The Z-Gram is an informal way of keeping you up-to-date on US IOOS^® activities. Pass it on! Please reply with an e-mail with additional addresses or if you no longer want to receive the Z-Gram. Previous Updates

_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usioosgov Twitter: https://twitter.com/usioosgov

_

From the U.S. IOOS Office:

• My Position Posted, closes 4 September: IOOS Director job announcement: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/446758800/.  Please distribute widely.  If you are thinking about applying you must provide both ECQs and PTQs.  ECQs can be difficult to write – for guidance: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/executive-core-qualifications/. 
• Call for Abstracts due Sep 26 - Gulf Research Initiative annual conference 6-9 Feb 2017:  This year’s conference encourages a common theme: putting science to practical use. In the data management realm this includes the development of tools and applications which make information available in desired forms and formats through convenient platforms and portals for a variety of communities.  This session’s goals are to provide tool demonstrations that will assist in getting data and information to the end-user as well as highlighting data integration efforts for synoptic data collections using remote sensing, water column sampling, and working with large volumes of data from sensors. Therefore, we invite tool developers, and researchers from organizations such as the IOOS community, EPA, NOAA, DOI, NSF, NGO’s, the oil and gas industry, the US Coast Guard and others to showcase tools and applications, and other efforts that can assist the response and restoration communities at large.  Please consider submitting an abstract in Session 002: Decision Support and Integration Tools for Response and Restoration Lauren Showalter (National Academy of Science Gulf Research Program), Dave Reed (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute), Amy Merten (NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration).
• Congrats to GCOOS: The Texas OneGulf Center of Excellence has announced more than $2 million in research projects to address priority problems affecting the health and well-being of the Gulf of Mexico and those who depend on it. GCOOS staff received $103,650 to support the "Red Tide Data Integration Project." Read the press release.

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

• HF Radar/Radio: (IOOS national coordinator, Jack Harlan; Jack.Harlan@noaa.gov):
  • No update.
• Profiling Gliders: On August 4th, AOML and CARICOOS successfully deployed two underwater gliders in the North Atlantic as part of the AOML-CARICOOS Underwater Glider Operations. This was the second set of two gliders deployed this hurricane season in the Tropical North Atlantic (2 gliders) and the Caribbean Sea (2 gliders) to carry out sustained and targeted upper-ocean observations. All the data collected is being transmitted in real-time into the GTS and will be used for Atlantic hurricane studies and operational numerical forecast models. The data is also distributed through AOML's glider operations website (http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/goos/gliders/). The complete data set is also submitted to the IOOS Glider DAC. AOML is currently working to include QC flags as recommended by the IOOS Glider DAC Manual for QC of glider data.

Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem and Tools Built on IOOS data (DMAC list serve – contact Derrick or Rob - Derrick.Snowden@noaa.gov, Rob.Ragsdale@noaa.gov):

• ATN: (National Coordinator, Bill Woodward; Bill.Woodward@noaa.gov): 
  • Representatives from CLS America, Argos Wildlife Tracking visited and we discussed CLS help in creating an inventory of satellite tracking assets in the U.S.  
  • Bill attended the NOAA North Atlantic Regional Team (NART) Workshop on Animal Movement (Fall River, MA) and presented our ATN vision to the Team members. The workshop was convened by Robert Gamble and Sean Lucey from the NMFS NE Science Center in Woods Hole and was focused primarily on modeling capabilities for fishery stock assessments. The participants emphasized the need for fish movement data as an essential component of their modeling and assessment processes and they strongly support our plans to establish a permanent Animal Telemetry Network baseline monitoring capability in the IOOS Regions.
• QARTOD: (National Coordinator, Mark Bushnell; mark.bushnell@noaa.gov):
  • Phytoplankton QC Manual: Comments and suggestions for the first draft are requested by August 19.  A LinkedIn notice was posted announcing the effort (the LinkedIn QARTOD group now has 204 members). We continued to compile a list of SME and contact them for assistance with manual reviews and content development.

Modeling and Analysis Subsystem:
(IOOS PO and IOOS Coastal Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT) POC – Becky Baltes, Becky.Baltes@noaa.gov):   

• COMT Annual Meeting: Will be held Aug 25-26 at SURA HQ in DC.  In particular we are asking our Federal partners and transition partners to attend.  All are welcome! Haven’t received your invite?  Contact becky.baltes@noaa.gov.
• COMT Chesapeake Bay Hypoxia Model in the news: William and Mary article here, VIMS article here. This got picked by several news outlets
  • http://ideastations.org/radio/news/new-tool-can-help-predict-dead-zone-shifts-chesapeake-bay
  • http://wtop.com/local/2016/08/scientists-to-help-fisherman-avoid-chesapeake-bay-dead-zones/
• COMT Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Project published in Journal of Geophysical Research: The hypoxia team’s work was published in a JGR article that can be found here.

