural research and operational activities, development of program objectives, evaluation of progress, identification of opportunities for partnerships and communication of project goals and outcomes, and organization and participation in conferences, meetings, and panels. Closes 1/22/2020.  Click here for more info and to apply: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/555688500
    • Coastal Modeling Portfolio Manager, U.S. IOOS: U.S. IOOS is hiring a scientist to serve as the senior expert and technical advisor, with responsibility for establishing long range program objectives, requirements, and formulating plans for the portfolio of coastal modeling projects across the National Ocean Service. Click here for more info and to apply: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/555688400
  • Welcome Brandy Spears: Brandy Spears has joined IOOS as a Cooperative Program Specialist. Brandy brings to IOOS 15 years of experience working for the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Office of the Surgeon General, Naval Bethesda Medical Center, US Army Corps of Engineers and National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Remote Sensing Division (RSD) in the areas of nursing, medical administration, contract acquisition, budget technician, human resources, property management and administrative support.
  • IOOS Advisory Committee Meeting, 11 – 12 February 2020, Washington, DC: The IOOS Advisory Committee will meet in Washington, DC, February 11 & 12, 2020. More information will be made available on the IOOS Website soon. An announcement will be published in the Federal Register Notice as well.
  • U.S. IOOS Ocean Technology Transition Funding Opportunity: The U.S. IOOS Program, in conjunction with NOPP, is seeking to fund projects, subject to the availability of funds, which advance new or existing technology-based solutions that address long standing and emerging coastal observing, product development, and data management challenges. The projects will be focused on those technologies for which there are demonstrated operators who commit to integrated, long term use of those technologies and open data sharing. A Transition Manager for the project should be identified and a Transition Plan will be a Year One deliverable. Closes 1/13/2020. View the full notice here. 

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

  • Surface Current Mapping: (IOOS POC, Hugh Roarty, hugh.roarty@noaa.gov):  
    • National Frequency Plan Update: The national frequency plan for oceanographic radar held their kickoff meeting on October 10, 2019.  Representatives were present from Freedom Technologies Inc. (FTI), Peraton, NOAA IOOS and NOAA Radio Frequency Management.  The team met again at NOAA on November 14, 2019 to discuss project milestones and course of action for frequency assignments.  FTI and Peraton gathered information on the status of the NOAA High Frequency Radar (HFR) Network. FTI and Peraton visited the Rutgers University Operations Center on November 20, 2019.    The team saw how Rutgers manages their HF radar network, how Rutgers operates within the IOOS HFR network and they visited a 25 MHz radar station in NY Harbor to observe an HFR site installation.  In December 2019 all IOOS HFR operators provided information on the status of their licenses with the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) for radar operations. The FTI and Peraton team have been investigating options for methods to obtain frequency authorization for use of the new allocation bands. The first method would be through an application to the FCC under their Universal Licensing System which will require certification by FCC most likely involving testing to be performed by or with the support of the manufacturer.  The extent of these efforts is currently being evaluated by FTI, Peraton and CODAR Ocean Sensors engineers. The second method would be an application on behalf of NOAA to Spectrum Planning Subcommittee (SPS). This method would also require certification efforts. Once these two methods have been evaluated, the team will lead the other HFR operators in the method that has been chosen for frequency allocation. 

  • Gliders (IOOS POC LCDR Benjamin LaCour, Benjamin.Lacour@noaa.gov):
    • CARICOOS OCOVI releases video of 2019 Glider activities: Ocean and Coastal Observing – Virgin Islands (OCOVI), a non-profit established to support the mission of CARICOOS in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has led ocean glider operations in the USVI region during the hurricane seasons of 2018 and 2019. In 2019, collaborating with CARICOOS partners in Puerto Rico, NOAA AOML, and Rutgers University, they deployed and recovered two gliders, including a SeaGlider operated by NOAA AOML as part of the 2019 hurricane glider fleet.  The second was a contribution to the Challenger Glider Mission (Rutgers University RUCOOL and the G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation); glider RU29 explored international waters of the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla, extending the hurricane network northeastward and monitoring the Anegada Passage. OCOVI staff and University of the Virgin Islands staff and students participated in the field work and received training from NOAA AOML and Rutgers University. The video was filmed and edited by UVI M.S. Student Dan Mele (https://www.danmelepicture.com/).  The video will be premiered to the public December 21, 2019 at the OCOVI annual meeting in St. Croix, USVI. 

