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In June we had a terrific Community Workshop. I took away from the Workshop the increased importance of ocean information and knowledge towards a growing number of applications, including the Arctic, a Blue Economy, and basin-scale ocean and ocean-atmosphere variability which are so critical for national security, economic prosperity, lives and property, and sustainable resources. We also heard loud and clear the need to improve how and what we communicate about our activities and their inherent importance for NOAA's mission and national needs. While I was hoping for some guidance on potential research foci, I now understand that perhaps the workshop organization and planning questions weren't sufficiently amendable to foster a discussion of research. Thanks to the many PIs who came and participated. Several of you presented summaries of work over the past few years and/or catalyzed discussions of potential future activities. It was an extremely STIMULATING week! We will provide updates in future newsletters on the continued development of our new Strategic Plan.
A big shout-out to the OOMD Team, especially Jessica Snowden who lead its planning. It was a significant collective effort. GREAT JOB!
All eyes are on the OceanObs'19 Conference in September. We are planning to have a sizable
presence there to advance the ocean observing enterprise across the world.
David Legler, Director - Ocean Observing and Monitoring Division
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July 8-18, 2019 at the Palais des Congrès in Montréal, Québec, Canada
Distributed Biological Observatory Arctic Cruise (USCGC Healy)
August 2-23, 2019
August 6-8, 2019, Long Beach, CA
Sept 16-20, 2019 in Honolulu, HI
December 9-13, 2019 in San Francisco, CA
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 Program Updates: Welcome New OOMD Members!
Elizabeth Bhola (right) started in June as our first ever OOMD Project Administrator. Elizabeth
has worked with NOAA over the past 5 years and has gained knowledge and a deep understanding of NOAA's mission and different program offices. She brings experience in program support, outreach and recruitment, as well as communications to OOMD. Elizabeth is excited to join the OOMD team and learn more about climate and environmental changes that affect our oceans.
Elizabeth is a native of the Washington DC area, and graduated from Towson University in Towson, MD, with a B.S. in Communication Studies. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, event planning, and traveling.
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Kristyn Zoe Wilkerson
(left) is a scholar with NOAA's
Educational Partnership Program,
class of 2019. She is a rising junior Environmental Science major at Spelman College and has an interest in sustainable infrastructure and green/gray architecture. She is working with the OOMD to compile a database on state and city level responses to coastal flooding, and is researching the impact of urban development and sea level rise on low income and marginalized communities. Kristyn (or Kz, as she likes to be called) is from the West-and-Best side of Chicago and loves show tunes and adding to her collection of the moon at different lunar phases. Kz will be supporting OOMD and NOAA NOS's IOOS program through August.
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2019 Ocean Observing Report Card Released
"Coordination and collaborations between ocean observing communities, networks and end-users are vital to optimize effort and resources towards developing an integrated global ocean observing system", said Dr. David Legler, chair of the JCOMM Observations Coordination Group.
The new Ocean Observing System report card was released July 1st and presented during the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)'s 30th General Assembly sessions devoted to ocean observations. The report provides insight into the status of the global ocean observing system. With the current and increasingly urgent need for nations to take decisions related to the impact of climate change, the report card highlights the need for sustained ocean monitoring.
The report card was prepared by the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). Read the official release or download the report for more information.
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SOCAT Version 2019 Released
The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) version 2019 was officially released on June 18, 2019. SOCAT is updated annually and this latest version contains 25.7 million quality-controlled surface ocean fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) observations collected between 1957 and 2019, an increase of 2.3 million data points since the 2018 SOCAT V6, for the global oceans and coastal seas. SOCAT documents the increase in surface ocean CO2 (carbon dioxide), a critical measure as the oceans are taking up one quarter of the global CO2 emissions from human activity.
SOCAT is a synthesis activity for quality-controlled, surface ocean fCO2 observations by the international marine carbon research community (more than 100 contributors, including scientists funded by NOAA's Ocean Observing and Monitoring Division). SOCAT data is publicly available, discoverable and citable. SOCAT enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink and ocean acidification and evaluation of ocean biogeochemical models. SOCAT is a core Global Ocean Observing System data product for biogeochemistry endorsed by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). SOCAT, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2017, represents a milestone in biogeochemical and climate research and in informing policy. For more info visit:
socat.info
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TPOS NEWS
Saildrone Mission Launched from Hawaii
Four Saildrone science vehicles were launched from Hawaii on June 8, 2019 to begin a six-month research mission to study air-sea interaction in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean as part of a broader effort to rethink the Tropical Pacific Observing System.
This is the third mission in a three-part series of planned Saildrone missions to the tropical Pacific to study specific targeted phenomena for different phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.
