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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From the Director:

As the summer comes to a close, I hope everyone had an opportunity to spend some time away from work, relax, and recharge a bit. I closed out the summer with a trip north with my son who is off to senior year in college and he dropped me off in Rye, New Hampshire to attend a celebration of life of our good friend and IOOS family member, Dr. John Ruairidh “Ru” Morrison. The event brought together Ru’s family and friends from far and wide to the Seacoast Science Center to share favorite memories of Ru and to honor his remarkable life. We all raised a glass and shared memories of how much we appreciate the time we were able to spend with Ru.  

This past month, the IOOS Association also awarded the 2022 Caraid Award to Molly McCammon of the Alaska Ocean Observing System. Many congrats to Molly on this well deserved award.

The word “Caraid” is a Scottish Gaelic word, meaning “care" or "love” and is pronounced like “courage.”   Dr. Ru Morrison was the first recipient of the award and the inspiration for its creation that honors both Ru’s collaborative spirit and his love for his Scottish homeland. The attributes of Caraid - caring and the courage to do what matters - is what makes IOOS work.

Thanks,
Carl

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

  • The FY23 OTT Project Notice of Funding Opportunity now open: In FY 2023-2024, up to $7.5 million/year (estimated) will be available through the Ocean Technology Transition program. Awards are for up to $400,00/year for up to three years.  Multiple awards are anticipated, subject to availability of funds. The full announcement can be found here. Letters of Intent (highly recommended, but not required) should be submitted via Google Form by 11:59 PM ET on Friday, October 21, 2022. Full proposals must be received no later than 11:50 PM ET on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.  Please contact Tiffany Vance if you have any questions. 
  • From the IOOS Association: 
    • McCammon announced 2022 Caraid Award winner: The IOOS Association is pleased to announce that Molly McCammon of the Alaska Ocean Observing System is the 2022 recipient of the Caraid Award. Molly is receiving this award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to observing, understanding and protection of our oceans and coasts through vision, leadership, friendship, and collaboration. Molly exemplifies the collaborative, creative and caring characteristics celebrated by this award, and her dedication and passion motivates and inspires others. Congratulations Molly!
    • Save the Date! The IOOS Fall Meeting - November 8-10: IOOS Fall Meeting will be hosted by CariCOOS in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 8-10, 2022. Please mark your calendars!