  • Animal Telemetry Network (ATN) (National Coordinator Bill Woodward, Bill.Woodward@noaa.gov):
    • Sixth ATN Steering Group Meeting, SG-6, Convened Jan. 8-9, 2020: The U.S. Animal Telemetry Network (ATN) brought together all 13 federal and non-federal members of its Steering Group (SG) in early January for our SG-6 Meeting in Silver Spring, MD.  SG members are recruited from the telemetry community and are asked to offer guidance and direction on the ATN plans and activities. This two-day meeting focused on a number of topics including the status, success and direction of the ATN Data Assembly Center (DAC), the results of our 7 ATN Regional Stakeholder Workshops and  the national themes and regional priorities being distilled from them, the value of continuing our DAC community Data Workshops that are centered at the NMFS Science Centers, the specific telemetry needs of the SG support agencies and how the ATN can best meet them, and ways to build on the success of the current ATN Argos Fees Program by perhaps also providing tag and receiver hardware to priority telemetry projects.  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.
    • ATN and MBON Join Forces: The ATN is teaming up with the South Florida MBON Project to help integrate satellite and acoustic animal tracking data into the MBON observing vision which embraces monitoring of eDNA, nutrients, biological and anthropogenic sound, and satellite-derived remote sensing of environmental data. The ATN will be a member of the Working Group for the South Florida Project which is now being formed. The ATN DAC Data Coordinator Megan McKinzie will attend the first all-hands meeting of the Project, Feb 3-5, 2020 in St. Pete.

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

  • ICYMI (In case you missed it) - Dec 5th DMAC Tech Webinar Recording Available: A recording of the December 5th, 2019 DMAC Tech Webinar with Hassan Moustahfid and Greg Dusek on NOAA AI/ML is available here: https://mmancusa.webex.com/webappng/sites/mmancusa/recording/1c8416a996394c238b9cb209f66608ba. 
  • Save the Date!  2020 DMAC Meeting: IOOS is pleased to announce that the 2020 DMAC Meeting will take place Tuesday, June 16 to Friday, June 19, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Further details forthcoming.
  • SAVE THE DATE: IOOS/ESIP Biological Data Standards Workshop, July 13, 2020, Burlington, VT:  This Biological Data Standards workshop, sponsored by the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (US IOOS) in partnership with ESIP, OBIS and BCO-DMO, invites participation from data providers and data managers across the marine community. See more in the “Upcoming Events with IOOS Participation” section below.

  • QARTOD (National Coordinator Mark Bushnell, mark.bushnell@noaa.gov): 
    • Final draft of updated QC manual Real-Time Quality Control of In-Situ Temperature and Salinity Data for Review: The final draft of the updated QC manual Real-Time Quality Control of In-Situ Temperature and Salinity Data V2.1 is available for review. We’re especially interested in hearing from manufacturers who may have new features or instruments to be included. Contact Mark to obtain a copy and submit comments by the end of January.
    • Ocean Best Practice System update: The OBPS Workshop III was held at the IOC/IODE office in Ostende, Belgium during December 2-3. Over 50 participants from 20 countries attended, and workshop proceedings are in development. The inaugural meeting of the IOC OBPS Steering Group immediately followed the workshop. The newly formed Steering Group reviewed the workshop recommendations, using them to assist in planning for the next 3-5 years. A significant outcome of the meetings was the realization that the OBPS requires a means of accommodating community interest in participating in developing, managing, and promoting best practices. The role of OBPS Network Associates is under discussion and as needs and interests converge, we'll invite you to become involved to an extent that meets your needs.

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

  • Modeling and Prediction Workshop - June 2020: A Workshop on Modeling, Prediction, and Sensor Networks for Coastal Flooding in the US East Coast will be held at George Mason University in Washington, D.C. June 8-9, 2020. The goal of the workshop is to bring together several groups that are working on quantitative frameworks for monitoring and predicting coastal flooding along the coasts of the US East Coast and draft a strategy for advancing an integrated modeling system for coastal flooding that includes the ocean, atmosphere, land, and urban infrastructure components. Our ultimate goal is to map the synergies for co-designing a US East Coast Flooding Monitoring and Prediction Knowledge to Action Network (Coastal-FMAP-KAN). Please register to the workshop mailing list: https://forms.gle/hAuK6NTyvqTMArvb7

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

  • Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) (IOOS PO POC Gabrielle Canonico, Gabrielle.Canonico@noaa.gov):

    • Call for Participants - Standardizing Marine Biological Data Working Group: As a follow on to the biological data session at the October 2019 IOOS Code Sprint, OBIS-USA (Abby Benson) is hosting a community working group to check in on progress with biological datasets brought to the Code Sprint, identify new datasets, share experiences and challenges, and collaborate on solutions. Anyone interested in working with Darwin Core is welcome to join the group discussions, ask questions, and/or collaborate on solutions.  The group has established a Github area in the IOOS space for organizing documentation, reviewing datasets, and collaborating - this resource is available for anyone interested in aligning their marine biological data to Darwin Core: https://github.com/ioos/bio_data_guide[Contact:albenson@usgs.gov]. 