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

• NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) supports Louisiana with imagery: NGS collected and made available imagery to assist federal, state, and coastal managers in assessing damage from flooding in Louisiana. At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service, NGS began collecting imagery using coastal mapping and emergency response aircraft on August 14, and will continue to collect imagery, weather permitting. More than 2,000 images have been collected to date. NOAA’s aerial imagery aids safe navigation and captures damage to coastal areas caused by storms. Aerial imagery is a crucial tool to determine the extent of the damage inflicted by flooding, and to compare baseline coastal areas to assess damages to ports and waterways, coastlines, infrastructure, and communities. The imagery provides a cost-effective way to better understand the damage sustained to both property and the environment.
• IOOC Glider Task Team:  IOOC glider task team will soon send out the expression of interest shortly for the IOOC sponsored U.S. Underwater Glider Workshop to be held in Stennis, MS Jan 18-19, 2017.  The invite has the detailed workshop objectives and anticipated attendees.  If you would like to participate, please fill out our reservation form.
• Students - AGU hosting a 2016 Hyperwall Data Visualization Storytelling Competition: This is a contest open to undergraduate and graduate students and focused on innovation and creativity in presenting data in a new way. For details go to agu.org or http://news.agu.org/press-release/agu-announces-innovative-program-the-agu-data-visualization-and-storytelling-competition/. A total of 10 winners with travel grant will be selected by Early Oct. 2016.  The themes for the 2016 contest are: 2015/2016 El Nino, Innovative use of new and emerging technologies, Extreme events and natural hazards, from cause to effect and beyond.
• Commercial Sector – GEO needs your input: The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) can strengthen engagement with the commercial sector and is soliciting your views on the kinds of association/engagement that would be of most interest to them.  Seeking feedback from the widest possible range of companies -- in size, scope and geographical location.  https://www.earthobservations.org/article.php?id=175

Delivering the Benefits:

• NANOOS meeting with special guest: Jen Rhoades participated in NANOOS’ Annual Principal Investigator and General Council Meetings in Vancouver, WA on August 10 and 11.  During the PI Meeting, the PIs presented on their accomplishments during the last 5 years of funding and proposed ideas on how NANOOS should meet emerging needs and requirements.  The General Council met to finalize strategies and initiatives for the next year. On Day 2 of the meetings, Dr. Kathy Sullivan (NOAA) addressed the NANOOS members via Skype, and she stressed the role of U.S. IOOS and its Regional Associations in supporting and setting the standard for developing and sustaining a system to develop networks and services to meet scientific and societal needs.
• Nuisance Flooding as an Indicator of Climate Change: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the report, Climate Change Indicators in the United States, which, for the first time, included nuisance flooding as an indicator of climate change. Nuisance flooding is recurrent flooding that takes place at high tide. Because of sea level rise, nuisance flooding has become a “sunny day” event; that is, one not necessarily linked to storms or heavy rain. Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Service (CO-OPS) issued the first report on nuisance flooding in 2014, analyzing data from NOAA tide gauges where the water level exceeded the local threshold for minor flooding impacts established by local Weather Forecasting Offices of the National Weather Service.

Congressional:  

• No update.

Communications/Outreach/Education:

• Judging Hollings/EPPS scholars presentations: Tiffany, IOOS Office, served as a judge for the final presentations of the Hollings/EPP scholars.   As expected, they are a group of bright, engaged, fascinating scholars who all gave excellent presentations.  Gives one hope for the future of our science.  She also spoke with members of the student scholarship office about the challenges of actually recruiting these students to stay with NOAA via the Pathfinder program and other hiring mechanisms.
  

Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation:

• IOOS/PacIOOS at the IUCN World Conservation Congress: IOOS and PacIOOS online mapping tools (specifically calling out the EDS model viewer) will be featured during a 30-minute Tech Corner slot on Sept. 7 at the U.S. Pavilion.   PacIOOS’s poster with presentation – 3 Sep, 7:00pm - https://portals.iucn.org/congress/session/9997. PacIOOS will support  staffing in the NOAA booth within the U.S. Pavilion.
• MTS/IEEE Oceans ’16 - Gearing up:
  • Two QARTOD Sessions on 22 September
  • Townhalls:
    • 10:30 am, 21 September: IOOS Office and Monterey Bay International Trade Association  - “The ‘Blue Silicon Valley’ Emerges from the ‘Serengeti of the Sea’’
      • MBITA has also set up a website at: http://www.mbita.org/events/marine/townhallmeeting.html
    • 1:00 pm, 21 September: IOOS Office and Global Ocean Design LLC – Ocean Innovation and Unique Partnerships
  • IOOS Office and CeNCOOS are teaming up with NOAA for an exhibit booth.
  • Using IOOS Data Tutorial: Half day tutorial on using IOOS data, assuming little prior experience. How to find data using catalogs; using data portals to browse, visualize, and subset data; accessing data via web services; specialized software; and applications of IOOS data. For more information and to register visit http://www.oceans16mtsieeemonterey.org/tutorial-information/
• Oceanology International Comes to North America:  The OI North America 2017 Conference has a 3 part program that will consist of a series of keynote end-user focused panel discussions, topical technical sessions and a full day dedicated to the Catch the Next Wave conference, all aiming to provide a better understanding of present and future requirements and opportunities of the Blue Economy. Abstracts are being sought now: http://www.oceanologyinternationalnorthamerica.com/en/Whats-On/2017-Conference-/

View the IOOS calendar: https://ioosassociation.org/