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Greetings!
GCOOS Board Vice Chair Suraida Nañez-James, Associate Director Marcus Ogle and I just returned from the Fall meeting with NOAA’s IOOS program office as well as the directors from each of the nation’s regional associations in Traverse City, Michigan. It was a great opportunity to exchange information about ocean observing — including ways for us to coordinate our work for a greater impact on our coastal and Great Lakes communities and better communicate what ocean data and observing are all about. During our meetings, we discussed data standardization, new communities of practice, and communications to help make our IRA-funded projects more successful. We also discussed essential services and value of the IOOS network.
Here in the Gulf, we’ve been tracking 22 autonomous vehicles on GANDALF, our glider piloting dashboard as we all keep watch for tropical development. Fortunately, we’ve been spared so far this hurricane season, though I hope you all remain prepared. Don’t forget to visit to see what data the gliders and other vehicles are collecting.
Speaking of preparations, we finalized our agenda for the GCOOS Fall Members’ Meeting and Anniversary Celebration and have opened registration for the Nov. 13 meeting. With panels focused on everything from gliders, to satellites and even biological monitoring, we expect robust discussion throughout the meeting. We will also be welcoming two special guests: U.S. Congressman Mike Ezell, who has been a strong IOOS supporter — including his introduction of the bill to reauthorize the nation’s coastal and ocean observing system earlier this year — and Dr. Worth Nowlin, who helped to found not just GCOOS, but the nation’s observing system as a whole. It will be interesting to hear his thoughts on where we were 20 years ago and where we stand today.
I hope you’re planning to join us at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Marine Education Center in Ocean Springs for the meeting, which will be followed by a celebratory reception in recognition of our 20th Anniversary. As GCOOS partners, stakeholders, members and supporters, this is as much your celebration as it is ours. After all, GCOOS is built as a network and we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy two decades of success without you!
Until next month,
| | Request for Letters of Intent: 2026-2031 GCOOS Proposal to IOOS | |
GCOOS is preparing its next five-year proposal to NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) for the funding period July 2026-June 2031. We invite project ideas from GCOOS members and stakeholders across the Gulf region — spanning public, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors — for inclusion in a single, coordinated proposal.
Our goal is to advance the implementation of the GCOOS Strategic Plan 2020-2025 and Addendum to the Build-out Plan, strengthening a robust and resilient ocean observing network throughout the Gulf of America.
On Sept. 19, GCOOS Executive Director Dr. Jorge Brenner hosted a Q&A webinar focused on the LOI and review criteria. If you missed the session, click the image to watch now.
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For full details, deadlines, submission information and review criteria, please click here
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Click here to download the webinar presentation materials
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Registration is Now Open: GCOOS Fall Members’ Meeting & Anniversary Celebration | | |
Help us celebrate two decades of ocean observing in the Gulf: Registration is now open for the GCOOS Fall Members’ Meeting and Anniversary Celebration.
Guest speakers will include Mississippi Congressman Mike Ezell, as well as GCOOS Founding Board Chair Dr. Worth Nowlin. Jeff Payne, Acting IOOS Director, and GCOOS Executive Director Dr. Jorge Brenner will also provide system and RA updates. Panel sessions will focus on gliders, HFR, moorings, satellite remote sensing and modeling, as well ecosystems and marine life.
- When: Sign-in/Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. (CT) Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025
- Followed by Anniversary Reception, 5:30-7 p.m.
- Where: University of Southern Mississippi Marine Education Center, Ocean Springs, Mississippi
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Register now
- Hotel: GCOOS block rate at Margaritaville Resort Biloxi (see link in registration form)
| | Welcome to New GCAN Coordinator | | |
This month we welcomed our newest GCAN Coordinator, Dr. Natalia López Figueroa, a 2025-26 Gulf Science Policy Fellow with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Natalia brings more than a decade of experience in marine ecology, oceanography, teaching, and mentoring to GCOOS.
She earned her Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of South Florida (USF), where her dissertation focused on the ecology of upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea spp.) and their potential as bioindicators of nutrient enrichment in Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Puerto Rico. Her work was supported through the NOAA Margaret A. Davidson Fellowship and carried out in partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources and the University of Puerto Rico.
Through this research, she gained hands-on experience with stakeholder engagement, collaborative science, and coastal management — skills that underpin her current role. Natalia also holds a B.Sc. in Coastal Marine Biology from the University of Puerto Rico Humacao, an M.Sc. in Biology from Hampton University, and a graduate certificate in Academic Advising from USF.