    • South Florida Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) Team Meeting: The new South Florida MBON project will hold its first all hands meeting February 3-5, 2020, hosted by the University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, FL.  Stakeholder engagement figures prominently on the agenda, including perspectives and participation from the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, The Nature Conservancy, US Animal Telemetry Network, GCOOS, and many others.

    • 3rd Marine Biodiversity Workshop: from the Sea to the Cloud - MBON Pole to Pole of the Americas:The MBON Pole to Pole has announced the third ‘Marine Biodiversity Workshop: from the Sea to the Cloud’, which will be hosted by INVEMAR in collaboration with the Ocean Teacher Global Academy and the Smithsonian-led MarineGEO May 4-8, 2020, in Santa Marta, Colombia. After two successful workshops held in Brazil and Mexico since 2018, MBON Pole to Pole is continuing to develop a community of practice dedicated to understanding changes in marine biodiversity and generating knowledge and products that inform conservation and management efforts across the Americas. During this 3rd workshop participants will:

      • Develop a set of indicators of biodiversity change in coastal communities;

      • Develop a comprehensive list of macro-invertebrate and macro-algae species for the region;

      • Agree on a minimum set of physical variables that should be collected during biodiversity surveys of coastal areas;

      • Learn to access and use satellite seascapes and other remote sensing variables to characterize environmental conditions at survey sites;

      • Test methods for surveying rocky shore biodiversity using photo-quadrats and imagery analysis;

      • Develop specific Dawin Core vocabularies for flora and fauna of rocky shore and sandy beach communities;

      • Continue to publish survey datasets collected during 2019 and 2020 to the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS);

      • Analyze survey data collected since NaGISA to the present to examine biogeographical patterns and detect biodiversity change in coastal communities along both coasts of the continent.

      • The MBON Pole to Pole effort is developing a framework for field data collection, data use and sharing in a coordinated, standardized manner. It leverages existing infrastructure managed by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS; IOC-UNESCO), the GEO Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) and GEO Blue Planet, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), and the IOC Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS). MBON, working jointly with Blue Planet and groups in the region, aims to become a key resource for decision-making and management of uses of regional ecosystems, and support countries for reporting requirements under the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), Aichi Targets of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The MBON and Blue Planet are working jointly to provide strategic input to the process of planning and implementing the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

    • Ocean Sciences 2020 Town Hall: Expanding Access to Critical Marine Biological Diversity Observations, Wednesday, 19 February 2020, 12:45 - 13:45 (San Diego time): This town hall (https://agu.confex.com/agu/osm20/meetingapp.cgi/Session/96931) seeks to organize and gain insight from the community towards implementation of a global-scale data archaeology process for marine biodiversity. The goal is to develop novel technologies to speed up data rescue, sharing and curation for marine biodiversity information.  The approach would be to create online methodology and tools to digitize data and upload it to national and global data portals (including OBIS) via ‘hack-a-thon’ and ‘bio-blitz’ events. The effort would include building a reference list of datasets and expanding the ontologies that support such public databases. This town hall will gather input on candidate datasets and incentives for the research community to accelerate data curation and sharing.  It will invite input about previous similar efforts and lessons learned to ensure success. The objective is to recover marine biodiversity data from publications and researchers’ databases that are not publicly accessible. Rescue of these data is a critical step needed to assess change over decades to centuries, and develop forecasting capacity for biodiversity under future climate change scenarios.

      • Town Hall Title: Expanding Access to Critical Marine Biological Diversity Observations

      • Date and Time: Wednesday, 19 February 2020: 12:45 - 13:45

      • Location: SDCC, 7A, UL

  • The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) releases the 2019 National Plan for Civil Earth Observations report: This report is a product of the U.S. Group on Earth Observations Subcommittee and the Committee on the Environment of the National Science and Technology Council. The 2019 National Plan for Civil Earth Observations includes goals, objectives, and actions that will support and balance the portfolio of Earth observations, engage the Earth observations enterprise, and improve the impact of Earth observations. The full 2019 National Plan for Civil Earth Observations report can be viewed here.

