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From the Director:

Hello IOOS Community,

As summer churns on and we pass the summer solstice, I am excited about all the upcoming opportunities to work together to advance the IOOS mission. I’m pleased to welcome two new people to the IOOS community - Brian Zelenke as the new Surface Current Program Manager in the IOOS Program Office and Dr. Jake Kritzer as the new NERACOOS Executive Director. We are also seeking new members for the IOOS Advisory Committee to fill two vacancies. You can read more about Brian and Jake’s backgrounds below and find information on applying for the IOOS Advisory Committee vacancies in the “From the U.S. IOOS Office” section.

In preparation for the new 5-year funding cycle, several U.S. IOOS Regional Associations have put out public calls for information, interest, and proposals. Please see the “Grants & Funding Opportunities” section below for more information from each of the regions. We look forward to working with you and making IOOS work!

Best wishes,
Carl

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

  • Welcome Brian Zelenke!: Brian Zelenke has joined the U.S. IOOS Program as the Surface Currents Program Manager. In this role, he is the program and technical lead for the U.S. High-frequency (HF) Radar network, conducts stakeholder management for coastal circulation observing and product development, is the point of contact for radio frequency allocation issues, manages the HF Radar Data Assembly Center, and is the Contracting Officer Representative for technical contracts. Brian is an oceanographer with an emphasis on physical oceanography. His subject matter expertise includes radiowave oceanography, scientific SCUBA diving, remote sensing (satellite, drone, or in situ), numerical modeling, oil spill trajectory/risk analysis, wind turbine radar interference mitigation, emergency/disaster response, project management, and marine policy.

  • Welcome new NERACOOS Executive Director Dr. Jake Kritzer: The Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) announced the appointment of Dr. Jake Kritzer as the organization’s new Executive Director. Dr. Kritzer has extensive expertise in both marine research and ocean policy which made him the ideal choice to lead the organization’s multifaceted efforts. “I couldn’t be more excited to join an organization that plays such a pivotal role in helping our region navigate a changing ocean and a changing world,” Dr. Kritzer said. We look forward to working with you!

  • The Ocean Enterprise Study 2020: Your business matters, help NOAA assess the Ocean Enterprise Sector! IOOS/NOAA are requesting input from businesses who provide infrastructure or products that support or conduct ocean observation and measurement by participating in the Ocean Enterprise Study 2020.  We will use the results to help inform NOAA and the U.S. Department of Commerce about the changing needs of the Ocean Enterprise sector in a report to be published in 2021. “NOAA strongly supports the IOOS Ocean Enterprise Study 2020. Applying data and services to grow the American Blue Economy is a top priority for our agency, and the information provided by this study will help us further the sustainable economic contributions of our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes,” said retired Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy NOAA Administrator. “We are proud of our IOOS Program and partners that have enabled NOAA’s leadership in Ocean Science and Technology.”  We invite any company, large and small, working in this sector, to contribute to this important study through participation in an online survey. To find out more information or to take the survey click here. The study will deliver an update to the initial study conducted in 2015. Thank you to the Marine Technology Society for featuring the study on their website and in the May issue of Currents

  • The IOOS Advisory Committee is Looking for New Members! NOAA is seeking new members for the United States Integrated Ocean Observing System Advisory Committee, which is a Federal advisory committee. The Notice of New Member Solicitation has been published in the Federal Register to fill two vacancies that occurred in late 2019. These vacancy appointments shall be for the remainder of the unexpired term of the vacancy, which ends August 15, 2021. As a Federal Advisory Committee, membership on the IOOS Advisory Committee is required to be fairly balanced in terms of viewpoints represented and the functions to be performed, as well as including the interests of geographic regions of the country and the diverse sectors of our society (business and industry, science, academia, and the public at large). To learn more about eligibility and requirements to apply, please refer to the federal register notice (FRN). Nominations should be submitted no later than July 30, 2020. Information on the committee and the current board members can be found here: https://ioos.noaa.gov/community/u-s-ioos-advisory-committee/

  • Now Virtual! IOOS Advisory Committee Meeting Save the Date: The next public meeting of the IOOS Advisory Committee will be held virtually August 4-6, 2020. Stay tuned for more information!

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

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

    • No update.

