The Eyes on the Ocean™ Bi-weekly is an informal way of keeping you up-to-date on U.S. IOOS® activities. Email us to get it delivered to your inbox, and connect with us to keep up with the latest news! From the Director: Hello IOOS Community, Happy Halloween! No tricks here, and as a treat today, read about some “spooky” marine organisms - the Vampire Squid and the Vampire Fish in this National Ocean Service story. This week I’m coming to you from the MTS OCEANS 2019 Conference. I’ve had some great conversations and heard some great talks on partnerships and the development of marine technology. I also had the opportunity to speak on a panel with other U.S. agencies that contribute to the Group for Earth Observations (GEO) where we briefed each of our federal strategic visions for ocean observations with industry representatives. NOAA and IOOS were also represented in the exhibit hall of the conference and did a great job messaging products and services available to support the marine industry and decision makers. I also gave a talk on IOOS and Harmful Algal Bloom work from the national perspective in the exhibit booth that was well received. Today’s newsletter has some great items - including highlights from the IOOS Code Sprint, info on Rutgers RUCOOL Lab’s 500th glider deployment, and a new logo from one of our IOOS regions. (Spoiler: Great job NERACOOS!) Read on for more! Best Wishes, From the U.S. IOOS Office: Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies: Surface Current Mapping: (IOOS PO POC, Derrick Snowden, Derrick.Snowden@noaa.gov): High Frequency Radar National Frequency Plan: A contract has been awarded to Freedom Technologies Inc.(FTI) to develop a national frequency plan for oceanographic radar in the 5-50 MHz ban in accordance with ITU resolution 612. The contractor will support the government’s transition of the current fleet of oceanographic radars onto the new frequency channels, including spectrum management and administration for certification and assignment. Gliders (IOOS POC LCDR Benjamin LaCour, Benjamin.Lacour@noaa.gov): RUCOOL Celebrates 500th Glider Deployment: RUCOOL deployed the RU30 glider the week of October 14th in support of work by Dr. Grace Saba to study ocean pH in the New York Bight. On board the R/V Rutgers for this deployment out of the Sandy Hook area was the Ocean Methods and Data Analysis undergraduate class. Data from this glider and others can be viewed on our Glider Deployment Pages. RU30 was the 500th glider deployment that Rutgers has supported over the last 18 years. Congrats to Grace, the glider piloting team of Nicole Waite and Dave Aragon, Captain Chip Haldeman and the team on board the R/V Rutgers. We are already looking forward to the 1000th deployment! Fall 2019 Mid-Atlantic Bight Glider Fleet Update: Rutgers University, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Stony Brook University deployed 6 gliders to monitor the Mid-Atlantic Bight’s fall transition from highly stratified to well-mixed ocean conditions. Deployments began in late September and continued through Mid-October. One glider is a shallow near-shore glider deployed to monitor water oxygen concentrations and the other 5 gliders are swimming cross-shelf lines from 15 – 200 meters. Funding from this group of gliders was provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), the Mid Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Atmospheric Research (OAR), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC). The specific goals of the deployments vary from improving weather and ocean forecasting, monitoring near-shore oxygen concentrations and ocean pH as well as additional physical, biological and chemical conditions in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Data from these gliders is being fed, in near real-time, to the IOOS Glider Data Assembly Center to help improve the models used to forecast hurricane tracks and intensities. Track the glider fleet’s progress here. Gliding Towards the End of Hurricane Season: Forget hurricane season… for GCOOS, it’s been hurricane glider season as they track gliders operating in the Gulf of Mexico and along the southeast Atlantic Coast from a number of groups — including the U.S. Navy, University of South Florida, University of Southern Mississippi, Texas A&M’s Geochemical and Environmental Research Group and the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography — on our map-based tracker and piloting portal, GANDALF. Glider data helps forecasters gain better insights into ocean temperatures and other parameters critical for modeling weather events like tropical storms and hurricanes. GANDALF is a unique one-stop-shop where you can see data from all the gliders operating in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Western Atlantic Ocean. GANDALF recently hit a record of tracking seven vehicles at once. In addition to Slocum gliders, GANDALF has also provided data visualization and tracking for Kongsberg Seagliders, Liquid Robotics Wavegliders and Navocean's sailing vessel. GANDALF is rapidly becoming a “must-have” tool for researchers using autonomous vehicles. Read more about GANDALF here: https://gcoos.org/gliders2019/ Animal Telemetry Network (ATN) (National Coordinator Bill Woodward, Bill.Woodward@noaa.gov): ATN Pacific Islands Data Workshop - Sept 30 - Oct 4: The ATN Data Team (Megan McKinzie-ATN, Ian Gill-Axiom, Chris Turner-Axiom) hosted a Pacific Islands data workshop at NOAA’s Inouye Regional Center, Honolulu, HI Sep 30 — Oct 4. Twenty participants from NMFS, PacIOOS, NAVFAC Pacific and UH were provided with a one-day introduction to the ATN and the DAC, including our data management tools (i.e., Research Workspace, Project Registration App and the Data Portal) as well as an introduction to metadata, ATN’s metadata standards and the RW metadata editor. This was followed by three days of one-on-one data sessions with PIFSC PIs to train researchers on the ATN data curation process from project registration and data submission to dataset archiving and DOI (Digital Object Identifiers) minting. These data sessions were also used to help define individualized data management plans for participating satellite telemetry PIs from the PIFSC Cetacean, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Marine Turtle and Shark Fisheries Research and Monitoring Programs. Thereby, helping these federally-funded researchers to fulfill their PARR requirements. ATN Working Closely with Tag Manufacturing Community: Megan McKinzie was invited by Melinda Holland, the CEO of Wildlife Computers, Inc. to spend several days at the Wildlife Computer (WC) facility in Redmond, WA on Oct 14-15. During her visit she met with their Chief Engineering Officer, Danny Vo, and several of their research biologists to usher in improvements to the WC/ATN DAC machine to machine data transfer pipeline that is used to auto ingest near real-time satellite telemetry trajectories and dive profile data into the DAC. Danny and Megan also discussed ways to increase ATNs access to manufacturer specific tag metadata and improve data/metadata standardization protocols. In addition, Megan gave a lunch-time ATN presentation to ~40 members of the WC staff highlighting the ever-growing collaboration between WC and ATN as well as providing a brief introduction to our DAC. Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem and Tools Built on IOOS data (DMAC listserv – contact Micah Wengren, DMAC System Architect, data.ioos@noaa.gov) The IOOS Program Office, in collaboration with the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), hosted the inaugural IOOS Code Sprint October 8 - 10 in Ann Arbor, MI (for more information and materials, see: https://glos.org/code-sprint/). The Code Sprint brought together over 45 software developers, data managers, and technical professionals from the IOOS Data Management and Communications (DMAC), the Canadian IOOS (CIOOS), Ocean Observatories, and other communities, to collaboratively advance capabilities to publish physical, chemical, and biological ocean and lake observations. Most of the work centered on improving open source software libraries hosted on IOOS’ GitHub organization (https://github.com/ioos). Specifically, work was done to standardize the software used for QARTOD implementation, query and plot timeseries datasets hosted on ERDDAP servers on a mobile-friendly app, format and display biological datasets in Darwin Core schema, and leverage emerging commercial cloud technologies like ‘functions-as-a-service’ for data publishing needs. The Sprint combined parallel breakout sprint workgroup time with short lightning talk sessions and a few tutorials on technical topics of interest, including Python code packaging best practices, Docker, and the Python-based Pangeo platform for big data geoscience. The Code Sprint was hosted at a coworking venue in downtown Ann Arbor that provided flexible space for teaming and full-group presentations. 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 was held last week, October 22-23rd, in Silver Spring, MD. We will have a more detailed summary of the meeting and outcomes in the next edition of Eyes on the Ocean. Stay tuned! Interagency and International Collaboration/News: Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) (IOOS PO POC Gabrielle Canonico, Gabrielle.Canonico@noaa.gov): MBON Seascapes Now Available on CoastWatch: US IOOS and MBON partnered with NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), and NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) to develop and routinely generate MBON Seascapes products and make them available on NOAA CoastWatch (https://coastwatch.noaa.gov/cw/satellite-data-products/multi-parameter-models/seascape-pelagic-habitat-classification.html). Derived from dynamic fields of satellite and modelled data, Seascapes are classified and used as a biogeographical framework to describe dynamic, changing ocean habitats for MBON and other applications. Seascapes provide information about the quality and extent of different oceanographic habitats or features and can be used to assess and predict the different planktonic and fisheries communities that reside within seascapes. Current Seascapes products include monthly and 8-day time steps with a spatial resolution of 1/20th of degree (~ 5 km). High resolution (1 km) case studies are planned on a case by case basis as through cooperation with US and global MBON partners. NOPP Biodiversity Interagency Working Group: The NOPP Biodiversity Interagency Working Group, co-chaired by NOAA, NASA and BOEM, resumed its quarterly meeting schedule on October 24, 2019. Participants from NOAA, BOEM, NASA, Smithsonian and the NOPP office attended the meeting, hosted by OSTP at the White House Conference Center. Topics of discussion included: announcement of the new NOPP Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) projects and updates and opportunities related to the Smithsonian-led MarineGEO program, deep sea biodiversity research and monitoring, ‘omics and eDNA. The group will continue meeting quarterly to share information about biological and biodiversity research and monitoring efforts that support agency mission and information needs and to discover opportunities for collaborative investments, cruises, workshops/meetings, and funding opportunities on topics of mutual interest