  • 50 Years of Science, Service, and Stewardship at NOAA: Throughout 2020, NOAA is celebrating 50 years of science, service, and stewardship. Since its inception on October 3, 1970, NOAA has become one of the world’s premier science agencies with a mission that spans from the surface of the sun to the floor of the ocean. See where we’ve been and where we’re going at www.noaa.gov/50-years.

  • OCS Highlights New Custom Chart Tool Through Nav-cast: OCS held its second Nav-cast, a quarterly webinar series that highlights the tools and trends of NOAA navigation services, titled, “How to Obtain NOAA ENC-based Paper Nautical Charts After NOAA Ends Production of Traditional Paper Charts.” The Nav-cast, which included over 350 registrants, explained the decision to retire raster charts, the timeline of the change, as well as the ways in which OCS is working to ensure that stakeholders’ needs are met. The webinar also included a demonstration of a new tool that OCS is developing that will allow users to generate their own custom charts based on a new line of Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs). Similar to the transition from road atlases to GPS navigation systems, OCS has seen an increased reliance on NOAA ENCs as the primary navigational product, and a decreased use of traditional raster chart products. Contact: Christiaan.Vanwestendorp@noaa.gov 

  • NGS, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Discuss Strategic Partnerships: NGS Deputy Director Brad Kearse and senior staff recently visited the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in St. Louis, Missouri, to discuss strategic partnerships and research opportunities in the field of geodesy. NGS and NGA have a long standing history of collaboration in the field of geodesy. The purpose of this meeting was to reinvigorate collaborative projects that will occur over the next few years. In particular, the meeting focused on gravity research, data sharing, international collaboration, and developing a workforce for the future. This collaborative effort will continue with regularly scheduled monthly teleconferences to better integrate staff between the two agencies. Contact: Dan.Roman@noaa.gov

  • NOAA Ocean Podcast - After a Hurricane Hits: NOAA’s Emergency Response Aerial Imagery: Since the early 1900’s the National Geodetic Survey has been taking photographs from airplanes to capture the Earth below. Podcast host Megan Forbes talks with two NOAA experts about their role in emergency response imagery collection after hurricanes, and what it provides for the public. Listen here: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/dec19/aerial-survey.html

  • New York Harbor to Receive Updated Tidal Current Predictions: The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) completed a tidal current survey for the New York Harbor area. Many tidal current predictions in this area date back to as early as 1885. Updated tidal current predictions are imperative for safe marine navigation throughout a waterway. Each year, NOAA measures tidal currents at different coastal and estuarine locations by deploying dozens of temporary instruments. This year’s survey included 36 separate locations. Currents are observed at depths throughout the water column and are measured over a period from one to four months. A statistical process called harmonic analysis determines the part of the current caused by the tides. This “tidal current” can then be predicted at that location for many years into the future. Other factors that influence the current such as wind cannot be forecasted for more than a few days out, and are not included in the prediction. The updated information will be available for mariners to use in 2020. All tidal current predictions are available on the NOAA Current Predictions website. Contact: Courtney.Barry@noaa.gov

  • Grants & Funding Opportunities:

    • Call for Proposals: The Réseau Québec maritime (RQM) and the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) have released a joint call for proposals to support 1 and/or 2-year, inter-provincial and intersectoral projects conducted by a minimum of three co-principal investigators (two from RQM and at least one from MEOPAR, out of Québec) on issues related to the St. Lawrence system, which includes the River, Estuary and Gulf. Proposals are due 1/31/20. More information can be found here and the submission portal can be found here. 

    • Department of Energy Challenges Innovators to Harness the Power of the Oceans: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced developments in two new prizes: Waves to Water, which challenges innovators to desalinate water using the power of ocean waves, and the Powering the Blue Economy™ Ocean Observing Prize, a joint DOE-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) prize, which challenges innovators to pair marine renewable energy technologies with ocean observing platforms. These announcements were made at a White House multi-agency public-private partnership summit on November 14th that was focused on accelerating science, technology, and research in the oceans. Submissions close 2/14/2020. Read more and apply here: https://americanmadechallenges.org/oceanobserving/

