|
Greetings!
I hope all is well with you as we get ready to head into a long weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday. No doubt the break is well-deserved before the final push toward the end of the year.
At GCOOS, we remain busy on a number of fronts. I just returned from Louisiana State University, where I lead a seminar on GCOOS, our growing observation network and talked with students about careers in the ocean observing, technology and data management communities. I also had the opportunity to meet in person with our partners there who are working on the HFR network expansion we told you about last month. In October, we had a seminar and visit with students at the University of Texas-Marine Science Institute. These are great opportunities to discuss the future of ocean observing in the Gulf and to help gain the interest of our next generation researchers, technology developers and operators.
Next month, I’ll be visiting Orange Beach, Alabama, where we’re hosting a joint meeting of our two main advisory councils on Dec. 12 and 13: the Outreach & Education Council and the Products & Services Advisory Council. These groups are focused on reaching out to stakeholder communities and continuing to build partnerships throughout the Gulf, and helping to develop new tools and products to support them.
Speaking of supporting our stakeholder communities, we recently created a new climate data and services resource page on our website. It’s a one-stop compilation of data, applications, products, models, decision-support resources and more. This new resource has been developed by GCOOS intern Solomon Nyamekye in collaboration with Sharon Mesick, Director of the NOAA Regional Climate Services-Southern Region.
I hope you also saw our recent email about the climate services survey we’re undertaking. The survey will help us establish a framework for Coastal Climate Services to support coastal communities as they adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. If you haven’t taken our survey yet, I hope you’ll do so before Nov. 30!
- Take the climate services survey now
- Visit our new climate services web page
Until next month,
| |
|
GCOOS is working to establish a framework for Coastal Climate Services to aid in the delivery of science-based, usable climate services for Gulf of Mexico States.
The survey seeks input that will help us understand the needs and perspectives of end-users and support plans and the implementation of measures to enhance coastal community resilience and minimize risks in the face of climate variability. Advancing this whole-of-government endeavor will also foster socio-economic growth within the Gulf of Mexico region.
| |
OA Week Webinar Recordings | |
|
In case you missed it, coordinators for GCAN and the Alaska Acidification Network partnered to present a webinar on regional capacity building during the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network’s Ocean Acidification week recently. The recording of the session, titled U.S. Coastal Acidification Networks — what they are, how they work, and collaboration with the ocean acidification community — is now available. In all, OA week included 22 sessions with 94 presentations and more than 750 attendees.
-
Click the video below to view the GCAN-AAN session or click here to view the OA week playlist.
| |
Study Shows New Insights on Texas Shelf Circulation | |
|
A study by GCOOS Oceanographer and lead author Dr. Uchenna Nwankwo published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science provides new insights into the understanding of the variability of circulation patterns along the Texas Shelf.
Previous studies focused on the low-frequency variability of the circulation — northeast flow in the summer and southwest flow on the inner shelf in the non-summer seasons.
This study demonstrated high-frequency current reversals within the weather band in each season. From the estimated persistence of the currents during reversals, the inner- and mid-shelf currents are predominantly downcoast in the non-summer seasons and upcoast in the summer season whereas the outer shelf currents are mostly upcoast all year round.
| |
Map of the locations of the wind (red stars) and TABS buoys used in the study as well as the mean currents. Shown are 50-, 100-, 200-, 500-, 1,000-, 2,000-, and 3,000-m isobaths. | |
|
The study further used wavelets analysis to show the spatiotemporal differences in the weather frequency of the alongshore currents. Additionally, using cross-spectra analysis of currents and wind data it was determined that the influence of wind prevails in the inner shore while the contribution of other mesoscale features such as the Loop Current Eddies prevail on the outer shelf. The results of the study with regards to high frequency current reversals and persistence could help inform engineering decisions related to structural strength and design of offshore platforms as well as the response and mitigation of coastal hazards such as oil and chemical spills, harmful algal blooms and hypoxia.
