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:

Dear IOOS Community,

I’m writing to you today from Juneau, Alaska where we are wrapping up the 2024 IOOS Fall meeting with representatives from the IOOS Association, the 11 IOOS Regional Associations, and IOOS Office staff. This annual meeting brings us together to hold important strategic discussions to advance the IOOS Enterprise including long-term, strategic regional budget planning, coordinating on collaborative communications, and to kick off implementation of IRA projects. We all gave a huge shout out to AOOS for sharing their amazing work and partnerships, and for being such gracious hosts. 

I am also pleased to share that yesterday NOAA announced $101.5 million in funding to expand equitable service delivery and support the modernization of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Associations. This is a huge step for advancing the IOOS mission and to enhance our Nation’s coastal resilience. I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished together — designing an ambitious and far-reaching plan to put these Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) dollars to work, evolving IOOS to the next level. These awards, cooperative agreements, will have us working together to expand and grow our system to enhance equitable service delivery to frontline and overburdened communities, as we continue to be receptive to and responsive to coastal resilience needs. I look forward to the next five years of collaboration and teamwork that will instill even greater capacities into our system. Please view this congratulatory message from NOS Deputy Assistant Administrator for Navigation, Observations, and Positioning Rachael Dempsey. 

And last but not least, let us know how we can improve this newsletter for you! We’ve got a short survey going and we’d love to hear your thoughts — and many thanks for the thoughtful submissions we’ve received already! 

Thanks,

Carl

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

  • IRA invests $101.5 M in IOOS Regional Associations: Earlier this week, NOAA announced $101.5 million in awards to the U.S. IOOS Regional Associations. These awards, made under the Inflation Reduction Act, focus on climate resilience, and funds will support improved and enhanced coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes observing systems. This work contributes to NOAA’s Climate Ready Coasts initiative. Under these awards, the IOOS RAs will undertake actions to recapitalize and modernize; support data delivery and information services responsive to regional and stakeholder-driven needs; advance ecosystem change management and place-based planning; and respond to urgent needs for water level and wave observation and monitoring. They are empowered to form new partnerships and deepen existing relationships with communities and stakeholders to ensure that system design, information services, and data delivery can remain relevant and responsive to existing and emerging regional and national requirements. Read the press release here!
  • Give us your opinion! Is this newsletter useful to you? Could it be better? Do you have an idea that could improve the experience? We’ve put together a short seven question survey to find out what we do well and what we could do better. You can access the survey here, and we’d be grateful for your feedback! https://touchpoints.app.cloud.gov/touchpoints/6ba91930/submit
  • From the IOOS Association:
    • NHABON Webinars: Please join us for our next webinar on September 18, 2024 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET on The role of satellite observations in NHABON and exciting advances in space-based HAB detection. A registration link is coming!