    • 2020 American Lobster Research Program Funding Opportunity Now Open: This program will support research to address critical gaps in knowledge about how the American Lobster and its fishery is being impacted by environmental change. It is informed by listening sessions with regional fishing industry stakeholders, state and federal fisheries managers, and university, state and federal fisheries researchers. Research topics suitable for study on American lobster under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) should have a geographic focus on the Gulf of Maine, Georges Banks, and/or southern New England and address one or more of the following: (1) Increased understanding of life history parameters, including but not limited to, growth, maturity, and species interactions; (2) Larval ecology and early biology; (3) Spatial distribution and migration, including but not limited to, habitat and trophic interactions; and/or (4) socio-ecological investigations to inform future management decisions, including but not limited to, research exploring bait alternatives to herring and their implications for the lobster fishery. Pending appropriation of funds, Sea Grant anticipates awarding between five to ten research projects totaling between $1 million and $2 million dollars in FY2020. Projects must have a maximum duration of two years. Questions about the competition should be sent to oar.hq.sg.competitions@noaa.gov. Formal Notice of Funding Opportunity on grants.gov. Closes March 19, 2020.

    • DARPA BAA: This BAA invites proposers to submit innovative basic or applied research concepts in the following technical domains: Frontiers in Math, Computation & Design; Limits of Sensing & Sensors; Complex Social Systems; Anticipating Surprise. The research topics of interest within each domain are described in the BAA. Closes June 12, 2020.

Delivering the Benefits:

  • First Meeting of Smart Great Lakes Initiative: On December 5, GLOS held the first meeting of their Smart Great Lakes Initiative in Toronto, Canada. The Initiative was announced in October as part of GLOS' new strategic plan, and you can read more about it here. 

  • PAPER Smart Lake Erie: In mid-December, GLOS and local partners published "Making Lake Erie Smart by Driving Innovations in Technology and Networking" in Frontiers in Marine Science. The paper details how, by deploying a new suite of technologies to support intelligent water management and decision-making, Lake Erie can serve as an early test bed for such innovation in all the Great Lakes. It highlights GLOS-led work to create a HAB early warning system, funded through the IOOS Ocean Technology Transition Program. 

  • PAPER Coral Reef Mortality at Flower Garden Banks: Hypoxia may be behind the 2016 coral reef mortality event at Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico. Read more here. 

  • NANOOS Visualization System updates

    • New dynamic plotting capability has been added to the NVS Climatology app. This advancement in interactive plotting will allow NVS users enhanced capacity to assess differences between each year in a specific data set (e.g. water temperature). Check out this example of the new NVS Climatology interactive plot for water temperature at the NDBC Tillamook buoy. Click on the little magnifier with the "+" in the lower right corner to expand the plot, then you can highlight any year in red by clicking the bubble next to the year.  

    • Two new assets from the National Weather Service have been added to the NANOOS NVS Data Explorer, Boaters, Tuna Fishers, and Maritime Operations apps. NWS Cape Disappointment and NWS Clatsop Spit are land-based stations at the north and south entrances to the Columbia River and provide near real-time wind speed, wind direction, and wind gust data. Click here to see the new NWS Clatsop Spit asset on the NVS Data Explorer app.

  • Caribbean Sargassum Bloom Update Available: The Sargassum Bloom update is available, looking at October and November 2019 activity. Read more here.

  • Tracking Gulf Gliders in GCOOS: More than 170 days and counting… that’s the combined total for how long sensors on Seaglider sg636, operated by Dr. Stephan Howden’s team at the University of Southern Mississippi, and Slocum glider Sverdrup, operated by Dr. Steve DiMarco’s team at Texas A&M University, have been gathering information about water properties in the Gulf of Mexico. Data on water temperature, salinity, density, dissolved oxygen, sound velocity, chlorophyll, color dissolved organic matter, and other parameters are being collected to better understand the properties that drive ocean processes, ranging from the formation of tropical cyclones to how particles are transported from place to place. Check out the glider tracts & data plots.

  • New Weather Station at Honolulu Harbor Entrance: In collaboration with the Hawaiʻi Pilots Association (HPA) and the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation Harbors Division, PacIOOS installed a weather station at Pier 1 on the Diamond Head (southeastern) side of the Honolulu Harbor entrance earlier this year. The instrument measures air temperature, mean and maximum wind speed, wind direction, rainfall rate, relative humidity, and air pressure. All real-time data are available on the PacIOOS website, along with archived data that has been collected thus far. HPA provides safe, reliable, and efficient pilotage services for all commercial ports throughout the Hawaiian Islands. To guide increasingly large ships into Honolulu Harbor, PacIOOS partnered with HPA to collect wind and other atmospheric data at the harbor entrance. The weather station is owned by HPA; PacIOOS maintains the station and enables easy access to the data.