Co-authors on the paper are Dr. Steven F. DiMarco, Texas A&M University (TAMU); Heather M. Nowak, Woods Hole Group; Dr. Kerri Whilden, Fugro; Brian Buckingham, Rutgers University; John Walpert, TAMU; and Dr. Anthony H. Knap, TAMU.
- Read the paper
-
Citation: Nwankwo UC, DiMarco SF, Nowak HM, Whilden K, Buckingham B, Walpert J and Knap AH (2023) Characterizing the weather band variability of the Texas shelf current. Front. Mar. Sci. 10:1221120. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1221120
| |
|
The next webinar in the UGOS webinar series led by early career researchers Luna Hiron, Sakib Mahmud and Aryan Safaie will focus on modeling.
UGOS is designed to advance understanding and prediction of Loop Current dynamics to reduce risks to offshore energy exploration and production, improve hurricane intensity forecasting, support fisheries management and deal with other challenges such as sea-level rise.
The webinar series is focused on UGOS-funded work and related research.
-
When: 11 a.m. ET Monday, Nov. 27
-
Speakers | Topics: Dr. Nektaria Ntaganou, Postdoctoral Scientist at the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS), Florida State University, will speak on "Impact of Model Resolution on Mixing and Dispersion in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico" and Dr. Sheila Estrada Allis, Research Associate at the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), will speak on "Observation impact through 4DVar data assimilation in the Gulf of Mexico"
- Registration
Additional information: Email webinar series organizers Luna Hiron, Sakib Mahmud or Aryan Safaie.
Note: This will be the last webinar in the 2023 series; the series will begin again in the New Year.
| |
BOEM Accepting Environmental Study Ideas | |
|
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is now accepting study ideas for its Studies Development Plan (SDP) for FY 2025-26. The SDP covers all BOEM energy and minerals activities and develops annual two-year studies plans compiling brief project descriptions and evaluations. BOEM is soliciting study ideas for consideration in Alaska, the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific OCS areas.
| |
A Bigger Role for NOAA’s NOS | |
|
NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) is stepping into a larger role to support U.S. needs for data, products and services that protect ecosystems and enhance climate and economic resilience. The newly released NOS Strategic Plan focuses on four overarching goals: increase U.S. coastal resilience, make equity central to its mission, accelerate growth of the Ocean Enterprise and the Blue Economy, and conserve, restore, and connect healthy coastal and marine ecosystems.
NOS will step up collection and dissemination of information critical to forecasting, climate modeling and conserving and restoring important coastal and ocean habitats and will with national, Indigenous, regional, and local decision-makers and communities to prepare coastal communities for a changing world.
| |
USF to Lead Sargassum Forecast Development | |
|
The University of South Florida’s College of Marine Sciences has received a $3.2 million grant to develop a new sargassum forecasting system. The five-year grant from the NOAA Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB) program aims to better forecast sargassum blooms and prevent them from plaguing coastal communities.
Additional partners on the grant are Florida Atlantic University, the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CariCOOS), NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
| |
|
The National Harmful Algal Bloom Observing Network's December webinar has been rescheduled to January. The webinar will focus on sargassum observing.
-
When: 3-4 p.m. ET Jan. 17
- Missed a past webinar? Click here for the archive
- Watch the NHABON website
| |
Red Tide Panel Discussion | |
|
The University of South Florida and the Southwest-Florida based Science and Technology Society hosted a webinar earlier this month focused on Florida’s red tide along the Gulf Coast.
The panel, moderated by GCOOS Senior Advisor Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick, included Charlie Hunsicker, Director, Manatee County Natural Resources Department, Sandy Gilbert, Chairman and CEO of START (Solutions To Avoid Red Tide) and Dr. Dave Tomasko, Executive Director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.
