I hope you’re all doing well in these times of covid-19 quarantines, social distancing, videoconferences and remote happy hours. It’s certainly been an adjustment for all of us as meetings have moved to virtual rooms, been postponed or even canceled altogether.
For many of us, these are inconveniences; for others, they offer a major upheaval in our ability to perform work tasks (not to mention in our personal lives).
While it’s fortunate that many of our projects — focused on data collected remotely — can continue, I’ve heard from a number of you that are beginning to be hampered from downloading data from remote sensors or conducting needed maintenance on ocean platforms because of the necessity of social distancing.
At the national level, IOOS and the IOOS Association are aware of the issues that Regional Observing Associations like GCOOS are facing and I ask that you please continue to share with me updates about issues you’re experiencing in your own programs so we may keep abreast of problems that may arise.
Please stay safe!
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Celebrating the 50th Anniversary
of Earth Day
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Amidst the unprecedented health and economic challenges the world is facing, it is now more important than ever to find reasons to be hopeful. Earth Day gives us a good reason.
The first Earth Day in 1970 was largely a grassroots effort that should resonate well with the Gulf of Mexico community — it was to raise public consciousness about air and water pollution following a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, the previous year.
Just as that first event fueled creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other laws aimed at educating citizens and protecting the environment, 10 years following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, we continue to create collaborative communities that work to push the boundaries on how we protect people and the environment.
Today, as more than 1 billion people from more than 190 countries engage in Earth Day celebrations, GCOOS thanks the scientists, educators and citizens who work every day to protect the Gulf of Mexico through research, observations and stewardship activities.
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GCOOS is pleased to announce the winners of our recent Board of Directors election. The Board sets organization policy and direction for the executive director, establishes the organizational structure and approves budgets and organizational partnerships. The new Board members will take their seat at our fall members’ meeting, tentatively scheduled for October.
Academic Sector:
- Antonietta Quigg, Texas A&M University at Galveston (new to the Board)
Government Sector
- Steve Buschang, Texas General Land Office (returning member)
- Kim Yates, United States Geological Survey (USGS) (new to the Board)
- Kirsten Larsen, NOAA/NCEI-MS (returning member)
Private Sector
- Dave Driver, Fugro (returning member)
Outreach & Education Sector
- Sara Graves, University of Alabama Huntsville (returning member)
- Joe Swaykos, National Data Buoy Center (ret.) (returning member)
We also want to offer a special thank you to Louisiana State University’s Dr. Nancy Rabalais — one of our founding members! — and NOAA’s Dr. Ed Kearns. We are indebted to them for their years of GCOOS service!
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The University of South Florida and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute are using data from underwater gliders to study how red tide blooms are initiated offshore, transported to coastal waters and eventually end.
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Using Satellites to ID Phytoplankton
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From
Science Daily
: Researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute and Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research say they’ve developed a new algorithm for satellite data that can determine in which parts of the ocean certain types of phytoplankton are dominant.
In addition, they can identify toxic algal blooms and assess the effects of global warming on marine plankton, allowing them to draw conclusions regarding water quality and the ramifications for the fishing industry.
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UG2 Seeks Steering Committee Nominations
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The organizers of the previous glider community workshops are seeking community leaders to join the Underwater Glider User Group (UG2) Steering Committee. Members will represent their respective communities in the following categories:
- Geographic Representatives
- Stakeholder/Users
- Sectoral Representatives
- Technical Representatives
- International Representatives
The committee will help activate and mobilize a robust user group for gliders (UG2) that promotes scientific collaboration and information/resource sharing for operators, data users, manufacturers, academia and government agencies.
- Details about committee representation and roles, the draft charter and the nomination form.
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New Nav Charts on the Way
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Good news for Gulf of Mexico pilots… maritime pilots, that is.
NOAA is creating 151 new electronic navigational charts with substantially improved detail. One-meter contour intervals will allow high resolution shoreline data to increase detail around piers, providing pilots and ship’s masters greater understanding of pier shapes and structures.
The new products are being developed from high-resolution bathymetric and shoreline data acquired by NOAA’s Hydrographic Surveys Division for areas between the Gulf of Mexico and Baton Rouge. NOAA’s Marine Chart Division anticipates having the first eight cells available by the end of 2020. Stay tuned!
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Underwater Gliders and Hurricane Forecasting
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Join NOAA scientists and IOOS partners to hear talks on key results on the link of oceans and hurricane intensification using autonomous underwater hurricane gliders.
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NOAA’s PORTS® system, first installed in Tampa Bay in 1991 a decade after a ship/bridge collision killed 58 people, provides real-time oceanographic and meteorological information to mariners navigating congested shipping lanes.
Now, NOAA has launched some new system enhancements in Tampa: a buoy-mounted current meter at the Tampa Bay shipping channel entrance, wind sensors at a crucial ship-docking junction and a microwave radar air gap sensor on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. With 33 PORTS® across the nation, the program has been proven to reduce shipping collisions, groundings, injuries and property damage.
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Healthy Ecosystems & Living Resources
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New: Gulf of Mexico Coral Reef Report Card
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Coral reefs in the Gulf are diverse and interconnected among Mexico, the United States and Cuba. In 2007, these countries united in the Trinational Initiative to coordinate actions to better understand, protect and manage marine ecosystems.