  • Wave Forecasting for Marine Operations at Wave Energy Test Site in PacIOOS: The U.S. Navy Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) off Kāneʻohe Bay, which is the first grid-connected site in the U.S., is strategically located off the east shore of Oʻahu. Year-round trade wind waves, seasonal north swells, and occasional wind swells from passing systems provide a unique environment for testing wave energy converters (WECs), yet pose a challenge for site maintenance as well as WEC installation and retrieval. The PacIOOS wave forecast has been providing reliable prediction of wave conditions to support WEC testing and at-sea operations at WETS since 2014. In order to modify the shore cable anchor, a major operation including 20 personnel from multiple organizations, two tugs, and a large crane barge, a weather window of acceptable sea states is needed along with sufficient lead time to mobilize all equipment and personnel. With the daily use of PacIOOS' wave forecast, a window was identified for the beginning of November, with perfectly calm conditions allowing for safe execution of the operations. The WETS team will continue to rely on this forecast as they prepare for the upcoming deployment of a large wave energy converter, the Ocean Energy (Ireland) OE35 in the coming months.

 

Congressional:

Communications/Outreach/Education:

  • NANOOS Participates In Marine Condition Update: NANOOS contributed to The Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program (PSEMP) Marine Condition Updates on 24 October and 19 December 2019. The webinars summarized coastal environmental conditions in Washington State's marine waters including discussion of the marine heat wave that has continued off the Pacific coast. NANOOS Director Jan Newton and Oceanographer Beth Curry presented slides of satellite views and Pacific Northwest buoy data from the NANOOS Climatology app. View the Dec 19 webinar slide set here. Contact NANOOS to sign up for the webinar or to share your comments on this webinar series.

  • AOOS Board meeting results: The AOOS Board met Monday, December 16 for its fall meeting, which focused primarily on strategic planning for the FY21-25 NOAA cooperative agreement and AOOS strategic plan. The Board established a small working group to review the staff recommendation to disband the Data Advisory Committee as currently structured and develop a new process for prioritizing development of data products. The group will also develop a recommendation on whether or not, and when, to openly compete the data management contract, held by Axiom for the past 8 years. AOOS staff will be conducting an external review this spring of current activities and soliciting ideas for potential new ones. Stay tuned for more news about that.

  • CARICOOS Board Meets: On November 7, 2019 the CARICOOS Board of Directors met with the system’s technical and administrative leadership to discuss and agree on approaches to follow towards a comprehensive stakeholder need assessment and prioritization process. Said need assessment is essential for the design of the proposal requesting support for the upcoming five-year funding cycle.  Read more here.

  • GCOOS Board Nominations Open: Nominations are now open for the GCOOS Board of Directors. The Board invites colleagues 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, Feb. 28, 2020. Read more here.

Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation:

  • LAST DAY! AMSS 2020 Online Registration Closing Soon! January 22nd Deadline: The 2020 Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS), Alaska’s premier marine research conference, will take place on January 27-31, 2020. Agenda, workshops, and events are all posted online. Symposium registration closes today January 22, 2020! Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to #AMSS2020. Connect on Twitter (@akmarinescience).

  • IOOS Advisory Committee Meeting, 11 – 12 February 2020, Washington, DC: The IOOS Advisory Committee will meet in Washington, DC, February 11 & 12, 2020. More information will be made available on the IOOS Website soon. An announcement will be published in the Federal Register Notice as well.

  • Ocean Obs RCN Annual Meeting, 16 February 2020, San Diego, CA: The Ocean Obs Research Coordination Network (RCN) will host an OceanObs’19 Conference follow-up meeting on February 16, 2020, in San Diego, CA, immediately preceding the AGU/TOS Ocean Sciences Meeting. The OceanObs’19 conference (Hawaii 16-21 September, 2019) will be the third conference of this series, held once every ten years. The Ocean Obs RCN annual meeting on 16 February 2020 will be dedicated to the synthesis of threads and recommendations emerging from the OceanObs’19 Conference. Of particular interest will be focusing the community on the planning for the implementation of initiatives emerging from OceanObs’19. The meeting will advance links between observation networks and operational users to facilitate the delivery of critical information to stakeholders, and to address critical policy issues that require multidisciplinary ocean observing systems. For more details on the meeting, clickhere.