Saildrone measurements during this mission will be used to investigate exchanges
of heat and carbon dioxide between the ocean and atmosphere associated with ENSO and
other processes that affect SST anomalies in the tropics. With the cluster of four Saildrones, we w
ill better understand the horizontal scales of variability affecting these air-sea interaction
processes. Ultimately, through these missions, we hope to learn how Saildrone may best be
utilized within the Tropical Pacific Observing System.
Saildrones are unmanned surface vehicles (USV) developed by Saildrone, Inc. and NOAA/PMEL that use wind and solar energy to transit the ocean and power a variety of mounted scientific instruments. Learn more and get updates by
following their blog.
TPOS 2020 Second Report Published
The Tropical Pacific Observing System 2020 (TPOS 2020) Project has released its Second Report, which details recommendations for the new observing system in the Tropical Pacific. The Report is authored by an international team of more than 40 experts and builds off of the First Report. This Report includes recommendations for biogeochemical observations, requirements for subseasonal to interannual prediction, and advancing technology.
TPOS 2020 is an international project that is charged with redesigning to make the Tropical Pacific observing system more resilient against future system changes and advance understanding of an array of phenomena in the region, including El Nino Southern Oscillation. The Project was formed in late 2014 and will present a final recommended observing system design in late 2020.
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View from the saildrone as it enters an ice field in the Chukchi Sea.
Photo: Saildrone Inc. & Post Edited by NOAA
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Updates from the Saildrone blog: We are well underway with our three missions across the Bering and Chukchi Seas. We launched on May 16 with four NOAA drones, alongside two drones with our collaborators from
Earth & Space Research
. From June 4-13, five of the six platforms crossed from the Bering Sea to the Chukchi Sea through Bering Strait.
We have three concurrent missions this year aiming to improve Arctic sea ice predictions, understand the air-sea carbon flux, and investigate the feeding behavior of female fur seals. We anticipate these missions will continue to demonstrate the operation and successful data collection of the drones, including at high-latitudes near (and in) the ice fields of the Chukchi Sea. Read about the launch at Saildrone Inc. and follow the Saildrone on our blog.
Listen to Oceanographer Jessica Cross as she talks to C&EN's Stereo Chemistry
podcast
about how saildrones are making it possible for scientists to monitor chemistry anytime, anywhere in Earth's oceans.
Stay tuned this summer for our blog aboard the USCGC Healy Arctic cruise, August 2-23!
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Women's Leadership Workshop Applications Now Open
Applications are now open for the Women in Sciences Leadership Workshop! This is the 2nd annual workshop, sponsored by NOAA and the Earth Science Women's Network, and co-lead by OOMD's Emily Smith. The workshop will take place in Boulder, CO from November 4-6, 2019. Applications are open until July 19th. Please share this announcement with anyone who you think would benefit.
Register for
Breaking Waves, Breaking Barriers
at OceanObs'19
Celebrating Women's Instrumental Role in Ocean Science, Leadership, and Mentorship
This event will bring together ocean scientists from across the globe to discuss the important role women have served in shaping oceanography. As part of the OceanObs'19 conference week, this event will include a discussion and reception as we pay tribute to great women scientists and inspire the future generations for a more inclusive, robust, and forward-leaning discipline.
Learn more and register here.
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Call For Senior Management Meeting Spotlight Presentations
Are you looking for a way to build excitement and support for your research? Consider signing up to deliver a Spotlight Presentation at an upcoming Senior Management Meeting! Every Monday, our leadership in Silver Spring attend the OAR Senior Management Meeting. During each meeting there is an opportunity for scientists and program managers to showcase their research with a 15 minute, high level presentation, which can be delivered virtually from the field. The OAR Communications team offers help with a guided practice session the week before. If you are interested in signing up, please contact your program manager and/or our Communications Specialist,
Jessica Mkitarian.
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ICYMI: Dr. Sidney Thurston Chaired the AI Session at NOAA's Emerging Technology Workshop
In Case You Missed It: OOMD's
Sidney Thurston chaired the Artificial Intelligence session at NOAA's Emerging Technologies Workshop on June 25th in College Park. This 2-day workshop showcased the latest innovations related to environmental data and focused on the Blue Economy and resilience to extreme weather and water. The AI session included speakers from Amazon and Google, in addition to NOAA experts. Read more here.
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Recent Publications
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Wishing everyone a Happy Fourth of July holiday weekend!
As always, for the OOMD Community, by the OOMD Community.
Do you have news to share with the OOMD Community, or beyond?
Contact Jessica Mkitarian: jessica.mkitarian@noaa.gov or
(301) 427-2472.
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