Please join us in welcoming Natalia to GCOOS!
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Register today for the next GCAN-SOCAN Webinar: Coastal and Ocean Acidification Communication in Aquariums and Zoos, featuring:
- Katie St. Clair, Manager of the Sea Life Facility at Texas A&M University at Galveston: “From Lab to Ocean: How Experimental Facilities Drive Marine Conservation Research”
- Dr. Kristen Ranges, Education Manager at Mote Marine Laboratory’s Science Education Aquarium: “Transforming Abstract Concepts into Applied Science Through Authentic Ocean Acidification Research”
- Jamie Lynn Lankenau, Community Engagement Supervisor at Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens: “Building Resiliency in Northeast Florida through Climate Education at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens”
- When: Noon-1 p.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 24
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Register here
| | Share Your Coastal and Ocean Acidification Expertise! | | |
GCAN is seeking speakers for our webinar series from across all sectors — science, education, management, policy and beyond — who are working on topics related to coastal and ocean acidification.
This is a great opportunity to share your expertise and work, highlight your projects, and connect to a broader audience of stakeholders and decision makers across the Gulf region and beyond. Students are welcome!
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If you are interested in presenting in an upcoming webinar, please sign up here
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GCOOS member the Dauphin Island Sea Lab has made some updates to the Alabama Real-Time Coastal Observing System (ARCOS) — including developing a new app. Boaters heading out on coastal Alabama waters can now check current weather conditions across Mobile Bay easily on their smart phones with the new ARCOS app. Available for free download on both iOS and Android — search for DISL ARCOS — the app is an excellent tool for anyone who works or plays on the water to make informed and safe boating decisions.
| | Hurricanes and the Air-Sea Boundary | |
Peak hurricane season in the North Atlantic happens at the same time coastal ocean temperatures begin transitioning from summer highs to cooler winter conditions. The timing of the transition can have significant impacts on hurricane strength, as warmer conditions can support more intense hurricanes. A new publication “Observations of Coastal Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions from Three Tropical Cyclones During the Fall Transition of 2017 in the Mississippi Bight, Northern Gulf of Mexico” in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans used GCOOS-supported in-situ data gathered by ARCOS as well as satellite-derived data to further understand interactions between hurricanes and the coastal ocean.
The study’s authors — including lead author Dr. Brian Dzwonkowski, GCOOS PI, and co-author Dr. Uchenna Nwankwo, GCOOS oceanographer — looked at data from the Mississippi Bight during tropical depressions associated with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and Hurricane Nate in the late summer/early fall 2017 to improve the understanding of interactions between these extreme events and the coastal ocean. They found that the more distant storms of Harvey and Irma had larger effects on the temperature conditions than Nate, which traveled directly over the study site. The impacts of all three storms on the ocean were connected to the level of moisture at the air-sea boundary. The different changes observed in the coastal ocean demonstrate the highly variable impacts that can occur in response to hurricanes as they make landfall.
Thermodynamic disequilibrium for landfalling tropical cyclones appears to be an important component of air‐sea interactions over the shelf. Overall, the variability in the thermal response of the coastal ocean to tropical cyclones and the subsequent atmospheric conditions highlight the difficulties in predicting how shelf thermal conditions will evolve during the peak of hurricane seasons in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
- Citation: Dzwonkowski, B., Fournier, S., Carwithen, R., Lockridge, G., Liu, Z., Coogan, J., et al. (2025). Observations of coastal ocean‐atmosphere interactions from three tropical cyclones during the fall transition of 2017 in the Mississippi Bight, northern Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 130, e2025JC022564. https://doi.org/10.1029/ 2025JC022564
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Read the paper
| GCOOS Member Testing New Autonomous Vehicles | | |
NOAA, in partnership with GCOOS member The University of Southern Mississippi, and the robotics company Oshen launched five small uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) called C-Stars in the waters off the U.S. Virgin Islands in August to collect critical data to better understand hurricane development and activity. Two additional C-Stars are being stored in Gulfport, Mississippi, ready for launch ahead of actively developing storms in the Gulf this fall.