  • Ocean Sciences 2020 Meeting, 16 – 21 February 2020, San Diego, CA: The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) is the flagship conference for the ocean sciences and the larger ocean-connected community.  As we approach the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, beginning in 2021, it is increasingly important to gather as a scientific community to raise awareness of the truly global dimension of the ocean, address environmental challenges, and set forth on a path towards a resilient planet. More info here: https://www.agu.org/ocean-sciences-meeting

  • IOOS Town Hall at OSM 2020 - “U.S IOOS: The Power of Partnership over 20 years and beyond”: The town hall will highlight U.S. IOOS and SCCOOS partnerships with stakeholders in Southern California. The panel will discuss water quality and sea level rise issues, coastal resilience, and harmful algal blooms, with a focus on the US/Mexico border. 

    • Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2020

    • Time: 18:30 - 19:30

    • Location: SDCC, 1B, UL

  • Save the date! 2020 IOOS Spring Meeting, 4 – 5 March 2020, Washington, DC: The IOOS Association, IOOS Regional Associations, and the IOOS Program Office will meet for their annual spring meeting March 4-5 in Washington, D.C. Check back for more information. Questions? Contact Josie@ioosassociation.org.

  • CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: 2020 MTS Buoy Workshop: The 2020 MTS Buoy Workshop will be held April 13-16, 2020 in Wilmington, NC. We gather to discuss updates on past and present projects (and future), offshore in the deep and shallow water environments, bays, estuaries, ports and harbors and what we expect for the future of buoy and mooring applications. This year’s theme is “Moored Systems for the Future.” Areas and topics will include, but are not limited to: Ecosystems Monitoring, Long-Term Observing System, Reliability & Harsh Environments, Power Systems, Data, Sensors & Instrumentation, and Mooring Design.  Abstracts and exhibitor applications are due February 28. Early bird registration ends Friday, January 31 and regular registration is available through April 16. Registration and more details found here: https://buoytech.mtsociety.org/

  • MARACOOS Annual Meeting, 14 May 2020, Baltimore, MD: The MARACOOS 2020 Annual Meeting is coming up on Thursday, May 14, 2020, in Baltimore, MD preceded by an evening networking reception on May 13. A major focus of this year’s meeting will be to seek your input and refinements to the MARACOOS Strategic Plan --- a Plan that will be under development with all of you in the Mid-Atlantic ocean and coastal community in the months leading up to the Annual Meeting.  Join individuals from the private sector, non-profit sector, academia, and government as we come together to discuss the goals and strategies for the future of ocean and coastal observing in the Mid-Atlantic region. Register for the meeting here. 

  • Save the Date!  SECOORA Annual Meeting, 18 – 19 May 2020, St. Petersburg, FL: More info coming soon!

  • IAGLR 2020: Focusing on the Future, 8-12 June 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba: The International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) 63rd annual conference is accepting abstracts http://iaglr.org/iaglr2020/abstractsuntil Friday, January 24. For more information and registration (when open) click here. GLOS is leading the following sessions:

    • #25 The role of observations, base data and models in the new GLOS tech platform

    • #26 GLOS: Lakebed 2030 - building a better basemap

    • #27 Map the Great Lakes to understand underwater habitats

  • Save the Date!  2020 DMAC Meeting: IOOS is pleased to announce that the 2020 DMAC Meeting will take place Tuesday, June 16 to Friday, June 19, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Further details forthcoming.

  • SAVE THE DATE: IOOS/ESIP Biological Data Standards Workshop, July 13, 2020, Burlington, VT:  This Biological Data Standards workshop, sponsored by the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (US IOOS) in partnership with ESIP, OBIS and BCO-DMO, invites participation from data providers and data managers across the marine community. The workshop will be designed to alternate between working sessions with all participants and hands-on sessions on topics including: 

    • Data Standard and Stewardship Best practices 

    • Vocabularies and ontologies 

    • Shared technology, shared knowledge and knowledge transfer 

    • Development of methodologies 

    • More about the workshop: Hands-on work around data transformation and management processes Scientific observations of marine biodiversity and biology are essential for effective conservation of ocean species. These observations are collected at great cost, and are fundamental to advance scientific understanding of life in the sea. Marine ecological data are complex and heterogeneous, and there are unique methods and approaches to their collection, curation, sharing and distribution. To allow these observations to be reused for scientific, pedagogical and policy purposes, they need to be managed and well-described using standardized methods and formats. There is a pressing need in the marine community for standardized approaches to integrate biological data at local, regional, and global scales. This applies to observations spanning genetic to population data types, and across space and time. Major global databases such as OBIS and GBIF rely on Darwin Core, Ecological Metadata Language, and the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) to help manage taxonomic information. The observing community, focused on abiotic data collections, evolved to leverage netCDF and climate and forecast conventions, while the biological research and applications communities have traditionally operated outside of common standards; this landscape makes it difficult to assess the status and trends of critical indicators of living marine resources and ecosystem services. 

