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,

Check out the new Marine Life landing page on ioos.noaa.gov! The new IOOS Marine Life landing page connects all IOOS existing marine life web pages, portals, use cases, and guidelines — which have all been recently updated — into a single reference resource. Users can now discover, at a centralized location, the array of marine life activities in which IOOS is engaged. From the IOOS website, you can find the Marine Life landing page by selecting the dropdown under “IOOS in Action” from the menu. Take a look around and let us know what you think!

The IOOS Marine Life Program goal is to implement a long-term, sustained marine life observation and data sharing capability to support decision making across the nation and the globe in partnership with other agencies, place-based management areas, regional planning groups, and conservation and management organizations. The IOOS Marine Life Program builds on and expands the infrastructure, momentum and successes of existing IOOS biological observing programs, in particular the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, Animal Telemetry Network, National Harmful Algal Bloom Observing Network, soundscape monitoring, and efforts of IOOS partners and Regional Associations. The program will leverage well-developed national and regional activities, stakeholder engagement and priority-setting processes, collaboration with National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science community structures, technology development, and nearly a decade of National Oceanographic Partnership Program interagency investment towards developing this capability.

Thanks,
Carl

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

  • Save the Date - IOOS Advisory Committee Public Meeting: The next public meeting of the IOOS Advisory Committee will be held June 27-29 in Monterey, CA. A notice will be published in the Federal Register and all meeting information will be available on the IOOS Advisory Committee website. 
  • MTS Call for Papers - Innovations for a New Sustainable Blue Economy - DUE JUNE 20: The Marine Technology Society is seeking papers for a special issue of the MTS Journal. This special issue will cover innovative marine, coastal, and port technologies that support a sustainable new Blue Economy. Manuscripts in this issue will focus on the broad topics that demonstrate the possibility for scalability, a high level of innovation, and the ability of the founders to execute through to full commercialization. Information for submitting manuscripts can be found at mtsociety.org/mts-journal-submissions. Some of the subject areas to be considered include:
    • Improvements to offshore wind infrastructure
    • Eliminating sources of eutrophication from land-based, agriculture-based sources
    • Biodiversity monitoring and species identification using new methods, including eDNA
    • Robotic systems to support offshore work and subsea work
    • Sustainable port operations to support ocean transportation and goods movements
    • Improved systems for aquaculture, including mariculture
    • CO2 sequestration and recycling
    • Solutions to remove and destroy so-called forever chemicals from sensitive waterways
  • From the IOOS Association: 
    • New MARACOOS Deputy Director: Mary Ford has been promoted to Deputy Director of MARACOOS, effective March 15, 2023. Mary joined MARACOOS in 2016, and has served in several roles, including most recently as Director of Engagement and External Relations.  Mary's responsibilities have grown with her experience and her enthusiasm to contribute more to the growth and care of MARACOOS, its partnerships, and IOOS. Mary's new position will be based in Washington DC, where she will be able to work more closely with IOOS and federal agency partners and contribute to MARACOOS education and advocacy efforts in Congress.
    • IOOS Planning Offshore Wind Panels at OCEANS 2023: The IOOS Association OSW Subcommittee in conjunction with the IOOS Surface Currents Program are collaborating on creating three OSW-focused panel sessions for the OCEANS 2023 Gulf Coast conference on interactions with wildlife, data collection needs and sharing, and impacts on observing such as HFR.  Additionally, a booth to facilitate additional presentations and representation of IOOS is tentatively planned.

