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

_

IOOS^® - EYES ON THE OCEAN^™

In our final Zgram of 2015 – a couple of items before we get to our holiday greeting.  Let me take this opportunity to say thank you to each of you for advancing the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing/monitoring/predicting enterprise.  Because of what you do, we protect our planet.

Rounding out 2015:

• Welcome:  Craig Reid and Lesa Jeanpierre have joined the IOOS Program Office for 4-month rotations as part of the NOAA Rotational Assignment Program (NRAP).
  • Craig will be working as a Program Analyst supporting contracts, budget execution, cooperative agreements, and environmental compliance.  Craig comes to IOOS from NOAA’s grants office where he oversees the grants for Coastal Zone Management, Coral Reef Conservation, and Marine Debris.  He has been with NOAA GMD for 3 ½ years spending this first 18 months working on Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grants for the National Telecommunications & Information Administration.
  • Lesa will be working as a Communications Specialist supporting website transition and communications.  Lesa comes to IOOS from the NOS Controlled Correspondence Unit as the Lead Writer-­Editor coordinating multi-level document editing, providing internal user guidance for the correspondence tracking system, and promoting correspondence policy within a digital work environment.  After receiving her honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, Lesa worked as a Publication Coordinator at a noted medical publisher in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area and had a prior position as Staff Assistant/Technical Writer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense.  As an active duty soldier, Lesa worked for the National Security Agency as a French Linguist, and was one of the primary Fort Meade Defense Language Librarians.
• PERSEUS and EUROGOOS: Zdenka presented an invited talk at PERSEUS and visited with EUROGOOS – Read More
• Successful NERACOOS Board and Annual meeting:  Senator Shaheen’s staff thanked NERACOOS for bringing science and information together to meet the needs of the Northeast region. Ru Morrison provided a NERACOOS overview, and Carl Gouldman, attending for the IOOS program office, presented to the group covering US IOOS Global, National, and Regional perspectives highlighting NERACOOS successes and IOOS office priorities moving forward. Harlan Doliner, director of the Marine Ocean Technology Network (MOTN) moderated a panel that shared their views on how the changing environment was impacting their areas of expertise. Dwight Gledhill, NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program Deputy Director, provided an update on the latest science, monitoring, and coordination. Congrats to NERACOOS Annual Award winners:
  • For outstanding and long service on the NERACOOS board - Jim O'Donnell, University of Connecticut, and Michael Szemerda, Cooke Aquaculture, both of whom have been board members from the start of NERACOOS in 2008.
  • For their years of dedicated service and outstanding accomplishments in website design, operation, and data management - Riley Young Morse, Eric Bridger, and the Ocean Data Products Team of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
  • Northeast Sea Grant Consortium Awards: Congrats to Ru Morrison, NERACOOS Executive Director, and Cassie Stymiest, Program Coordinator.  Sea Grant recognized NERACOOS for its leadership in launching the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN) that created a forum for stakeholder engagement and to coordinate advances in science, technology, and mitigation strategies.
• Want to work in sunny Southern CA? Principal Engineer Job Posting for CDIP - http://jobs.ucsd.edu/bulletin/job.aspx?jobnum_in=79585

'Twas the Night Before IOOS

courtesy of Laura and IOOSIAN Elves
 

'Twas the night before IOOS, when all through the ocean,

Not a buoy was stirring, nor glider in motion.

The radars were sited by the coast with such care,

In hopes that Jack Harlan soon would be there.

The Regions were settled with proposals all read,

While visions of time-series graphed in their heads.

And Zdenka in her Tesla, and Carl in his boat,

Had just settled down with Gantt review notes.

When out on the beach, there arose such a swell,

I turned to the CDIP to confirm all was well.

Away to the computer to get the forecast,

Tore open the browser, to the Catalog fast!

With the moon glinting off of the sparkling sea,

Filled with large surface currents, all QA’d and QC’d.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear?

But a large tiger shark and eleven reindeer!

And driving them all, on sea beast so quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

Using PORTS® and charts to navigate his way,

From NOAA, and CO-OPS, and Office of Coast Survey.

"Now AOOS! Now GLOS! Now NERACOOS and SCCOOS!

On CARICOOS! On MARACOOS! On NANOOS and GCOOS!

Now SECOORA!,” he called, “PacIOOS and CeNCOOS!"

To the top of the wave! To the top of the crest!

Now observe on! Observe! Observing is best!

"What could this mean for tomorrow's IOOSian feast?"

I said to the postdoc who ran our COMT.

She rendered the model and with a gleam in her eyes,

Confidently said, "you're in for a surprise."

Turns out that the model said Santa would blow in,

He had heard all the hype about Certification.

I called up the RAs and told them the news,

That we'd have one more guest for our yearly review.

The shark gnashed his teeth, and with a flick of his tail,

St. Nick and the reindeer took off like a sail.

A ping from the acoustic receiver did squawk,

They came near the shore and tied up to the dock.

He was dressed in a shirt, with the new IOOS logo,

And carried with him a large yellow Argo.

A bundle of nutrient sensors he had flung on his back,

He must have made a stop to get them from ACT.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his bag,

And filled all the stockings with ATN tags.

And to my delight, he left under the tree,

Instruments for the OOI observatory.

His work all complete, he gathered his mates,

And plotted a course towards the Great Lakes.

But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy observing to all, and to all a Good-Night!"

Wishing all a happy and safe holiday season filled with the joy of being with family and friends.  The Zgram will take a break and return at the end of January 2016.

Zdenka