U.S. IOOS featured on the Ocean Observations and Coastal Zone Management Panel at the Maritime Alliance – 4th Annual Blue Tech & Blue Economy Summit

The mission of The Maritime Alliance is "Promoting Blue Tech & Blue Jobs". This non-profit organization is the cluster organizer for the San Diego maritime technology community, and fosters maritime business and technology innovation through collaboration around the U.S. and the world.

The Blue Tech & Blue Economy Summit addressed opportunities and innovations pertaining to sustainable development of ocean resources. Of course, the issues of economic development and security cannot really be divorced from each other. Economic security — including food security and energy security — is essential to national security. The economic and strategic value of our ports and marine transportation infrastructure are essential to international trade. Increasing our exports and economic development will create jobs needed to bring about economic recovery. To be sustainable and competitive, we need to foster collaborations and innovations in technology.

Jerry Schubel, President and CEO, Aquarium of the Pacific was the keynote speaker and kicked off the conference with a provocative talk titled – “California a Leader and Laggard.”  The bottom line of the talk was that California is a leader in developing technology and ocean research in protecting marine life in southern California, but that California lags in using the same assets to allocate spaces for sustainable offshore industries.  Jerry has been surveying folks on what they want to see for Southern CA in 2015 and the top 2 answers are (1) a rich mosaic of healthy, productive and marine ecosystem and (2) a diverse and robust ocean economy consistent with a healthy and productive coastal and ocean ecosystem.

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This was followed by a series of panels that dealt with Port operations, marine logistics, seafood technology and sustaining our supply.  Larry Nye, Port Planner, Moffatt and Nichol, expressed his support for SCCOOS and the importance of ocean observing to the efficient running of Ports.  It was interesting that as a Port planner, they are constantly educating the community about the local ports.  At one recent public meeting on a Port expansion project, one of the attendees exclaimed “I have no need for Ports – I get everything I need from the internet.”  It was a revealing comment that enforces the need for continued education on the need for a robust Ports and transportation system in the United States. 

The San Diego Work Force Partnership, San Diego Economic Development Corporation, and the Maritime Alliance sponsored the San Diego Maritime Industry Report 2012. The findings of the 2012 comprehensive survey of the maritime industries in the San Diego region are out, showing a direct economic impact larger than any other sector besides defense. Total Employment: 46,000 jobs, Total Revenues: $14 billion (2011).  This report was referred to many times during the day, download a copy at:
http://themaritimealliance.org/pdf/SanDiegoMaritimeClusterAnalysis2012.pdf

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US IOOS was featured on the panel, Ocean Observations and Coastal Zone Management. The panel was moderated by Julie Thomas, Executive Director of US IOOS Southern California partner, SCCOOS.

 

Zdenka focused her remarks on how US IOOS connects to the Blue Tech and Blue Economy in three ways. She talked about industry and academic partners that are both providers of the infrastructure of IOOS (observations, data management and models) and intermediaries – those that take the IOOS information stream and tailor it, providing value add to meet customers’ needs.  She also discussed those end user industries that might not know their business decisions rely on ocean observations.  For example, in the retail sector, companies often make decisions on what and how much to stock on their shelves based on seasonal forecasting.  Seasonal forecasting is highly dependent on ocean observing.  An El Nino event is marked by warm water in the equatorial Pacific. The Spray glider lab, headed by Dan Rudnick, has calculated a “SoCal Niño Index” using glider-measured temperatures that correlate well with NOAA’s “Oceanic Niño Index”.  NOAA is now predicting El Niño conditions in the next couple of months.  Glider observations are supported by the NOAA Ocean Climate Observation Program through the Consortium on the Ocean's Role in Climate, by BP through a cooperative agreement with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and by the Integrated Ocean Observation System (IOOS) through SCCOOS.

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Additional Information:

• Remarks of Zdenka Willis, Director, US IOOS Program Office (ppt)
• Gliders
• Southern California Region (SCCOOS)
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  • SCCOOS website