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From the IOOS Program Office:

• Congratulations to GLOS on Certification! Read the story by NOS: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/july16/great-lakes-observing.html
• Conference Opportunities:
  • Due 1 Aug: "Quasi-Operational Products you can use now" will be held during the AMS Annual Meeting in SeattleJanuary 22-26, 2017.  One theme of AMS’s 97th Annual Meeting is “Observations Lead the Way”.  Within the Meeting, the 33rd Conference on Environmental Information Processing Technologies (EIPT) is soliciting papers that demonstrate successes and advances in interactive computing tools; technologies and observing systems; data management and communication related to advances in observations, modeling, new technologies and media; cyber infrastructure; and applications that address the ability to provide information to a wide audience at any time, for any purpose.  The session is looking for papers that bring attention to those applications, technologies, or techniques that are well advanced with respect to the Technology Readiness Level continuum.  The session is also interested in quasi-operational marine products such as storm surge predictions or other types of models. Submit abstracts here: https://ams.confex.com/ams/. Contact co-chair Tiffany Vance, IOOS Program Office with questions - tiffany.c.vance@noaa.gov.
  • Due 3 Aug: Abstracts for our AGU session: Earth Science in Service to the Sustainable Development Goals. U.N. Agenda 2030 is a global development agenda for progress on economic, social and environmental sustainability. There are specific provisions about uses of Earth observations, geospatial, and statistical information.  This session invites submissions of examples and proposed methods for uses of Earth science data for specific Goals, Targets, and Indicators. We encourage examples done in collaboration with national statistical offices, such as the US Census Bureau, so they include the statistical basis that UN entities are familiar with. Submissions on natural capital accounting and ecosystem services valuation are welcome. AGU runs Dec. 12-16 in San Francisco. This is AGU Session ID 13489, and it’s in the Public Affairs Section/Focus Group. Link to the session: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm16/preliminaryview.cgi/Session13489. Link to submit abstracts:   http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2016/abstract-submissions/
  • 2017 Marine Renewable Energy – Deadline Extend: Abstracts for the MTS Marine Renewable Energy Committee’s TechSurge “Production of Renewable Ocean Energy for Small, Non Grid Connected Applications” are being solicited, TechSurge will take place November 2-3, 2016 in Portsmouth New Hampshire.
  • Oceanology International Comes to North America: The OI North America 2017 Conference has a 3 part program 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-/

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

• HF Radar/Radio: (IOOS national coordinator , Jack Harlan; Harlan@noaa.gov):
  • Next GEO Global HFR meeting will be held at AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, Dec 2016. Announcement to go out from Hugh Roarty next week.
  • Launch of Joint CODAR/NOAA Program for HF Tsunami Warning: Co-sponsored by NOAA/Nation Weather Service Tsunami Program as part of their TRAC (Tsunami Research Advisory Council) and directed out of the Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, AK and the US IOOS office. Executed by CODAR Ocean Sensors, Ltd. with Rutgers University. Objective: To refine SeaSonde HF radar outputs that will provide useful warnings of approaching tsunamis off U.S. coasts. The geographic focuses on East Coast for the following reasons: (a) Recent meteo-tsunamis were observed there (e.g., 2013), and the shallow shelf has allowed long SeaSonde warning times (43 minutes). (b) We can take advantage of a long-standing partnership between CODAR and Rutgers, who maintains the MARACOOS regional association SeaSondes (43 of them).
  • Summer High Frequency Radar Validation Experiment: MARACOOS conducted a validation experiment of its High Frequency radar network from May 10 to July 12, 2016.  The goal of the experiment was to evaluate its two surface current products, test quality control software and algorithm, and evaluate new bi-static data streams.
• Gliders:
  • Glider DAC Webinar: The IOOS Office held the quarterly glider DAC webinar to discuss glider attribution, QC, and delayed data plans for the DAC.  The recorded stream is available here.
  • Gliders helping Lowcountry fisherman to get grouper: New glider network will explore ocean off Beaufort County, provide weather and fisheries information. The University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will operate the glider network under the SECOORA award. Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/article87937117.html#storylink=cpy
  • AOML-CARICOOS Complete Fourth Glider Mission: The 4^th mission was completed on June 2nd. The glider missions are geared towards obtaining profile data for use in tropical cyclone intensification studies and forecasts. While at the recovery site, a Lowered Acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) was deployed to estimate the varying current velocities with depth. A new dropsonde designed and constructed by AOML engineers was also deployed to calculate the depth-averaged currents and to compare the values obtained with those from the glider and LADCP. The next deployment will begin in July, with two gliders in the Caribbean Sea and two gliders in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. This work is funded by AOML, NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS)./li>
  • Gliderpalooza 2016: Keep up with the Blog https://maracoos.org/. Glider Blue is on mission 7.
• Congratulations to the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office and the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve for successful deployment of the New York River Spit buoy.  This buoy is part of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System and the York River System-wide Monitoring Program http://buoybay.noaa.gov/locations/york-spit
• New Alaska Water Level and MET station: A new water level and meteorological station has been installed in Unalakleet, AK by contractor JOA Survey. The station, located on the eastern side of Norton Sound, is funded by NWS Alaska and was designed and constructed to collect continuous data, survive shore fast ice and Category 3 wind sea ice storm surges common to this area. Data transmissions and ingestion have been verified and basic quality control checks completed. We expect station documentation by July 30. The meteorological station is expected to be operational in August and the water level station in September.

