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,

We have been closely following Hurricane Dorian’s path over the last few days as it slowly makes it way up the U.S. Atlantic coast. For all the latest, most accurate information on Dorian go to https://www.noaa.gov/dorian and https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#Dorian. These sites provide a compilation of information that you can use before, during, and after the storm to have the most current forecast and weather conditions for your area, evacuation and shelter information, and available resources to help keep you safe. NWS offices will be using #Dorian on Twitter throughout the event.

In addition to the above resources, our Southeast Region, SECOORA, has a hurricane dashboard page available here https://secoora.org/eyes-on-dorian-data-resources/ with real time information and Marine Weather Data.  You can also refer to the suite of data and information tools available through our Mid-Atlantic region, the MARACOOS Storm Center or visit the NERACOOS website and check out pages like https://neracoos.org/. Real-time water level and wind information for Hurricane Dorian is also available through NOAA’s Center for Operational Products and Services Coastal Inundation Dashboard.

We hope everyone remains safe during the storm. 

Lastly, the Eyes on the Ocean Bi-weekly will take a break for our next edition as all our eyes will be on OceanObs’19 in less than two weeks! Read more about OceanObs’19 below. We will resume our publication schedule on October 2nd. 

Best Wishes,
Carl

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

  • NOAA and IOOS at OceanObs’19: Here’s a highlight of some of the events that will take place during OceanObs’19 that IOOS and NOAA are leading. On Tuesday morning, September 17th, NOAA will host a Special Session “An Ocean of Data: NOAA’s Roles in Marine Extreme Events and Hazards” where NOAA will provide an agency overview to show the integration and interconnected contributions necessary to take observations to services that support response to extreme events and hazards. On Tuesday evening, IOOS will celebrate 20 years of ocean observing with a reception in the evening  where we will reflect on the last 20 years of IOOS and look forward to the future of ocean observing. On Wednesday morning, September 18th, DOE and NOAA will participate in a Special Session focused on innovation - “Powering the Blue Economy: Energy Innovation for Ocean Observations. The session will discuss how recently announced research initiatives and energy innovation can lead to entirely new capabilities in ocean observation. Be sure to come visit us at the NOAA booth in the OceanObs’19 Expo Hall! We will have a great line-up of lightning talks on NOAA mission and priority areas, hold hands on demonstrations of NOAA and IOOS products and services, and have lots of other great ocean information available. For more info see the full OceanObs’19 Program here https://council.science/events/oceanobs-19/program/. Questions about these events? E-mail Laura.Gewain@noaa.gov. 
  • Marking 20 Years of IOOS! We will celebrate 20 years of IOOS in conjunction with the upcoming OceanObs’19 meeting in September in Honolulu, HI. In preparation for this celebration, we want to hear your memories of IOOS.  Has IOOS helped you, were you a part of building the System, or do you have photos, videos, or documents of the last 20 years that you can share with us? Please contact us at eoto@noaa.gov to share your memories or ask for more details on how to share information.
  • U.S. IOOS Ocean Technology Transition Funding Opportunity: 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. See the bullet under “Grants & Funding Opportunities” below for more info. View the full notice here. More information can be found at the following links:

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

  • Surface Current Mapping: (IOOS PO POC, Derrick Snowden, Derrick.Snowden@noaa.gov):  
    • New Gulf Radar Installations Help to Protect Lives and Support the Nation’s Blue Economy: On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) joined with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Ocean Service (NOS), Fugro and the University of Southern Mississippi to celebrate the installation of two new high-frequency radars situated at the mouth of the Mississippi River. These high-frequency radars (HFR) measure the speed and direction of ocean surface currents in near-real time — providing accurate and timely information as quickly as possible to people who depend on the data. The information is crucial for those conducting search and rescue operations and tracking contaminants who rely on information about ocean currents to track missing boaters and oil plumes or other spills. It is also crucial for ship navigation, which depends on immediate information about oceans to move large vessels safely in and out of ports and channels. Read more here: https://gcoos.org/high-frequency-radar/
    • No update.
    • GCOOS ATN Workshop Report Now Available: The GCOOS ATN Workshop Report is now available on the ATN website  https://ioos.noaa.gov/project/atn/  under the “Documents” tab. Also, the minutes from the August 6, 2019 ATN Steering Group Meeting, SG-5, are on the site under the “Meetings” tab.
    • ATN Data Assembly Center (DAC) update:  Thanks to the efforts of Megan McKinzie, our DAC Data Wrangler,  the data volume in the DAC continues to grow. There are now 39 projects registered in the DAC, 26 of which are displayed in the ATN data portal representing 25 species and 464 deployments spanning 2000-2019. Seven of these projects have data that has been released from embargo and is now available for download. 
    • The ONR funded ATN Argos Fees Program is growing and now supports 25 satellite telemetry projects from 22 Principal Investigators. ATN has agreed to cover the Argos fees for 589 tags of which 138 have been deployed and are now displaying in our real-time data layer in the ATN data portal. If you are interested in joining this Program please go to: https://atn.ioos.us  and click on  “Quick Links” -->  ‘Covering Argos Fees through the ATN.’

