Biogeography of Marine Invasions: Current Status and Future Predictions

Global ocean heat content 1955-2006 in light of recently revealed instrumentation problems

Sea Ice Change Around Alaska and Impacts on Human Activities

Vibrio spp. in the Mississippi Sound

Lessons Learned and Best Practices in the Management of Coral Reefs

1. A WorldFish hosted online knowledgebase. The database can be accessed at www.reefbase.org/gefll, but is not yet fully functional.
2. A online toolkit housed within ReefBase, linked to ReefGIS. This will be a “living document”, in which managers can edit or upload modules.

NOAA’s Data Holdings, New Energy Sectors, and a Changing Climate

Large scale variability of Atlantic derived waters within the St. Anna Trough region. More historical observed data - new peculiarities

Technologies Under Development Within The USGS Leetown Science Center With Emphasis On Ship Ballast Water Stabilization

Shipwrecks on the Alaska Frontier: Kad’yak and Ha

The Hunt for the USS Alligator: The U.S. Navy’s First Sub

World War II Shipwrecks in the Deep Waters of the Gulf of Mexico

Hot Sour Soup: Good for Colds, Bad for Corals

50th Anniversary World Data Centers (1957-2007): World Data Center of Oceanography, Silver Spring

RMS Titanic: Exploring and Preserving a Maritime Icon

The Wreck of the Henrietta Marie: A Dive into a Slave Ship’s Past

Explorations of the Airship USS Macon

Evaluation of Satellite Data Assimilation in the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (ARWRF) Mesoscale Model System

High Resolution Landscape Mosaics for Coral Reef Monitoring

Ecological forecasting and spatially explicit assessments of Chesapeake Bay: The role of EcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership) in engaging the Chesapeake Bay management community

Government & Academic Scientists: Bridging the Gap with AAAS Fellows

RACE TO THE REEF: Tracking reef fish from open ocean to nursery habitats to coral reefs and back again

Remote Sensing at the Cooperative Institute for Oceanographic Satellite Studies: CIOSS Research – On the Edge(s)

Arctic Oceanography Timeline and Data Recovery Since 1860

Observations and Modeling of Sea Surface Temperature Influence on Surface Winds and the Troposphere

Verification of Weather Forecasts

Communication Goes Two Ways: Keeping the Information Flowing Between Scientists and Policy and Communications Staffs

Hydrologic Tools and Products for Advancing Operational Forecast Systems

Implications of Aquaculture for Wild Fisheries: The Case of Alaska Wild Salmon

WSR-88D Super-Resolution

Why The Weather

NOAA's Climate Services

Emerging Infectious Diseases: Evolutionary Accidents Waiting to Happen

Nanotechnology and NOAA: Potential Roles in and Contributions to the National Nanotechnology Initiative

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO): Measuring CO2 from Space

How Climate Change Places Ice-Dependent Beringian Mammals At Risk

Hot Sour Soup: Good for Colds, Bad for Corals

Behavioral Response Study (BRS) of Deep-Diving Cetaceans in Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas

Linking land use, fisheries and economics - examples from the Patuxent River Synthesis project

Real-time assimilation of streamflow, precipitation and potential evaporation data into lumped SAC via 2DVAR and estimation and local optimization of lumped model parameters via AB_OPT – A progress report and plans

D.J. Seo (1,2), Victor Koren (1), Lee Cajina (1), Bob Corby (3), Tracy Howieson (3), Chip Gobs (1), Vadim Kuzmin (4).

(1) NOAA/NWS/Office of Hydrologic Development; (2) University Corporation for Atmospheric Research; (3) NOAA/NWS/West Gulf River Forecast Center; (4) University of Melbourne, Australia

Status of Blue Whales off California and Background on the Ship Strikes that Occurred in 2007

Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in Northern Alaska

Exploration of Hudson Submarine Canyon Region Offshore New York and New Jersey

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary as a Case Study for Characterizing and Managing Regional Underwater Noise Budgets

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper for GOES-R and Beyond

HROV: Exploring the ocean’s deepest depths

NASA Plans for Advanced Models / Assimilation Systems and Implications for Satellite Data

GMAO's Atmospheric Data Assimilation System – Contributions to the JCSDA and Future Plans

The IPCC Assessment Process: Future Projections of Climate Change

Building a U.S. National System of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

Bottom-up control of the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem: implications for integrated ecosystem assessment during a period of climate change.

Quantifying spatial patterns of coral reef fish assemblages to inform marine management actions in Hawaii

Going Against the Flow - Non-Conventional Wisdom in the Management of Fisheries

Compilation of the oceanographic database for the Nordic Seas

The California Ocean Uses Atlas Project: Providing the Missing Link for Place-Based Management of Marine Ecosystems

The Arctic Marine Environment: How it's changing and why

Long-term water mass properties variation in the Nordic Seas

Remote Estimation of Carbon Dioxide Fluxes: Potential for the New Generation of Operational Meteorological Satellites

Radiance Data Assimilation for the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model: Overview and Results

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and its variational assimilation system (WRF-Var) are widely used by both the research community and some operational centers. A general satellite radiance assimilation framework has been developed in the WRF-Var system over the past three years. The WRF-Var radiance assimilation capability was designed to meet the requirements of both basic research and operational applications,and will be available to the research community along with the community WRF system. Radiance assimilation capabilities in the WRF-Var - the fast radiative transfer model, bias correction algorithm, quality control, and observation error tuning - will be described. Both the RTTOV and CRTM radiaitve transfer systems are incorporated into the WRF-Var system. Case study results on assimilating AMSU-A observations to improve Katrina track and intensity analysies and forecasts will be presented. Extended experiments over different regions to assess radiance assimilation impact yield encouraging results. Preliminary findings on cloud/rain affected radiance assimilation using CRTM will also be shown. The presentation will conclude with a demonstration of radiance assimilation with the WRF- 4DVAR system.

