Along with other groups at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), PacIOOS is participating in the nationwide Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) initiative, coordinated by the National Science Foundation and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The program encourages labs, departments, and professionals in the geosciences to form discussion groups to deepen the community's knowledge of the effects of racism, and develop, share, and discuss anti-racist policies and strategies to enable lasting change within institutions.

February is National African American History Month in recognition of the history and achievements of African Americans and their central role in our nation's history. Check out tributes from NOAA Fisheries, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries, and AOML honoring African Americans in ocean sciences.

Two Hawaiian monk seal data sets, collected by NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), are now accessible through the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Animal Telemetry Network (ATN) data portal. The first project, initiated in August 2020, is an ongoing data collection of real-time satellite telemetry tracks of Hawaiian monk seals. So far, three animals have been tagged in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Data from the second project span from 1996-2002, and represent the first satellite telemetry study of Hawaiian monk seals. It encompasses satellite telemetry locations of 128 Hawaiian monk seals from six major breeding sites in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Other datasets will be made available with additional spatial and temporal coverage. These projects are part of NOAA's larger effort to study the ecology of Hawaiian monk seals, identify and mitigate threats to survival, and work toward the recovery of this endangered species. [Photo: Hawaiian Monk Seal with a tracking device. Credit: NOAA Fisheries]

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development creates a foundation to strengthen the international cooperation needed to develop research and innovative technologies that connect ocean science with the needs of society. Held from 2021-2030, this global, collaborative program strives to expand scientific partnerships to support effective science, ocean management, and sustainable development. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO serves as the coordinating agency for the implementation of the Decade. Driven by the vision "science we need for the ocean we want," the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and IOOS Association, along with many other U.S. agencies and organizations are involved with developing Decade Actions for endorsement and implementation. [Credit: UN Ocean Decade]

The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program is seeking applications for the 2021 Peter J. Rappa Fellowship. The program strives to involve fellows in various aspects of coastal sustainability and resilience and further their knowledge and understanding through research, extension, and community-based education. Potential projects for this year's fellowship include preparing Kauaʻi for flooding and ensuring community resilience, developing a public engagement strategy for the Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Streamside Guide, and preparing Hawaiʻi for transition to renewable energy sources. Fellows receive a $6,000 stipend for this 8-week full time program, starting in June 2021. Applications are due by Friday, March 12 at 5pm HST. [Photo: Impacts of severe flooding on the North Shore of Kaua‘i in 2018. Credit: Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat]

For nearly 10 years, Tova Callender has served as the West Maui Watershed and Coastal Management Coordinator. In her role, she coordinates the West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative, a multi-agency, multi-partner planning and implementation effort aimed at addressing land-based pollution to reduce stress to the marine ecosystem. The goal is to restore and enhance the health and resiliency of West Maui's coral reefs and nearshore waters through collaborative actions, such as watershed management planning, ecosystem monitoring, community outreach, and pollution mitigation efforts.

Tova has PacIOOS Voyager bookmarked as one of her Favorites and is a weekly user of the online mapping platform to inform her work. She finds great value in accessing data from the Hui O Ka Wai Ola, a community-based water quality monitoring initiative, through PacIOOS Voyager. Within a few clicks, Voyager maps and plots years worth of georeferenced data, allowing Tova to glean insights into topics such as turbidity levels exceeding thresholds at various reef tracts and how this translates to reef health observations. Tova also incorporates information from the Hawai‘i Sea Level Rise Viewer into her work to inform and refine potential future actions. [Photo: Tova explores mauka to makai connections in West Maui. Credit: Tova Callender]