    • US Underwater Glider User Group (UG2) Steering Committee Established: The UG2 Steering Committee has recently been stood up.  The UG2 Steering Committee will provide vision, support and guidance for advancing an active, widespread community of glider users that promotes ocean information, innovation, and integration.  More details on how the committee will function are still being formulated and will follow soon. 

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

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

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

    • ATN Global Telecommunications System (GTS) Project Takes a Big Leap Forward: Our BUFR (Binary Universal Format for Reporting) template for coding quality-controlled oceanographic profile data collected by animal borne sensor tags and disseminating them globally via the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) GTS has been validated technically and has been formally approved by the WMO BUFR Team. The WMO will define it as operational in November of this year.  A great deal of thanks to Dr. David Berry - UK-National Oceanography Center, and Axiom Data Science – Luke Campbell and Kyle Wilcox, for this big success. 

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

  • The former USGS video portal is now at video.ioos.us as the Video and Photograph Portal: This portal contains video and photography of the seafloor and aerial imagery along much of the coastal U.S. For the first time, this portal makes many video and photo datasets available to explore in an easy-to-use geospatial viewer. The portal was originally developed to serve imagery from the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program Seafloor Mapping projects and Hurricane and Extreme Storm research. More recently, additional video and photographs have been added to the portal from other USGS projects and from IOOS partner agencies.

  • POSTPONED: 2020 DMAC Meeting, Silver Spring, MD: The DMAC meeting originally scheduled for June will be postponed with tentative dates 13 – 15 October 2020 in Silver Spring, MD.  More information to follow.

  • IOOS/ESIP Biological Data Standards Workshop, July 13, 2020, Burlington, VT VIRTUAL:  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.

    • Manual for Real-Time Oceanographic Data Quality Control Flags Update: The update to the Manual for Real-Time Oceanographic Data Quality Control Flags has been completed, and we thank everyone who contributed suggestions and provided reviews. A few important changes include: 1) notification of the recently accepted CF standard QARTOD-inspired names as proposed by the ERDDAP project team, 2) deletion of an early data flagging code example that didn't make use of these new names, and 3) pointing to much improved implementation documentation, including examples, on GitHub - work carried out during a code sprint arranged by IOOS/DMAC & GLOS last October. These recent developments show the importance of updating this manual, in particular, in order to maintain relevance. This incremental update retains the original flag states as defined by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in 2013.

    • Ocean Best Practice System update: Using WordPress and the iframe plugin, Emily Smail (NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, and Executive Director of the GEO Blue Planet Initiative) has created an embedded OBPS search link in a web page under development (see http://sarghubstaging.wpengine.com/mitigation-information-and-management/). By automating the search of selected terms, in this case “sargassum management”, a dynamic listing of relevant documents held in the OBPS repository is displayed - far easier than maintaining a static list! While Emily said it was easy, it makes this sargassum web site more useful and promotes the OBPS at the same time, showing how just a bit of effort can really leverage capabilities. Thanks Emily!

    • CLIVAR Ocean Uncertainty Quantification Working Group update: A primary goal of the working group is to identify best practices for improving the understanding, derivation, communication, and utilization of the uncertainties of ocean in-situ, remote, and modeled products related to physical variables. The mission of the Ocean Best Practice System is to sustain an evolving system which fosters collaboration, consensus building, and innovation by providing coordinated and global access to best practices and standards across ocean sciences and applications. Clearly there is common and fertile ground, so initial steps are being taken for the OceanUQ Working Group to participate in the 4th OBPS (virtual) workshop in late September. The agenda is being developed and will be available shortly.

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

  • Call for Abstracts for Coastal Flooding Modeling and Prediction Workshop - Due July 7th: A Workshop on Modeling, Prediction, and Sensor Networks for Coastal Flooding in the US East Coast will be held as two morning (9AM-12PM) virtual sessions on July 23rd and July 27th, 2020. In recent years, a growing number of projects are focusing on the design and implementation of integrated observing and modeling systems through sustained, active partnerships with coastal communities facing more frequent and severe flooding. In an effort to coordinate and accelerate these parallel research efforts, and their translation into tangible solutions for community stakeholders, this workshop will provide a forum to identify synergies, best practices, and opportunities for greater collaboration amongst these researchers. Workshop organizers are seeking submissions of case studies for presentation featuring ongoing projects or efforts where researchers and stakeholders are co-designing and/or deploying observing network and modeling/prediction systems for coastal flooding solutions along the US east coast. Register for the workshop, see the draft agenda, and submit and abstract on the workshop website: https://www.oceanvisions.org/coastal-solutions-2020 

