Share Your News
Meeting, job or funding announcement? News about a study, project or something else the Gulf observing community needs to know? Email
Nadine Slimak
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An important benefit of GCOOS is that we take in data from thousands of sensors — and make these available to the community. That means one of our key goals here is to develop tools and products that end users need — whether those end users are scientists developing ocean forecasts or tracking gliders, or those end users are average citizens trying to protect their health when they go to the beach.
Since we seem to be focused on HABs this month, be sure to check out the
tools
we’ve supported or created to automate the detection of toxic algae (including the Imaging Flow Cytobot, PHYSS and HABscope) and the products designed to help keep the public safe.
Until next time!
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Outreach and Education Council Update
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The GCOOS Outreach and Education Council held its annual meeting earlier this month in Pensacola, Florida. Invited guests included Kristen Laursen, NOAA Gulf of Mexico Regional Collaboration Team (RCT) coordinator, Kristen Kusek, USF College of Marine Science communication strategist, and Robin Cooper, Future Vision Media, who led activities aimed at developing content for a collaborative project we’re working on with NOAA and Sea Grant to enhance public outreach in support of Weather Ready Nation goals and community resilience.
Participants also identified GCOOS contributions to the 2020 Embrace the Gulf campaign led by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA); learned about the GCOOS red-tide detection tool, HABscope, and the “All Things Beaches” product GCOOS is developing. The Council also discussed near-term priorities and opportunities for outreach and education efforts.
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Red Tide Respiratory Forecast
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Residents and visitors to Sanibel Island, Florida, who are susceptible to the respiratory impacts of Florida’s red tide — especially people with asthma and other chronic lung diseases — now have a new tool that will help them assess what day and time to visit three local beaches during red tides. GCOOS
forecast website
now provides a risk-level forecast for red tide respiratory impacts on Bowman’s, Lighthouse and Tarpon beaches, typically available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The
Red Tide Respiratory Forecast
was initially implemented in Pinellas County in 2018 thanks to a grant from NASA's Applied Science Program through the Health and Air Quality Program. It was developed by NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NOAA-NCCOS) in partnership with GCOOS, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWC-FWRI) and many local partners.
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An important GCOOS societal benefit is ingesting large volumes of data from thousands of sensors and pushing them out to the sectors that need them. IOOS held a DMAC Tech Webinar on Oct. 31 that featured Dr. Leila Belabbassi, GCOOS Data Manager. She compared Quality Assurance of Real Time Ocean Data (QARTOD) with Ocean Observatory Initiatives (OOI) quality control procedures for real-time and delayed-mode quality control. She also discussed the degree of completeness of four main data evaluation activities that define the Quality Control Procedure Paradigm for both programs.
GCOOS System Architect, Felimon Gayanilo, shared data transport challenges and solutions related to the
GCOOS Data Portal
at the 24th Annual Conference of the Texas Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors in Corpus Christi.
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Healthy Ecosystems & Living Resources
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Red Tide Citizen Scientists
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Commercial fishermen in Southwest Florida are donating their time & vessels to support a better scientific understanding of offshore waters. Their group was created as the
Florida Commercial Watermen’s Conservation (FCWC)
in 2018 as blooms of toxic red tide and blue-green algae took over Southwest Florida waters.
This new nonprofit, science-based organization is bringing together commercial fishers to work with federal and state scientists to collect water quality data using sondes and HABscopes from offshore Florida waters; their data is provided to scientists to help them gain a better understanding of the causes and effects of red tides and hypoxic and anoxic water conditions. Red tides and hypoxic events can cause severe fish kills that are detrimental to commercial and recreational fisheries.
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Interested in HAB science in the Gulf? The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is also tackling the issues surrounding these toxic blooms in the Gulf. See their latest update on what they’re up to. GOMA’s Water Resources Team is joining the Education and Engagement Team in January for a one-day discussion on the science and communication of harmful algal blooms.
Much of this work is supported by Gulf Star partner Freeport-McMoRan.
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Photo Contest: Embrace the Gulf
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GOMA is sponsoring a photo contest in support of the 2020 Embrace the Gulf Campaign. Show off your snaps showcasing the best the Gulf has to offer!
