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This quarterly publication supplies up-to-date information about the tools and services developed by the NOAA Coastal Services Center for the nation’s coastal resource managers. Download Current Issue - Winter 2009 (PDF)New Products and ServicesDigital Coast Features Lidar Data for 14 Texas Counties. Lidar elevation data initially collected to enhance federal flood maps for 14 Texas coastal counties are now available to a spectrum of coastal professionals. The data sets will enjoy wide distribution because the Center's Digital Coast website reaches multiple audiences. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Texas Water Development Board collected the data sets. Marine Tool Bolsters Ocean and Alternative Energy Planning. The increasing demand for alternative energy development is motivating coastal officials and stakeholders to focus attention offshore. To aid them, the Center and the Minerals Management Service have led the partnership effort to produce the Multipurpose Marine Cadastre. The cadastre is an information system that features geospatial data and Web-based mapping to assist with renewable energy siting and other ocean uses. The Center contributes to the cadastre by creating and maintaining the website, fostering project partnerships, and developing geospatial data and mapping applications. Programs in Six States Receive NOAA Coastal Management Fellows. Six postgraduate students have been matched with two-year coastal management fellowships at the California Coastal Commission, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and state coastal zone management programs in Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, and Wisconsin. The Center administers the NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship program. Fellowship projects in 2009 include developing a coastal hazard plan, promoting ecosystem-based management, and identifying tools for adaptation to sea level rise. Report Uncovers Humboldt Bay's Historic and Cultural Resources. A report characterizing the diverse historic and cultural resources of Humboldt Bay, California, will help to guide local ecosystem-based management efforts and will provide a framework for conducting social assessments in other locations. The report, sponsored by the Center, includes the proceedings of a workshop attended by a wide array of area stakeholders with historical and cultural ties to Humboldt Bay's natural resources. Mobile Bay Partners Tackle Habitat Protection Goals. The Center is one of several partners assisting stakeholders in coastal Alabama with a conservation and restoration project for the Mobile Bay region. The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and its local stakeholders are working with national partners to update and map habitat protection priorities for the area. This collaborative effort in conservation planning and technical capacity building is supported by the following national partners: NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (through the Office of Habitat Conservation's Cooperative Habitat Protection Partnerships); The Nature Conservancy (through its Global Marine Initiative); and the Center. Updated Products and ServicesDigital Coast Adds New Hampshire Coastal and Ocean Data. A tide-controlled lidar data set covering Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is now on the Digital Coast website. The data were collected by the National Geodetic Survey as part of NOAA's Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IOCM) effort and processed by Center personnel. This data set can support coastal habitat mapping, shoreline delineation, and habitat restoration projects. Serving value-added data to the coastal community is an important aspect of the IOCM process. New Benthic Habitat Data Benefit Texas Coastal Bend Region. The condition of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) can serve as an important environmental indicator of marine organism health. As part of Texas' Seagrass Monitoring Program, SAV and other shallow-water benthic habitats were mapped for Lower Laguna Madre, Texas. The resulting geographic information system (GIS) map layer can be downloaded at the Center's benthic habitat mapping website. To support this program, the Center worked with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas A&M University Center for Coastal Studies, and a team of private-sector vendors. C-CAP Releases 2006 Land Cover Update for Three Great Lakes States. Through its Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP), the Center has released a 2006 update to existing land cover data for the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. Improvements also were made to the 1996 and 2001 land cover data sets, providing three complete dates of land cover for the entire Great Lakes region. Managers with access to successive sets of land-cover data can better understand trends and long-term changes and can craft improved plans. New Land Cover Product Now Available for Hawaii. A data project covering Kauai and Niihau islands marks the first multi-date land cover product for the Hawaiian Islands. This achievement will enable coastal professionals to more accurately assess