“Understanding weather conditions where the ocean surface meets the lower atmosphere is key to predicting hurricane intensity,” said Greg Foltz, oceanographer for NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML). “If these miniature uncrewed surface vehicles prove reliable, they could become a critical piece of NOAA’s hurricane observing system in the future.”
| | Understanding Rapid Intensification of Hurricanes | | GCOOS PI Dr. Chuanmin Hu was recently featured in a series of news stories discussing efforts at the University of South Florida to better understand and predict hurricane intensification. Hu is Professor of Oceanography at the College of Marine Science, where he specializes in using laboratory, field, and remote sensing techniques to study algal blooms, oil spills, coastal and inland water quality, and global changes. Learn more about rapid intensification in this piece from Tampa Bay 28. | | Using AI to Track Tropical Waves | | |
A research team led by a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can automatically identify and track tropical easterly waves (TEWs)— clusters of clouds and wind that often develop into hurricanes — and separate them from two major tropical wind patterns: the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the monsoon trough (MT).
“With this wave tracking tool, we have a new way to detect different patterns, and the types of systems that can grow into hurricanes,” said Will Downs, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the Rosenstiel School who led the development of the system. “It’s one important step toward improving forecasts and giving communities more time to prepare.”
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During hurricane season, we add a special hurricane section to our enewsletter. If you’ve got a hurricane data highlight or other hurricane-related news you’d like to share between now and November, please email our communications lead, Nadine Slimak, at Nadine@VettedCommunications.com. | | HAB Symposium Call for Proposals | |
Organizers of the 13th U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae (HABS 2026) have opened the call for session and workshop proposals for the Oct. 25-29, 2026, biennial event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for those involved in the study, management, or mitigation of harmful algal blooms (HABs) as well as those addressing the impacts of HABs on ecosystems, public health, or communities.
Propose and organize sessions within your areas of expertise as part of a collaborative approach to the symposium that ensures diverse sessions on emerging topics and cutting-edge research in bloom dynamics, monitoring and management, prevention and mitigation strategies, emerging technologies, community engagement, and modeling and forecasting.
Those interested in organizing a pre-conference workshop on Sunday, Oct. 25, are invited to submit a proposal for a workshop that provides hands-on training and practical learning experience in using cutting-edge tools, technologies, and methodologies related to HABs management. The goal is to schedule workshops that equip participants with practical skills and insights they can directly apply to their research and professional work.
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Healthy Ecosystems & Living Resources
| | Documenting Biodiversity in Louisiana | |
The Louisiana branch of the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON), led by Dr. Cassandra Glaspie at Louisiana State University, is supporting the efforts of NASA, NOAA, USGS, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries by discovering new ways to document and explain the unique diversity of wildlife in the Bayou State. When NOAA wanted to develop a monitoring plan for Barataria Bay, an area with rapid land loss and big plans for restoration, the data amassed by the LA MBON were available to help ensure the plan would be effective and efficient. “There is a lot we still don’t know about the food sources used by the fish and shellfish we target for sport, food, or income,” said Glaspie. “This research will allow us to use ecosystem models so we can predict the impacts of restoration projects on the fish we love to catch.”
In these shallow waters of coastal Louisiana, the team hopes to unravel some of the mysteries below the surface of the muddy water and is training students in cutting-edge science techniques such as artificial intelligence, eDNA and interpreting output from the brand-new NASA PACE satellite, to peer into the murk and better understand the food web that supports productive Gulf Coast fisheries. For now, the Barataria Bay ecosystem monitoring projects are in full swing, and the LA MBON continues to test new ways to describe the diversity of life. This winter, the LA MBON team will wrap up an effort to record the sounds of restored oyster reefs and leverage AI to understand how the reefs are being used by fish, crabs, and shrimp. In the remote wilds of Louisiana marshes, the technology being tested and applied by the LA MBON will be our best chance to understand what makes the Gulf Coast a Sportsman’s Paradise, and how to keep it that way.
| | Hacking Satellite Data for Fisheries Research | | |
NOAA Fisheries is hosting a one-week virtual social coding event (aka “hackweek”) on PACE Hyperspectral data for fisheries and ocean ecosystem applications Oct. 20-24. The event will include a combination of lectures, tutorials and project work (data processing and analysis) that will kick-start pilot projects and ideas using the Earth science data streams generated by the PACE mission. This five-day collaborative virtual hack event is designed to:
- Increase familiarity and proficiency with the new hyperspectral data from NASA’s PACE satellite within the fisheries and ocean ecosystem communities
- Jointly work on pilot projects and ideas.
