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Greetings!
Happy New Year! I hope January finds you rested and ready for a great year of ocean observing. Things are certainly starting off busy at GCOOS as we work to complete our request for funding under the Inflation Reduction Act. Through this new funding opportunity, we are focusing on supporting past needs from around the Gulf, maintaining current observations with our high frequency radar network and working with new partners in exciting areas along the coast and offshore that will help support coastal resilience.
We’re also getting ready for our annual elections and our spring meeting. We will be opening nominations for the Board on March 1 — you may nominate a colleague and self-nominations are also welcome — and voting will take place April 2-19. Learn more about board member duties here.
We’re still putting the finishing touches on the agenda for our spring meeting, but it’s shaping up to be a great one. Please save the date!
Until next month,
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We’re planning some new networking opportunities and interesting sessions for the in-person GCOOS Spring Meeting. We’ll share details here as plans coalesce. But in the meantime, please save the date!
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What: GCOOS Spring Meeting
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When: May 9 & 10
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Where: Galveston, Texas
| Kirkpatrick Appointed to NOAA Advisory Board | |
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GCOOS Senior Advisor Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick has been appointed to a three-year term on the NOAA Science Advisory (SAB) Board’s Ecosystem Sciences and Management Working Group (ESMWG). The ESMWG focuses on the broad research, monitoring and management components of NOAA’s ecosystem portfolio, as well as on underlying observations and data management issues. The group is charged with enhancing communication with external partners and stakeholders and submitting formal reports to the SAB that identify current issues, deficiencies, recommendations for remedial action and proposed initiatives.
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Please join us in welcoming GCOOS’s newest staff member, Megan Howson, Marine Mammal Biologist and Data Scientist. She will focus on the Compilation of Environmental, Threats, and Animal Data for Cetacean Population Health Analyses (CETACEAN) project, a five-year collaborative project funded through NRDA Open Ocean Restoration Area funds from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, with NOAA as the Lead Implementing Trustee. The project, managed through GCOOS, is focusing on helping to restore cetacean species injured during the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including common bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bryde’s whales and sperm whales. Howson will create, maintain and update the marine mammal CETACEAN database.
Howson has a master’s degree in marine biology from Texas A&M University Galveston and she has previously worked as a research assistant with Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab, a marine biologist with Monterey Bay Whale Watch and as a middle and high school science teacher. She has a B.S. in marine biology from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences with double minors in chemistry and psychology. Recently she completed a course in applied data analytics with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Use GCOOS Data? Tell Us How! | |
Each year in February and March, GCOOS navigates the appropriations process in collaboration with the other 10 Regional Associations in support of IOOS appropriation requests, which help to secure funding from Congress. In addition to preparing official requests for each Congressional office, GCOOS meets with staff of U.S. Senators and Representatives from the Gulf states to share information and updates on how GCOOS impacts and benefits their constituents.
We need your help! Your feedback and testimonials are one of the most effective ways for us to demonstrate to lawmakers the importance of ocean observing data and products. How can you help? It’s easy! Simply:
- Write a brief statement (a couple of sentences) on how any aspect of GCOOS makes a positive difference for you, your constituents, the environment and so on;
- Email the information to GCOOS Project Manager Grant Craig at Grant.Craig@gcoos.org.
- Pictures are always nice, too!
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The ocean has absorbed approximately 90% of excess heat and 25% of the carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere by humans. This increased carbon pollution has consequences for our ocean. Working together, partners on the project “Exploring Our Changing Ocean: Impacts and Response to Ocean Acidification in the U.S.A.” are advancing communications about climate-ocean changes occurring regionally in the U.S. by presenting localized information on unique impacts, responses and calls to action taking shape across the country.
This collaborative OA communications project is being undertaken by the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, the OA Alliance, and NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program. It also includes regional partners like GCAN — the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Acidification Network — and includes the development of six interactive StoryMaps showcasing relevant ocean acidification trends, science activities, stakeholder engagements and policy responses taking place across regions where NOAA supports U.S. Coastal Acidification Networks such as GCAN.
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Check out the Gulf of Mexico storymap here.