Numerical Simulation of Tropical Cyclone Intensity Change with High Resolution WRF Model and Assimilation of Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing and In-Situ Data

Satellite-Based Thunderstorm Nowcasting

A Versatile Nowcast-Prediction System for Military-Defense-Aviation Applications

Dave Stauffer (Penn State University)

Short-term ensemble streamflow forecasting – A Hydrologic Model Output Statistics (HMOS) approach

Satish Regonda (1,2), Hank Herr (1), Bill Lawrence (3), and DJ Seo (1,4)
(1) NOAA/NWS/Office of Hydrologic Development
(2) Riverside Technology, Inc.
(3) NOAA/NWS/Arkansas-Red River Basin River Forecast Center
(4) University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ballard Maritime Academy students return

Climate Change Impacts on Renewable Energy In Alaska

Models in support of decision making: deliberative effectiveness, explanatory effectiveness, and policy relevance of models in natural resources management. Case studies in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Green Infrastructure: Linking Landscapes and Communities

Structural and Biological Components to Coral Reef Damage Restoration

Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) sponsored Data Assimilation Advancements in the Land Information System

The 3 Things You Need to Know About Tsunamis

Marine Spatial Planning: A Framework for Decision-Making in the Marine Environment

Experimental Storm Surge Simulations for Hurricane Katrina

Green Infrastructure: Linking Landscapes and Communities

Data Assimilator for Hydrology Laboratory's Research Distributed Hydrologic Model (DA for HL-RDHM)

Bias of North American Mesocale (NAM) Model Forecasts of Summer Rainfall over Central U.S. and Impact of FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC Observations on Global Forecast System (GFS) Predictions in the Northern Hemisphere

Have Humans Affected Atlantic Hurricane Climate?

The Climate Test Bed

Dramatic changes in the structure of Caribbean Coral Reef Fish Assemblages over 5 Decades

Water Availability in Alaska: Using and Understanding NOAA's Drought Monitor and Drought Outloook

Illustrating and Translating NOAA's Work for Kids.

Complex Effects of Fishing on Pacific Coral Reefs

Out of the Blue: A history of Lightning, Science, Superstition, and Amazing Stories of Survival

The Transition: Challenges and Opportunities

A Sampling of NOAA's Best Research Accomplishments

Dr. Richard Spinrad is NOAA's Assistant Administrator for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR). See BIO

A decision-support tool for an ecosystem approach to oyster restoration and management

Climate, Coast and Community in the 21st Century

Dr. Denise Reed is a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New Orleans. She received her Doctorate degree in Geography from the University of Cambridge, England. Her research focuses on sediment dynamics in coastal wetlands, with emphasis on sediment mobilization and marsh hydrology, both natural and altered, as factors controlling sediment deposition. She has been studying how coastal marshes keep pace with sea-level rise, especially on the relative role of tides and storms in transporting fine sediments. With a strong interest in ensuring science informs decision making wherever possible, she has applied her expertise to enable coastal managers to restore marshes in a self sustaining way.

Joint US-Ghana Observer Training-A Model for the Future? [Note: Seminar POSTPONED]

Oil Spill in Tae-an Peninsula of Korea

Collaborative Process the Lifeblood of Ecosystem-Based Management

Application of Data Collected from ARGO Drifters, NOAA Satellite Tracked Buoys in the East Sea of Korea

High frequency radar and mapping coastal currents

This seminar will give participants an in-depth look at High Frequency Radar (HFR) - a technology for measuring ocean surface current velocities (speed and direction) and surface waves in near real time. This information can be used during search and rescue operations to track the probable path of victims and drifting ships. HFR data can also be used to support oil spill response, harmful algal bloom monitoring, and assessment of coastal water quality. The information can additionally provide value in ecosystem assessment and fisheries management, when evaluated retrospectively. Unlike many other techniques, HFR is unaffected by weather conditions such as clouds, fog or precipitation. Because its signal hugs the oceans surface, and is conducted by it, HFR can observe the ocean at distances far beyond the line-of-sight (distances often exceed 200 km). Also, this surface-hugging mode makes the placement of HFRs more flexible, in that they can be located almost anywhere along the shoreline. By combining data from two HFRs, a two-dimensional map of surface currents can be produced, spanning thousands of square kilometers. Currently, about 100 HFRs are operating on US coastlines. Nearly all are owned by research universities working in partnership with NOAA IOOS. NOAAs current HFR efforts are led by the IOOS Program in partnerships with NOS/CO-OPS and NWS/NDBC. This technology was developed in the 1970s and 1980s in a NOAA Research laboratory in Boulder, Colorado and was referred to as Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar (CODAR). After that development, a commercial company was spun off that markets the HFRs under the name CODAR Ocean Sensors SeaSondes�. More than 90 percent of the HFRs in the US are of the CODAR type. The seminar will give an HFR overview including details on the national HFR data server and management system, regional capabilities and future plans.

We and Nitrogen: Explosives to Eutrophication

Some Oceanographic Features in South Sea of Korea

NOAA Plans for Advanced Models / Assimilation Systems and Implications for Satellite Data

Coral Reef Watch Activities in Australia: An Overview of Collaborators and Collaborations

Long-term variation of oceanic conditions in the Korean waters

Dr. Robert Simpson Will Be Honored as a NOAA Environmental Hero for 2008

Coral Reef Watch activities in Australia: An Overview of Collaborators and Collaborations

Dr. William Skirving is a senior scientist with the NOAA Coral Reef Watch Program. He is based in Townsville, Australia. William spent four years teaching Geography at JCU before moving to the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) to join the remote sensing unit. He became the leader of the unit in 1991. Whilst at AIMS, William studied part time for his PhD. In 2002 William was seconded to NOAA NESDIS where he joined the Coral Reef Watch Program. Upon his return to Townsville in 2005, he resigned from AIMS and continued his association with NOAA via ReefSense Pty Ltd. William has been working full-time in the field of Remote Sensing for the past 22 years. He has served on more than a dozen International and National expert committees including the GMS Pathfinder Working Group (Co-lead by NASA and the Australian BoM), a sub-group of the ESA Science Advisory Group to the ATSR-2 and AATSR and the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) Coral Sub-theme Working Group (UNEP & NOAA co-leads). William is currently a member of the World Bank Targeted Research Global Environment Facilitys (GEF) Coral Reef Targeted Research Program as an invited member of the Remote Sensing Working Group since 2001.