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

  • Surface Current Mapping
    • First High-Frequency Radars Deployed on North Coast of Puerto Rico Reporting: To continue providing for US Coast Guard and maritime sector information, CARICOOS has installed the first HF Radar stations on the north coast of Puerto Rico in Toa Baja and Fajardo. These will allow for coverage of the busy Puerto Rico-US Virgin Islands sea lane. The systems will provide surface current data in near real-time and augment decision-support tools to enhance the safety and efficiency of the full range of maritime operations in the region.
    • New SeaSonde HF Radar Station in La Selva Beach: CeNCOOS member CODAR Ocean Sensors, Ltd. recently installed a new SeaSonde® oceanographic high-frequency radar station (site code: MBAC) at the Monterey Bay Academy in La Selva Beach, CA.  Coupled with the existing station at Moss Landing Marine Lab (MLML), the two sites now provide more complete high-resolution 2-D surface current circulation measurements in NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.  The MBAC station is also co-located with a suite of radar, LiDAR, and optical atmospheric sensors hosted by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Coastal Environmental Observing Station at the Monterey Bay Academy, which provides an opportunity to collaborate on multi-sensor measurement of marine boundary layer dynamics.  For questions related to the CeNCOOS Monterey Bay HFR network, please contact Chad Whelan (chad@codar.com).
  • Gliders 
    • Seward Line Glider Mission - The February Seward Line Glider mission is underway! The glider was deployed on February 15 and is expected to continue for 60 days. The first February mission was flown in 2022, in conjunction with the International Year of the Salmon surveys. With planned annual repeats of this winter-to-spring mission, scientists will be able to better understand the spring phytoplankton bloom timing, magnitude, and importance for Gulf of Alaska fisheries.
    • NOAA-Navy Glider Meeting: On Tuesday, March 21, Kathy Bailey, Doug Wilson and Scott Glenn were invited to meet in-person with Dr. Christopher Ekstrom (Deputy Oceanographer of the Navy for the Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy) at the U.S. Naval Observatory.  They gave an overview of the 2022 Hurricane Season, and Scott and Doug delved into some results of the model-observation data comparisons with various ocean models. This was very well-received, and Dr. Ekstrom and Navy leaders continue to express their support for the ongoing Navy-NOAA collaboration that enables use of Navy gliders for ocean monitoring to support hurricane intensity forecast improvements.  Discussions included the next variable of interest for NOAA operational data assimilation beyond temperature and salinity (velocity) and access to the new GOFS 3.5 output, which is being investigated by a Navy-NOAA Senior Executive Leadership Panel Security Working Group as part of a broader discussion on data exchange.  Also in attendance: Frank Baker (Deputy Executive Director, Staff of the Oceanographer of the Navy), Capt. Matthew Pawlenko (OMAO), Capt. Jason Mansour (NOS Operations Director) and Marty Getrich (NOS), Capt. Chris Sloan (Director, OCIO/Homeland Security Program Office), and CDR Andrew Ostapenko (OMAO, NOAA Liaison to the Oceanographer of the Navy). 
    • Ocean Chemistry Survey Data Soon to be Available in PacIOOS Voyager: PacIOOS is partnering with researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Lab (PMEL), the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, Ecosystem Studies (CICOES), and Saildrone Inc. to provide near real-time visualizations of water quality measurements made from three Saildrone Explorers traveling around the main Hawaiian Islands. The 23-foot saildrones departed from Honolulu Harbor on March 21, 2023 to transit toward Hawaiʻi Island for a six-month project to characterize near-shore ocean chemistry around each of the main Hawaiian Islands. The data will begin flowing in early April, at which point they will be viewable to the general public through the PacIOOS Voyager tool.
  • UG2 Updates: 
    • UG2 Steering Committee Nominations: UG2 has received nominations for the 2nd Steering Committee membership. The process for reviewing nominations will begin immediately and announcements made April 12th. As an outcome of the 2022 UG2 Workshop an industry panel also is being established. The panel will elect an industry representative to be on the UG2 Steering Committee.
  • Buoys & Moorings
    • New light and temperature sensor arrays yield first year of data, soon available on Seagull: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s Tim Johnson sought to better understand Lake Ontario dynamics year-round.  A difficult quest, especially since most of the monitoring equipment that measures temperature or light at depth is removed every fall to avoid winter damage. So, Johnson and  researchers from five other groups in the U.S. and Canada applied to GLOS for a Smart Great Lakes mini-grant to deploy 13 arrays of temperature and light sensors onto existing moorings within the GLATOS network in Lake Ontario and the team successfully deployed all 13 in summer 2021. Data will be discoverable soon via Search on Seagull.
  • Harmful Algal Blooms 
    • NHABON Webinars: 
      • June NHABON Webinar: Please join us for our next webinar on June 14, 2023 from 3:00-4:00 PM EST on HAB Events and Response. Stay tuned for registration. March NHABON Webinar Recording Now Available: The latest NHABON webinar “NHABON Webinar #7: Linking HAB Observations to Forecasts” is now available here. 
  • Marine Life
    • New Marine Life Landing Page: Check out the new Marine Life landing page on ioos.noaa.gov at https://ioos.noaa.gov/ioos-in-action/marine-life! The new page connects all of IOOS’ existing Marine Life related web pages, portals, use cases, and guidelines, which have all been recently updated, and provides a single succinct resource to reference. We now have a centralized location for users to discover the various marine life activities IOOS is engaged in. Take a look around and let us know what you think.
    • ATN Steering Group Meeting: The ATN Steering Group (SG) held its 14th meeting on March 9th. Topics included updates on the IOOS Marine Life Program, funding, ATN priorities, Data Assembly Center status, regional projects, the ATN Equipment Loan Program, and the Argos Fees Program. The SG discussed and recommended equipment loans to PIRAT/PacIOOS and Mote Marine Laboratory. Adjustments to policies for the Argos Fees Program were also recommended, and those changes will be communicated to ATN users and other stakeholders in the near future. 