 

Other Upcoming Meetings: 

  • International Indian Ocean Science Conference (IIOSC2020), 16 – 20 March 2020, Goa, India: More info available: https://iiosc2020.incois.gov.in/  The International Indian Ocean Science Conference (IIOSC 2020) sponsored by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, will be held from 16-20 March 2019 in Dona Paula, Goa, India. The conference aims to not only act as a multi-disciplinary showcase of Indian Ocean oceanic and coupled climatic research in general, but will provide the opportunity to specifically present research resulting from the Second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2) (2015-2020) and so act as a platform for the recently proclaimed extension of IIOE-2 out to at least 2025.

  • EMODnet 2nd Open Conference and Jamboree - Save-the-date: 22-25 September 2020: Five years after the first edition, we are delighted to announce the organisation of the second EMODnet Open Conference (22-23 September 2020) and Jamboree (23-25 September 2020). 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.

 

Job & Internship Opportunities:

  • Last Chance to Apply - Closing Today! Job Opportunities with the IOOS Program Office:

    • Surface Current Program Manager, U.S. IOOS: U.S. IOOS is hiring for a Program Manager to provide leadership and direction for the Surface Current Program with the management of intra- and extra-mural research and operational activities, development of program objectives, evaluation of progress, identification of opportunities for partnerships and communication of project goals and outcomes, and organization and participation in conferences, meetings, and panels. Closes 1/22/2020.  Click here for more info and to apply: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/555688500

    • Coastal Modeling Portfolio Manager, U.S. IOOS: U.S. IOOS is hiring a scientist to serve as the senior expert and technical advisor, with responsibility for establishing long range program objectives, requirements, and formulating plans for the portfolio of coastal modeling projects across the National Ocean Service.  Click here for more info and to apply: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/555688400

  • Executive Director, NERACOOS: The key roles of the Executive Director are to lead, manage, and inspire staff, principal investigators, partners, and board members to collectively sustain and improve a regional ocean observing system that is responsive to the information needs of the Northeast. The Executive Director is the principal spokesperson for the organization and will travel extensively to represent NERACOOS locally, nationally, and occasionally internationally, and to provide regional leadership and guidance.  Click here for more info and to apply: http://www.neracoos.org/edjobsearch

  • AOOS Regional Data Sharing Coordinator: The Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) is searching for a self-motivated individual with excellent organizational and communication skills to coordinate – and serve as the primary AOOS staff – for two new AOOS projects enhancing regional ocean data sharing. This is a full-time position based in Anchorage, available for 2 years, with the opportunity to extend longer as additional funding opportunities allow.  Closes 1/27/2020. Click here for more info and to apply: https://aoos.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AOOS-regional-data-sharing-coordinator-position-description-final-010820.pdf

  • Senior Environmental Scientist: The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) is hiring a Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) to lead its Marine Protected Area (MPA) Program. OPC is a Cabinet-level state policy body that works to ensure healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems by advancing innovative, science-based policy and management, making strategic investments, and catalyzing action through partnerships and collaboration. Closes 1/29/2020.  Click here for more info and to apply: https://jobs.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=187238

  • Explorer-in-Training Program: As part of its mission to train the next generation of ocean explorers, the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research hosts undergraduate and graduate students in the Explorer-in-Training program, where participants gain valuable experience in deepwater mapping and exploration. Applications for 2020 are currently being accepted through the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research; click here to apply or here for more information about the program. The application deadline is January 31, 2020.

  • 2021 Knauss Fellowship Opportunity now open: The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. Students should apply by February 21, 2020. Learn more about the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.

  • Biology and Ecosystems Data Analyst: The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is recruiting a Data Analyst with a focus on biology and ecosystem data to assist in integration and management. The post will be based at MBARI, which is located in Moss Landing, CA and will work closely with the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) and the Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS).  Read more and how to apply here. 

Click here to view the IOOS Association Calendar

Do you have suggestions for new things you would like to see in the Eyes on the Ocean IOOS Bi-Weekly? Talk to us: eoto@noaa.gov!