William currently specialises in the development of algorithms for using environmental satellites to predict and monitor coral bleaching, and currently leads an effort to combine satellite measurements of light and temperature to derive a new bleaching algorithm.

William education consists of:

• BSc, Double Major in Mathematics and Geography, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia, 1984
• BSc (Hons), Climatology and Remote Sensing, Dept. Geography, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia, 1985
• MSc, Hydrology, Dept of Geography, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia, 1989
• PhD, Remote Sensing, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia, 2001

The POES-GOES Blended Sea Surface Temperature Analysis

NOAA- funding Coral Reef Monitoring in American Samoa, including annual summer bleaching

Progress and plans for NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) program

As "our eyes on the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes", the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is a tool for tracking, predicting, managing, and adapting to changes in our marine environment. IOOS delivers the data and information needed to increase our understanding of our waters, so decision makers can take action to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect the environment. NOAA is proud to lead a national partnership of 17 federal agencies and 11 regions working together to link marine data in an easy-to-use standard format that will provide users with a composite picture of our nation's waters in an accurate and timely manner. This seminar will discuss some of the complexities of the national IOOS efforts, what NOAA and its partners are doing to integrate our ocean and coastal data, and IOOS benefits to data users, the general public, and the nation.

Marine Policy Issues: First in a Series of Panel Presentations given by NOAA Knauss Sea Grant Fellows

Solar Channel Calibration Using Deep Convective Clouds

Uncertainty in the Arctic Water Cycle

Water Water Everywhere: What's the Water Level?

AUVfest 2008: Navy Mine-Hunting Robots help NOAA Explore Sunken History

Buck Island Reef National Monument: Partners for Protection and Resource Management

MPA design using sliding windows: A potential research area within Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary

Chesapeake Bay Studies: Second in a Series of Panel Presentations given by NOAA Knauss Sea Grant Fellows (see abstract below for details)

NOAA Knauss Sea Grant Fellows present a series of thematic-based seminars on their work here at NOAA.

Seminar title: Naked gobies (Gobiosoma bosc) as Indicators of Oyster Reef Restoration Success
Speaker: Terra Lederhouse (Fisheries Affairs Division, Office of International Affairs)
The native oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay is estimated to be <1% of its historic level. Overfishing, pollution, habitat degradation, and disease have diminished the population and the important ecosystem services it once provided. Extensive restoration efforts by federal, state, and non-profit organizations have attempted to restore these services, including habitat for other bay species. To develop a useful indicator of oyster reef restoration success, naked gobies were collected from experimental oyster reefs of various densities in two Chesapeake Bay tributaries from 2005-2007. Naked goby abundance, biomass, and total body lipid content were compared between treatments to determine the habitat value of restored reefs to this resident fish species. Results indicate that restoration efforts should aim to produce adult oyster densities >100 m-2 to provide suitable ecological benefit to naked gobies. [Download PDF]

Seminar title: Microbial Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Euphotic Estuarine Sediments: A Case Study from Chesapeake Bay
Speaker: Frank M. Parker (Office of the Assistant Administrator, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research)
Understanding fundamental relationships with respect to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) flows in estuarine sediments is critical if we are going to mitigate the effects of eutrophication caused by increased N loading to coastal systems. Given the shallow nature of estuaries, a large fraction of the benthos may lie within the photic zone (e.g., ~ 21 % of the Chesapeake Bay is < 2 m deep) and account for as much as half of total estuarine primary production. Here I present results from seasonal dual stable isotopic tracer (DI13C and 15NH4+) experiments that quantify benthic microbial production (e.g., bacteria and benthic microalgae) in terms of C and N, partition that production between water column and porewater nutrient sources in the light and dark, and trace the fate of that production into secondary consumers. Results show that euphotic sediment microbes are an important link in estuarine benthic-pelagic coupling, benthic microalgae play a critical role in the euphotic sediment microbial loop, and benthic bacteria are the dominant microbial pool for C and N immobilization into biomass. [Download PDF]

Introduction to salt marsh ecology: an investigation of the potential effects of tidal creek morphology on the distribution of a model estuarine crustacean, P. pugio

Rising Seas: How NOAA Can Lead the Partnership to Anticipate and Adapt

DC EnvironMentor's Program - Be a Mentor!

TC_utilities: Application of Time-local Harmonic Analysis to Tide and Current Data

Economic Perspectives/Ocean Senate Bills: Third in a Series of Panel Presentations given by NOAA Knauss Sea Grant Fellows

Seminar 1: Denitrification Contributes to Nitrogen Loss in Fertilized Arctic Tundra Sites
Speaker: Marselle Alexander-Ozinskas
Abstract: About 30% of the global soil carbon pool is stored in northern latitudes (40-70°N), which have experienced larger temperature increases due to atmospheric warming than equatorial regions over the past few decades. Soil temperature increases affect carbon and nitrogen cycling and could alter net ecosystem carbon balance. To examine the future of arctic soil carbon pools following climate-driven changes, the potential for denitrification, nitrification, and mineralization were measured in several ecosystems surrounding the Toolik Lake Long-Term Ecological Research station near Toolik Lake, Alaska, after manipulation to simulate the effects of climate warming. Results indicate that denitrification may contribute to large, observed net nitrogen losses in these systems, suggesting a pathway of potential soil carbon loss following the effects of climate warming