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

  • IOOS CodeLab Releases Two New Notebooks: The IOOS CodeLab has recently released two new notebooks on data management (reading and writing zarr) and data access (using pyobis). You can find the links to the new notebooks and a short description below. Enjoy the new content and feel free to propose new notebooks using GitHub issues.
  • QARTOD:
    • No update.

Modeling and Analysis Subsystem:   

  • NANOOS Radar Data Helps USACE Improve Storm Modeling: OSU-NANOOS data are supporting the US Army Corps of Engineers’ development of a high resolution nearshore storm modeling system for the West Coast. Data from the OSU X-band radar station on the USCG Yaquina Bay watchtower provides wave predictions and bottom bathymetry data useful to the model development. Additionally, OSU deployed four Sofar Spotter wave buoys with bottom-mounted pressure sensors last fall, ~1 km offshore Nye Beach in Newport, OR, within the operational radar footprint. The wave buoy data will be used as a ground-truth check on the radar-derived data products and also directly to support and evaluate the storm modeling system. 

Around the Regions:

  • Alaska Water Level Watch: AOOS and JOA Surveys are working with the NOAA Office of Coastal Management to purchase equipment and test and certify sensors in order to increase the number of NOAA CO-OPs-approved equipment types available to collect water levels. These efforts will expand the availability of NOAA sanctioned water level technologies available for use in Alaska for both short-term and long-term Alaska Water Level Watch observing initiatives.
  • SCCOOS Releases New 2021-2026 Strategic Plan: The new Strategic Plan provides an overview of SCCOOS legacy programs with a vision for growth over the next five years that responds directly to the needs of southern California coastal communities. We are grateful for the support and testimonials provided by key partners and stakeholders who rely on SCCOOS ocean observing, modeling and analysis, data management and cyberinfrastructure, and stakeholder engagement to educate the public, serve their constituents, and meet resource management priorities. We look forward to working with all of you in the years ahead to build SCCOOS capacity in partnership with CeNCOOS, NANOOS, and our entire ocean observing family. 
  • GLOS releases 2022 Annual Report: 2022 was an action-packed year, from launching our Seagull platform, to wrapping up a series of diverse mini-grant projects, to advancing the Lakebed 2030 effort with a new crowdsourced bathymetry pipeline. Thank you for being an observer, whether you use the data, deploy observing platforms, or fight for better policies and public access to the region’s monitoring data. Read the report here.
  • GCOOS concludes its Spring Webinar series: The recorded series consists of 17 presentations consolidated in eight videos that can be accessed on the GCOOS YouTube channel. Topics covered support priorities identified in the GCOOS Strategic Plan: Marine Operations, Coastal Hazards, Healthy Ecosystems & Living Resources, Human Health & Safety, Outreach & Education, Data Management & Cyberinfrastructure, Numerical Modeling & Forecasting, and Monitoring Long-term Environmental Change. Speakers demonstrated how the information they are providing is benefitting people, ecosystems and the economy of the Gulf of Mexico and the nation. Have suggestions for future topics of interest? Please contact Chris.Simoniello@gcoos.org.
  • CARICOOS Co-Hosts NOAA Hydrographic Services Review Panel: The NOAA’s Hydrographic Services Review Panel Federal Advisory Committee held its spring meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from February 28 to March 2. This committee provides NOAA with independent advice on improving the quality, efficiency, and usefulness of NOAA’s hydrographic services portfolio and navigation-related products, data, and services. Representatives from the US Caribbean local and federal agencies and maritime, academia, and private sectors, had the opportunity to share their hydrographic service needs and priorities and their reliance on NOAA products, data, and services. In addition, CARICOOS technical leadership, Julio Morell, Patricia Chardón-Maldonado, and Miguel Canals presented an overview of CARICOOS products, services, and decision support tools.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility:

