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Greetings!
I hope February finds you well. Things have been busy across the Gulf as the new year gets under way.
I’m especially pleased this month to share the news that we’re welcoming a new Associate Director. Marcus Ogle has an extensive background in the ocean observing community and we’re pleased to have him on staff. For GCOOS, Marcus will focus on supporting the development of our ocean observing system and management of operations. Having Marcus on board will allow us to further strengthen our relationships across the Gulf with all sectors and we’re excited to have him join us.
We’ve also set the dates for this year’s GCOOS Board elections, our Spring Members’ Meeting and today we open applications for the Matt Howard Fellowship. You can find details for these activities below, but in honor of GCOOS’s 20th Anniversary, I’d like to draw attention to the scholarship fund that supports the Fellowship.
Named for GCOOS Founding Member and Data Manager, Dr. Matt Howard, the scholarship fund memorializes his personal and professional contributions to ocean observing, data management and oceanography. GCOOS was fortunate to have Matt on staff and I hope you’ll consider making a donation to the scholarship fund in his honor, especially in recognition of the GCOOS 20-year milestone we’ve reached this year.
Until next month,
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 | | Please join us in welcoming Marcus Ogle as the GCOOS’s new Associate Director. Marcus is an oceanographer, metocean engineer and project manager specializing in offshore environmental monitoring, data analysis and marine operations. He has worked extensively on the design, deployment and maintenance of oceanographic instrumentation, including meteorological stations, ADCPs, metocean buoys and HF radar systems. Throughout his career, he has managed large-scale offshore projects across the Americas for industry leaders such as Fugro, Shell, BP and Chevron. Having spent more than 1,000 days in the field, he has first-hand experience conducting offshore operations, leading multidisciplinary teams and ensuring successful data collection in some of the world’s most challenging marine environments. In addition to overseeing field operations, he has extensive experience in proposal writing, technical review and project selection, ensuring efficient, cost-effective and scientifically robust solutions for complex marine environments.
Marcus holds a Master of Science in Oceanography and a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Texas A&M University. His academic research focused on physical oceanography and the environmental drivers of harmful algal blooms, leading to multiple published studies and conference presentations. His strong scientific foundation, combined with his extensive industry experience, allows him to bridge the gap between research and operational applications in offshore and coastal environments.
Beyond his technical expertise, Marcus is passionate about advancing ocean science and technology to support sustainable marine operations and environmental resilience. Whether in the field, analyzing data or developing strategic solutions, he is dedicated to leveraging oceanographic data and technology to improve offshore decision-making and marine resource management.
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GCOOS Board Election Dates | |
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GCOOS Board members help chart the course for GCOOS, which supports ocean observing opportunities across the five Gulf states, as well as international ocean observing efforts in the region. (View current board list here. In 2025, GCOOS Voting Members will elect two representatives each from the Private and Government Sectors and one representative each from the Academic and Outreach & Education Sectors.
Important Dates
- March 3: Nominations open
- March 28: Nominations close
- April 1: Ballots sent to electors
- April 18: Voting ends
- Find details and nomination information here
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Mark Your Calendar: GCOOS Spring Members’ Meeting | |
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Registration is now open for the GCOOS Spring Members’ Meeting. The virtual meeting is scheduled for 3-6 p.m. ET / 2-5 p.m. CT on Wednesday, May 28. The meeting agenda is in development. Watch this space and follow us on social media for updates!
- Registration: Click here or scan the QR code.
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Applications Open: Matt Howard Fellowship at GCOOS | |
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GCOOS is now accepting applications for the 2025 Matt Howard Fellowship, which offers undergraduate or graduate students the opportunity to attend a professional conference and to learn from GCOOS staff and partners about career options related to ocean science and data management. The eight-month fellowship opportunity includes conference registration fee and travel expenses up to $2,000. The Fellowship is limited to students attending university programs in and living in the U.S.
Key 2025 Dates
- Feb. 17: Funding announcement released and application submission opens
- March 15: Applications due by 5 p.m. ET
- March 31: Award Selection and notification
- April 15: Anticipated Fellowship funding and start date
- Dec. 15: Fellowship end date
To apply, applicants should send:
- A cover letter (two pages or less) expressing how their professional and personal interests align with the Fellowship opportunity;
- A resume (two pages or less).
- Email to Dr. Chris Simoniello, GCOOS Outreach and Education Manager, Chris.Simoniello@GCOOS.org.
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History Spotlight: Coastal Data information Program
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CDIP at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego has been focused on providing research-grade coastal wave measurements for decades.