Seminar 2: Back from the Beach: A Quantitative Analysis of Beachfront Values and Tax Base
Speaker: Ed Gorecki
Abstract: The devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita resulted in record losses of life and property, and elevated concerns for coastal protection to their highest levels. In addition to rising sea levels over the last several decades, increases in extreme weather events in the Gulf of Mexico have led to substantial beach erosion along the Gulf coast. In 2007 the Nueces County Commissioners Court adopted a 350-foot building set-back along the North Padre Island, TX, coastline. Prior to its implementation, landowners and developers claimed substantial financial losses as a result of this land development restriction. This lecture reviews the economic implications of coastal and environmental protection along the Gulf of Mexico, particularly along the Coast of Nueces County, to determine the significance of this effect on property values, and the potential loss of revenue to the community and local tax base.

An introduction to the South China Sea throughflow: Its dynamics, variability, and implication for climate

Download PDF

International Registry of Coral Pathology

Legislative Day: Fourth in a Series of Panel Presentations given by NOAA Knauss Sea Grant Fellows (see below for speakers and topics)

Seminar 1: Using GPS collars to monitor the activity and habitat use of Canada lynx in Minnesota
Speaker: Julie Palakovich Carr (Office of Senator Maria Cantwell)

Abstract: Since direct observation of free-ranging animals is difficult, remote methods for monitoring animal behavior have been developed. Recent advances in GPS collars allow for both the location and activity of an animal to be recorded internally in the collar. Although several studies have validated the activity counter portion of GPS collars for large herbivores, this has not been done to date on a small carnivore. Methods to relate animal activity level and habitat use were developed by observing a captive Canada lynx wearing a GPS collar. These methods were then applied to data collected from seven free-ranging lynx in northeastern Minnesota. Differences in habitat selection when lynx were active or inactive were analyzed. Additionally, I will be highlighting my research on the effects of maternal characteristics on Atlantic cod recruitment and the effects of a restored oyster reef on water quality.

Seminar 2: The Decay of Particulate Organic Matter in the Ocean …and of Bills in the U.S. Senate
Speaker: Lynn Abramson (Office of Senator Barbara Boxer)

Abstract: What do the biological carbon pump and the legislative process have in common? Both concern some form of progression or transport: the biological carbon pump involves the movement of particulate organic matter through the water column, whereas the legislative process involves the movement of bills through Congress. A predictive understanding of either of these processes requires investigation of the source, alteration, and exchange of “material” during transit. In this seminar, Lynn Abramson will draw parallels between her dissertation work on the marine carbon cycle and fellowship work in Senator Barbara Boxer’s office, discussing her perspective on some of the strategies and obstacles involved in affecting science-based policy decisions.

Seminar 3: Regional adaptation in feeding preference for chemically-rich seaweeds by the marine herbivore, Ampithoe longimana
Speaker: Amanda McCarty (Legislative Fellow, Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and the Coast Guard)

Abstract: Field and laboratory manipulations and molecular analysis were used to better understand the ecology and evolution of marine seaweed-herbivore interactions. This work focused specifically on comparisons between populations of the amphipod Ampithoe longimana from cold-temperate New England, warm-temperate North Carolina, and subtropical Florida. Populations from throughout this distribution are exposed to locally distinct seaweed communities, exhibit regional variation in tolerance for a chemically-defended seaweed, and have limited gene flow between regions. Therefore, A. longimana serves as a unique example of a locally adapted marine organism.

Ocean and wave modeling at NOAA/NCEP; history and moving to a National Backbone Capability

Carbon sequestration through ocean iron fertilization: A review of the major issues

The role of the Semantic Web in Oceanographic Data Management

Assessing the state of the oceans: mapping the cumulative impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems

D.C. Environmentors Program

NOAA's Office of Education: Are you interested in hosting a Summer Intern or hiring a Graduate Student?

NOAA Seminar Series on Climate and Ocean/Coastal Management: Building Capacity for Adaptation Planning in the Coastal Sector: Identifying and Overcoming Some Key Challenges

Data Assimilation Experiments Using Quality Controlled AIRS Version 5 Temperature Soundings

The AIRS Science Team Version 5 retrieval algorithm has been finalized and is now operational at the Goddard DAAC in the processing (and reprocessing) of all AIRS data. The AIRS Science Team Version 5 retrieval algorithm contains a number of significant improvements over Version 4. Of particular significance is the new methodology to generate accurate case-by- case, level-by-level, error estimates for the atmospheric temperature profile, as well as for channel-by-channel clear column radiances Ri. These error estimates are used for quality control of the retrieved products. We have conducted forecast impact experiments assimilating AIRS quality controlled temperature profiles using the NASA GEOS-5 data assimilation system, consisting of the NCEP GSI analysis coupled with the NASA FVGCM, run at a spatial resolution of 0.5° latitude x 0.5° longitude. Assimilation of quality controlled temperature profiles resulted in significantly improved forecast skill compared to that obtained from analyses when all data used operationally by NCEP, except for AIRS data, is assimilated, on the one hand, and also compared to forecasts obtained when AIRS radiances are assimilated in place of AIRS Quality Controlled Temperature profiles. A description of the AIRS Version 5 retrieval methodology will be given, as well as the data assimilation experiments conducted and their results.

Corals/Marine Protected Areas: Fifth in a Series of Panel Presentations given by NOAA Knauss Sea Grant Fellows (see details below).