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

    • GEO Virtual Symposium 2020 - Monitoring Essential Variables for Ocean Life: On June 19, Frank Muller-Karger and Gabrielle Canonico spoke about MBON and GOOS efforts to advance global interoperability and use of standards for a minimum set of observations - including GOOS Essential Ocean Variables and GEO BON Essential Biodiversity Variables - during the "Monitoring Essential Variables" session of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Virtual Symposium 2020.  A video of the session is posted here: https://earthobservations.org/symposium2020.php?session=12  

  • National Science Foundation Webinar: 2020 Frontiers In Ocean Sciences Symposium (18 June 2020): The National Science Foundation (NSF) held their annual Frontiers in Ocean Sciences Symposium. To start off the symposium, Dr. Terry Quinn (NSF Division of Ocean Sciences Director) gave an overview of the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences activities in relation to this year’s theme: partnerships. He described professional development and inclusion initiatives to increase gender, racial, and socioeconomic diversity starting from the undergraduate level up through the professional ranks. Dr. Quinn also highlighted NSF’s involvement with National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) in working on gliders, sensors, and the connection between the ocean and human health. Several NSF-funded researchers shared their experience leveraging public-private partnerships to maximize their ability to collect data and apply their research. The presenters included Dr. Philip Bresnahan (Scripps Institute of Oceanography) and Dr. Erik van Sebille (Utrecht University).

  • Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Renaming Data Stream Parameters: We are in the process of changing the names of data stream parameters to be more user-friendly and make the data you are looking for easier to find.  For example, the parameter “pressure_depth” has been renamed to simply “pressure.” This renaming process has started with pressure_depth, and will be ongoing in our attempt to improve access to OOI data for all users.  OOI will post data stream name changes as they occur on both the Data Portal and the Data Updates page.For more info:https://oceanobservatories.org/renaming-data-stream-parameters/

  • Webinar: An Autonomous Approach to Ocean Mapping: Collaboration Among USM, Saildrone, And NOAA (18 June 2020):Saildrone, the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coast Survey held a webinarto share their progress on developing a Saildrone platform for shallow-water multibeam bathymetry. Saildrone has created a fleet of unmanned, long-endurance surface vehicles that collect a variety of data in remote parts of the world’s ocean by relying on wind and solar power and requiring no crew, fuel, or ship support —greatly enhancing ocean mapping and observing. Mr. Sebastien de Halleux, (Chief Operating Officer, Saildrone) provided an overview of the development of the vehicles and shared the basis for the current collaborative effort: being able to better map the Arctic seafloor. While Saildrone has been operating in the challenging, extreme environment of the Arctic for over five years, the project team sought to upgrade their capabilities by transitioning from single-beam acoustic data collectors used for fisheries to a more complete multibeam acoustic surveying system. Mr. Matt Paulson (Saildrone) described the technical aspects of this project, including the challenges related to running a multibeam echosounder using only wind and solar power and conducting extremely long-range operations with minimal human intervention. Joining the Saildrone team were Dr. Brian Connon (Director, Hydrographic Science Research Center, USM) and Rear Adm. Shepard Smith (Director, NOAA Coast Survey) who joined the discussion on the next steps for the project, which include improving the control command of the sonar system, increasing the battery life of the data collection tools, and refining navigation in extreme weather conditions. All panelists agreed the partnership between USM, Saildrone, and NOAA, along with other stakeholders, was crucial to getting the innovative sonar technology from the research and development phase to a more operational phase. They were pleased with the progress of the project to date and were optimistic for continued work and collaboration moving forward to progress high quality, autonomous data collection for ocean mapping.

  • NOAA Rolls Out Alaska Coastal Mapping Strategy: During an event for Capitol Hill Ocean Week, National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Director Juliana Blackwell and senior NGS staff rolled out a ten-year Alaska Coastal Mapping Strategyin support of the Presidential Memorandum on Ocean Mapping of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and the Shoreline and Nearshore of Alaska. NOAA, in coordination with the state of Alaska and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Mapping Executive Committee, developed this strategy to map Alaska’s shoreline and nearshore. The strategy includes plans to build on existing mapping partnerships, expand coastal data collection, leverage technological innovations, and promote widespread stakeholder engagement. Completed mapping is especially lacking for Alaska and for the Alaskan Arctic. Accurate and complete mapping data will aid in informed management of coastal lands, safe navigation, and responsible resource and energy use.