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 News (National Coordinator Bill Woodward, Woodward@noaa.gov):
  • Conference call with the MARACOOS/MATOS team to help sharpen our description of the capabilities of the MATOS (Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Tag Observation System) tool and to identify clearly the value it can bring to ATN as a collaborative regional acoustic telemetry data node.  Actions from the call include continued ASA technical support, and the preparation of a MATOS White Paper that describes the capabilities, the vision, and possible intra/inter-regional implementation structures and ATN applicability for this web-based tool.
  • ATN DAC Phase II review meeting conducted this week with participation from ONR, Stanford, NMFS/SWFC, NMFS/NEFSC, MMC, & U. of Colorado. The Phase II Goals for DAC development included: 1) Improvements in infrastructure design and hardware; 2) Integration of external datasets and development of new web tools which will enable collaborators to submit new data and data streams into the DAC; 3) Development and completion of compliance with IOOS standards and ingestion of TOPP/TAG data sets in high demand.  The review went extremely well with objectives met or exceeded and the DAC now contains more than 2,000 datasets.  Checkout the DAC’s very impressive “Animal Telemetry Network”  data portal: http://oceanview.pfeg.noaa.gov/ATN/
• GLOS data challenge: Deadline is 1 month away – do miss your opportunity. Read more Challenge Page.

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. Have you not received your invite? Contact baltes@noaa.gov.

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

• Biodiversity
  • Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network open sciences meeting: Gabrielle, IOOS Office, participated based in the 2 day MBON sponsored a 2-day workshop. MBON is in discussions with IOC to articulate a joint activity among MBON, the GOOS BioEco Panel, and iOBIS, recognizing shared objectives and the need to leverage resources.  The MBON team is also working on MBON deliverables to show progress at GEO Plenary, and preparing for the MBON Americas workshop scheduled for Puerto Morelos, Mexico, in September 2016. In addition to existing partnerships with AmeriGEOSS and Blue Planet, MBON committed to pursue new partnerships with the Global Wetland Observing System and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, to support monitoring, capacity building, and data management in those critical areas. USGS and ESRI demonstrated a powerful new tool that maps Ecological Marine Units and their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics in the global oceans and incorporates data products and approaches from NOAA, NASA, and USGS. The tool represents a significant early deliverable from MBON and is a major U.S. contribution to the world community through GEO.
• BOEM's Environmental Studies Program (ESP) announces findings from 5 studies: The studies are online in the Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS) from January-March 2016. Three reports were derived from one economic study, three studies are from the Alaska Region, and one study is from the Pacific Region.