- Read more from WUSF
- Read more from the Sarasota Herald Tribune
| |
Social Coast Forum Registration Opens | |
|
Climate change is exacerbating all issues related to coastal management, including human health, food security, transportation, the economy and the environment. Historically marginalized communities are often impacted the most. Presentations and discussions at the Social Coast Forum — sponsored by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management and the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA) — will focus on applying social science data, tools, and practices to address these issues. Registration is now open, with early registration rates through Dec. 18.
| |
|
The Coastal Ocean Modeling Testbed team led by Louisiana State University’s Kehui Xu continues to advance development of the coupled River-Estuary-Ocean Continuum model. As the project matures, the team is validating the coupled model for Galveston Bay and generating boundary conditions. GCOOS, through the efforts of co-data manager Felimon Gayanilo, continues to work on transitioning model outputs and dependencies to GCOOS facilities via development of a model handler and viewer, following NOAA/IOOS requirements. COMT projects are intended to serve as a conduit between the federal operational and research communities, and allow sharing of numerical models, observations and software tools. The Testbed enables building of the modeling community and enhances academic and federal operational relations for the purposes of improving model development that creates new knowledge, new model code and tools, and operational user capacity.
| |
Restoration Projects Funded | |
|
Mississippi has approved more than $44 million for 15 RESTORE Act projects along the state’s Gulf Coast. The projects — managed by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality through its Office of Restoration — include revitalization of the Hancock County Fairgrounds, improvements to the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, a scenic trail along the Pascagoula River, an artificial reef project and a coastal education program for Mississippi high schools.
| |
Healthy Ecosystems & Living Resources | |
Request for Information: National Ocean Biodiversity Strategy | |
|
The National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology is seeking public input for a new National Ocean Biodiversity Strategy being led by NOAA and the Smithsonian. The strategy is expected to cover the genetic lineages, species, habitats and ecosystems of United States (U.S.) ocean, coastal and Great Lakes waters and align research and monitoring on ocean life for safe and sustainable management, conservation, development and climate solutions; and improve delivery of biodiversity information to support wise management and the economy.
| |
RFP: Gulf Ecosystem Initiative | |
|
The NOAA RESTORE Science Program and National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) have announced the second request for proposals for the Gulf Ecosystem Initiative, which funds synthesis research to understand the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem in a holistic manner. This is the second year of a five-year partnership between NOAA and NCEAS, with $3.5 million dedicated to be distributed for synthesis research by 2027.
Awards will support working groups and postdoctoral researchers pursuing pressing and innovative research questions on three emerging themes in the Gulf of Mexico: climate change, fisheries, and ecological impact of management actions.
-
Informational webinar: Dec. 5
-
Deadline: March 15
- RFP Details
| |
Using Remote Sensing to Monitor Habitats | |
|
When the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary expanded from three banks spanning 56 square miles to an additional 14 reefs and banks covering 160 square miles in 2021, sanctuary managers needed to figure out a way to monitor a much larger area for things like water quality, coral bleaching and spawning, impacts from human and natural stressors and long-term changes within the sanctuary.
Enter the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON), which has worked closely with sanctuary staff to co-design a dashboard that integrates satellite remote sensing data to track things like chlorophyll-a concentration and turbidity. The dashboard has proven highly useful and is now being adapted for Gray’s Reef NMS.
| |
|
The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) is updating its gallery of downloadable images and videos featuring the Gulf’s deep coral reef. Visit the site for image resources to share!
| |
Climate Change and Reef Fish Initiative in the Gulf | |
|
The Department of Commerce and NOAA have announced plans for $20 million in funding to address the impacts of climate change on red snapper and other reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico, as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
These funds will support the efforts of NOAA and the Gulf of Mexico states to determine the best tools to collect reliable recreational fishing data that support science and management decision-making for red snapper.
| |
|
U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)
IOOS Advisory Committee Seeks New Members
| |
|
IOOS is seeking 10 new members to serve three-year terms on its Advisory Committee. As a Federal Advisory Committee, membership on the IOOS Advisory Committee is required to be fairly balanced in terms of viewpoints represented and the functions to be performed, as well as including the interests of geographic regions of the country and the diverse sectors of our society (business and industry, science, academia, and the public at large). To assess the eligibility of a possible candidate please refer to the federal register notice.