  • CO-OPS, ESRI Collaborate on Coastal Flooding Story Map: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) worked with a team from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), the Office for Coastal Management (OCM), and Old Dominion University to contribute to a story map on coastal flooding. The team from ESRI used CO-OPS water level data and high tide flooding information, as well as data layers from OCM’s Sea Level Rise Viewer to create an informative look at the impacts of coastal flooding, focusing specifically on Norfolk, Virginia. The story map breaks down the issue of coastal flooding, what the data show, and how NOAA’s data collection efforts help local officials plan for and mitigate the effects of coastal flooding in their areas.

  • OCS Releases Guide to Aid U.S. Coast Guard in Emergency Response: The Office of Coast Survey (OCS) released the Captain of the Port’s Guide to NOAA Emergency Hydrographic Survey to help U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Captains of the Port and their staff understand the full scope of navigation support services available to them from OCS. The USCG and OCS share a vision of providing navigation products and services that ensure safe and efficient maritime commerce on America’s waters. During emergency responses, OCS’s navigation response teams work alongside the USCG to re-open ports in the most efficient manner possible. To that end, OCS will develop, communicate, and apply practical and credible science to mitigate the consequences from wrecks and other navigation hazards threatening the marine transportation system.

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

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

Delivering the Benefits:

  • New Ecosystem Forecast: NANOOS is pleased to present the J-SCOPE experimental April-initialized forecast for the 2020 upwelling season. The forecast includes Washington and Oregon coastal waters and is referenced by state and tribal resource managers. Bottom oxygen is forecast to be lower than normal in the Washington and Oregon shelf waters over the upwelling season and throughout the fall, and bottom Ω is forecast to be undersaturated throughout the upwelling season, with the exception of supersaturated conditions in shallow coastal regions of Washington early in the upwelling season. J-SCOPE, a partnership led by Dr. Samantha Siedlecki (U Conn), is funded by NOAA OAP and MAPP and presented by NANOOS.  Check it out here

  • New Fish, Invertebrate, and Benthic Data from Micronesia in OBIS: In collaboration with Dr. Peter Houk from the University of Guam, PacIOOS supported efforts to align coral reef monitoring data from Micronesia with Darwin Core Standards, and make them available through the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). Three data sets can be accessed through OBIS: (1) fish; (2) invertebrate; and (3) benthic substrate. Spanning from September 2009 to September 2015, surveys were conducted at different sites in Micronesia, including Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as Majuro in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The data were collected as part of the ongoing Micronesia Challenge to establish a shared, standardized monitoring program. 

  • Portable Spotter buoy streams data live to GLOS for the first time: This month, a basketball-sized Spotter buoy began sending data to GLOS, making it the first buoy of its kind to be part of our network. The buoy, deployed in Lake Superior on April 21 near Gay, Michigan, is operated by Michigan Technological University (MTU). It's being used to support marine weather forecasts for dredging operations at the Keweenaw stamp sands near Buffalo Reef. Spotter buoys are a creation of Sofar Ocean [https://www.sofarocean.com/], a San Francisco-based marine technology company.  View the live data here!

  • Algorithm Uses Webcam Data to Analyze Timing and Duration of Dune Erosion Events: SECOORA’s 2019 Data Challenge Winners, Deanna Edwing and Kelsea Edwing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, developed an algorithm to automatically identify maximum water-levels at hourly intervals from web camera footage in the Southeast.  Read more about this project here.

  • Boater Information: Weather and Water Data for Boating Safety: The weather and the water are warm and that means boating season is here. Before you head out on the water, be sure to see if it is safe with SECOORA data resources. Need quick access to your favorite buoy data? Read about SECOORA's new product - Text a Buoy. Get that data delivered directly to your phone by text message

  • Seward Line Research Continues: Despite numerous oceanographic cruise cancellations and postponements this summer, with careful health & safety planning the University of Alaska Fairbanks was able proceed with an important long term ecological research sampling effort along the Seward Line in the Gulf of Alaska. The Sikuliak’s spring cruise was successfully completed on May 10 having met all cruise objectives and adding critical information to this important long term study. According to UAF chief scientist Russ Hopcroft, “With so few other measurements being taken by colleagues this year, these data will probably be one of the few data sets being acquired this spring in the Gulf of Alaska.”