  • Backyard Buoys Project: AOOS’s Sheyna Wisdom and Alice Bailey traveled to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission mini-convention in Utqiagvik January 30-February 2 to give an update on the Backyard Buoys project, as well as to help hire a buoy coordinator and village facilitators. AOOS’s Jill Prewitt  is working with the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program to develop a curriculum using the wave buoys for the middle school and high school academies. The whole Backyard Buoys program continues to make progress on new data tools, stewardship plans, and permitting.
  • IOOS at St. Petersburg Science Festival: GCOOS and SECOORA continued their tradition of collaborating at the St. Petersburg Science Festival as they once again combined forces to bring IOOS science to students and the public in February.  On Feb. 17, 800 fourth and fifth grade students learned about the development of the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) and participated in lessons on animal tracking based on the lesson plans developed by GCOOS and its partners thanks to funding provided by the Earth System Information Partnership (ESIP). (Lessons and a companion poster created by artist Lori Anzalone of Anzalone & Avarella Studios available here.)
  • The 2023 Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook Season has begun! From March to June, AOOS will again be contributing weekly forecasts of surface currents and sea ice movement to the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) program. SIWO is a resource for Alaska Native subsistence hunters, coastal communities, and others interested in sea ice and walrus. The SIWO provides weekly reports during the spring sea ice season with information on weather and sea ice conditions relevant to walrus in the northern Bering Sea and southern Chukchi Sea regions of Alaska.The weekly forecasts of surface currents and sea ice from AOOS will be posted here during the 2023 SIWO season.The full Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook can be found on the ARCUS SIWO program webpage and the SIWO Facebook page.