During the hackweek, NOAA will provide hands-on training in cloud-native tools and workflows (in Python) during the middle of the day and hack together before and after. The week will conclude with presentations from each project team. Participants do not need to have expertise in programming or hyperspectral data; this is a “learn by doing” experience using projects to motivate the learning process – with the side-benefit of getting some pilot ideas off the ground. The event is no-cost and open to all. Participants should plan to attend all days, join a project, and participate in one of the project work times each day.
| | Public Comment Period: Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness | | |
NOAA is launching an agency-wide effort to gather initial public input on implementation of Executive Order 14276, “Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness” and is inviting feedback on fishery-related barriers, fisheries management, science, and other priority needs identified in the executive order. Input is being sought on:
- Regulations that govern fishing activities that may be suspended, revised, or rescinded
- Challenges specific fisheries are facing, suggestions for innovative improvements, and examples of existing federal fishery regulations that could be modified to enhance U.S. fishing businesses
- Ways to improve fisheries management
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Submit comments here
Participate in Listening Sessions: NOAA Fisheries’ leadership team will also be accepting input during two public online listening sessions via webinar:
- 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST Thursday, Sept. 25
- 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, Oct. 1
- Register here
| | EIS for Aquaculture Areas in the Gulf | | |
NOAA Fisheries has the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS) for the Identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in U.S. Federal Waters of the Gulf of America. The FPEIS evaluates the potential adverse and beneficial impacts associated with aquaculture operations in a specific area.
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GCOOS has officially joined the Webcam Coastal Observation System (WebCOOS) project being implemented by SECOORA with funding from NOAA. This webcam coastal observing network is designed to support quantitative scientific analysis, public safety and resource management for coastal municipalities, scientists and local communities. SECOORA is establishing standardized data processing and management methodology to provide stakeholders with actionable information from webcam videos. WebCOOS includes cameras across all 11 IOOS regional associations.
Through support from GCOOS and others, the University of Texas at Austin has installed two real-time cameras on the roof of the Pier Lab in Aransas Pass, the point of access to the Port of Corpus Christi. The port is the largest crude oil export gateway in the United States, and the third largest port by total waterborne tonnage, says project lead Dr. Sharon Z. Herzka, Director, Marine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin and the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Regents Chair in Marine Science. The Pass connects the Gulf of America with a productive network of estuarine systems and is also used by commercial and recreational fishermen to access the Gulf. Observations can be used to monitor visibility, ship traffic and bird-feeding hot spots.
The two real-time cameras face the Gulf (east) and the intersection of Lydia Ann Channel with the Corpus Christi ship channel and the Aransas channel (west). There is a short (~2 min lag). Check out the cameras and imagery archives:
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Looking for tips and tricks for glider piloting? In August, the Underwater Glider User Group (UG2) hosted panelists Peter Brickley, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Jessica Leonard, Rutgers University, Russ Miller, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), Anthony Gilless, U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office and Kyla Drushka, University of Washington, for this webinar featuring a piloting Q&A. Watch now!
| | Take the Ocean Enterprise Survey | | |
The U.S. IOOS is collecting submissions for the 2025 Ocean Enterprise Study. The Ocean Enterprise business cluster includes companies, entrepreneurs and service providers that supply technology to generate ocean data or work with ocean information to deliver economic, societal and environmental benefits. Encompassing the instruments that make ocean observations and measurements for shipping and aquaculture industries, to essential information needed to design and install offshore structures and the apps that ensure safe expeditions, the Ocean Enterprise is a critical enabler of the wider Ocean Economy.
The objective is to raise visibility and awareness of this important business cluster, and to revisit the foundational study with updates over time to understand how its scale and scope has changed over a five-year period.
| | Biological Data Management Course | | |
The Flemish Marine Institute and the OceanTeacher Global Academy is offering the Biological Data Management course online and is available in self-paced mode until the end of November 2025.
The course provides a comprehensive introduction for the management and archive of marine biological data, including the guiding principles of biological data management and typical responsibilities for a data manager. The course shows participants how to tackle several types of biological data, including observational data, image-derived data and omics data and how these data can be formatted, standardized and quality controlled before being submitted to wider regional, national and international initiatives.
Course topics include guiding principles in data management, data formats, metadata, quality control, data policy, data sharing and publishing, and a main focus on data management of various types of biological data.
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Get more details & information on the 35-hour course offered in English here
| | Gulf Oil & Gas Lease Sales | |
BOEM, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, has announced the Gulf of America Regional Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales and Post-Lease Activities Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, a key milestone in advancing the current energy agenda. The notice was published in the Federal Register Aug. 29.
According to BOEM, the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement:
- Supports future proposed Gulf of America Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities;
- Addresses issues identified from recent litigation over decommissioning and Lease Sale 259; and
- Serves as a foundation for tiered environmental analyses for post-lease activities, helping streamline future approvals and reduce delays for American energy producers.