| |
|
Gulf of Mexico Alliance
Tools Café Submissions Opens
| |
|
Do you have an application or tool that could be useful for those working on Gulf of Mexico issues? There’s no better place to feature it than the Gulf of Mexico Conference's Tools Café —one of the most popular highlights of the four-day Gulf of Mexico Conference (GOMCON) that includes hands-on demonstrations. Spaces will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
| |
|
The Gulf Research Program (GRP)
New Research Consortium Funded
| |
|
The GRP of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has awarded $22 million to fund a new research consortium focused on advancing understanding of the future sustainability of the lowermost Mississippi River Delta, known as the Bird’s Foot Delta. Over five years, the Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative (MissDelta), led by Louisiana State University and Tulane University, will work to transform understanding of the delta’s future through the end of the century and advance research and practical ways to combat land and ecological losses.
The MissDelta consortium also includes six historically Black colleges and universities — Southern University of Baton Rouge, Xavier University of New Orleans, Jackson State University, Grambling State University, Dillard University, and Alcorn State University — as well as the University of Southern Mississippi, University of Central Florida, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Water Institute of the Gulf, and the College of William & Mary.
| |
Apply Now: Policy Fellowship | |
|
The GRP Science Policy Fellowship program is now accepting applications. The fellowship helps scientists hone their skills by putting them to practice for the benefit of Gulf Coast communities and ecosystems. Fellows spend one year on the staff of federal, state, local, or non-governmental environmental, natural resource, oil and gas and public health agencies in the Gulf of Mexico region.
| |
|
Marcius Extavour, TIME CO2, will moderate a conversation with Julia Haggerty, Montana State University, and Daniel Raim, Resources for the Future, about the future of fossil fuels and how to address the technical and societal challenges associated with their changing role.
| |
-
GCOOS: Marine Mammal Biologist/Data Scientist
-
Texas A&M University: Sea Grant Director
-
Board on Gulf Education and Engagement: Program Officer
-
The University of Southern Mississippi: Associate Marine Instrumentation Specialist
-
The University of Miami (RSMAS): Tenure or Tenure-Track Professor
-
GOOS Biology: Data Manager
- Mote Marine Laboratory
Postdoctoral Positions:
-
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences, NRC Research Programs
-
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: Postdoctoral Fellowship
-
National Research Council: Research Associateship Programs Postdoctoral and Senior Research Awards
-
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center: Animal Teletmetry Postdoctoral Fellow
-
Mississippi State University: Postdoctoral Associate
Fellowships:
- Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellowship
-
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration - Coastal Management Fellowship
-
National Academies of Science, Engineering and Mathematics: Early Career Fellowships
-
Department of Defense: Visualization of Coastal Data, Coastal Vulnerability Assessment Fellow
| |
|
-
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration – Translating Coastal Research into Application
-
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – Early Career Research Fellowship
-
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: American the Beautiful Conservation Initiative
-
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine; Gulf Research Program: Understanding Climate-Induced Mental Health Impacts
- Gulf of Mexico Alliance
| |
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 on-demand information about the Gulf’s coastal and open ocean waters that is accurate, reliable and benefits people, ecosystems and the economy. | |
Dr. Jorge Brenner, Executive Director • Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick, Senior Advisor • Dr. Uchenna Nwankwo, Oceanographer • Dr. Chris Simoniello, Outreach & Education Manager • Felimon Gayanilo, Systems Architect, Co-Data Manager • Bob Currier, Product Developer, Co-Data Manager • Tuomo Saari, Scientific Computing Specialist • Hannah Dillahunt, GIS Developer • Jennifer Vreeland-Dawson, Program Coordinator • Grant Craig, Project Manager and HABscope Volunteer Coordinator • Nadine Slimak, Public Relations & Content Marketing, Vetted Communications, LLC • Laura Caldwell, Program Assistant | |
In Memoriam: Matt Howard, 1952-2018
| | | | |