Seminar 1: Fine scale genetic population structure in the threatened Acropora palmata and Acropora cervicornis in Southwest Puerto Rico
Speaker: Joselyd Garcia (Marine Mammal Commission)
Abstract: During the 1980s and 1990s, populations of Acropora palmata and Acropora cervicornis experienced region-wide declines of up to 95% or more in some areas due mostly to disease. Once considered the most important reef builders in the Caribbean, their rapid decline prompted their listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2006. To understand the genetic connectivity between reefs in southwestern Puerto Rico, sequences of the mitochondrial control region were recovered from geographically adjacent and distant populations of A. palmata and A. cervicornis. Results suggest that there is fine scale population structure and recovery of these reefs might rely on the survival and sexual reproduction of local populations rather than replenishment from distant reefs. In this presentation, I will also discuss my current project and the experiences gained through the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission.

Seminar 2: Do closed fishing areas in New England qualify as marine protected areas?
Speaker: Christine Patrick (Ocean Exploration and Research Program)
Abstract: Marine protected areas (MPAs) are often presented as a new addition to the “traditional toolkit” of fisheries management measures used by the U.S. federal government. However, temporary or rotational closed areas have been used in New England since before the creation of the federal exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the expanded federal power to manage fisheries. Despite this fact, the MPA canon does not acknowledge New England closed fishing areas as MPAs, or even as the theoretical ancestors of MPAs. Is this exclusion justified? What are the differences between New England closed fishing areas and MPAs?

Climate Change in the Ocean: Acidification by atmospheric carbon dioxide

Partnering with Tribal Colleges and Universities: Ideas and Opportunities

Chesapeake Inundation Prediction System (CIPS): A Regional Prototype to Address a National Problem

Remote access available via Webinar and phone. Webinar registration is required. Reserve your Webinar seat now at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/547479001. Title: Webinar -- Chesapeake Inundation Prediction System (CIPS). Telephone access: 888-942-9077; passcode 36237. System Requirements: PC users: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista; Mac users: Mac OS® X 10.3.9 (Panther®) or newer. For further information about this seminar please contact Ken Pavelle.

Addressing Challenges to Oyster Reef and Fishery Habitat Enhancement in Coastal Alabama

Optimal Spectral Decomposition (OSD) for Analyzing Sparse and Noisy Ocean Data

Production of Synthetic GOES-R ABI Fire Hotspot Proxy Datasets (by the RAMMB GOES-R AWG Proxy Data Group)

The CSU RAMS forecast model (with nested grids) was used to simulate observed mesoscale weather with horizontal grid spacing as small as 400 m. For fire simulations, equally-distributed artificial fire hotspots were added to a simulated mesoscale event. In addition, location and fire temperature information for real fires (from CIMSS ABBA-retrieved datasets, based on GOES- 11/12) were inserted into various simulated mesoscale events, both with and without clouds. The RAMS output is used as input to an observational operator, which in conjunction with OPTRAN code and radiative transfer models, to produce synthetic radiances for three GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) wavelengths (3.9 µm, 10.35 µm, 11.2 µm). From those radiances, GOES-R ABI synthetic imagery is produced at the appropriate footprint by using an approximation for the ABI point spread function (PSF). Finally, McIDAS files and GIF imagery and animations were created for all datasets, for use as Algorithm Working Group (AWG) proxy datasets for algorithm testing and verification. Four fire cases will be presented: Case 1: Artificial fire hot spots embedded in Kansas severe weather event - 8 May 2003; Case 2: Agricultural fires in Central America - 24 April 2004; Case 3: Lightning induced fires in Southern California, for both 23 and 26 October 2007; and an unusual fire flare-up Case Study: the Rich Wildland Lightning Fire, Northern California - 30 July 2008.

GeoSTAR - A Geosynchronous Microwave Sounder for NASA and NOAA

GeoSTAR represents a new measurement concept that now makes a geosynchronous microwave sounder possible. A small proof-of- concept prototype has been developed at JPL under NASA's Instrument Incubator Program that has demonstrated that the aperture synthesis approach used in GeoSTAR is feasible and will meet all relevant measurement requirements. The full-size space version will have essentially the same performance in GEO as the AMSU system currently achieves in LEO but has the added benefit of the time-continuous observations that are possible from GEO, and complete soundings will be produced every 15-20 minutes over most of the Earth disc. Applications range from numerical weather prediction to climate monitoring, but GeoSTAR is particularly relevant to hurricanes and severe storms and will provide key measures of convective activity, continuously and in real time. GeoSTAR is the baseline payload for the "PATH" mission, one of 15 NASA missions recommended by the NRC in its recent "Decadal Survey". NOAA also has a compelling interest in a GEO microwave sounder, and there is a strong possibility for a joint NASA-NOAA GOES-R/S Mission-of-Opportunity in the 2015-2018 time frame.

Part I. The Hellenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR), Greece
Part II. Analysis of light transmission profiles and associated particle dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Part II. Particle Dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Abstract: The HCMR-IO has a long tradition in projects related to the study of the Eastern Mediterranean since the 1980s, with particular focus on physical oceanography. In the early 1990s the interactions between the land, the continental shelf and the deep sea concentrated the interest of many projects, and at this time the first continuous light transmission (LT) profiles were collected in the region, providing information about particle distribution in the water column. Over the years, this subject expanded, and particulate matter concentration, particulate organic carbon concentration, particle chemistry and mineralogy became new promising fields of study. The collection of LT data became routine measurement accompanying standard CTD casts. However, those data were used to support the needs of certain research projects, thus information was geographically specific. A long and tedious data mining resulted in the collection of more than 2500 casts. LT profiles were homogenized and corrected from instrumental drifts and a comprehensive view of the Eastern Mediterranean particle dynamics was achieved. This data base will be now shared with the World Data Center for Oceanography and become publicly available. The results of this work were published in Deep-Sea Research I, 55, 2008, pp. 177-202.