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

  • Surface Current Mapping
    • Safety of the Straits Event: On 8/12/2022 GLOS and Michigan Technological University hosted the Safety in the Straits event to commission the Great Lakes’ first high-frequency radar (HFR) installation as part of the IOOS Surface Currents Program HFR National Network.  This event brought together stakeholders including congresspeople and their staffers, Michigan Technological University leadership, GLOS leadership, the Mackinac Bridge Authority, the U.S. Coast Guard, Viking Cruises, HFR manufacturer CODAR Ocean Sensors, NOAA’s GLERL and IOOS, and members of the public to learn more about the benefits to navigation and environmental safety offered by the HFRs at Bridgeview Park and Fort Michilimackinac.
    • RATES to Join GCOOS; Operate new HFR Networks: The RATES (Research, Applied Technology, Education, and Service) organization has accepted an invitation to join GCOOS!  Among RATES’ current projects is HFR for Texas Bays and Ports, funded by the Texas General Land Office as a Coastal Management Program (CMP) Cycle-26 Project of Special Merit.  RATES plans to operate two HFR networks on Galveston Bay and Sabine Lake in Texas, and data from these two networks will be applied to enhance the SCHISM (Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydroscience Integrated System Model) hydrodynamic models being developed by the Texas Water Development Board—as well as being sharedthrough the IOOS Surface Currents Program HFR National Network.
    • Registration Deadline for 12th ROWG Meeting: The 12th Radiowave Operators Working Group meeting will be a hybrid in-person/virtual meeting at the ECU Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese, North Carolina Nov. 2–3, 2022 with a Radar Manufacturer Day on Nov. 4, 2022.  Sept. 15, 2022 is the deadline to sign up to attend using this registration form.  More information is available at https://ioos.noaa.gov/project/hf-radar/ (discounted room rate info for the Holiday Inn Express Nags Head Oceanfront will be posted there within the coming week).
  • Gliders 
    • Chukchi Sea Marine Mammal Glider “LOKI” Underway for 2022 Survey: AOOS funded whale glider Loki was deployed at the end of July. The Chukchi Sea Marine Mammal Glider, supported by AOOS since 2013, provides one of the longest geospatial time series documenting unprecedented changes in the Arctic. Real time oceanographic data from Loki are streaming live through the AOOS Ocean Data Explorer Data Portal. Near real time passive acoustic detections of Arctic marine mammals are viewable on WHOI’s Website: Robots4Whales, Chukchi Sea, Arctic Summer 2022.
    • Navy Glider Deployment off Virginia: Navy Slocum Glider, NG734 was deployed off the coast of Virginia on August 2, 2022. Captain Sean Fate and mate, PG Ross of Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s Eastern Shore Laboratory (ESL) were joined by Athena Empson, Jack Slater, and Grace Kirkpatrick on the R/V Scallop for the deployment.  The glider team’s goal is for the glider to make a loop around the Mid-Atlantic Slope along the Gulf Stream to collect data. The Navy Glider will gather information about what is happening below the ocean surface and can help contribute to improving hurricane studies and forecasts. Read the full story here.
    • Franklin the Glider is on a Coordinated Mission to Improve Tropical Storm Intensity Forecasting: SECOORA’s glider, Franklin, has a friend for his first mission of the 2022 hurricane season. Franklin is flying under the Saildrone SD-1059 for the next 30-60 days collecting water column data to help forecasters better understand the forces that drive hurricane intensity.  Click here for Franklin data.  Read the full story here. 
  • UG2 Updates:

 

  • Buoys & Moorings

 

  • Harmful Algal Blooms 
    • New Red Tide Study Suggests Neurological Impacts: A recent study published by the Roskamp Institute and GCOOS in the peer-reviewed journal Harmful Algae provides new evidence that red tide exposure can have neurological impacts — suggesting for the first time that certain individuals are susceptible to airborne exposure from red tide blooms. In particular, individuals with a previous history of migraine or chronic fatigue syndrome, extreme fatigue that worsens with physical and mental activity, are more likely to have symptoms that have previously only been associated with eating seafood contaminated with red tide toxins. However, participants in this study had only been exposed to red tide toxins in the air.  Read the full story here.
    • Tracking Harmful Algal Toxin off the Washington coast: The team led by Stephanie Moore (NOAA), Nicolaus Adams (NOAA), and John Mickett (UW) successfully deployed the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) "Friday" at the Northeast Enhanced Moored Observatory ~15 miles off La Push on the Washington shelf. ESPfriday is providing near-real time observations of domoic acid (DA) three days per week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) through October 10. The near-real time data provided by ESPfriday are served by the NANOOS Data Visualization System (NVS) and the "Real-time HABs" website (click on the 'ESP Now' tab). 
    • The 5th NHABON Webinar: Remote Sensing, Observing and Forecast Using Drones, Hyperspectral Sensors and Satellites will be held Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 3:00-4:00pm EDT. This webinar will provide a brief overview of remote sensing tools to observe, monitor, and forecast HABs. Research scientists will discuss how drones and hyperspectral imaging are used to monitor HABs, the direction new technology is headed, and a deep dive into current research projects. Please register for the webinar here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6177668078329216523.
    • Toxic Algal Bloom Spreads Along California Coast, Poisoning Sea Lions: The rapid growth of harmful algae along parts of the Southern California coast is producing high concentrations of a toxin that affects California sea lions. It has led to strandings of more than 60 of the marine mammals since mid-August. Many have acted erratically, suffered from seizures, and in some cases died. Growth of the toxic algae Pseudo-nitzschia is expected to continue in coming days, according to forecasts from the California Harmful Algae Risk Mapping (C-HARM) system. 

