July 2013


IOOS Association:

National and Regional
Coastal and
Ocean Observing News

IOOS ASSOCIATION HOMEPAGE  

Contents

ICOOSICOOS Reauthorization Moves Ahead With Congressional Hearings

On June 11th, Ed Page, Chair of AOOS Board of Directors and Director of the Marine Exchange of Alaska, and Dr. Jan Newton, Executive Director of NANOOS, testified before the Senate Subcommittee of Ocean, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard about the importance of IOOS. The hearing, Deep Sea Explorations: Innovative Partnerships in Ocean Observing, also included the Director James Cameron and Susan Avery, Director of WHOI. 

Both Jan and Ed discussed the importance of partnerships in meeting the nation's needs for ocean observing.  Ed noted that the harsh and extreme environment of Alaska and the Arctic requires quality real time information for safe shipping and to respond to emergencies.  He highlighted the partnerships AOOS has fostered to provide real time weather observations that are not only useful to mariners but to the Coast Guard, NGOs, DOI and others concerned about the environment in Alaska. Jan continued to build on the theme of partnerships describing how NANOOS works with its 50 plus parties to operate as a single system.  She caught the attention of the Committee by asking them to take two breaths, noting that every other breath comes from the ocean. She concluded her testimony by quoting Mark Weigardt of Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery: "Putting an IOOS buoy in the water is like putting headlights on a car. It lets us see changing water conditions in real time."
You can watch the hearing by clicking here

Two days later, on Thursday, June 13th, Ed Kelly, Vice-Chair of MARACOOS Board of Directors and Director of the Maritime Association for the Ports of NY/NJ, and Dr. Lynne Talley, Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, testified before the House Natural Resource's Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Ocean and Insular Affairs in support of reauthorization of the ICOOS Act.    

Ed spoke to the importance of safe and efficient marine commerce in our nation's ports, which provides over $700 million in commerce.  He noted that the shallow coastal environment is a vibrant, dynamic environment that changes due to freshwater inputs, tides and bottom topography and the importance of monitoring this complex and vital environment in real time, and to be able to forecast 48 hours into the future.   Lynne highlighted the transformation of ocean observation in the last decade by improvements in technology and science.  She spoke about the practical applications for ocean observing as well as the importance of sustained monitoring for research. You can watch the hearing by clicking here

Title2IOOS Association Board Members Travel to Washington DC  

On June 17-18, IOOS Association Board Members Debra Hernandez, Jan Newton and Executive Director Josie Quintrell were in Washington DC to meet with a variety of people about the work of regional IOOS and the reauthorization of the ICOOS Act. Meetings included productive discussions with Holly Bamford and Russell Calendar of the National Ocean Services, Zdenka Willis Director of the IOOS Program Office, and Rich Edwing of CO-OPS.  The group also conducted a number of Hill visits and is delighted to report that Senator Cantwell has agrees to lead the effort to reauthorize the ICOOS Act in the Senate.
Title3Programmatic Updates

Comments on Draft Certification Rules   

Due August 1, 2013

The ICOOS Act directs the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee to develop and approve certification criteria and procedures for integrating regional information coordination entities (RICEs) into the National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System.  This rule implements the provisions of the ICOOS Act establishing that certified RICEs are integrated into the System and, for the purposes of determining liability arising from the dissemination and use of observation data, considered part of NOAA. Additionally, designated employees of a RICE, while operating within the scope of his or her employment in carrying out the purposes of the ICOOS Act, with respect to tort liability, is deemed to be an employee of the Federal Government.  Click here for more information.

 

Joint Planning Efforts Moving Forward 

Joint Planning, an effort dedicated to engaging the IOOS Program Office and the IOOS Regional Association in collaborative efforts, is moving forward. In June, the Joint Planning Team briefed Zdenka Willis, who approved the four joint planning efforts - Data Management, IOOS Modeling Steering Team (already underway), Comprehensive Integrated Observing Plan, and Enhanced Collaboration, Communication and Coordination (the 3 Cs).  