Congressional:

  • IOOS Act Update: No update.

Communications/Outreach/Education:

  • SECOORA 2020 Annual Meeting: Over 180 people tuned in for SECOORA’s 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting. Participants from all over the Southeast and beyond learned more about SECOORA, the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®), and coastal hazards and resilience. Click here for highlights from the meeting and presentations

  • World Oceans Day Panel: On June 8, Oregon Congresswoman Bonamici hosted a panel "Turning the Tide – a World Oceans Day discussion on revitalizing coastal communities" with NANOOS Executive Director, Jan Newton, and NANOOS PIs Jack Barth (OSU) and Jaime Pinkham (CRITFC), among others from Pacific Northwest organizations. Discussion focused on opportunities to revitalize coastal communities and increase funding for ocean data with the next recovery package. View the panel here

  • SCCOOS gathering information re: 2020 SoCal Red Tide event: In response to the recent, prolonged Red Tide Event, the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) and researchers at UCSD Scripps Institution of Oceanography are collaborating with the Surfrider Foundation to collect community anecdotal information/data for inclusion in future publications and bulletins on potential respiratory symptoms experienced after being exposed to the Lingulodinium polyedra bloom. You can help by answering a short questionnaire (12 questions). En respuesta al reciente y prolongado fenómeno de las mareas rojas, el Sistema de Observación Oceánica Costera del Sur de California (SCCOOS) e investigadores del Instituto de Oceanografía Scripps de la UCSD están colaborando con la Surfrider Foundation para reunir información y datos circunstanciales de la comunidad para incluirlos en futuras publicaciones y boletines sobre los posibles síntomas respiratorios que se experimentan después de la exposición a la floración de Lingulodinium polyedra. Puede ayudar contestando este breve cuestionario (12 preguntas).

  • CARICOOS reaches more than 1,000 through webinar series: This spring and summer, CARICOOS Outreach and Education staff explored new ways to continue its mission of educating users about the correct use of its products and services virtually. One flagship effort was to partner with the National Scholastic Surfing Association Puerto Rico Conference (NSSA Puerto Rico) to conduct a webinar series on waves.  Starting with a core audience of water sports enthusiasts, the webinars gained a more diverse viewership through audience engagement and outreach. You can find these webinars, along with many others, on NSSA Puerto Rico's facebook page.

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

  • SAVE THE DATE: IOOS/ESIP Biological Data Standards Workshop, 13 July 2020, VIRTUAL:  This Biological Data Standards workshop, sponsored by the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (U.S. IOOS) in partnership with ESIP, OBIS and BCO-DMO, invites participation from data providers and data managers across the marine community. 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. 

  • NEW! Now Virtual - Global OCEANS 2020: Singapore – U.S. Gulf Coast: The organizing committees have decided to combine forces and invite worldwide community participation to a single virtual conference “Global OCEANS 2020: Singapore – U.S. Gulf Coast”, which will feature a mix of live and on-demand events available to all registrants at a very affordable rate, October 5-30, 2020. The deadline to submit your abstract for considerationis June 30th, 2020. If your abstract is selected, it is your chance to present your innovative research in the marine technology field to the brightest minds in the industry. The Call for Papers will be open to abstracts in the following categories: 

    • Regular Technical Program: (this includes both OCEANS 2020 Gulf Coast topics and standard OCEANS topics): if abstract is chosen, authors will then submit a full paper which they’ll present as part of the technical program. Following the conference, the paper will be published in IEEE Xplore.

    • Student Poster Competition: if abstract is chosen, students will then submit a full paper and poster which they’ll present during the conference in the student poster section of the exhibit hall. Following the conference, the paper will then be published in IEEE Xplore. *This competition is open to any full-time student in an accredited program. Student must be listed as the lead and corresponding author. Selected applicants, based on abstract reviews, will have travel and registration expenses subsidized.

    • Second Annual General Student Poster Session: Students are also welcome to submit abstracts for consideration in the General Student Poster Session. If abstract is chosen, students will submit a poster, which they will present at the General Student Poster Session in the exhibit hall. Posters will not be published in IEEE Xplore following the conference. **This competition is open to any full-time undergraduate or graduate student in an accredited program, including those who may not have been accepted into the Student Poster competition. Student must be listed as the lead and corresponding author. Selected applicants may register at a reduced student rate that includes conference attendance, but not all social events, which can be purchased separately.