 

  • Marine Life
    • New Elasmobranch Movement Ecology Paper Published: Acting ATN Network Coordinator, Tobey Curtis, along with numerous ATN partners, contributed to a new publication in Science Advances. The paper presents a global collaboration to synthesize satellite tag data on the vertical movements of 38 species of sharks and rays. The paper is available here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abo1754. 
    • 2022 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest ends on September 5: Calling all photographers, regardless of skill level or experience, select your best photos to participate in the 2022 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest. Learn more here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/photo-contest.html 

Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure (DMAC) Subsystem and Tools Built on IOOS Data:

  • New Wave Flooding Tool Provides Future Scenarios for West Maui: A new interactive mapping tool created by researchers at the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) provides West Maui community members, property owners, businesses, as well as state and county officials with predictions of coastal flooding under various scenarios of sea level and a range of wave events. Read the full story here. 
  • August IOOS DMAC Tech Webinar: The most recent IOOS DMAC Tech Webinar - CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance - was held August 25th. The webinar explored The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance. Mark Parsons gave a brief overview of the principles, which was followed up with a discussion of Indigenous metadata led by Shelby Brunner and the GLOS team. 
  • 4th NOAA AI Workshop: The workshop will focus on interactive activities including hackathons, tutorials, and interactive discussion sessions. The workshop has three focus areas - fire weather and impacts, AI for ocean science, and interoperable digital twin Earth systems. If you have any questions regarding the workshop, please contact ai.workshop@noaa.gov. 
  • QARTOD:
    • No update.

Modeling and Analysis Subsystem:   

  • No update.

Around the Regions:

  • The 2022 Vembu Subramanian Awardees announced: Three awardees have been identified as recipients of the 2022 Vembu Subramanian Award and have been informed of their success. After accepting the evaluation of applications by its Review Panel, OCOVI informed and congratulated Zachary Briggs, Dishon Heyliger, and Andrew McGregor on their success. McGregor is a graduate student in the University of the Virgin Islands’ Master of Marine and Environmental Science program, and Heyliger and Briggs are undergraduates in the UVI Marine Biology program. Read the full story and details about the awardees here!
  • Southeast & Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership Welcomes New Executive Director: Heather P. McCarthy joins the Southeast & Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership (SCDRP) as their new Executive Director. Heather brings more than two decades of experience in coastal zone management, environmental writing and education, and marine and estuarine research to SCDRP.  Read the full story here. 
  • Join WebCOOS! Web cameras or webcams are a low-cost coastal observing platform transforming how community environmental monitoring is conducted. Webcams can address significant gaps in the nation’s ability to monitor and accurately forecast various weather, ocean, ecological, and public health hazards. Learn more about how to join this project here. 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility:

  • Backyard Buoys Co-Production Workshop in Utqiagvik: Members of AOOS attended a two-day co-production workshop hosted by AOOS, Barrow Whaling Captains Association, and Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. The workshop brought together the two other IOOS Regional Associations (NANOOS & PacIOOS); Indigenous partners Gambell, Savoonga, Wales, Utqiagvik, Nuiqsut, La Push, and American Samoa; Sofar Ocean (buoy and sensor company); and education partners (ANSEP). We were also fortunate that the Honorable Mayor of the North Slope Borough, Harry Brower Jr. and BOEM Regional Director, Dr. James Kendall, also participated! Sheyna also gave an interview on KBRW (Backyard Buoys KBRW Interview).