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

  • Surface Current Mapping
    • 2024 International Radiowave Oceanography Workshop (ROW2024):  The ROW series of workshops — conducted on a regular basis since 2001, but which had been disrupted since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic—successfully resumed this week September 3 - 5, 2024 at the University of Plymouth Marine Station, Plymouth, UK.  ROW focuses on the oceanographic applications of high-frequency (HF) radar and provides an international forum for discussion of related issues and the direction of future work in the field.  A program, book of abstracts, and more information about ROW2024 is available here.  Congratulations to ROW2024’s organizing committee, and further to those members of IOOS participating, on all your work advancing the field of radiowave oceanography!
  • Gliders 
    • 2024 Glider Workshop: The 2024 UG2 Workshop is quickly approaching and will be hosted at the University of Michigan Palmer Commons from September 10 - 12, 2024. This workshop will bring together the global underwater glider community to strengthen international collaboration through community dialogue, exchanges of information, sharing of experiences, and development of best practices to support the glider community. The event will consist of plenaries, break out sessions, town halls, networking happy hours, poster sessions, and vendor booths spread out over three action-packed days.  
      • Click here to access the full agenda 
      • Check the website for updates and information 
  • Buoys & Moorings
    • Pohnpei Buoy Deployment: The Pohnpei wave buoy, owned and managed by PacIOOS, was deployed last month just outside the northernmost barrier reef, approximately 5 miles (8 km) north of Parem Island, in the Federated States of Micronesia. The buoy provides observations of wave height and direction, as well as sea surface temperature, air temperature, and sea surface currents. Long-term partnerships between PacIOOS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and CDIP enable data streaming into the PacIOOS website and PacIOOS Voyager.
    • New NDBC Wave Systems: The National Data Buoy Center Science Advisory Team (NSAT) finalized the testing and analysis of a new wave payload, Wave and Ocean Payload-18 (WAVCEAN-18), to replace the currently operational WAVCEAN-16 payload. The previous payload contained the now obsolete Digital Directional Wave Module (DDWM) that will be replaced by the new and improved Ocean Wave Linux (OWL) module, which uses a more efficient processor. The WAVCEAN-18 has an enhanced signal to noise ratio and a more compact package than its predecessor. Testing between the two payloads showed that the WAVCEAN-18 performed well when compared to the DDWM and Waverider buoys,  providing data within climatological bounds, and with the same accuracy and precision previously observed in this wave system.  NDBC is actively deploying these systems to its network of weather buoys and will continue to do so in the coming year.
  • Harmful Algal Blooms 
    • NANOOS SeaSats Lightfish Completes First Offshore HAB-Sampling Mission: NANOOS and partners have started using a combination of new technologies to improve the frequency and coverage of offshore HAB observations in the Pacific Northwest and better inform public health officials and marine resource managers of HAB risk. We are pleased to announce the first successful operational mission of the SeaSats Lightfish, a solar-charged autonomous surface vehicle, augmented with a water sampling system designed and built by APL-UW. In late July, the Lightfish covered a 60-mile trackline out of Newport, OR, collecting 15 water samples near Heceta Head and rapidly returning them to a shore-side lab. Samples were analyzed at the OSU Hatfield lab for plankton abundance, species composition and levels of domoic acid, the HAB toxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning. This work is possible by funding from both the IOOS Ocean Technology Transition Program and NANOOS HAB-ON program. See the data on NVS here.
    • SCCOOS is monitoring an ongoing Harmful Algal Bloom in Southern California, which poses an ongoing threat to marine wildlife, including a large number of California Sea Lions (see "IOOS in the News" section below for clips). SCCOOS Director and PI Clarissa Anderson presented on this topic at the West Watch Webinar on August 20.
    • Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Network: In July, Thomas Farrugia took part in the Arctic Observing Network’s research cruise aboard the USCGC Healy (HLY2401). The cruise traveled from Dutch Harbor to Banks Island in the Canadian Arctic and back to Nome, AK. During the cruise, Thomas helped collect water and sediment samples for analysis of Harmful Algal Blooms, and he brought an Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) on board. The IFCB collected and imaged water samples constantly while underway and Thomas monitored the output to look for any evidence of harmful algal blooms. In total, 1,628 samples were taken by the IFCB, and the data from these samples will be analyzed by Thomas and the results will be presented to the U.S. HAB Symposium in October.
    • NHABON Webinars: 
      • NHABON Webinars: Please join us for our next webinar on September 18, 2024 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST on The role of satellite observations in NHABON and exciting advances in space-based HAB detection. A registration link is coming!
  • Marine Life
    • 2024 Ed Ricketts Memorial Award and Lecture - Beyond Pacific Tides: How Technology Has Provided a Window into the Secret Life of Marine Mammals: The 2024 Ricketts Award recipient Dr. Daniel P. Costa, University of California Santa Cruz, will provide a lecture on how technology has provided insights into the behavior and physiology of marine mammals in nature. The lecture will be shared both virtually and in person, hosted at NOAA's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, at 35 Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz, CA. The Ed Ricketts Memorial Lecture was created to honor scientists who have exhibited exemplary work throughout their career and advanced the status of knowledge in the field of marine science. The first award was presented in March 1986. Recipients are selected by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Research Activity Panel. Register for the webinar here. 
    • GCOOS-SECOORA Webinar Series: The final webinar in the GCOOS-SECOORA series, which was designed to establish collaborative opportunities among the ocean acidification community and the Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (MBON), has wrapped up. You can view the webinar recordings at www.GCOOS.org/webinars2024.
    • Ocean Biodiversity TechSurge Keynote & Program Revealed - October 1–2, 2024: We're thrilled to announce the keynote speaker and program framework for the Ocean Biodiversity TechSurge coming up on October 1 - 2, 2024 at the Sheraton Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD! Dr. Sarah Kapnick, NOAA Chief Scientist, will kick off the conference with an opening keynote. Following the keynote, the meeting program will involve a comprehensive exploration of ocean biodiversity conservation technology through a series of facilitated panel discussions on the two days of the meeting. Day 1 will focus on “Benefits of a Globally Scaled Marine Biodiversity Knowledge Network” and include discussions around the value of biodiversity, aggregating demand for development and conservation, and technology and data innovations for biodiversity monitoring, reporting, verification, forecasting, and integration. Day 2 discussions will focus on “Powering Solutions: Advancing Ocean Biodiversity Technologies for Applications from Finance to Conservation” with continued discussion on technology and data innovations, financial tools to scale biodiversity conservation, and implementation of next steps. Don't miss your chance to be part of this crucial conversation! The Call for Abstracts and Registration are now open. Learn more here: Ocean Biodiversity TechSurge

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

  • August’s DMAC tech webinar titled “ROR Identifiers for IOOS Regional Associations” was presented in collaboration with Jennifer Devine and Jennifer Fagan-Fry of the NOAA Central Library. This webinar highlighted Research Organization Registry (ROR) identifiers, how they can be implemented by the IOOS RAs to represent affiliations with various partner organizations, and the value added for metrics tracking. A recording of the webinar is available via the NOAA Library’s YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/P1WzR0twg_U  
  • QARTOD
    • No update.
  • Artificial Intelligence
    • No update.