Delivering the Benefits:

• Talking Ocean Economics with Entrepreneurs: Zdenka was a panel member at WHOI’s Center for Marine Robotics 2^nd Annual Marine Robotics Entrepreneurship forum. Read the full story on the interesting event and find Zdenka’s presentation here. For presentations of the event click: http://www.whoi.edu/marinerobotics/recent-events
• Nutrient Sensor Challenge starts 3 month deployments in Maryland - July 18, 2016: http://www.act-us.info/nutrients-challenge/. US IOOS’ Alliance for Coastal Technologies is leading the multi-agency Nutrient Sensor Challenge in partnership with the Office of Science Technology, and Policy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, United States Geological Survey, and the Department of Agriculture. The Nutrient Sensor Challenge is a market based challenge designed to spur innovation by companies who have been asked to create very low cost sensors for measuring nutrient parameters including nitrogen and phosphorus. The goal is to improve our nation’s ability to observe and monitor nutrient levels in coastal and ocean waters. From the ACT website: “the data from these sensors will be used for a variety of purposes, including monitoring and basic research on nutrient dynamics in aquatic ecosystems, trends assessments in impaired or target waterbodies, and evaluations of mitigation or restoration efforts.” This stage of the challenge includes in-water deployments for three months at the ACT facility in Solomons Island, Maryland.
• OARC Burke-O-Lator at the OceansAlaska shellfish hatchery in Ketchikan: From Ron Zebel: “Fantastic job Wiley. At the OceansAlaska hatchery, we learned more about our water qualityin 7 hours of Burke-O-Lator data than we did in 7 years of monitoring with off the shelf instrumentation. We have adjusted our soda ash injections upward and are going forward with expanded kelp bioconditioning.” From Jan Newton. “While not funded by the OTT project specifically, it will be part of IPACOA and GOA-ON, and involves many of the same folks. The technology is making a difference! The partnerships and collaboration are inspiring. These investments are paying off.”
• Storm QuickLook Issued for Tropical Storm Darby: CO­OPS is now issuing Storm QuickLooks for Tropical Storm The storm is located about 450 miles east of Hilo, HI (as 11 p.m. HST on July 21) and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Hawaii County.
• SCCOOS and CeNCOOS Joint Strategic Advisory Committee (JSAC): During the meeting, the two Regions provided programmatic updates, stakeholders informed on how the Regions help them with decision making, and the JSAC discussed strategy to address stakeholder needs for coastal and ocean data and information. Stakeholders expressed tremendous support for CeNCOOS and SCCOOS throughout the meeting. Congratulations for a successful JSAC Meeting!
• Building partnership with Surfline/Wavetrak, Inc. | Surfline – Buoyweather - Fishtrack: Surfline/Wavetrack Inc., a SECOORA partner and part of the Ocean Enterprise Study, visited the IOOS Office last week. We had a great visit and talked about a number of potential joint projects. We were able to go over our IOOS data APIs, Surfline shared with us some of their expansion plans, and we were able to connect them with several entrepreneurs who might be able to team up with them. We look forward to continued engagement.

Congressional:

• No update.

Communications/Outreach/Education:

• Check out MBON Project Update #2: http://us13.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a71e7c83800158981609c5e8c&id=bfb8ab90c6&e=169b1a6143
• Sun Herald– July 14, 2016” Opportunity lost? Ocean observing in the Gulf of Mexico: http://www.sunherald.com/opinion/other-voices/article89544582.html. IOOS-GCOOS argues the importance of more data collection systems there, noting the value of the Gulf’s commercial fishery. Also in the Herald Tribune.
• New Educational Training Video in Collaboration with The COMET®on LIDAR: The National Geodetic Survey and COMET®’s new video explains the role of topo-bathy lidar products (a remote sensing platform) in NGS’ mapping and charting program, and how these products provide a critical dataset for coastal resilience, coastal intelligence, and place-based conservation. Topics include the unique benefits of NGS’ coastal elevation data, how the data are used in shoreline mapping, principal user groups, and where users can find these data. Federal, state, and local decision-makers, coastal zone managers, community planners, and general and scientific users of mapping products will find the four-minute video helpful for understanding the benefits of NGS’ coastal elevation data. View the video.

Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation:

• Oceans ’16 - Gearing up:
  • QARTOD Session: Zdenka will present on the IOOS/NOAA Ocean Enterprise Study
  • 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’’
    • 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.

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