    • Special Sessions (this includes Town Halls and Panels): abstract and presentation are required; however, submission of a full paper is optional. Participation for non-paper sessions is at the discretion of the Technical Program Committee and/or Special Sessions Chair.

    • For more information on the OCEANS 2020 Gulf Coast Conference topics or paper submission process, please visit the OCEANS 2020 Gulf Coast website

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

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

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

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

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

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

    • Sensors and Instruments

    • Vessels, Vehicles and Platforms

    • Data Communications

    • Data Management

    • Data Analysis and Interpretation

    • End-use Case Studies

 

Other Upcoming Meetings:

  • 2020 NOAA Environmental Data Management Workshop, 17 – 21 August 2020, VIRTUAL: The NOAA Environmental Data Management Workshop will be entirely online this year! This is an opportunity to expand the workshop beyond the usual audience, and we're being careful to hold the sessions later in the day to accommodate western time zones. All the latest schedule info is on the workshop website. https://noaaedm2020.sched.com/ 

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

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

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

Webinars:

  • Air Centre Networking Friday Series - Special Thematic Session on Sensors with Matthew Mowlem, Frank Muller-Karger, Eric Delory and Marcelo Pias - June 26th, 2020: This Friday, June 26th, 1-3 PM UTC, Networking Friday Special Thematic Session on Sensors with Matthew Mowlem (NOC, UK), Frank Muller-Karger (USF / GEO MBON, USA), Eric Delory (PLOCAN, Spain), and Marcelo Pias (FURG, Brazil). Elisa Ravagnan (NORCE, Norway) will moderate the session. Register for the webinar here. More information here: https://www.aircentre.org/netfriday-sensors/  

  • Invitation to Present: Coastal Observing in Your Community Webinar Series: SECOORA hosts webinars on the 4th Tuesday of each month at Noon ET to raise awareness of coastal ocean observing activities in the Southeast US. Webinar topics range from using citizen science to monitor harmful algal blooms to discussing a network of scientists that track fish movement. A collection of over 20 recorded webinars are available on the SECOORA website. If you are interested in presenting a webinar, please email abbey@secoora.org

  • SECOORA Principal Investigators Updates, 29 June, 12pm: Join SECOORA on Monday June 29 at noon EDT for 5 minute updates from eight Principal Investigators. Learn about SECOORA projects including buoys in the Carolinas, High Frequency radar in the Southeast, harmful algal bloom research in the Gulf of Mexico, data management and more.  Register here.

  • The Technologies of Ocean Exploration - Today and Into the Future (pre-K – 12) 16 July, 7pm: Join NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research and the National Science Teaching Association on Thursday, July 16, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET to learn about the amazing tools that are helping to map, identify, characterize, and manage ocean resources now and for future generations. Target Audience: PK-12 Educators, Informal Educators, Professors, and Parents; Register and find out more.

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

  • SERIES NOAA Live! Webinars: While you are home, NOAA's Regional Collaboration Network, in conjunction with Woods Hole Sea Grant and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is offering this series during school closures. Each webinar features a different NOAA expert/topic and a moderated question and answers session throughout so that you can get a peek at what our NOAA scientists do in all the various NOAA offices.  These webinars are geared toward grades 2-8 and allow students to connect with scientists.  Webinars are streamed via GoToWebinar, are between 45-60 minutes in length, and are recorded.  Visit the website to access previously recorded webinars as well!

  • SERIES National Marine Sanctuaries Live Interactions: Join NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries as they connect you to the network of underwater parks encompassing over 600,000 square miles of pristine marine ecosystems. National marine sanctuaries span from the warm waters of the Florida Keys to the cool waters off the Washington coast and from the kelp forests off California to the freshwater of the Great Lakes. These places hold significant value for conservation, recreation, ecology, and culture, as well as aesthetic beauty. These treasured places are preserved for generations through efforts in research, monitoring, management, resource protection, and education.  Live events, tailored for students and run through Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, will connect viewers with national marine sanctuary experts in research, education, and exploration in real time. Through these programs, you will be able to learn about national marine sanctuaries and ask questions to leading experts in their field. Check out the schedule 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? Contact us at: eoto@noaa.gov.

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