land and water resources, evaluate current regulations, and monitor human impacts on coral-reef environments. The Center's Coastal Change Analysis Program and Pacific Services Center released 2005 high-resolution impervious surface data and also updated 1992 and 2001 land cover data for the two islands. The impervious surface data set was produced through cooperation with the Hawaii State Office of Planning. Tri-Region Data Will Enhance Military's Hurricane-Response Capacity. The Center recently added new topographic and bathymetric lidar data sets to the Digital Coast website. The data cover an area from Maryland to the southern coast of Texas. The U.S. Army will use these data in mobile geographic information system (GIS) units to assist with hurricane response efforts. Digital Coast efficiently serves data to the coastal community, thereby aiding recovery efforts. Future Products and InitiativesCoastal GeoTools 2009 Will Spotlight the Digital Coast.On March 2 to 5, hundreds of coastal professionals from across the country are expected to attend the Coastal GeoTools 2009 conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Coastal GeoTools is a biennial series sponsored by the Center that focuses on the technical information needs of the nation's coastal programs. The theme for 2009 is "Building the Digital Coast," a new initiative that provides easy access to organized and relevant data, tools, and technical training. Center NewsEvents Center Highlights N-SPECT Uses at Hawaii Algal Bloom Workshop. The Pacific Services Center presented the Center's Nonpoint-Source Pollution and Erosion Comparison Tool (N-SPECT) at the Nuisance Algal Bloom ECOHAB Workshop in Hawaii. The workshop was held to foster multidisciplinary discussions about macroalgae blooms off North Kihei, a coastal area on Maui. Future studies using N-SPECT will enable researchers to trace sources of nutrients contributing to macroalgae blooms off coastal Maui. One of the primary goals of the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) program is identifying sources and quantities of nutrient input into the reef ecosystem. Ocean Council in Northeast Region Finalizes Ocean and Ecosystem Work Plans. The Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) and supporting federal agency representatives met in Boston, Massachusetts, to finalize work plans advancing region-based ocean and ecosystem health, coastal hazards resilience, and ocean energy planning and management. Participants also discussed a joint strategy to address climate change impacts. The Center serves as the NROC federal co-lead, meeting organizer, and executive assistant. Center Assists First Meeting of West Coast EBM Network. Representatives of six ecosystem-based management projects in California, Oregon, and Washington convened on San Juan Island, Washington, for the first annual meeting of the West Coast Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) Network. Center staff members led the planning and facilitation of the meeting, which was hosted by coordinators of the San Juan Initiative. The Center is coordinating communication among West Coast EBM practitioners to help them create project linkages, share successes, find solutions to common obstacles, and strengthen the effective use of EBM principles. Pacific Services Center Supports Workshop on Marine Debris Removal. Pacific Services Center staff members helped to facilitate a workshop in Honolulu, Hawaii, on at-sea detection and removal of marine debris. Attendees represented state and federal agencies, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. The workshop addressed current technology and information gaps regarding the detection of derelict fishing gear in the open ocean. Participants also outlined the current state of knowledge and proposed innovative, interdisciplinary steps to improve information and technical capabilities. Published Reports Publication Focuses on West Coast Ecosystem and Hazards Management.State coastal programs on the West Coast have ranked ecosystem impacts and hazards resilience as primary concerns. To address those concerns, a new literature review focuses on West Coast needs related to the sound management of ecosystems and natural hazards. Produced by the Center and the California Ocean Science Trust, the review is part of an ongoing regional assessment that will identify priority needs and outline NOAA's role in addressing them. Training ScheduleTraining for your organization can take place at the Center in Charleston, South Carolina, or can be brought to your facility.* For more information on virtual and site-specific trainings, visit http://www.csc.noaa.gov/training/. Assessing GIS for Your Organization CanVis Virtual Workshop Coastal Applications Using ArcGIS Introduction to ArcGIS Negotiating for Coastal Resources Project Design and Evaluation Public Issues and Conflict Management *Trainings are generally arranged through local coastal management hosts. Contact Info: To subscribe to the Products and Services Bulletin, e-mail csc.bulletin@noaa.gov. For additional information about this publication, contact Kitty Fahey or call (843) 740-1252. Note: All issues are in PDF form. Viewing Portable
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