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 |  | A new assessment published in the journal Estuaries and Coasts looked at whether coastal marshes in Georgia could be hot-spots for acidification due to enhanced inorganic carbon sources and whether there is terrestrial influence on offshore acidification in the South Atlantic Bight (SAB). This is the first look at the impacts of partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) on the state of acidification in these locations. The paper “Carbonate Chemistry and the Potential for Acidification in Georgia Coastal Marshes and the South Atlantic Bight, USA” by lead author Dr. Janet Reimer, Science Program Manager for the Mid Atlantic Regional Council On The Ocean (MARCO)/Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network (MACAN) suggests that these areas are potential hot-spots for acidification and that coastal acidification in SAB marshes should be further investigated over longer time scales to determine the temporal trends and short-term variability.
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ICYMI: “Beachcombing” Series Features Ocean Acidification | |
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Beachcombing with Jace Tunnel from the Harte Research Institute recently focused on Ocean Acidification and featured GCAN Steering Committee Member and Science Working Group lead Dr. Xingping Hu, Professor and Endowed Chair for Ecosystem Science and Modeling, TAMU-CC/HRI.
In case you missed it, click the link to watch now!
And … Speaking of Dr. Hu… The GCAN Webinar Series will present Dr. Hu at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT, on Thursday, May 30. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for details!
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UG2 Webinar: Early Career Panel | |
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The Underwater Glider User Group (UG2) will feature a panel of early career individuals sharing their career paths and advice for the next generation of glider users with representatives from industry, academia and government. Discussions will highlight key glider-based skills, employment resources and information for working with gliders. It’s also an opportunity to for attendees to share their needs and ideas for a new early career UG2 sub-focus group.
The panel will include Dr. Catherine Edwards, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, University of Georgia, Shea Quinn, Teledyne Webb Research, Cordie Goodrich, Teledyne Webb Research and Adeniyi Adenaya, NOC.
- When: 2-3:30 p.m. ET Jan. 25
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Webinar link
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UGOS Webinars Resume This Month | |
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The next webinar in the UGOS webinar series led by early career researchers Dr. Luna Hiron (Florida State University), Dr. Sakib Mahmud (Texas A&M University) and Dr. Aryan Safaie (University of Rhode Island) will focus on loop current forecasting and transport patterns.
The Understanding Gulf Ocean Systems (UGOS) initiative 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.
Speakers are Dr. Gaston Manta, Postdoctoral Scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, on “Towards an operational forecast of the Loop Current dynamics from Pressure Inverted Echo-sounders (PIES) in the Yucatán Channel” and Dr. Efrain Moreles, Associate researcher at the Instituto de Ciencias del mar y Limnología, UNAM, on “Long-term transport patterns in the Yucatán Channel.”
The webinar series is focused on UGOS-funded work and related research.
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NOAA Recruiting for Shipboard Operations | |
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NOAA’s Marine and Aviation Operations will hold hiring events in the Gulf Coast region on Jan. 23, in Mobile, Alabama and on Jan. 25, in New Orleans, to recruit professional mariners to work aboard NOAA’s ocean research ships.
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Ecosystem Services Webinar | |
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Healthy ecosystems contribute to quality of life but as biodiversity and ecosystem changes occur, so do the services and benefits they provide.
One of the main purposes of the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) is to inform how services are changing — a task that requires understanding of both ecosystems and the human dimensions that affect multiple stakeholders and global collaboration is needed to set policies that promote equitable ecosystem services. MBON members participate in the GEO BON Ecosystem Services Working Group to operationalize and promote use of Essential Ecosystem Service Variables (EESVs) and Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) to create monitoring schemes from local to global scales. EESVs link social and ecological parameters and include things like wild food from marine fisheries. EBVs are measurements needed to detect and document biodiversity change and include things like genetic composition, species populations and traits, community composition, and ecosystem function and structure. Social, cultural, economic and knowledge-based systems are also part of the conceptual basis of EESVs and their links with EBVs. Learn more during the next GEO BON webinar:
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What: “Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity and the Nature Positive Journey”
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When: 9-10:15 a.m. EST Jan. 25
- Registration
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Dive Into Environmental Issues in the Gulf | |
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A new podcast from WWNO/WRKF New Orleans Public Radio is diving deep into environmental issues facing communities on the Gulf Coast and beyond. “Sea Change” brings stories designed to help document our changing coasts while sharing captivating stories from the people dealing with the most significant and complex problems of our time.
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Heat Health Information System | |
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NOAA’s National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS), in partnership with CAPA Strategies LLC, is now accepting applications from organizations interested in participating in the 2024 Urban Heat Island (UHI) mapping campaign program.