Last year, The Harte Research Institute and UNAM-Sisal held a workshop to create a report card on coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, where declines have had an impact on the ecological, social, cultural and economic benefits of people and communities.
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You Can Help Map Coral Reefs Just by Using Your Phone
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A new NASA game is letting players help map the ocean’s coral reefs while helping to train the Pleiades supercomputer at Ames to recognize corals from any image of the ocean floor.
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Pacific Islands Fishery Science Center (NMFS/PIFSC) is partnering with NASA's NemoNet effort, which will include sharing images from CRCP's National Coral Reef Monitoring program.
- Read more
- Find it in your app store: search for “NASA NeMO-Net”
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Get Data on the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current
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The National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine's Gulf Research Program's "Understanding Gulf Ocean Systems" (UGOS) data compilation project has published years of data owned by DeepStar, Fugro and datasets of more than 1,227 days of Vessel Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (VMADCP) observations of the Loop Current — including data for periods 2010-2011 and 2014-2015.
To date, more than 25 years — approximately 3,000 unique data files — of historical time series current profile data from the deepwater Gulf of Mexico have been ingested, formatted to meet IOOS requirements and made accessible via ERDDAP data services!
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The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Acidification Network (GCAN) Webinar Series Presents "Habitat Restoration & Shoreline Protection in Galveston Bay," with the Galveston Bay Foundation’s Haille Leija.
Leija oversees the Oyster Shell Recycling Program and manages the Foundation’s oyster reef restoration efforts as well as living shoreline projects.
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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: 10 Years On
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It’s been a decade since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The event challenged the spill response community and sparked a need for advances in many sciences.
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The Gulf of Mexico Alliance has decided to cancel the All-Hands meeting scheduled for June. Refunds for registration are on the way. Their plan is to hold scaled-back meetings the week of Nov. 16 but the structure of those meetings is still being developed.
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In 2010, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon resulted in the largest man-made disaster in U.S. history. Today, each Gulf state administers restoration funds and programs. Additionally, other agencies and organizations are also tasked with administering programs designed to restore Gulf habitats and better understand Gulf ecosystems.
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GCOOS maintains a jobs listing for positions and fellowships in the ocean observing community. Want to advertise a position? Email
Laura Caldwell
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- NERACOOS — Director
- Executive Director, Harte Research Institute (HRI) for the Gulf of Mexico Studies
- HRI Endowed Chair for Biodiversity and Conservation
- HRI Chair for Ecosystem Science and Modeling
- AOOS — Regional Data Sharing Coordinator
- University of South Florida — Dean of the College of Marine Sciences
- Mote Marine Laboratory — Ocean Technology Program; HAB Mitigation and Ecology; Stranding Investigations Program; Grants Administration
- New England Aquarium - Vice President for Development
- NOS; NCCOS - Supervisory Environmental Scientist
- Florida International University — Open-rank faculty position in Phycology
- Coastal Scientist - Pinellas County Environmental Management
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine- Gulf Research Program; Legislative Liaison, Data Manager, Program Officer
- Postdoctoral Positions: University of Southern Mississippi; NRC
- Fellowships: Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship
- Louisiana State University Phytoplankton Ecology Lab; graduate student
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GCOOS maintains a listing of funding opportunities. Have an opportunity you'd like to advertise? Email
Laura Caldwell
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- FY 2020 Ocean Technology Transition Project
- Gulf of Mexico Alliance Funding Calendar
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Many Meetings have been postponed or canceled due to covid-19. We've tried to provide updates below.
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28-30: Marine Mammal Commission’s Annual Meeting, InterContinental Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Details not yet available.) Meeting open to the public.
Postponed until further notice.
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1: GCOOS Members Meeting. New Orleans. Details not yet available.
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1-3:
Bays and Bayous Symposium
, Golden Nugget Biloxi Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. “Sound Science, Sound Policy: A 2020 Vision for the Future." Begins at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 1; ends at noon on Thursday, Dec. 3
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GCOOS is the Gulf of Mexico regional component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and the only certified system dedicated solely to the Gulf of Mexico. Our mission is to provide timely, reliable and accurate information on the open ocean and coastal ocean waters of the Gulf of Mexico to ensure a healthy, clean, productive ocean and resilient coastal zone.
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Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick
, Executive Director
•
Bill Lingsch
, U.S. Glider User Group Coordinator
•
Dr. Chris Simoniello
, Outreach & Education Coordinator •
Felimon Gayanilo
, Systems Architect •
Dr. Shinichi Kobara
, Assistant Research Scientist, Product Developer •
Bob Currier,
Research Specialist, Product Developer •
Marion Stoessel
, Senior Research Associate •
Dr. Steven Baum
, Associate Research Scientist •
Jennifer Vreeland-Dawson
, Research Associate •
Grant Craig
, Program Coordinator •
Nadine Slimak
, Public Relations & Content Marketing, Vetted Communications, LLC •
Dr. Chuan-Yuan Hsu
, Post Doctoral Research Associate •
Robbie Iles
, Graduate Research Assistant
•
Laura Caldwell
, Program Assistant
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In Memoriam: Matt Howard, 1952-2018
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