August 2025

The Eyes on the Ocean™ Newsletter is an informal way of keeping you up-to-date on U.S. IOOS® activities.

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This image shows a rip current using a harmless green dye. Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that can move at speeds of up to eight feet per second, faster than an Olympic swimmer. The WebCOOS network, led by SECOORA, is developing rip current detection capacity using a combination of images and machine learning. NOAA’s new Blue IQ video series aims to increase beachgoer safety by educating viewers on common threats in coastal waters, such as rip currents. Photo credit: NOAA.

 


July brought us a public meeting of the U.S. IOOS Advisory Committee. The committee met virtually on July 21 and 23 to receive updates from the U.S. IOOS Office and develop their work plan. Look for more details and meeting minutes to be published in the near future!

We’re pleased to announce that we have opened up the Ocean Enterprise Study 2020 - 2025 for surveys! The study is an economic assessment of businesses outside the federal sphere that either provide ocean observing and measurement tools and infrastructure or tailor ocean data or information for a specific end use. If your business contributes to the Ocean Enterprise, please visit our website to learn more and to access the survey. Questions? Please reach out to oes.2025@noaa.gov. 

Finally, NOAA is running a new beach safety video series. Do you know your Blue IQ? From 2014-2024, there were 878 fatalities connected to beach hazards such as rip currents and high surf. Most victims of beach or surf zone hazards are male, and between the ages of 10-29, with the majority of U.S. fatalities occurring during the months of June and July. The campaign aims to raise the “Blue IQ” of beachgoers by educating them about some of the most common threats in coastal waters. The videos address the disconnect between ocean conditions and what people think they know about beach safety and their swimming strength. Check out the series page, explore the offerings, and share with your friends and family. 

From the
IOOS Office

  • The U.S. IOOS Advisory Committee held a public meeting on July 21 & 23, 2025. Members received an IOOS office update from Acting IOOS Director Jeff Payne. The remainder of the meeting was spent discussing possible topics for the next Committee work plan, with "AI-Readiness and DMAC Coordination" and "Leveraging the Private Sector" selected. Members now begin diving into each topic over the next several months, with the goal of providing recommendations to NOAA and/or the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee (IOOC). All meeting materials can be found here and meeting minutes will be posted in the coming weeks.

  • The Ocean Enterprise Study is an economic analysis of the Ocean Enterprise business cluster, which comprises companies, entrepreneurs, and service providers that supply technology to generate ocean data or work with ocean information to deliver economic, societal and environmental benefits. The first two studies were conducted in 2015 and 2020, and the third study is currently being conducted. Businesses that would like to participate in the 2025 study can access the websurvey here. If you have any questions about the study, please reach out to oes.2025@noaa.gov.

Observing Systems, Data, and Modeling

  • The IOOS Surface Currents Program is collecting contacts interested in receiving a live feed of HF-radar data and products directly from the new NCCF-based implementation of the HFRNet data assembly center.  If you or a group you work with is interested in testing this new NCCF data dissemination, please contact brian.zelenke@noaa.gov.

     

  • The Guam Coastal Management Program (GCMP), in partnership with PacIOOS, has deployed the first two Backyard Buoys in Guam! The buoys were deployed off the coast of Hågat, and near the entrance of the Cocos Lagoon. The buoys will provide vital ocean data for fishing, recreation, and coastal engineers working to combat erosion, as well as track changes in sea surface temperature as an alert to potential coral bleaching scenarios.

     

  • The PacIOOS wave buoy off Aunu'u Island in American Samoa has been swapped out for a newly serviced buoy to continue providing vital ocean data! Wave height, period, and direction are transmitted every half hour, and sea surface temperature is transmitted in real-time.

     

  • The CARICOOS team has successfully replaced the Rincón WaveRider buoy, ensuring continued delivery of real-time wave and ocean data for Puerto Rico’s west coast.

     

  • A new custom-fabricated A-frame for CeNCOOS’ long-running coastal profiler system has been deployed at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo! This profiler has been a workhorse for two decades, collecting vital ocean data—temperature, salinity, depth, chlorophyll, and turbidity—every 30 minutes. Marine environments are tough on equipment but with support from CeNCOOS, marine technicians can make infrastructure improvements to ensure that critical monitoring continues into the future.

     

  • GOOS is hosting a Biology and Ecosystems Essential Ocean Variables webinar series. The series, which runs from July to December, aims to provide valuable insights into standardized data collection and management approaches that support science-based decision making. This series is a collaborative effort between AIRCentre, Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), BioEcoOcean, and Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON - GEO BON). Find out more on the webinar page.

     

  • Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography released the Pathogen Forecast Model, which the public can use to understand sewage contamination levels at beaches from Coronado to Playas de Tijuana as well as potential risks of swimmer illness. The model hosted by the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) shows the forecasted levels of sewage in the coastal ocean in the San Diego-Tijuana border region together with illness risk for ocean swimming. Read more.

     

  • The PacIOOS Nearshore Sensor team completed an analysis of circulation patterns and residence times of coastal waters in Pōkaʻi Bay on the West side of Oʻahu. Environmental data, including wave conditions from the PacIOOS wave buoy at Kalaeloa Barbers Point, streamflow from the Kaupuni Stream USGS gauges, and weather data from the Waianae Valley Weather Station were integrated to include environmental impacts.

IOOS Enterprise

  • Join MARACOOS and the University of Maryland for a webinar showcasing the latest OceansMap updates. Learn how low-cost sensors are supporting flood monitoring and coastal planning, and explore data visualizations tailored to Maryland communities.

     

  • Join MARACOOS on August 4 for an interactive virtual workshop focused on the development of the East Coast Community Operational Forecast System (ECCOFS)—a next-generation ocean model to forecast currents, temperature, salinity and sea levels from the Caribbean to the Grand Banks.

     

  • Educational resources GCOOS presented during the NMEA conference are available to all educators on the GCOOS website.
    • Ocean Animals on the Move: Using Technology to Track Marine Life and Understand Environmental Change
    • CETACEAN for Educators

       

  • The Underwater Glider User Group (UG2) has introduced its new bi-annual newsletter covering the latest news from the glider community. Click here for more info.

     

  • Read about how the partnership between SECOORA, University of South Carolina Beaufort, and the Port Royal Sound Foundation and how it’s fostering a strong bond between the human and animal residents of the Port Royal Sound in Beaufort, SC.

     

  • With support from NANOOS, CRITFC and OSU are hosting two tribal undergraduate students for a research-based internship in coastal oceanography and underwater gliders.

     

  • New England Seafood Partnership for Innovations, Research and Engagement (NSPIRE), a  vision for an emerging innovation ecosystem led by NERACOOS, has been selected as a semifinalist in an NSF Regional Innovation Engine. 

     

  • The Voice of the Sea: Ciguatera Poisoning! premieres on YouTube August 14. Learn about the seafood illness that comes from toxins in warm, nearshore waters, and about Pacific Ciguatera Network collaborations in American Samoa and the Marshall Islands.

Partners

New Papers and Reports

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