from coastal areas to the deep ocean. New federal partners are always welcome. (POC: Gabrielle Canonico, gabrielle.canonico@noaa.gov) UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development: Following the First Global Planning Meeting held last May in Denmark, the Ocean Frontier Institute will convene a North Atlantic Regional Workshop 7-10 January, 2020, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The workshop will facilitate regional, interdisciplinary discussions across sectors, such as ocean science and technology, ocean policy and sustainable development, industry, NGOs and civil society, and donors and foundations, to identify concrete deliverables and partnerships to meet the Decade's six societal objectives. More information is available on the workshop website (https://oceanfrontierinstitute.com/un-decade-2020) including information on submitting an Expression of Interest (due November 15, 2019). The Steering Committee will select diverse subject matter representation for optimal participation. The North Atlantic Regional Workshop will aim to identify: Knowledge gaps and regional ocean science priorities for the 2030 Agenda and the North Atlantic Action Plan Existing relevant partnerships/networks/initiatives and potential interested partners Priorities in capacity-development/training Priority themes and topics to be addressed by the Decade Other regional initiatives and meetings to be aligned with the Decade NOAA Awards $3 Million for Biogeochemical Argo Research: We are excited to announce four new projects that will advance the biogeochemistry mission of the global Argo Program and boost NOAA's ability to measure, track and forecast ocean acidification, warming and other important ocean health indicators. Two of the selected projects will partner with ocean observation technology companies Sea Bird Scientific and MRV to refine biogeochemical (BGC) Argo float designs and test new sensors through the release of about 20 floats in the Tropical Pacific, an important region for understanding the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle. Two additional projects will support selected NOAA Research Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes in developing and deploying BGC Argo floats and using the resulting information to describe ocean chemistry changes in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem and northwest Atlantic ocean - both significant areas for fisheries. Read more about these research projects and the Argo Program on NOAA Research. U.S. Animal Telemetry Network Highlighted in National Ocean Service Story: Read more about the ATN, animal telemetry, and the ATN Data Assembly Center in this story from the Nationall Ocean Service https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ocean/animal-telemetry.html. Animal telemetry is a powerful scientific tool that helps us better understand marine life. Animal telemetry, the science of gathering information on the movement and behavior of marine organisms using animal-borne sensors, or tags, is a rising star in the field of ocean observing. And over time, continuous, long-term observations illustrate not only animal movements but also help us see the signs and understand the effects of changes to the ecosystems they inhabit. The Integrated Ocean Observing System's Animal Telemetry Network Data Assembly Center is an access point to search, discover, and access animal telemetry data and associated oceanographic datasets from a wide variety of species and platforms. CO-OPS Monitors Multiple October Coastal Inundation Events: Over the past two weeks, NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services’ (CO-OPS) Storm QuickLook Team monitored elevated water levels across a large swath of the Gulf and East Coasts caused at least in part by two tropical systems. Beginning around October 8th, water levels across the mid-Atlantic and New England coast began to rise due to a strong nor’easter situated off the coast that would eventually intensify into Subtropical Storm Melissa on October 11th and then Tropical Storm Melissa the following day. The storm coincided with higher than normal astronomical tides due to a full moon and caused minor to moderate coastal flooding from the mid-Atlantic to New England, including throughout the Chesapeake Bay. Peak water levels from Chesapeake Bay Entrance to New York Harbor reached between 2 and 3 feet above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW, average daily highest tide). Water levels at Bishops Head, MD on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay peaked at 2.62 feet above MHHW, which would be a new record if verified at this station, eclipsing the previous record water level set by the March 2018 Nor’easter. Following the coastal inundation caused by Melissa, a new tropical wave was beginning to form in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico off the Mexico coast. Even before the National Hurricane Center (NHC) initiated advisories for this system, water levels across much of the Gulf Coast were elevated by 0.5 to 1.5 feet above normal tide levels. NHC began advisories for Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen on Thursday October 17th with the system expected to intensify and gain tropical characteristics shortly thereafter. Midday on October 18th, the storm intensified into Tropical Storm Nestor and it moved quickly northeastward, making landfall near Apalachicola, FL midday on Saturday October 19th. The peak water level observed during this storm was 3.33 feet above MHHW at Apalachicola, FL, which would be tied for 8th highest on record if verified. Many other stations from southern Texas to