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New: U.S. Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide | |
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A new response guide seeks to improve preparedness for response and recovery operations following any natural disaster or event that generates large amounts of marine debris in the U.S.
The document outlines existing response structures at the federal level and serves as a reference for U.S. states and territories in support of regional and national planning efforts.
The Guide seeks to capture the most likely response structures and actions at the federal level, with the understanding that state and local agency involvement is a critical component of an effective response and highlights organization roles and responsibilities as well as common challenges that have been identified by stakeholders, along with recommended actions.
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Healthy Ecosystems & Living Resources | |
Gaps in Ocean Biodiversity Protection Revealed | |
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A new publication in One Earth — “New framework reveals gaps in US ocean biodiversity protection” by lead author Sarah A. Gignoux-Wolfsohn — presents results of a study aimed at developing a scientific framework for assessing marine biodiversity at multiple spatial scales. The effort was undertaken to identify gaps in our knowledge and protection of biodiversity.
Current assessment methods rely on the use of abiotic proxies. The proposed approach prioritizes ecologically and societally important taxa, characteristics of effective networks, and existing data to assess biodiversity inside and outside U.S. marine protected areas.
Results highlight that none of the nation’s 24 marine ecoregions meet all criteria for an effective protection network and the authors provide recommendations for more strategic approaches.
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Apply Now to Participate in the Lionfish Invitational | |
The multi-day Lionfish Invitational is a science-based research expedition in which 11 dive teams work to remove as many lionfish as possible from the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS), while also recording helpful data on lionfish activity and sightings. In addition, a science team of divers conducts surveys to determine what species, quantities and sizes of fish are present at each designated site before and after the removals.
Invitational dates are June 23-27, 2024 (FGBNMS & Kraken), Aug. 11-15, 2024 (Gulf of Mexico Rigs & Platforms) and Sept. 8-12, 2024 (FGBNMS & Kraken).
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Learn more and how to apply to participate here and here
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New: Avian Data Monitoring Portal | |
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A newly released Avian Data Monitoring Portal brings together more than a decade of aerial survey photos along the northern Gulf of Mexico to provide an easily searchable database for researchers, natural resource managers and the public. The portal will help coastal managers, coastal restoration engineers, researchers, and others not only see coastal nesting bird distributions but also inform future restoration efforts.
In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon explosion resulted in the largest oil spill in United States history, discharging millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. In the wake of the spill and subsequent settlements, federal and state agencies were tasked with assessing and restoring damage. Part of that work involved analyzing and quantifying injuries to bird habitats and populations along the northern Gulf of Mexico. In response to the oil spill, resource managers needed an effective way to assess bird nesting populations on restored habitats.
As part of the tool development, The Water Institute worked with the Deepwater Horizon Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (TIG), the Regionwide TIG, and other partners to create the portal as an easy-to-use web-based search engine that allows search by year, region, state, colony, species, and watershed to provide results on total birds or total nests.
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Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS)
New Superintendent
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Congratulations to Dr. Michelle Johnston, who has been selected as the new superintendent for Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Johnston joined FGNMS in 2012 and has been with the sanctuary program since 2010, where she has served in a variety of roles, including marine ecologist within the headquarters science division, and as both research ecologist and research coordinator at FGBNMS. Johnston also served as acting deputy superintendent at National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa and brings a wide variety of expertise across multiple fields of sanctuary management, including applied science, outreach, and community engagement.
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Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA)
Plenary Speakers and Schedules Released
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GoMCON organizers have released the full schedule for the upcoming Gulf of Mexico Conference, including the plenary speakers and the full meeting agenda, along with Monday workshop descriptions, concurrent session schedules and more!
Tuesday’s opening plenary focuses on “Building Coastal Resilience in the Gulf: From Ecosystems to Communities” and will center on weather and climate and how to plan for resilience in the face of it all. Speakers will include Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Florida Chief Resilience Officer Wes Brooks, and University of Georgia Associate Dean and Professor Marshall Shepherd. Wednesday’s plenary theme is “Communicating the Impacts of Weather and Climate on Communities” and will focus on communication best practices in regards to weather, climate and risk mitigation. Speakers will include Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM) CEO Chauncia Willis, Reinsurance Association of America President Frank Nutter, and a representative from The Weather Channel.
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Funding Opportunity
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The NOAA RESTORE Science Program has announced plans to release its next funding opportunity in March or April 2024 to support projects that will contribute to our knowledge of the trends and variability in the Gulf of Mexico’s natural resources, and the associated dynamics of abiotic and biotic factors driving those trends.