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

  • UN Decade of Ocean Science For Sustainable Development Updates 
    • Continuing the ocean ‘super year’: what’s next for the Ocean Decade? The first half of 2022 saw a number of key events and breakthroughs, from the One Ocean Summit in France, to the commitment of UNEP Member States to negotiate an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution, and the 2022 UN Ocean Conference which brought together the global ocean community in Portugal. The second half of the year looks just as productive, and the Ocean Decade will be an active part of every stage. Read more here: https://www.oceandecade.org/news/continuing-the-ocean-super-year-whats-next-for-the-ocean-decade/
  • MTS Dialogues with Industry: Join the Conversation! The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), Marine Technology Society (MTS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and industry partners are launching a new Ocean Decade action - a forum for compact and meaningful ‘Dialogues with Industry’. The goal of these dialogues is to develop ACTIONABLE recommendations, through interaction between new and established companies, academia, and government, on how the public and private sectors can evolve an expanded and multi-sectoral Global Ocean Observing System, to meet the needs of science, society and the Blue Economy. The first dialogue is scheduled for September 14, 2022 and will feature IOOS Director Carl Gouldman. Learn more here: https://mtsociety.memberclicks.net/mts-goos-industry-dialogues 
  • EuroGOOS HFR Newsletter available: The EuroGOOS HFR Task Team 5th newsletter has been published and is available here.
  • Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) News:
    • Dr. George Voulgaris New OOI Program Director: The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the appointment of Dr. George Voulgaris as the new Program Director for the NSF-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative. Voulgaris joins NSF from the School of Earth, Ocean, and Environment at the University of South Carolina, where he was a full professor and held a variety of administrative appointments throughout his career. Voulgaris assumes the OOI leadership role that was jointly provided by NSF Section Heads, Lisa M. Clough, Ocean Section, and Bauke (Bob) H. Houtman, Integrative Programs since 2016. Read more here: https://oceanobservatories.org/2022/08/dr-george-voulgaris-appointed-new-ooi-program-director/ 
    • 45 Days of Discovery: RCA’s 8th O&M Expedition: The Regional Cabled Array (RCA) team left port in Newport, Oregon on August 5 aboard the global class research ship the R/V Thomas G. Thompson for a 45-day expedition. This is the eighth operations and maintenance cruise to the array, a network of 900 kilometers of electro-optical cables that crosses a tectonic plate and powers sensors on the seafloor and in the water column, including instrumented profiling platforms on moorings. Read more here: https://oceanobservatories.org/2022/08/45-days-of-discovery/ 
  • Sea Level Rise Technical Report application guide now available: Community planners and decision makers now have an application guide to help them plan for the significant sea level rise the United States is expected to see in the next 30 years. The guide is a response to the Interagency Sea Level Rise report, which projected about a foot of higher waters, on average, along U.S. coastlines by 2050. That is as much sea level rise in 30 years as the country witnessed in the previous century. For each community, and for each project, there are many factors to consider. The Application Guide for the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report is a first-of-its-kind effort to help individuals and organizations wade through various local considerations to arrive at the best approach for their community. In this way, they can advance coastal resilience on their own terms and adopt planning and adaptation initiatives that make the most sense for their situation. Read more here: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/jun22/sealevelrise-report-guide.html 
  • OCS Demonstrates Prototype Bathymetric Data: OCS staff visited the Sandy Hook Pilots Association and U.S. Coast Guard First District to discuss prototype S-102 data, which displays the bathymetric surface and provides a greater level of detail than charts, using colors and shading to show the depths in between contour lines. The pilots were able to import the prototype S-102 data into their software system, allowing them to extract and use the data. The visit demonstrated the capabilities of S-102 data applied within a real-world system. OCS staff also discussed the ongoing nautical chart transition and demonstrated the Nautical Chart Display System and NOAA’s Custom Chart application — a web tool that lets users create their own customized nautical charts directly from NOAA electronic navigational chart data.