Modeling and Analysis Subsystem:   

  • No update.

Around the Regions:

  • CO-OPS Partners with SECOORA to Bring Coastal Webcam Imagery to Coastal Inundation Dashboard: In August 2024, NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services integrated coastal webcam imagery into the Coastal Inundation Dashboard! This new feature is the result of a partnership with the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA). The webcams are part of SECOORA’s Webcam Coastal Observation System (WebCOOS), a coastal webcam network that monitors real-time coastal environmental conditions. Read the full story here.
  • Updated American Samoa Sea Level Rise Viewer Launched: The American Samoa Sea Level Rise Viewer 2.0 went live this month! The updated version incorporates NOAA National Geodetic Survey 2022 lidar digital elevation maps with 1-meter resolution for all islands, enhancing the detail to which the tool can be used by the community to visualize how the shoreline is likely to change from coastal flooding, sea level rise, hurricane storm surge, and high tides. The viewer has been used by the American Samoa Department of Port Administration to determine where to place new port infrastructure such as their new Pago Pago ports building, as well as planning for the Pago Pago airport runway and terminal.
  • GCOOS hits ocean current data milestone: GCOOS hit a big data milestone in August when it surpassed the 500-million mark for data records of ocean currents from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)/Notice to Lessees (NTL) Data Repository and Registry, where it collates and curates oceanographic data gathered by offshore oil and gas platform operators. The GCOOS BSEE/NTL repository receives data from 50 active stations, including Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU), and also houses all the data reported previously via the NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). https://ntl.gcoos.org/
  • Lake Superior Missing Plane Search (ASV Demo and Livestream): In 1968, a National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) plane carrying two pilots and a graduate student disappeared over Lake Superior. 55 years later, the search for the missing plane is still on. Led by the Smart Ships Coalition, a large area search mission will take place on Monday, September 9 and will launch from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI. GLOS will be streaming the event live. Throughout the day, on September 9, GLOS’ CIO Tim Kearns will check in with mission crew and onsite experts. To follow along with the mission and see the mapping data come in real-time, visit the GLOS YouTube page beginning at 10 am ET on September 9.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility:

  • Alaska Regional Ocean Partnership: AOOS staff had a great visit with partners at Nalaquq in the remote community of Quinhagak, Alaska. Using Regional Ocean Partnership funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Nalaquq implemented a project that combines traditional Yup’ik knowledge with Unmanned Aircraft Systems to count salmon on local rivers. There was much local interest in this year’s pilot study, and we are excited to see how the project expands over the next three years!
  • Backyard Buoys outreach: In August, AOOS and the Backyard Buoys program sponsored the BARC Science and Culture Fair, hosted by UIC Science in Utqiagvik—the northernmost community in Alaska. Nearly 100 students from Arctic communities participated in the event, providing a platform for youth and community members to work alongside each other in an area that has been a hub for Arctic scientific research for decades. At the science fair, AOOS highlighted the importance of ocean safety and guided nearly 75 students in assembling small whaling boats. The students designed their own hunting flags for the boats, reflecting what they see in their communities and offering them a glimpse into their future roles as providers for their families.
  • SACNAS National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference, Oct. 31– Nov. 2, 2024: NOAA will participate in the largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM diversity event in the country: the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference, Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, 2024, Phoenix, AZ. Get involved! See https://www.sacnas.org/conference for more information about the conference or reach out to rosa.gonzalez@noaa.gov with any questions. 