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

  • UN Decade of Ocean Science For Sustainable Development Updates 
    • Barcelona to Host 2024 UN Ocean Decade Conference - 10-12 April 2023: Three years after the start of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), a global conference will bring together the Ocean Decade community and partners to celebrate achievements and set joint priorities for the future of the Decade. Hosted by Spain and co-organized with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO), the 2024 UN Ocean Decade Conference will take place on 10-12 April 2024 in the coastal city of Barcelona. The event will be a key moment for governments, leaders, maritime sectors, philanthropy, universities, private sector, NGOs and more, to take stock of the achievements of the first three years of the Decade and define a collective vision for the coming years. More info: https://oceandecade.org/news/barcelona-to-host-2024-un-ocean-decade-conference/ 
    • Ocean Decade Announces Wave of Over Thirty New Endorsed Actions: The Ocean Decade has officially endorsed a set of 35 new Decade Actions that are collectively working in all ocean basins, strengthening the global momentum for ocean knowledge-based solutions. Read more here: https://oceandecade.org/news/ocean-decade-announces-wave-of-over-thirty-new-endorsed-actions/
    • OARS Outcome 4: OA impacts on marine life: The UN Ocean Decade-endorsed 'Ocean Acidification Research for Sustainability' (OARS) programme was formed to 'build on the work of GOA-ON to foster the development of ocean acidification science, including the impacts on marine life and sustainability of marine ecosystems in estuarine, coastal, and open ocean environments.' The program identified a number of desired outcomes and has prepared a series of white papers outlining the vision for each outcome, key outputs and products, research and outreach activities and key inputs and partners necessary to successfully implement each outcome.  The white papers are now available for review at: http://goa-on.org/oars/white_papers.php 
  • Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) News:
    • Mission Accomplished Despite Weather: Thirteen days at sea. Two weather days. Wave heights that ranged from 2 – 12 ft, with most days somewhere around 7 foot waves. Winds from a pleasant 5 knots to days with up to 35 knots, with higher intermittent gusts. Except for two days when the sun shone, the weather was damp, cloudy, rainy, with an occasional wintery mix. Despite the conditions, the Endurance Team 18 accomplished its main mission objectives. Read more here: https://oceanobservatories.org/2023/03/mission-accomplished-despite-weather/ 
    • Saga of Repairing an RCA Primary Node: Regional Cabled Array (RCA) engineers Chuck McGuire and Larry Nielson were able to take a cabled power and communications substation that sat inoperable on the dark, cold seafloor of the Pacific for two years and make it work again. The odds were against them. There’s usually less than a 50-50 chance to make a complex technology operational again after this length of inactivity – inactivity compounded by the extreme pressure, cold temperature, and biofouling that occurs on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. But these two engineering geniuses succeeded in repairing, rebuilding, and ultimately reconnecting Primary Node 1B (PN1B), which provides power to the Southern Hydrate Ridge portion of OOI’s Regional Cabled Array. It was an arduous, complicated journey, fraught with delays outside of the engineers’ control. The recovery, repair, and reinstallation took two years to complete. We share some of the highlights below for they illustrate the many challenges of operating seafloor cable infrastructure on an active tectonic plate in the Pacific Ocean. Read more here: https://oceanobservatories.org/2023/03/rca-technical-wizards-the-saga-of-repairing-an-rca-primary-node/ 
  • NOAA's Hydrographic Services Review Panel Federal Advisory Committee Seeks New Members: NOAA seeks candidates to apply who are an expert in their field and can bring their voice to advise on NOAA data, products and services. Expertise areas sought include geodesy and geospatial, hydrographic surveying and mapping experts, ports, shipping, the boating community, scientists and academics, state and local experts, and a wide variety of other areas. The HSRP is focused broadly on navigation, observations and positioning services such as surveys, charting and safe navigation, tides and currents, sea levels, lidar, datums, precise positioning and more including the underlying data needed for climate change adaptation and resilience. The self nomination is due April 28, 2023. To self nominate, please follow the instructions in the FRN below and email the nomination to melanie.colantuno@noaa.gov, hydroservices.panel@noaa.gov, and lynne.mersfelder@noaa.gov. Federal Register Notice with self nominations information for 2024 term: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/28/2023-06343/hydrographic-services-review-panel 
  • NOAA, Smithsonian and fed partners seeking suggestions to update key climate literacy guide: NOAA, as part of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), is requesting suggestions on structure, topics, and content to help update a key national climate literacy guide used by educators, policymakers, and scientists across the U.S. and internationally for more than a decade. “The climate literacy guide is an essential reference for communities across the country,” said Frank Niepold, NOAA senior climate education program manager. “Its strength emanates from the diversity of communities that contribute perspectives to it. We need a significant public response to ensure we create the best, most impactful update to the guide. We urge your feedback and input.” Suggestions and feedback are due by May 31, 2023. Learn more here.
  • 2022 NOAA Science Report Published: The NOAA Science Report is an annual report that highlights NOAA’s research and development achievements across all Line Organizations over the past year. In 2022, our achievements ranged from uncovering a 207-year-old whaling ship to upgrading critical air-quality forecasts to leveraging artificial intelligence to detect Harmful Algal Bloom Species. The science highlights captured in this annual report are organized by the agency strategy: NOAA Research and Development Vision Areas: 2020-2026. Read the report here: https://sciencecouncil.noaa.gov/Council-Products/NOAA-Science-Report 
