August 2026

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

Click here to subscribe a new address or if you no longer want to receive the newsletter.

 Want to read this edition in a browser or check out the archive?  Visit us online!


The NERACOOS-led New England Seafood Engine took a big step forward in July, receiving a $15 million award from the National Science Foundation's Regional Innovation Engines program. The Seafood Engine brings together leaders in the seafood industry, the tech sector, government agencies, and research in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island to connect advanced technologies to the seafood industry, modernizing and optimizing the supply chain from end to end. Congratulations to NERACOOS and all of the New England Seafood Engine partners! Photo Credit: NERACOOS

In July, IOOS Director Krisa Arzayus and IOOS Deputy Director Martin Yapur attended the 12th Biennial NOAA EPP Education and Science Forum at The City College of New York (CCNY). This year’s forum marked a landmark milestone, bringing together students, faculty, and federal researchers to celebrate the 25-year silver jubilee of NOAA’s Educational Partnership Program. Hosted by CCNY’s Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies (NOAA-CESSRST), the event featured collaborative research presentations in atmospheric modeling, Earth observation, and coastal resilience while honoring a quarter-century of workforce development. Through technical sessions, professional development workshops, and cross-institutional networking, the forum highlighted the profound impact of sustained academic-federal partnerships in addressing critical environmental challenges. These sessions help build the cross-center collaborations and mentor, peer, and professional relationships that sustain the EPP community well beyond the forum.

Since its inception in 2001, the EPP/MSI program has built an impressive legacy, graduating over 4,000 students across its Cooperative Science Centers and creating a diverse pipeline of future leaders in NOAA-aligned STEM disciplines. It’s a forum we look forward to every year, supporting those collaborative relationships and being a part of shaping the future workforce.

From the IOOS Office

Observing Systems, Data, and Modeling

  • Forecasts of currents, temperature, and salinity from USF’s West Florida Coastal Ocean Model (WFCOM) are now available on the IOOS Model Viewer!

  • Mid-Atlantic high-frequency radar data saw a significant quality boost after installation of the SeaSonde Radial Suite R25 update, featuring new automated quality control that removes outlier velocities and flags questionable data. The update uncovered issues related to antenna and frequency tuning problems that the team were able to resolve, enhancing data accuracy and expanding coverage. HFR operators who contribute data to the IOOS HFR National Network should upgrade their stations’ software, and can for free via an IOOS-funded program — email support@codar.com for details.

  • The Great Lakes have added two new near real-time webcams to the already extensive network as part of the WebCOOS (Webcam Coastal Observation System) program led by the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA). The mouth of Green Bay, where it meets the Fox River mouth and Indiana Dunes State Park.

  • The Arno wave buoy was deployed approximately 5 miles north of Pikareej Islet on the northernmost point of Arno Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Moored in water 630 meters deep, this buoy measures wave direction and energy as well as sea surface currents, sea surface temperature, and air temperature.

  • The Yap wave buoy was redeployed approximately 1.25 miles offshore the barrier reef north of Rumung Island in the Federated States of Micronesia. This buoy measures wave height, direction and period, as well as sea surface currents, sea surface temperature, and air temperature.

IOOS Enterprise

  • The NERACOOS-led NSF Seafood Engine in New England won a $15M award to strengthen fisheries and aquaculture. Led by NERACOOS, the collaboration of industry, tech, government, and research partners across the region aims to revitalize the seafood sector through cutting-edge technology.

  • The six fellows in PacIOOS and Hawai‘i Sea Grant’s inaugural Pacific Islands Coastal Health fellowship program have started placements at Conservation International Hawai‘i, the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources, Guam Sea Grant, Mālama Maunalua, and the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. 

  • NERACOOS invites users to try out the new beta version of their Mariner’s Dashboard, which has been upgraded in response to user and stakeholder feedback. If you spot anything that’s not quite right, let them know via this form.

  • GLOS has launched a new mobile app, Seagull Coast. The app brings environmental conditions, coastal hazard information, and safety insights to your fingertips in one easy-to-use mobile experience, helping you make decisions before you head to the water.

  • GLOS created and installed a temporary micro-exhibit at the National Museum of the Great Lakes highlighting observing technology, critical data and information, and observing partners. It will be on display until August 31, 2026!

  • Want to know more about the benefits and applications of webcams in observing? Check out this new resource showing how WebCOOS helped track shoreline change in Oak Island, NC!

  • Read these new SECOORA profiles of: 
  • The GCOOS Water Quality Monitoring in the Gulf data portal hosts data from two projects and has recently been updated. Links to other GCOOS projects designed to measure or monitor water quality in the Gulf are forthcoming! For information or inquiries, contact GCOOS at Info@GCOOS.org.

Partners

  • The Global Ocean Observing System and its long-standing European regional alliance EuroGOOS welcome the European Commission’s OceanEye initiative as a major step for Europe’s contribution to global ocean observation and intelligence.

  • NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program has launched East Coast and West Coast research missions at sea to track how changing ocean chemistry is affecting marine life, particularly focused on tracking potential El Niño effects this year.

  • The Ocean Decade community has prepared a discussion paper on a topic of growing importance: how can we maximize the benefits of ocean data sharing while addressing possible national security concerns? Read the discussion paper here. Share your views in this survey.

  • With less than a year to go, the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference will mark a new phase of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (‘Ocean Decade’), shifting from knowledge generation to solution delivery.

New Papers and Reports

Click here to subscribe or manage your subscription.

Comments, questions, or suggestions? Please contact us at eoto@noaa.gov.