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Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM24)
Calling All Sponsors/Exhibitors
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Space is still available for exhibitors and there are opportunities for sponsorships for the 2024 Ocean Sciences Meeting taking place Feb. 18-23 in New Orleans.
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Gulf Research Program (GRP)
Science Policy Fellowship
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The deadline is nearing for the GRP Science Policy Fellowship Program, which helps scientists hone their skills by putting them to practice for the benefit of Gulf Coast communities and ecosystems. Fellows gain first-hand experience as they 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. Click the link below to watch now.
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Deadline: Applications close on Feb. 7
- Details
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Policy Forum on Nature-based Solutions | |
The GRP is hosting its first Policy Forum on Nature-Based Solutions Feb. 7-8 at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington D.C. The Forum will bring together experts and leaders from various disciplines and geographies to delve into the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for infrastructure development. The event is free and open to the public, bringing together policymakers, regulators, practitioners, academics, and others involved in the funding, policymaking, design, and/or construction of nature-based solutions.
| Mitigating Climate Hazards | |
The GRP has announced $3.7 million in awards to support four projects that engage communities to design nature-based solutions to mitigate climate-related hazards. This is the second and final phase of a grant that focuses on the importance of nature-based solutions as resilient infrastructure to lessen the impacts of a changing climate. Funded projects are:
- Living Shoreline Design Approach Supporting the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe’s Climate Adaptation Efforts. Project Director: Dr. Matthew Bethel, Louisiana Sea Grant. Project Location: Lower Terrebonne & Lafourche Parishes, Louisiana. Award Amount: $780,308.
- Community Ownership Model for the Design of Nature-Based Solutions Along the North Claiborne Corridor. Project Director: Dr. Angela Chalk, Healthy Community Services. Project Location: New Orleans, Louisiana. Award Amount: $1,000,000
- Community-Based Design Using Nature-Based Solutions to Meet Climate Change Challenges Along Urban Hillsborough River, Tampa. Project Director: Dr. Ping Wang, University of South Florida. Project Location: Tampa, Florida. Award Amount: $990,008.
- Cedar Key ShOREs (Shoreline Options for Resilience and Equity). Project Director: Dr. Savanna Barry, University of Florida. Project Location: Cedar Key, Florida. Award Amount: $988,944
- Details
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Explorer-In-Training Application Deadline | |
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As part of its mission to train the next generation of ocean explorers, scientists, engineers, and communicators, NOAA Ocean Exploration hosts undergraduate, graduate and recent graduates in the Explorer-in-Training Program for currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students or recently graduated students. Interns will gain interdisciplinary experience in ocean exploration while collaborating on office projects and expeditions. Explorer-in-Training internships enable students to increase their competitiveness for educational and career opportunities in ocean-related fields.
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Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Grants | |
The B-WET program is an environmental education program that promotes place-based experiential learning for K–12 students and related professional development for teachers. It offers regional funding opportunities through local NOAA host offices and the deadline is coming up for the next round of grants for Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
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Deadline: Feb. 5
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Application details
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Contact: Amy Clark, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, 228-688-1520, amy.clark@noaa.gov
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Texas A&M University: Sea Grant Director
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Board on Gulf Education and Engagement: Program Officer
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The University of Southern Mississippi: Associate Marine Instrumentation Specialist
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The University of Miami (RSMAS): Tenure or Tenure-Track Professor
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GOOS Biology: Data Manager
- Mote Marine Laboratory
Postdoctoral Positions:
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National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences, NRC Research Programs
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Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: Postdoctoral Fellowship
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National Research Council: Research Associateship Programs Postdoctoral and Senior Research Awards
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Smithsonian Environmental Research Center: Animal Teletmetry Postdoctoral Fellow
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Mississippi State University: Postdoctoral Associate
Fellowships:
- Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellowship
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National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration - Coastal Management Fellowship
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National Academies of Science, Engineering and Mathematics: Early Career Fellowships
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Department of Defense: Visualization of Coastal Data, Coastal Vulnerability Assessment Fellow
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National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration – Translating Coastal Research into Application
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – Early Career Research Fellowship
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National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: American the Beautiful Conservation Initiative
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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine; Gulf Research Program: Understanding Climate-Induced Mental Health Impacts
- Gulf of Mexico Alliance
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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 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 • Megan Howson, Marine Mammal Biologist and Data Scientist • 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
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