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New Restoration Projects in Mississippi
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Mississippi’s governor has announced new restoration projects designed to help restore and protect the environment and economy following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The announcement was made at the Mississippi Restoration Summit in Biloxi.
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Seminar: Deepwater Impacts
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The Sea Grant Oil Spill Science Outreach Program is hosting a half-day seminar about the oil spill impacts to Florida's Panhandle region.
Speakers will cover multiple topics from buried oil on the beaches, impacts of oil to loggerhead turtles, and seafood safety. You can attend in-person or watch the livestream from your office.
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New Oil Spill Workshop Reports
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The Gulf Research Program and Sea Grant recently released several reports from a series of collaborative workshops aimed at helping communities prepare for future oil spills. The five states where workshops were held— Alabama, Alaska, California, Louisiana, and Virginia — are all home to communities that have been impacted by oil spills. The workshops focused on how oil spills impact the health, social fabric, and economies of these regions.
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In 2010, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon resulted in the largest man-made disaster in U.S. history. Today, each Gulf state administers restoration funds and programs. Additionally, other agencies and organizations are also tasked with administering programs designed to restore Gulf habitats and better understand Gulf ecosystems.
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GOMA is working with the Pointe-Au-Chien Tribe to support community resilience in the face of long-term environmental changes in Louisiana. The Tribe is working to save culturally important native plants as part of their Gulf Star Project sponsored by BHP and has constructed a greenhouse for native and culturally significant plant species that will be used to support the sustainability of cultural heritage.
The Tribe is also working to enhance the boat launch/dock area near the Pointe-Au-Chien Community Center — work identified as an essential component of their economic resilience.
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GCOOS maintains a jobs listing for positions and fellowships in the ocean observing community. Want to advertise a position? Email
Nadine Slimak
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- GCOOS — Glider Coordinator
- University of California, Irvine — Assistant Professor in Hydrological and Climate Extreme
- University of Oslo — Associate Professor in Meteorology
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution — Assistant Scientist (tenure track)
- Texas A&M/Sea Grant — Program Coordinator
- Mote Marine Laboratory — Ocean Technology Program; HAB Mitigation and Ecology; Stranding Investigations Program; Grants Administration
- Florida International University — Open-rank faculty position in Phycology
- Texas A&M University — Instructional Assistant Professor
- Postdoctoral Positions: University of Florida; CeNCOOS; University of Southern Mississippi; NRC
- Fellowships: NOAA & SeaGrant
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GCOOS maintains a listing of funding opportunities. Have an opportunity you'd like to advertise? Email
Nadine Slimak
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- FY 2020 Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants
- FY 2020 B-WET Grants
- FY 2020 Ocean Technology Transition Project
- Gulf of Mexico Alliance Funding Calendar
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9-13: AGU Fall Meeting,
Moscone Center, San Francisco.
As AGU marks its Centennial, the meeting will prepare you for rapid developments in science, new approaches to observing Earth and beyond, the introduction of new data streams, growing demand for accessible science, the expansion of convergent science and more.
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16-21: Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020, San Diego Convention Center. This is the flagship conference for the ocean sciences and the larger ocean-connected community. As we approach the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, beginning in 2021, it is increasingly important to gather as a scientific community to raise awareness of the truly global dimension of the ocean, address environmental challenges, and set forth on a path towards a resilient planet.
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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 timely, reliable and accurate information on the open ocean and coastal ocean waters of the Gulf of Mexico to ensure a healthy, clean, productive ocean and resilient coastal zone.
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Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick
, Executive Director •
Dr. Leila Belabbassi
, Data Manager
•
Dr. Chris Simoniello
, Outreach & Education Coordinator •
Felimon Gayanilo
, Systems Architect •
Dr. Shinichi Kobara
, Assistant Research Scientist, Product Developer •
Bob Currier,
Research Specialist, Product Developer •
Marion Stoessel
, Senior Research Associate •
Dr. Steven Baum
, Associate Research Scientist •
Jennifer Vreeland-Dawson
, Research Associate •
Grant Craig
, Program Coordinator •
Nadine Slimak
, Public Relations & Content Marketing, Vetted Communications, LLC •
Dr. Chuan-Yuan Hsu
, Post Doctoral Research Associate •
Robbie Iles
, Graduate Research Assistant
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In Memoriam: Matt Howard, 1952-2018
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