NOAA's Office of Education (OEd) Graduate Sciences Program presentations: I. Addressing Land-based Sources of Marine Pollution, the Case of the Demerara River Watershed, Guyana & II. The Effects of Dissolved Oxygen on Recreational Striped Bass Catch in the Chesapeake Bay (see details below)

NOAA's Office of Education (OEd) Graduate Sciences Program presentations:

Presentation 1: Addressing Land-based Sources of Marine Pollution, the Case of the Demerara River Watershed, Guyana
Speaker: Arwen Edsall (International Affairs Specialist, NOS International Programs Office)

Abstract: This talk discusses an integrated management planning project to address land-based sources of marine pollution at a watershed level for the Demerara River watershed, Guyana. The project is a partnership between NOAA, other US agencies, international partners and the Guyanese government to write a joint Water Safety Plan and National Program of Action. This is one of the first international efforts to address both marine environmental protection and water-related health and safety planning by linking the UNEP-Global Program of Action to Address Land-Based Sources of Marine Pollution with World Health Organization guidelines. The presentation will include a discussion of the background case study and context of Guyana, where the plan will be implemented, as well as the results of stakeholder interviews about their perceptions and knowledge of the planning process. Finally, a series of recommendations are presented, focused on ways that the organizations, agencies, and industries involved can better foster integration to address land-based pollution in this watershed.

Presentation 2: The Effects of Dissolved Oxygen on Recreational Striped Bass Catch in the Chesapeake Bay
Speaker: Andrew Mason (Physical Scientist, NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science)

Abstract: Declining dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions in the Chesapeake Bay negatively affect human uses of the Bay, including recreational striped bass fishing. These changes impact where, when, and if fishermen will catch a fish. Development of human-use indicator models allow for more precise quantification of low DO’s effect on catch. In this study, improved modeling determined optimum DO for striped bass recreational catch in the Chesapeake to be in the range of 8-9 mg/L. Positive relationships between increased DO and catch were seen in the majority of statistical analysis for the Chesapeake. When DO is increased from 2 to 5 mg/L DO over the whole Chesapeake Bay, there is a corresponding increase in striped bass catch of 149.4%. Results from this study and others demonstrate that not only do human activities impact the form and function of ecosystems, but the use and enjoyment of those ecosystems by humans is also impaired.

Leading the Way to Better Services

The South American Land Data Assimilation System (SALDAS): The rainfall retrieval methodology

The Fishery on Antarctic Krill: Defining an Ecosystem Approach to Management

Coral Reefs: Canaries in the Environmental Coal Mine

Coral reefs are the most diverse of all marine ecosystems. Estimates range from 1-9 million species globally, although these estimates are based on very tenuous assumptions. Coral reefs are also among the most endangered of all marine ecosystems. In the Caribbean, for example, 80% of all coral cover has been lost in the last three decades. The causes of loss are varied, and they operate on local, regional and global scales, often synergistically. Coral bleaching is a stress reaction that results in the loss of symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) from coral tissues; if prolonged, corals starve to death. One serious source of stress is global warming; when seawater temperatures exceed 1°C above local seasonal maxima, bleaching occurs. In 1980, massive bleaching was seen around the world; in the Indian Ocean 80% bleaching and 20% mortality occurred. Fortunately, some zooxanthellae are more heat tolerant than others, but climate models suggest that mass bleaching will become more and more common. Another major source of coral loss is disease, about which we still know very little in terms of pathogens. Some diseases have already had catastrophic effects. In the Caribbean, for example, two once dominant corals are now officially listed as endangered. Other stresses include destructive fishing, over-fishing (especially of herbivores), sedimentation (often caused by deforestation), predator explosions, storm damage, and now ocean acidification. Complete reproductive failure due to scarcity of mates is also a possibility. Studies of reefs across a gradient of human disturbance indicate that loss of resilience – the capacity to recover – is one of the first consequences of human impacts. Fortunately, actual extinctions are so far limited. Reefs can be thought of as canaries in the environmental coal mine, because they are so sensitive to a diverse array of human impacts, but all marine ecosystems are suffering. Business as usual is not an option if we are to address these problems.

Increasing Insect Reactions in Alaska: Is this related to changing climate?

How to Take Advantage of the Department of Commerce Postsecondary Internship Program

AMSU Observation of Arctic and Equatorial Precipitation: Validation and Meteorology

Leveraging NOAA Expertise in the North Atlantic to Address Regional Priorities: NOAA's North Atlantic Regional Team (NART)

As one of eight regional collaboration teams, NOAA's North Atlantic Regional Team (NART) has been drawing on available assets from Virginia to Maine to improve understanding of constituent needs and better deliver NOAA's products and services to meet them. In New England and the Mid-Atlantic, the NART has been working on such issues as coastal inundation, integrated ecosystem assessments, enhanced water resources planning and management, and climate change activities. Ensuring consistent, high-value services to NOAA partners and customers is more important than ever, especially given recent public attention to the state of the oceans, the effects of climate change, and impacts of natural disasters. This seminar will provide background information on the NART, highlight the accomplishments to date, and engage participants in looking forward to regional collaboration activities in FY09 - Silver Spring is part of the North Atlantic!

Recent Work in Short-Range Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting and its Application in Hydrologic Prediction in the Czech Republic

Zbynek Sokol (1), Petr Pesice (1), and Lucie Brezkova (2)
1. Institute of Atmospheric Physics ASCR (in collaboration with Czech Hydrometeorological Institute)
2. Czech Hydrometeorological Institute

Applied Climatology and the Role of NOAA’s Regional Climate Centers – partners in the emerging National Climate Services

About Dr. Arthur DeGaetano (http://www.eas.cornell.edu/cals/eas/people/profile.cfm?netId=atd2)

About Dr. Ken Kunkel (http://www.dri.edu/People/Kenneth.Kunkel/)

Climate Change and Arctic Fisheries

Argo - Observing the Ocean in Real-time

Historical Reconstruction of Precipitation

Two seminars by NOAA Sea Grant Fellows (see below for details)

Trophic transfer of the marine algal biotoxin domoic acid to the North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena Glacialis
Speaker: Luis Leandro (Office of Legislative Affairs)

Abstract: In addition to ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements, recovery of the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale has been challenged by reproductive abnormalities and compromised health. Of the several factors hypothesized as contributing to the observed reproductive dysfunction in right whales, exposure to biotoxins produce by marine algae, such as domoic acid (DA), has received comparatively little consideration. This study assessed the occurrence of DA in right whales, their prey, and phytoplankton collected in the whales’ spring and summer feeding grounds. The results of this study confirm that right whales were exposed to DA for several months, likely through ingestion of their prey.