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

  • UN Decade of Ocean Science For Sustainable Development Updates: 
    • No update.
  • Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) News:
    • Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) Workshop VII - 14 -18 October 2024: The need for best practices is fundamental to enhance interoperability and reliability in the use of ocean data, to ensure the good evolution of the global observing network from the deep ocean to the coast, and to handle complex forecasting systems. Whether you are an experienced user, or new to the Ocean Best Practices System, we are very pleased to invite you to register for this year's free online OBPS Workshop VIII. The aim of the Workshop is to facilitate the cross-cutting primary role of best practices and standards in operational oceanography by promoting dialogues across science, technology, and governance. More information will be provided, but please also check the evolving OBPS Workshop VIII webpage. For any questions about the workshop, please contact workshops@oceanbestpractices.org.
  • Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) News:
    • Summer Science Tours: CGSN Engages Young Environmentalists: The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) OOI Coastal and Global Scale Nodes (CGSN) Team at WHOI has had a busy summer of talks and tours. With the help of Mashpee Wampanoag WHOI Tribal Liaison and Native Land Conservancy (NLC) founding board officer, Leslie Jonas, CGSN hosted two notable sets of visitors in July and August 2024. The NLC is an Indigenous-led land conservation nonprofit based on Cape Cod that seeks to preserve land for future generations. In July, Preserving Our Homelands (POH) summer science program students from the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe visited WHOI. The POH program provides 6th, 7th, and 8th grade native students with hands-on science experiences in order to deepen their understanding of the environment from a western science perspective and its relationship to tribal culture, and traditional ecological knowledge. In August, Native Land Conservancy First Light Fellows and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) environmental science community members of the Massachusetts Audubon Society visited WHOI and toured facilities. First Light is a paid summer fellowship program for rising Native American conservationists ages 18 - 25. Read more here: https://oceanobservatories.org/2024/08/summer-science-tours-whoi-cgsn-engages-young-environmentalists/ 
  • Ocean Studies Board: Call for Experts: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is seeking suggestions for new members of the Ocean Studies Board.  This year we have 4 - 5 positions to fill in the following areas of expertise: Biogeochemistry, Biological Oceanography, Marine Ecology, Fisheries Science, Resource Economics, Marine Technology, and Ocean Modeling.  Although not all suggestions will result in membership on the Board, your submissions will help to ensure that we have a strong pool of candidates not only for this year, but also in subsequent years.  Please fill out the form at the following link: https://survey.alchemer.com/collab/7950261/Ocean-Studies-Board-Call-for-Experts. Submissions close 9/16/24.
  • Request for Public Comment on NOAA Commercial Data Buys Guidance: The Chief Data Officer within NOAA OCIO seeks information from interested parties regarding NOAA Observing System Council (NOSC) 2024 Guidance for NOAA Commercial Data Buys, a framework document developed for NOAA programs and offices that describes considerations for NOAA's engagements with the commercial sector on commercial data buy opportunities from all sources that contribute to environmental intelligence. The Request for Information (RFI) is published here. 
  • NOAA announces plans to survey Port Valdez and solicits proposals for 2026 funding opportunity: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is pleased to announce a partnership with the City of Valdez for a hydrographic surveying project in Port Valdez. This project was selected for the Brennan Matching Fund from last year’s round of applicants and is slated to occur in 2025. The project will provide high resolution bathymetry and backscatter data over approximately 32.5 square nautical miles, and supply a contemporary baseline to help city emergency managers understand and prepare for potential impacts of submarine landslides. Read more here: https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/updates/noaa-announces-plans-to-survey-port-valdez-and-solicits-proposals-for-2026-funding-opportunity/ 
  • NOAA’s 2024 - 25 Annual High Tide Flooding Outlook Released: Updated every year since 2015, the Annual High Tide Flooding Outlook provides predictions of high tide flooding at 97 NOS tide stations for the coming meteorological year — May to April — and for decades to come. The outlook also provides observations of past flood days to help illustrate how flood frequencies change over long periods of time due to factors like sea level rise, as well as how they vary from year to year due to large-scale changes in weather and ocean circulation patterns, including the El Niño-Southern Oscillation.
  • Delaware Bay tidal current survey technical report available: The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) National Current Observation Program published the Delaware Bay and River current survey 2021 technical report. The report summarizes results from the Delaware Bay and River Tidal Current Survey, which was completed in 2021. The survey temporarily deployed 34 current meter stations measuring tidal currents every six minutes. Four conductivity, or salinity; temperature; and depth, or CTD, sensors were collocated with the current meters to support NOAA and USGS model development. CO-OPS used the survey data to update NOAA’s tidal current predictions, which are available on the Tides and Currents website. These predictions support safe navigation, inform coastal management decisions, and help protect life and property.
  • NGS collects emergency response imagery of Hurricane Debby: A National Geodetic Survey (NGS) crew flew over more than 2,308 square kilometers in 11.1 hours and collected 4,600 aerial images in the aftermath of Hurricane Debby. The crew collected the imagery in specific areas identified by NOAA and assigned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordination with impacted states and other federal agencies. NOAA's aerial imagery aids safe navigation and captures coastal area damage caused by storms. Aerial imagery is a crucial tool for determining the extent of damage due to flooding and for comparing baseline coastal areas to assess damage to major ports and waterways, coastlines, critical infrastructure, and coastal communities. NGS delivers the imagery through this website that supports the general public’s needs as well as advanced applications. This imagery provides a cost-effective way to better understand the damage sustained to both property and the environment.

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