The first long-term CDIP station in the Gulf — CDIP 144 St. Petersburg Off-shore, Florida — was installed back in July 2007 (installation pictured to the right) at about 80 nautical miles west of Tampa Bay. Dr. Bob Weisberg and Rick Cole of the University of South Florida were key early partners, and station operations now are typically carried out by Mote Marine Laboratory.
Since, then CDIP stations have expanded across the Gulf and we’re excited to report on the latest new moored wave buoy station providing CDIP data from the Gulf Coast: CDIP 279 Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, pictured below during installation. This mooring was installed to meet CPRA System Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) data priorities and optimized for USACE WIS validation.
“CDIP is excited to be expanding our network in this region, to help our nation meet its coastal engineering challenges,” said Dr. James Behrens, CDIP Program Manager and Principal Engineer.
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With primary funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the CDIP's real time data are disseminated through the National Weather Service, NOAA's National Data Buoy Center, WMO's GTS, NOAA PORTS® and IOOS RA data portals — including GCOOS. CDIP's website cdip.ucsd.edu also serves station wave, temperature and current data freely to the public, with specialized data product displays, and access to decades of archives.
- Link to the newest station
- Read more and visit the CDIP stations in the Gulf here
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About the History Spotlight
This year, GCOOS is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. Throughout the year, we’ll be highlighting historic data and activities from the Gulf’s ocean observing community in our enewsletter, on our website and through social media. Have a slice of Gulf data history that you’d like to share? Please email Nadine Slimak at Nadine@VettedCommunications.com with details — there might even be prizes!
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Connecting to Data Providers | |
GCOOS Scientific Computing Specialist Tuomo Saari participated on January’s Southeast U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) research cruise. These bi-monthly cruises, arranged by the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) on the Rosenstiel School's research vessel F.G. Walton Smith, produce data for long-term monitoring projects. | |
Robert Bremer (left), Ian Smith (center) and Tuomo Saari (right) repair a CTD that failed during the research cruise. | |
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For instance, the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Research project (SFER) is part of a larger initiative to restore south Florida’s ecosystems and AOML supports such efforts by researching how coastal ecosystems will likely be affected by the restoration.
GCOOS post-processes and publishes the CTD sensor data and the results from microscopy analysis of the zooplankton net tows taken during these cruises. GCOOS joined this one to help create a closer connection to our data providers and to better understand data collection processes, which will help GCOOS produce and publish better quality data faster.
The cruise, focused on the Florida Keys and the West Florida Shelf, included taking CTD casts to measure physical and chemical properties at different depths and net tows for zooplankton analysis.
The CTD allows researchers to look at temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence and turbidity, and the net tow samples are analyzed with microscopy and DNA sequencing techniques. The team also looks at nutrients, oxygen saturation, chlorophyll content, eDNA (environmental DNA) and overall phytoplankton concentration.
GCOOS data partners aboard the ship included the University of South Florida (USF), Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Research Institute (FWC/FWRI), NOAA-AOML and Mote Marine Laboratory.
Special thanks to Don Cucchiara from the University of Miami and Ian Smith from NOAA-AOML for arranging our participation.
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Making Data More Accessible | |
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GCOOS GIS Manager Jerad King was featured during a DMAC Tech Webinar hosted by IOOS in January: "Erddap2agol: Bridging Data Services and WebGIS for the Next Generation of Marine Science."
ERDDAP™ is a powerful platform that serves an important role in hosting and distributing quality metrological and oceanographic data to users. But using ERDDAP™ can be challenging for new users and ERDDAP™ lacks native integration with contemporary GIS platforms. In contrast, ArcGIS online provides a user-friendly experience for accessing, storing and analyzing data but finding quality data on ArcGIS Online can be challenging.
King’s discussion focused on how to rectify this problem with the development of erddap2agol, a python-based data service for creating, managing, and updating ERDDAP™ data on ArcGIS Online. The webinar demonstrated the simple process of using erddap2agol to create real-time datasets from live ERDDAP™ services, and how to leverage visualization tools in the ArcGIS Online ecosystem for analysis.
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Eastern Oysters and Heatwaves | |
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As part of our ongoing marine heatwaves project, we’re drafting a series of short reports on marine heatwave (MHW) impacts on species, ecosystems and industries in the Gulf and Caribbean. This is a preview of our report on the Eastern oyster, which will be available in the next few months. If you have suggestions or comments, please email Dr. Renata Poulton Kamakura, GCOOS NAS Science Policy Fellow.