Development of High-resolution surface albedo correlation maps for improved resolution and retrieval of aerosols over urban scenes

Google Earth maps of projected climate change in Alaska, the Scenarios Network for Alaska Planning.

The Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative: Future Directions

In addition to marking the International Year of the Reef, 2008 represented a fundamental transition in scientific research funded by the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative (HCRI). Since its inception in 1998, the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative (HCRI) has sponsored a rich and diverse set of over 80 scientific research projects focused on improving scientific understanding of our islands’ marine habitats and enhancing capacity to effectively manage them. HCRI has worked with agencies, organizations, and educational institutions to assess native coastal reef-related ecosystems and the major threats posed to them, build resource management capacity, develop databases and information systems on coral reef ecosystems, train scientists and resource managers, and conduct public awareness and education programs to cultivate ocean literacy.

Building on the breadth of past results, the program is embarking on targeted, site-specific research programs that integrate science, management and stakeholder participation to develop and implement appropriate policies and actions. The management committee has identified two areas of ecological concern to serve as the sites of 2008 projects: the Kahekili region (Maui) and Mauanalua Bay (Oahu). Over the last several years, the Kahekili area of Maui has become inundated with invasive algae. The spread of invasive algae on coral reefs is relentless and by no means a simple problem to deal with; however, there are compelling reasons to believe that management approaches focusing on the recovery of herbivore population by prohibiting or otherwise severely limiting their take might be highly effective. Research conducted in Kahekili will investigate the potential for and limitations of herbivore recovery as an invasive algal control mechanism. In Maunalua Bay, historical changes both on land (within the eight defined sub-watersheds) and in the coastal ocean have been documented, and provide a basis for examining the impacts of urbanization, changes in use patterns, coastal pollution, eutrophication, sedimentation, affects of introduced species and resource exploitation. Research conducted in the bay will emphasize understanding the present state of the bay, identifying main sources of ecosystem stress, and determining options for mitigation and recovery, per the requests of a range of community stakeholders.

Sea Grant 101: Have you ever wondered how the National Sea Grant College Program works - research, extension, and education?

IOOS Coastal Inundation

National Marine Sanctuaries' Media Library: Online Database of Ocean Photos and Videos

Could HABCAM, an optical method for surveying sea scallops ultimately replace the standard dredge-based sea scallop survey?

1Robotics

Knauss Sea Grant Fellows Lecture Series: (A) Short-term Climate Variability Impact on Pacific Ocean SSTs; (B) Connectivity in Marine Fish Species

Sandy Lucas (Climate Program Office, OAR)
(A) Madden-Julian Oscillation: Short-term Climate Variability and its impact on Pacific Ocean Sea Surface Temperatures [Postponed]
This presentation explores the relationship between intraseasonal winds in the western Pacific and SST changes in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. To examine this relationship, I used both observations from moored ocean buoys and a numerical ocean model forced with idealized MJO winds. Analysis of the model results showed that the physical mechanism driving the SST changes was meridional advection rather than vertical advection as previously thought. The implication of these results, when incorporated into climate models, is a potential improvement in the ability to forecast El Niño - allowing society to better plan, prepare and respond to changes in climate.

Lora Clarke (Office of Science and Technology, NMFS)
(B) High Connectivity in a Locally Adapted Marine Fish Species: A possible scenario?
High connectivity, or the exchange of individuals among subpopulations, is assumed in most marine species due to life histories that include widely dispersive stages. However, evidence of local adaptation in marine species, such as the Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia), raises questions concerning the degree of connectivity. Geochemical signatures of adult fish were compared to groundtruthed signatures of juvenile fish to determine natal origin. From this information, migration distances and the degree of mixing were estimated. Results suggest high connectivity and demonstrate marine species with largely open populations are capable of local adaptation despite apparently high gene flow.

NOAA Seminar Series on Climate Change and Ocean/Coastal Management: Climate Change and the Chesapeake Bay: State-of-the-Science Review and Recommendations

Non-Gaussian Data Assimilation Methodologies [Seminar Canceled]

In the current versions of both variational and ensemble data assimilation a very important assumption is made about how the errors are distributed. This assumption is that the errors are normally (Gaussian) distributed, Lorenc (1986). This assumption is implicitly using the fact that the difference between to normal random variables is also a normal random variable. Therefore, if this is true then the model variables and the observations have to be normal random variable as well. However, this can not be applied to positive definite variables. There are several variables involved with cloud dynamics which are not normally distributed (Miles et al. 2000). There are also observations which are not normally distributed (Stephens et al. 2002, Sengupta et al. 2004, Donofrio 2007). The very important random variables, used in all the scales in atmospheric modeling from synoptic to cloud resolving, are those associated with moisture. In Dee and Da Silva (2003) the choice of moisture variable is investigated and one such approach to deal with the constraint of non-negativity is to take the natural logarithm of the specific humidity. The effect of taking the logarithm is to make the transformed variable be able to go negative. This technique is implicitly using the fact that the logarithm of a lognormal variable is a normal variable. As shown in Fletcher and Zupanski (2007), the statistic that the transform method finds in the original lognormal space is a median of the multivariate lognormal distribution. An alternative method has been developed for a mixture of lognormal and normal random variables (Fletcher and Zupanski, 2006a, b, 2007, Fletcher, 2008). This method is based upon seeking the mode of the underlying analysis probability density function, pdf, (Lorenc 1986). This new approach finds the only statistic of the multivariate lognormal distribution that is unique and bounded with respect to the variance. In the next section we briefly summarize the development of the hybrid lognormal-normal assimilation equations for the 3D case. In Section 3 we outline the derivation of a functional, least squares type approach for the 4D case for lognormal observations. In Section 4 we present to different probability model approaches so that the expression is independent on any assumptions from any probability distributions. In Section 5 we present some results from an experiment where we compare the hybrid approach with the transform approach in the Lorenz'63 model. In Section 6 we present some thoughts on the implications and the application of the work presented here. We finish we some conclusions and plans for further work.