- Read more
In other Gulf energy news, BOEM is also rolling out a long-term schedule for offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf, which includes at least 30 lease sales underscoring “the region’s indispensable role in America’s energy ecosystem, accounting for roughly 14–15% of U.S. crude oil production and serving as the linchpin of offshore energy output.” The next sale in the Gulf is scheduled for Dec. 10.
Revenue sharing with Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama is also increasing from $500 million to $650 million for 2025-2034. Funds generated from offshore oil and gas production support coastal protection, restoration and infrastructure projects.
| | Gulf of America Alliance (GOAA) | | Registration Now Open for GulfCon 2026 | | |
Don’t miss an opportunity to engage in important conversations on resilience, restoration, and natural resource management focused on the Gulf during the next GulfCon 2026! Registration for the four-day conference in Mobile, Alabama, is now open. Join other Gulf Coast scientists, resource managers, stakeholders and educators from the government, academic, nonprofit and private sectors to discuss the latest research and information focused on the future of the Gulf.
- When: May 4-7, 2026
- Where: Mobile Convention Center, Mobile, Alabama
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Click here for details, registration and hotel information
| | Oceans & Atmosphere Lessons | |
NOAA has educational resources across ocean-related topics to help teach students about the ocean and atmosphere.
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The Gulf of America Alliance Education and Engagement team’s project Waters to the Sea™ Gulf Coast Adventure, is featured in Current: The Journal of Marine Education. This resource, supported by GOAA through a grant from the NOAA Office for Coastal Management and developed by Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education, is for grades three to 12 and explores the Gulf Coast’s rich ecological and cultural landscapes through videos, interactive maps and educator resources.
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Click here for Waters to the Sea: A Gulf Coast Adventure
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GCOOS has developed CETACEAN for Educators based on the Compilation of Environmental, Threats, and Animal Data for Cetacean Population Health Analysis — CETACEAN project. Developed by GCOOS with NOAA funding, this comprehensive database catalogs and manages information related to open-ocean marine mammal species in the Gulf of Mexico to help restoration managers and researchers understand the population dynamics of cetaceans that were harmed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, as well as the various stressors that threaten them over time and across different locations.
CETACEAN for Educators provides lesson plans for teachers based on the CETACEAN database using NGSS standards and focused on core ideas of interdependent relationships in ecosystems, ecosystem dynamics, functioning and resilience, biodiversity and humans, and developing possible solutions.
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Hello.gov - Sr. Cloud and Data Engineer
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University of Miami: Assistant Professor in Physical Oceanography
- Mote Marine Laboratory
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University of Louisiana at Lafayette – Research Associate; Water Quality Monitoring
Postdoctoral Positions:
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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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Mississippi State University: Postdoctoral Associate
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Downeast Institute: Research Scientist
Fellowships:
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Ph.D. Position: Florida State University (Deadline has been extended)
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National Academies of Science, Engineering and Mathematics: Early Career Fellowships
- Department of Defense: Visualization of Coastal Data, Coastal Vulnerability Assessment Fellow
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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Gulf Research Program: Environmental Literacy for Community Resilience
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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Gulf Research Program: Empowering K-8 Through Place Based Education
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Gulf of Mexico Alliance: Increasing Participation in Clean and Resiient Marine Programs
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Seagrant: Addressing Priority Research, Extenision and Education Needs
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Early Career Research Fellowship
| | 15-19: AGU25, New Orleans, Louisiana | | 18-20: UG2 Underwater Glider User Group, St. Petersburg, Florida, Details coming soon. | | Dr. Jorge Brenner, Executive Director • Marcus Ogle, Associate Director • Dr. Uchenna Nwankwo, Oceanographer • Dr. Chris Simoniello, Outreach & Education Manager • Dr. Natalia López Figueroa, GCAN Coordinator and GCOOS 2025-26 Gulf Science Policy Fellow with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine • Felimon Gayanilo, Systems Architect, Co-Data Manager • Bob Currier, Product Developer, Co-Data Manager • Tuomo Saari, Scientific Computing Specialist • Xiao Qi, Scientific Computing Specialist • Megan Howson, Marine Mammal Biologist and Data Scientist • Sandeep Jilla, Software Developer • Grant Craig, Project Manager and HABscope Volunteer Coordinator • Nadine Slimak, Public Relations & Content Marketing, Vetted Communications, LLC • Laura Caldwell, Program Assistant | | | | |