Oysters are bivalve mollusks that provide critical habitat for other species, aid water filtration in estuaries, reduce coastal erosion and provide food for humans, including through the growing oyster aquaculture industry. It’s the only species of oyster native to the North American Atlantic coast and is found in the nearshore waters of all five U.S. Gulf States. NOAA Fisheries data valued landings in 2023 at $77 million.
In the last century, wild oyster populations have declined by at least 50 percent in the Gulf due to over harvesting and environmental stresses like MHW — particularly temperatures above 80.6-86 F (27-30 C), which can decrease fertilization success and hatch rates and increase oxidative stress and mortality. In fact, one study showed that if consecutive heatwave days exceeded 11, then poor oyster recruitment occurred 83% of the time.
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Key message: To avoid oyster recruitment failures, oyster farmers and oyster reef managers should act to reduce impacts from water temperatures higher than 80 F, especially when temperatures are predicted to be above that level longer than a week. If water temperature cannot be adjusted directly, it may help to mitigate other stressors, for instance, high or low salinity, or prepare for reduced oyster harvest.
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The most recent UG2 webinar featured Alexey Mishonov, Associate Research Scientist at the University of Maryland Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) and NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI), who presented “The World Ocean Database” — the world's largest collection of uniformly formatted, quality controlled and publicly available ocean profile data. This powerful tool for oceanographic, climatic and environmental research is the result of more than 20 years of coordinated efforts to incorporate data from institutions, agencies, individual researchers and data recovery initiatives into a single database. The recording is now available on the UG2 YouTube channel.
- View the presentation slides here
- Watch the webinar recording here
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Healthy Ecosystems & Living Resources
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Coupling Seascape and Animal Tracking Data to Explore Habitat Preferences | |
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The U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network continues to advance understanding of the most fundamental questions about biodiversity — what lives where and how is it doing? Through the efforts of the Remote Sensing/Sea Scape Working Group, the team is integrating seascape data — a classification system that identifies explicit water masses with particular biogeochemical features using a model and satellite-derived measurements — with animal tracking data to explore the habitat preferences and movements of economically and ecologically important marine species.
Preliminary efforts involve looking at blue sharks and tiger sharks in the context of Habitat Suitability Models that are used to predict occurrences based on seascape data and oceanographic variables; and Resource Selection Functions used to analyze the selection of specific seascape classes by the animals, revealing their preferences based on seasonal changes.
Early Habitat Suitability Model results showed 75% accuracy with seascape data compared to traditional oceanographic data models that achieve approximately 90% accuracy. Early Resource Selection Function results show that blue sharks preferred specific seascape classes during different seasons, correlating with known ecological behaviors.
The team continues this groundbreaking work by addressing challenges like the need for higher resolution data to better understand the ecological relationships and drivers of shark movements, integrating additional variables into the models, expanding the number and geographic area of tagged animals in the study and building out the collaboration to refine methodologies. The development of seascape classifications as a predictor of distributions over space and time can have game-changing management benefits regarding understanding animal behaviors.
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Public Comment Sought on Texas Restoration Plan | |
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The Texas Trustee Implementation Group for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released their Draft Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #3: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats.
- Public comments on this plan are due by Feb. 28.
The Draft Plan focuses on revitalizing coastal intertidal wetlands using dredged material to restore and conserve habitats with two key objectives: raising sediment levels to suitable elevations for estuarine marsh restoration and establishing estuarine marsh vegetation.
The Texas Trustees’ 2017 Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #1 funded the Dredged Material Planning for Wetland Restoration project. This project identified and conducted preliminary design of eight potential wetland restoration projects. Following that evaluation of alternatives to restore wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats, the Texas Trustees are proposing seven of those projects as preferred alternatives for implementation. The projects have a total estimated cost of $40 million.
The Trustees are also seeking comment on the extension of the Texas portion of the Sea Turtle Early Restoration project. The project extension will allow for the continuation of work addressing threats to Kemp’s ridley, green, and loggerhead sea turtles on their nesting beaches and in the marine environment.
- Comments on this extension are due by Feb. 18
For details and information on how to comment, click here.
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Progress on Red Tide Recommendations Report | |
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The Florida Harmful Algal Bloom task force has released Consensus Document #3: “Progress on priority recommendations for red tide (Karenia brevis).”
This consensus document, released in January, focuses on sharing information about substantial and ongoing progress in implementing the recommendations of the FL HAB Task Force. It relies heavily on actions conducted under the umbrella of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Center for Red Tide Research (CRTR) and FL HAB Task Force.
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The National HAB Observing Network (NHABON) connects federal, tribal, state, regional and local partners to improve understanding, detection and management of harmful algal blooms. The Network holds a regular webinar series focused on topics of interest to the HAB community. Mark your calendar for the next webinar at 3-4 p.m. ET which will focus on the West Coast paralytic shellfish poisoning event that occurred in 2024.