Ocean fertilization, carbon credits and the Kyoto Protocol

Four US-based companies and an Australian company currently seek to develop ocean fertilization technologies for the generation of carbon credits. We review these plans through the lens of the Kyoto Protocol and its flexible mechanisms, and examine whether and how ocean fertilization could generate tradable carbon credits. We note that at present, ocean sinks are not included in the Kyoto Protocol, and that furthermore, the Kyoto Protocol only addresses sources and sinks of greenhouse gases within national boundaries, making open-ocean fertilization projects a jurisdictional challenge. We discuss the negotiating history behind the limited inclusion of land use, land use change and forestry in the Kyoto Protocol and the controversy and eventual compromise concerning methodologies for terrestrial carbon accounting. We conclude that current technologies for measuring and monitoring carbon sequestration following ocean fertilization are unlikely to meet the Kyoto Protocol’s verification and accounting standards for trading carbon credits on the regulated market. The marketability of ocean fertilization in the voluntary carbon marketplace will likely depend on companies’ efforts to minimize environmental risks and consumers’ willingness to accept remaining risks.

NPOESS Preparatory Project Cross-track Infrared Sounder Sensor Characterization Plans and Performance Predictions

Stock Synthesis: an integrated analysis model to enable sustainable fisheries

The USA National Phenology Network: Towards an Integrative Assessment of Global Change Impacts at the National Scale

The National Sea Grant Law Center: Reducing Barriers and Conflicts through Legal Extension

Establishment of a National Ocean Database and Information Network in Taiwan

There are many oceanographic databases that preserve various marine and oceanographic data in Taiwan, those databases are established and managed by governmental agencies, universities, research organizations, even individual researchers, respectively. Some of the databases perform specific functions for the government, others for research and monitoring purposes. Many of the specialized databases have constructed information system to provide convenient web services, but a few of them manage data for internal usage only. In the past, there were few communications among different oceanographic data centers, even some of them preserve similar data sets. In 2003, the government of Taiwan announced the policy of integrating oceanographic data and related information, and moved toward establishment of a national ocean data center. A 2-year pilot project was launched in August 2005 with funds from the National Science Council. In this pilot project, 3 major oceanographic databases, the Ocean Data Bank (ODB) of the National Center for Ocean Research (NCOR), the Marine Meteorology Data Base system (MMDB) of the Central Weather Bureau, and the Harbor Oceanic & Meteorological Database (HOMDB) of the Harbor Research Center, formed partners to build a virtual database delivering metadata online via Java-based WebGIS. This catalog system, which was developed at NCOR, provides convenient data search and utilization through web interfaces, and continuing maintenance and improvement of the system is necessary.

In the beginning of 2008, the Taiwan Ocean Research Institute (TORI) that succeeded NCOR was established under the National Applied Research Laboratory, and took the task of establishing a national oceanographic database and information system that in the future will integrate all the major oceanographic databases in Taiwan into this platform. The new national oceanographic database will use GRID architecture supported by NCHC (National Center for High-Performance Computing) to connect the participating data repositories of various agencies, and to establish the Taiwan Ocean Data network (TODnet) as a virtual data center. The objective of the TODnet is to provide an oceanographic data portal where one can access remote sensing, bathymetry, geophysical, geological, hydrographical, ocean surface meteorological and marine biological data from most data repositories in Taiwan. TODnet will not only provides transparent search and service requests on metadata, data and product of various oceanographic databases in Taiwan, but will also be responsible for preserving and managing TORI’s own oceanographic data sets that will include shipboard, remote sensing, coring, and coastal monitoring data. In order to achieve this goal, high priority tasks in the near future are to establish standard formats, QC procedures and data interoperability. We welcome international cooperation on data, information and technical exchanges.

The following agencies/organizations run major oceanographic databases in Taiwan:

1. Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, http://taibnet.sinica.edu.tw/ (Taiwan Biodiversity National Information Network)
2. Central Geological Survey, Ministry of Economic Affairs
3. Central Weather Bureau, http://cwb.hinet.net/V5e/index.htm
4. Fishery Agency, Council of Agriculture
5. Fisheries Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, http://www.tfrin.gov.tw/friweb/data/profile/19/index.php?pro_parent=pk3
6. Harbor & Marine Technology Center, Institute of Transportation, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, http://www.ihmt.gov.tw/ocear/ocear-index.htm
7. Ocean Data Bank, National Science Council, http://odb.oc.ntu.edu.tw/
8. Water Resource Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs http://gweb.wra.gov.tw/wrweb/WaterResource.htm

Hunting Hurricanes -- Now and Then

The Trifecta: Use of observations, theories, and models to predict hurricane activity

CNEMO and NOAA in Washington, D.C: How NOAA's Project "NEMO" led Washington, D.C. public school students to their first National Ocean Sciences Bowl competition

Earth Living Ocean: Future retreivals for Ocean Chemistry and Biology from Space

High Resolution Radar Precipitation Evaluation [POSTPONED]

Cetacean behavioral responses to simulated military sonar and other sound exposures