Key West, FL measured peak water levels of over 2 feet above MHHW. WHOTS Mooring Successfully Recovered and Redeployed: On Friday, October 4, 2019, NOAA ship Sette departed Honolulu, Hawaii for the annual recovery and redeployment of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Hawaii Ocean Timeseries (HOT) Site (WHOTS) deep-water mooring (water depth ~5000 meters). The WHOI group, University of Hawaii group, Sette officers and Sette deck crew all worked together and successfully completed the WHOTS-16 deployment and recovery, for the first time on the Sette ship. Reporting back on October 11th, the team confirmed that the Sette ship is capable of doing future WHOTS mooring work. The WHOTS mooring was first deployed in 2004, is located about 100 km north of Oahu, and measures air and sea surface temperatures, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, incoming shortwave and longwave radiation, change in pCO2 (to calculate CO2 flux) and precipitation. Subsurface instruments include vector measuring current meters (VMCM), conductivity, pressure and temperature recorders (Microcats) and acoustic doppler current profilers (ADCP). Congratulations to the DOC Gold Medal Recipients: NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) employees Jason Woolard, Jon Sellars, Srinivas Reddy, CDR Christopher Kerns, Maryellen Sault, Gretchen Imahori, LTJG Christopher Licitra, and Michael Aslaksen were recognized for improving technical and administrative processes that expedited processing, exploitation, and dissemination of emergency response imagery for Hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018. Leveraging a combination of technical expertise, cloud based processing, innovative contract and administrative oversight, and dedication to customer service, the group delivered internet-accessible, high resolution imagery to the public, federal, state, and local responders within six hours after the aircraft landed. I had the pleasure of attending the awards ceremony on Thursday on behalf of NOS leadership and appreciated the opportunity to see the NGS team receive this prestigious award. Congratulations to all! NGS Releases New, More Accurate 2019 Models as the Basis for Heights in North America: NGS has released its annual experimental geoid models xGEOID19. The geoid is an equipotential surface of the Earth’s gravity field, closely related to global mean sea level, which is the foundation for measuring precise heights. The new models contain airborne gravity from the Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) project along with data from the latest satellite gravity models and other sources. The xGEOIDs provide preliminary but increasingly-accurate views of the height changes expected from scheduled 2022 release of a new vertical reference system for the United States. New this year, NGS is also releasing models that have time-dependent components and reflect changes to the geoid over space and time. Monitoring changes over time are needed to ensure mapping products always have accurate information. For more information visit: https://beta.ngs.noaa.gov/GEOID/xGEOID/index.shtml For more information, contact yan.wang@noaa.gov, 240-533-9561 RDML Shep Smith Chairs International Hydrography Council in Monaco: RDML Shepard Smith, Director of the Office of Coast Survey, currently performing the duties and functions of the Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for the National Ocean Service, chaired a 35 member state meeting of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Council. The Council is the oversight management body of the IHO charged with progressing the work of 91 members states toward charting the world's ocean and protecting the marine environment. The Council deliberated on proposals to recommend adoption of several key issues to the IHO's governing body, the Assembly. Topics addressed included a proposed roadmap to realize the promise of a new digital standard for managing chart and other data based on the "S-100 hydrographic data model," and the delivery of a new suite of integrated Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) services over the upcoming decade. The Council also reviewed a proposed strategic plan for the IHO slated to be presented to the full membership of the IHO at its Assembly meeting in April, 2020, among other issues. Contact: Jonathan.Justi@noaa.gov CO-OPS Diver Training Ensures Safety in the Field: CO-OPS conducted a “Dive Week” for its field team in Seattle, Washington. This week long annual event is required refresher training for divers, consisting of various drills and training needed to maintain dive certification. The NOAA Diving Program provided training on dive physiology, rescue techniques, decompression tables, regulations and policies, and accident management. Training on first aid and CPR, a “watermanship” test (500 meter timed swim), and several in-water dive skills also took place. CO-OPS operates more than 400 water level and meteorological stations along the U.S. coastline. Maintaining and updating these sensors requires a variety of technical skill sets, such as geodetic surveying, scuba diving, marine construction, and electronics and instrumentation troubleshooting and repair. This training gives divers the opportunity to start the new fiscal year with their review and training requirements completed. Contact: Mark.Bailey@noaa.gov Grants & Funding Opportunities Delivering the Benefits: Congressional: Communications/Outreach/Education: Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation: Other Upcoming Meetings: Job & Internship Opportunities: 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!
Carl