- A registration link for the webinar will be posted here when it is available.
- If you’ve missed a past NHABON webinar, please visit their YouTube archive here.
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Integrated Ocean Observing System (U.S. IOOS) and the IOOS Association
Celebrating 25 Years
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This year marks the 25th anniversary of the U.S. IOOS. To celebrate, the IOOS Association is working with key partners to plan a special reception on Capitol Hill to honor Congressional champions whose vision and support have been instrumental in advancing ocean observation initiatives and ensuring the success of lOOS. The reception will provide a unique opportunity to reflect on the system’s achievements, celebrate its contributions and recognize the leadership of those who have championed its mission.
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New K-12 Ocean Observing Toolkit | |
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The IOOS Association, in partnership with UCAR Center for Science Education, and UCAR Center for Ocean Leadership, has launched a K-12 Education Toolkit to help students learn about ocean observation, particularly in the contexts of coastal hazards, ecosystem changes and food from the ocean. This toolkit leverages existing resources from the IOOS Regional Associations to provide a collection of activities that help students learn about ocean observing from the perspective of different regions and communities.
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Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH)
Undergrad Opportunity in Machine Learning
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Applications are due March 1 for CIROH’s Artificial Intelligence: Operational Hydrology Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at The University of Alabama.
The fully funded, hands-on research experience takes plan May 18 to July 25 and is designed for students eager to explore the intersection of AI, data science and hydrology while earning a $5,680 stipend (with free housing). The experience is open to:
- Rising juniors or seniors with at least a 3.2 GPA
- Students with majors in computer science, civil engineering, geography, math, physics, data science, or related fields
- Students with interest in machine learning, hydrologic modeling and the future of water science
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Details and application
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Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA)
Registration Open for All-Hands
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Registration is now open for GOMA’s All-Hands Meeting, scheduled for May 5-8 at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi, Mississippi. Hotel blocks are also listed and are filling fast.
Online registration is $175. Group room rates are available through April 3.
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Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS)
Lionfish Invitational
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Applications are now open for the FGBNMS Lionfish Invitational, an alternative to fishing derbies focused on lionfish removal and research. This multi-day event is a science-based research expedition in which 11 dive teams work to remove as many lionfish as possible, while also recording helpful data on lionfish activity and sightings. A science team of eight divers will simultaneously conduct surveys to determine what species, quantities and sizes of fish are present at each designated site before and after the removals.
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U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability (US CLIVAR)
CLIVAR Seeks Steering Committee Members
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CLIVAR is a national research program with a mission to foster understanding and prediction of climate variability and change on intraseasonal-to-centennial timescales, through observations and modeling with emphasis on the role of the ocean and its interaction with other elements of the Earth system, and to serve the climate community and society through the coordination and facilitation of research on outstanding climate questions. Its Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) is seeking new members for three of its panels:
- Phenomena, Observations, and Synthesis (POS) Panel
- Process Study and Model Improvement (PSMI) Panel
- Predictability, Predictions, and Applications Interface (PPAI) Panel
The panels play a pivotal role in setting science priorities, implementing innovative strategies, and driving collaborative activities with U.S. and international partners. Together, they propel the climate research community forward, addressing pressing challenges and collaborating on key topics.
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Hello.gov - Sr. Cloud and Data Engineer
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National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine; Gulf Research Program: Executive Director
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National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine; Gulf Research Program: Program Officer - Environmental Protection and Stewardship Board
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University of Miami: Assistant Professor in Physical Oceanography
- Mote Marine Laboratory
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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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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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
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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. https://ror.org/024q01f72 | |
Dr. Jorge Brenner, Executive Director • Marcus Ogle, Associate Director • Dr. Uchenna Nwankwo, Oceanographer • Dr. Chris Simoniello, Outreach & Education Manager • Dr. Renata Poulton Kamakura, Science Policy Fellow • Felimon Gayanilo, Systems Architect, Co-Data Manager • Bob Currier, Product Developer, Co-Data Manager • Tuomo Saari, Scientific Computing Specialist • Xiao Qi, Scientific Computing Specialist • Jennifer Vreeland-Dawson, Program Coordinator • Megan Howson, Marine Mammal Biologist and Data Scientist • Jerad King, GIS Developer • Grant Craig, Project Manager and HABscope Volunteer Coordinator • Nadine Slimak, Public Relations & Content Marketing, Vetted Communications, LLC • Laura Caldwell, Program Assistant | | | | |