  • High Tide Flooding Expected to Continue Along US Coasts: CO-OPS released the State of High Tide Flooding and 2022 Outlook report, which details changes in high tide flooding patterns from May 2021 through April 2022 at 97 NOAA tide gauges along the U.S. coasts. Coastal communities experienced more frequent high tide flooding, with a record number of high tide flooding days reported in Reedy Point, Delaware, and Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands. The report also provides a flooding outlook through April 2023 and projections for the next several decades. By 2050, national scale high tide flooding is expected to occur between 45-70 days per year on average. These long-term projections are based on the expected relative sea level rise of about one foot, on average, across the United States by 2050.
  • CO-OPS Teaches Community About Assessing Sea Level Rise: A CO-OPS staff member gave a presentation on “Assessing the Risks of Rising Seas” at the Camden Yacht Club located in Camden, Maine, to help residents understand rising sea levels and the potential impacts to their community. The presentation outlined how publicly available water level data is collected, how it relates to local, state, and national spatial reference systems, and where data and related tools can be found. The community was interested in how water levels in Camden may change in the future and how they can make informed decisions to protect their community. Attendees left the seminar knowing how to access NOAA’s estimates of future water levels and how these estimates are likely to affect Camden.
  • Pacific Operations Branch Completes Field Work in Hawaii: After a 2 1/2-year hiatus due to COVID safety and travel restrictions, staff from the Pacific Operations Branch visited six National Water Level Observation Network stations in the Hawaiian Islands. Although the trip was brief, the field team completed crucial equipment repairs and performed leveling to ensure data quality at all of the stations. The field team was also able to relocate microwave water level (MWWL) sensors and survey new areas for MWWL sensor installation. A critical aspect of this trip was meeting in person and bolstering relationships with local contacts and harbor masters. A big “mahalo” to everyone within CO-OPS who contributed to the success of the trip!
  • Canada and US to Update Heights in Great Lakes Region: This summer surveyors from the Canadian and American governments are in the Great Lakes region for a six-week project collecting Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) data at over 350 locations. The data will determine the heights of water level gauges as part of an update to the International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD). The surveyors’ height measurements support NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services’ (CO-OPS) water-level measurements. IGLD is the common reference system used to measure water level heights throughout the Great Lakes‐St. Lawrence River System. IGLD is used for marine navigation, water level regulation, water management, surveying, mapping, and shoreline use planning. Updates to the IGLD occur every 25 to 35 years to correct for the movement of Earth’s crust. This is the first update to use GNSS data. The IGLD improvement will be a boon to its many applications, including lake level forecasting and hydroelectric power regulation.
  • Smaller than Expected Summer 2022 'Dead Zone' Measured in Gulf of Mexico: NCCOS-supported scientists have determined that this year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” — an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life — is approximately 3,275 square miles, equivalent to more than two million acres of habitat potentially unavailable to fish and bottom species. Read the full story here.
  • NCCOS Provides Spanish Translation of Coastal Manual: NCCOS’s National Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN), a community-based program that monitors marine phytoplankton and harmful algal blooms (HABs), partnered with Innoceana, an international nongovernmental organization, to incorporate phytoplankton sampling in their existing citizen science programs. PNM provided Innoceana’s Marine Conservation and Education Center, located in Ojochal, Costa Rica, with the Spanish language translation of their coastal protocols manual to better serve visitors and the local community. This collaboration allows the education center to collect baseline data on the potential presence of HAB organisms in a designated Mission Blue Hope Spot — an area recognized as critical to the health of the ocean. Center staff also completed PMN training and are incorporating HAB monitoring methods and techniques into their education and outreach programs.
  • New Tool Available: Vibrio Harvest Calculator for Long Island Sound Oysters: A new web-based, mapping tool available to growers, farmers, and managers in Long Island Sound will allow users to see how much Vibrio bacteria growth they might encounter when harvesting oysters. Read the full story here. 
  • Last Chance! AGU Leadership Elections: The final slate for the upcoming AGU elections is now live. Every two years, AGU members elect the people who will lead the organization for the next several years. These volunteer leaders commit to advancing the mission, vision, goals and core values of AGU. View the slate of candidates before the polls open on 7 September. 

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