  • NOAA Panel Discussion: Building a Climate-Ready Nation by 2030 - April 12, 1:00-2:30pm: One of NOAA's FY22-26 overarching strategic priorities include building a Climate Ready Nation by 2030 (CRN).  A live virtual panel of NOAA senior leaders will discuss NOAA's unique role, capabilities, and challenges in building a CRN.  The panel will have an opportunity to interact and address overarching questions as well as answer questions from the online audience. Panelists include Ko Barrett  (NOAA Senior Advisor for Climate), Sara Kapnick (NOAA Chief Scientist),  Michael Morgan (NOAA Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction), and Francisco (Cisco) Werner (NMFS Director of Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor). Register here:  https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/e0ize2ujvsga/event/event_info.html 
  • NOAA-BSEE Workshop - March 24, 2023: Leadership from the two agencies met in person in Silver Spring for a half-day workshop on March 24th, 2023. The workshop objectives were to get a better understanding of each other’s agency missions; learn about BSEE’s data needs and where NOAA can assist; and identify potential areas the agencies can further work together and enhance collaboration. Topic areas discussed included Offshore Wind Energy, Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration, Oil Spill Preparedness and Response, and Ocean Observations. Lead SMEs provided brief readouts to NOAA Administrator and BSEE Director, including identification of recommended areas for further collaboration. Strong agreement was achieved across all topic areas to increase coordination and collaboration.
  • Sofar data set available via the NMP: The Lead Subcontractor of the National Mesonet Program, Synoptic Data PBC has partnered with Sofar Ocean, a leader in the ocean observation space, to provide access to metocean data (waves, wind, sea surface temperature) from their Spotter buoy network. During the six-month pilot project, NOAA will have full access to Sofar’s buoy network through its real-time weather dashboard and API. Click here to request access.
  • NOAA Participates in US Hydro 2023 Conference: Representatives from OCS, CO-OPS, and NOAA Ocean Exploration attended the US Hydro 2023 conference in Mobile, Alabama. NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf delivered a keynote on the importance of the hydrographic community, addressing NOAA’s navigation service programs and the New Blue Economy. OCS Deputy Director Lorraine Robidoux gave a keynote focused on OCS’s vision, achievements, and direction. Additional OCS representatives presented on a range of topics, including building the national bathymetric source, crowdsourced bathymetry, bathymetric data licensing, and automation of volunteered and authoritative bathymetric data. This biennial conference offers outreach opportunities for hydrographers through technical sessions, workshops, and icebreakers.
  • New Inundation Analysis Training Module Available: NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Service (CO-OPS) and The COMET® Program’s MetEd team, which provides training resources for the geoscience community, completed another module in the Working with Water Level Data series. The one-hour training, “Inundation Analysis,” is now available on the MetEd website. The training describes the inundation analysis process and metrics, interprets output graphics provided by the CO-OPS inundation analysis tool, and applies inundation analysis metrics to coastal flooding and marsh restoration. Inundation and flooding remain a major concern for many CO-OPS stakeholders as inundation events increase, significantly impacting coastal infrastructure and ecosystems. The new lesson guides the user through calculating, interpreting, and applying statistics that describe inundation. The training is the third in the Working with Water Level Data series, which also includes “Establishing Accurate Water Levels” and “Data QA/QC.” CO-OPS will integrate the module into future virtual training opportunities.
  • NOAA Release Spring High Tide Bulletin: The rising and falling of the sea is a phenomenon upon which we can always depend. Tides are the regular rise and fall of the sea surface caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun and their position relative to the earth. There are some factors that cause the tides to be higher than what is "normally" seen from day to day. This bulletin tells you when you may experience higher than normal high tides for the period of time between March and May 2023. Read more here: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/high-tide-bulletin/spring-2023/ 
  • Mapping Group Releases U.S. Waters Progress Report: The Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping, which includes OCS, released the fourth annual progress report on mapping U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters. The report pulls from a publicly available bathymetry analysis to provide the percentage of unmapped U.S. waters by region and shows yearly progress toward filling bathymetry data gaps. Thanks to mapping efforts throughout 2022, the working group was able to add 67,700 square nautical miles of new bathymetric data since the release of the last report. Roughly half of the gains came from collaborative mapping projects in the Atlantic’s Blake Plateau region and the Caribbean funded by NOAA and other agencies. Knowledge of bathymetry data has far-reaching benefits, including safer navigation, hazard mitigation for coastal resilience, marine habitat and heritage preservation, and a deeper understanding of natural resources for sustainable ocean economies.
  • NOAA Releases 2023 Hydrographic Survey Season Plans: NOAA hydrographic survey ships, navigation response teams, and contractors are preparing for the 2023 hydrographic survey season. The vessels collect bathymetric data, or information about the seafloor’s depths and shapes, to support nautical charting, research, and modeling. The teams also collect other environmental data to support a variety of ecosystem sciences. NOAA considers survey requests from stakeholders, such as marine pilots, local port authorities, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the boating community, along with hydrographic and NOAA science priorities, in determining where and when to survey. To learn more about 2023 mapping projects, visit the NOAA Hydrographic Survey Projects 2023 story map.
  • NGS Announces New Geospatial Modeling Grant: NGS released a competitive funding opportunity, the Geospatial Modeling Grant, to modernize and improve the National Spatial Reference System — a consistent coordinate system that defines latitude, longitude, height, scale, gravity, and orientation throughout the United States — and to address geodesy’s emerging research challenges. The grant’s secondary objective is to support a geodesy community of practice in collaboration with federal and nonfederal stakeholders to respond to the nationwide shortage of geodesists and improve geospatial data use and coordination. For more information on federal grants, including how to apply, visit Grants.gov.

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