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

  • OceanHackWeek 2019:  Micah Wengren attended OceanHackWeek 2019, representing the IOOS Program Office.  OHW2019 had over 50 student attendees, 10 organizers, and a handful of other participants in attendance over the course of the week of August 26 - 30.  The event was held on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, WA. Two representatives of IOOS community served as members of the organizing committee (Filipe Fernandes, SECOORA and Emilio Mayorga, NANOOS), and IOOS data was featured in tutorials given by both on oceanographic data access and visualization using Python.  The hack week event was a combination of domain-specific data analysis/data science-focused tutorials, combined with ample free time for team-based project work. The team-based projects were self-organized based on participants' areas of interest, and culminated with project demonstration presentations at the end of the week. Micah joined a team working on a tool for global aggregate ERDDAP data discovery and visualization from the master ERDDAP server list in the ‘awesome-erddap’ GitHub repository, with Matt Biddle (BCO-DMO, formerly NCEI) and seven other teammates of programmers and oceanographers from the US and Europe.  The tool is based on IOOS’ erddapy library and the team plans to continue to develop it virtually going forward.  There was also an afternoon ‘lightning talk’ series where participants could volunteer to present on a topic of choice to the group.  Micah presented a talk on the IOOS Compliance Checker and how it can help working with oceanographic data in scientific workflows.  Additionally, a prominent focus of this year’s hack week was the use of Pangeo platform for cloud-based oceanographic big data analytics and as a resource for participants to access the hack week Python tools.

  • QARTOD (National Coordinator Mark Bushnell, mark.bushnell@noaa.gov):

    • New pH Data Observations manual posted: The Manual for Real-Time Quality Control of pH Data Observations has completed the 3rd and final review / edit cycle, and has been accepted by IOOS and the QARTOD Board of Advisors. This new manual is posted on the IOOS / QARTOD web page at https://ioos.noaa.gov/project/qartod/, deposited in the NOAA repository, and submitted to the Ocean Best Practice System. We thank everyone involved – contributors, reviewers, manufacturers, and the hundreds of others who have supported QARTOD efforts.

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

  • COMT Annual Meeting: The COMT Annual Meeting will be held October 22-34rd in Silver Spring, MD. More details coming soon.

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

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

     

  • NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) Fall High Tide Bulletin: There are some factors that cause the tides to be higher than what is "normally" seen from day to day. View our bulletin to see when you may experience higher than normal high tides for the period of time between September and November, 2019. Read more and see the bulletin here: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/high-tide-bulletin/Fall-2019/
  • VDatum Version 4.0 is Released: VDatum (Vertical Datum Transformation) is an innovative and evolving software tool being developed by NOAA's National Ocean Service. Free to the public, VDatum's primary purpose is converting elevation data from various sources into a common height reference system. Without a common reference system, creating maps and charts from different data sources can introduce inconsistencies. In coastal areas, a shift in elevation on a gently sloping beach might change the overall shoreline delineation, or influence inundation mapping. VDatum coverage is currently complete in all coastal regions of the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A Southeast Alaska Regional Model was added in 2019, and future coverage for Hawaii, Alaska, and the Pacific territories will begin after obtaining geodetic and tidal observations. For more information, contact stephen.a.White@noaa.gov, 240-533-9588
  • Hawaiian Island Surveys Will Update Nautical Charts and Support Habitat Mapping Efforts: For more than 50 years, NOAA Ship Rainier and its hydrographic survey launches have surveyed the Pacific seafloor. During this time, Rainier sailed thousands of miles, including the entire U.S. west coast, Alaska, and Hawaii. This year, Rainier expands on its traditional role of hydrographic survey and is supporting dive operations in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands and in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. While Rainier is sailing these remote coral atolls, the survey launches — that are usually in its davits and deployed directly from the ship — are tasked to their own surveys around the islands of Maui, Moloka’i, and O’ahu. Read more here: https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/updates/hawaiian-island-surveys-will-update-nautical-charts-and-support-habitat-mapping-efforts/ 
  • POGO call for proposals: POGO is issuing a second call for proposals for 2019/20 POGO working groups, observational training, travel support and other support for ocean observing-related initiatives, with a deadline of 20th October 2019. Further information can be found and the relevant documents downloaded from http://ocean-partners.org/proposals.  Requests for extension of existing WGs are also invited at this time. Please inform the Secretariat in advance (by the end of September) if you intend to submit a proposal. The Secretariat, in consultation with the Board of Trustees, will be able to advise you as to whether your proposal fits the requirements, and answer any questions you may have.
  • Call for New GOOS Steering Committee Members: GOOS is looking for six new and enthusiastic members to join its Steering Committee. This is an exciting time for the Global Ocean Observing System Programme (GOOS); The Ocean Observing community is very active for the OceanObs’19 conference and GOOS have just launched the Global Ocean Observing System 2030 Strategy. Now the real work of making this ambitious strategy come to life starts. This is an opportunity to work towards and shape the future Global Ocean Observing System. Apply by sending an email expressing interest and ideas on where you feel you could contribute to the following email address goos@unesco.org, with your CV. The call will close on 30 September 2019 and selection will be made by 31 October 2019. Please also forward to any contacts that you think would be good candidates. 

     

  • Grants & Funding Opportunities
    • 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. View the full notice here. 
    • Notice of Funding Opportunity: NOAA’s Climate Program Office FY2020: NOAA’s CPO supports competitive research through three major program areas: Earth System Science and Modeling (ESSM); Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI); and Communication, Education and Engagement (CEE). Through this announcement, CPO is seeking applications for 10 individual competitions in FY20.
    • DARPA BAA: This new 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.

Delivering the Benefits:

  • Hurricane Dorian: SECOORA is watching Hurricane Dorian as it moves through the Caribbean and possibly up the Florida Coast. They put together this page to highlight data and information related to the Hurricane Dorian. It will be updated as new information becomes available and the track is more certain.  As we move into the peak of hurricane season, check out SECOORA’s top hurricane resources for data and information throughout the season.
  • NANOOS, CeNCOOS, and SCCOOS Monitoring Marine Heat Wave: What is happening off the coast?:  IOOS West Coast regions have been monitoring buoy and satellite data showing Pacific coastal waters are much warmer than normal. This is now being referred to as a Marine Heat Wave. Tune in to the NOAA West Watch Tuesday, September 10 from 1-2 pm Pacific Time to hear these conditions discussed, led by Daniel McEvoy, with contributions from NANOOS, CeNCOOS, and SCCOOS. And keep following conditions in real time via our NANOOS NVS Climatology app.
  • Sargassum outlook, August 2019 update available: During August 2019, while there are still large amounts of Sargassum in the Central West Atlantic (CWA) and Caribbean Sea (CS), these amounts are lower than in July 2019. The amounts in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits have also reduced. In all regions combined, the total amount is estimated to be ~7 million metric tons, lower than in August 2018 (~11 million tons) and in August 2015 (~8 million metric tons).  Read more and view the full update here. 
  • GCOOS Adds New Met Data Source: GCOOS now hosting meteorological data from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). BOEM’s Air Quality Modeling in the Gulf of Mexico Region study (M14PC00007) prepared offshore meteorological files for use in the American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD) and California Puff Model (CALPUFF). The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model generated a five-year meteorological dataset for the Gulf of Mexico region for 2010-2014 and the data was processed with the Mesoscale Model Interface (MMIF) program for formatting. These datasets support air dispersion modeling efforts to report modeled air quality impacts. Download data here. 
  • July CA HAB Bulletin Released: The July HAB Bulletin for California is not available with a summary of Harmful Algal Bloom and Domoic Acid events and related marine mammal and sea bird strandings and closures for the month of July. 

Congressional:

  • No update.

Communications/Outreach/Education:

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!