 

IOOS Modeling Steering Team Holds Initial Conference Calls 

The IOOS Modeling Steering Team has held its first three conference calls and have focused on providing updates on IOOS modeling efforts over the last five years. Rich Signell briefed the committee on the MAST (Modeling and Analysis Steering Team) workshop held in 2008.   The Team will hear from Jesse Feyen on NOAA's Storm Surge Road Map. In addition, the Team has been drafting a vision for IOOS modeling.   Team members include: Becky Baltes, IOOS; Rich Signell, USGS; Leslie Rosenfeld, CeNCOOS; David J. Schwab, GLOS; Patrick Hogan, Naval Research Lab; Alexander Kurapov, NANOOS; Ruoying He, SECOORA; Lyon Lanerolle, NOAA's Coast Survey Development Lab; Ty V. Wamsley, ERDC-CHL-MS; USACE Eric Bayler, NOAA's NESDIS; John Wilkin, MARACOOS; Josie Quintrell, IOOS Association; Avichal Mehra, NOAA's National Center for Environmental Prediction. 

 

Product Development Workshop Planned for September 12
In conjunction with this year's annual regional data management meeting, there will be a special session dedicated to regional product development on Thursday, September 12. The planning for this session is just beginning so if you have ideas or comments please contact Josie Quintrell, Debra Hernandez, Derrick Snowden or Rob Ragsdale.
Title4In the Regions

SECOORA Supports Coast and Ocean Portal for the Governors' South Atlantic Alliance 

The Governors' South Atlantic Alliance (GSAA) launched the beta version of the GSAA Coast and Ocean Portal, available at www.gsaaportal.org. The Portal was developedhttp://www.gsaaportal.org./media/gsaa/img/logo-gsaa.png by a diverse team of experts led by SECOORA.  It is an online toolkit and resource center that consolidates access to state, regional, and federal datasets into one location. The site was developed with information and tools relevant to coastal managers. The Portal has three main sections: Learn, Explore (data catalogue), and Visualize (map viewer).  Initial themes highlighted in the Portal are sediment management (port expansion and beach nourishment) and habitat conservation.  In addition to c

onsolidating relevant existing data, over 70 new data layers of offshore habitat, biological resources, and coastal uses have been made accessible through the portal. During the beta launch, feedback is requested and encouraged on the new site to assure it is meeting the needs of GSAA partners and stakeholders. 

 

Title5People of IOOS

Molly McCammon of AOOS will serve on the Advisory Group to lead the National Academy of Sciences' New Gulf of Mexico Program. The National Academy of Sciences' Gulf of Mexico program has appointed an advisory group to create a strategic vision and guide the program's development and implementation.  Serving for one year, the advisory group will articulate the program's mission, goals, and objectives -- including preliminary thinking about metrics to measure its impacts -- and outline how the program will operate in the first three to five years. Molly McCammon, Executive Director of AOOS, on being a member of the Group: "I am especially pleased to bring the perspective of Alaskans who have experienced the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, as well current exploration activities in Alaska's offshore waters.  I'm hopeful that this fund will also benefit Alaska's oil and gas activities."

 

Gerhard Kuska of MARACOOS has been elected as the PreGerhard Kuska sident-elect of The Coastal Society (TCS). The Society is dedicated to actively addressing emerging coastal issues by fostering dialogue, forging partnerships and promoting communications and education.  Gerhard notes, "I am delighted and honored to have been elected by The Coastal Society membership to the office of President Elect for 2013-2015.  Much like our regional associations, TCS is an organization of private sector, academic, and government professionals and students.  TCS' mission is a perfect match for IOOS and the work that the regional associations are doing in providing ocean and coastal information products to decision makers across our nation."
bestBest Wishes To...
         Staci Lewis
as she moves on from the Consortium of Ocean Leadership to Stanford University to pursue a PhD.   Staci was a strong supporter of IOOS and her presence will be missed by all of us.     

Scott Kuester

as he prepares to end a long and fruitful career at NOAA to move oversees. For the last two years, he has served as the head of the READ division at the IOOS Program Office where he has tirelessly supported IOOS and the regions.   We will miss his steady and wise approach to life.

  Visit the NEW IOOS Association website and events calendar,
and provide us feedback to make it more helpful:

Web Site  
www.ioosassociation.org
 
www.ioosassociation.org/calendar
 
About IOOS Association
IOOS Association is a non-profit organization formed by the Regional Associations for Coastal and Ocean Observing in support of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). 
 

 

Our mission is to:

  • Develop Regional Associations for coastal and ocean observing to deliver scientific data and information on the nation's oceans;
  • Promote the integration and coordination of the regional systems into a integrated national system to enhance observational and predictive abilities in ocean science;
  • Develop regional programs through capacity building, exchange of technical information, and sharing of facilities and infrastructure; and
  • Educate the public about ocean observing and its importance to the nation.

Please contact Josie Quintrell, Executive Director, for more information.

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