Ecosystems, Fisheries and Water Quality

In Your Region

Summary of activities in the area of Ecosystem, Fisheries and Water Quality Observing (pdf)

Alaska, AOOS

• An interactive map displaying real-time sensors and web cams for the state of Alaska, with links to the data
• A Model Explorer tool which displays weather, climate and oceanographic model outputs the State of
• An Arctic Research Assets map displaying monitoring efforts in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas
• The North Pacific Seabird Data map displaying seabird colonies throughout the North Pacific coasts.
• The Prince William Sound Herring Ecosystem Data Portal, a gateway for scientists and the public to access, interpret and visualize scientific resources regarding herring

Caribbean, CaRA

• The data portal delivers coastal ocean data including wind, waves, tides, ocean color, and currents.
• Access to forecasts from a variety of sources to give the user an integrated view of past, present and forecasted ocean conditions in the US Caribbean region.

Central and Nortenrn California, CeNCOOS

• Environmental data products and portals, featuring the CeNCOOS Data Portal iPhone App, real-time ocean satellite images
• Access to real-time coastal conditions through the CeNCOOS Data Portal, including real-time glider data and High Frequency Radar surface current data
• Ocean and Atmospheric Modeling products, including Monterey Bay conditions and wind and wave forecasts
• The Humboldt Bay Oyster Conditions tool, making important water quality data available to commercial shellfish harvesters
• Educational material that can be used to teach about ocean observing and algal blooms

Gulf of Mexico, GCOOS

• The GCOOS Data Portal providing timely information about the environment of the of the Gulf of Mexico and its estuaries for use by decision-makers, including researchers, government managers, industry, the military, educators, emergency responders, and the general public.
• Model products featuring wave and circulation forecasts
• The Phytoplankton Time Series at Port Aransas, part of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve (MANEER) program
• Information on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Great Lakes, GLOS

• The Observations Explorer – where users can view real-time and historic data and receive updates from the station or buoy of their choice.
• The Huron to Erie Connecting Waterways Forecasting System – providing predicted forecasts of water levels and currents through the Huron to Erie Corridor
• The Great Lakes Model Inventory – allowing users to search for models, applications, people, and organizations that address ecosystem health, marine operations, public health and water security, and measuring and adapting to climate change
• The Point Query tool, providing quick access to Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System (GLCFS) input data and model output for a given location and time period

Mid-Atlantic, MARACOOS

• Web products such as real-time data and forecasts
• The MARACOOS Real-Time Data Assets map, with current observing data available through an interactive display
• Weather forecasts and data from around the Mid-Atlantic Bight for both land and offshore regions
• Model outputs from four systems forecasting mid-Atlantic bight ocean circulation

Northwest, NANOOS

• The NANOOS Visualization System (NVS), a tool for easy access to data across a wide range of assets such as buoys, shore stations, and coastal land-based stations.
• Puget Sound Oceanic Remote Chemical Analyzer (ORCA) measures physical, chemical, and biological water characteristics in Hood Canal.
• Maps showing the daily average of ocean surface currents off the Oregon coast.
• Access to real-time ocean acidification data from around the Pacific Northwest
• Real-time Water Quality Data for Shellfish Growers, a pilot project between NANOOS and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System

Northeast, NERACOOS

• The Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System (NECOFS) – an integrated atmosphere-ocean model system designed for the northeast US coastal
• The Real-Time Data Map - displaying real-time observations from buoys and monitoring stations in the Northeast region
• The Model Forecast /Observation Viewer – a tool that lets the user compare model forecasts against actual observation for both wave height and water levels
• The Map and Model Viewer – which allows for rapid browsing of the output of several models running in the Northeast region

Pacific Islands, PacIOOS

• Access to circulation, wave, tide, and atmospheric model outputs for the main Hawaiian Islands
• Real-time observations that show surface currents, harbor surge, readings from stream gauges, and beach safety information
• Waikiki Real-time Water Conditions data viewer
• The Kilo Nalu Oahu Reef Observatory, providing information on the nearshore coral reef physical, biological and chemical environment

Southern California, SCCOOS

• Meteorological observations, data from ships and gliders, wave conditions, surface current maps, and model outputs
• Time series from automated and manual shore stations featuring temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, turbidity at regular intervals in the nearshore coastal ocean
• Information on harmful algae & red tides including comparable data at five regional stations providing timely updates on Harmful Algal Bloom events
• Tijuana Stormwater Plume Tracking tool

Southeast Atlantic, SECOORA

• SECOORA Biological and Habitat GIS site provides biological data to researchers who want to link biological data with oceanographic data
• Access to near real-time observation information from SECOORA buoys, land and shore stations
• Sample temperature, salinity, velocity and circulation information using the South Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Mexico (SABGOM) Coastal Circulation Nowcast/Forecast Model
• The ability to view multiple complex data sets and real-time observations - data types include coral reefs, essential fish habitats, real time and near real time datasets, and bathymetry

 

Nation-Wide

IOOS and the Water Quality Monitoring Network

The National Water Quality Monitoring Network (NWQMN) provides information about the health of our oceans and coastal ecosystems, as well as inland influences on coastal waters for improved resource management.  U.S. IOOS partners, EPA, USGS, and NOAA, co-lead this effort with participation from other federal agencies.  Each year, government agencies, industry, academia, and private organizations devote significant time, energy, and money to monitor, protect, manage, and restore water resources and watersheds.  However, differences in project design, methods, data analysis, and data management have often made it difficult for monitoring information and results to be shared and used by all. The restoration and protection of water quality is dependent upon detailed, understandable, and easily accessible data and information, which will be provided through the full implementation of U.S. IOOS.

Since 2007, the NWQMN has piloted and implemented concepts in San Francisco Bay, the Delaware River Estuary, and the Great Lakes in coordination with the CeNCOOS, MARACOOS and GLOS regional associations.  The projects have demonstrated the added value of real-time monitoring with sensors and autonomous underwater vehicles alongside more traditional monitoring. More on the National Water Quality Monitoring Network.

Attaining an Operational Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (BON)

In May 2010, IOOS and seven interagency partners co-sponsored a workshop on the development of an operational Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (Marine BON).  A Steering Committee of nine academic scientists developed the agenda; workshop participants included 35 invited scientists spanning a breadth of expertise, and multiple federal agency representatives. 

As part of its report, the workshop participants developed a set of recommendations that support implementation of the National Ocean Policy.  They are to:

1. Coordinate biodiversity sampling across taxa, habitats, hierarchical levels, and methods from microbes to
   mammals.
   
2. Maximize compatibility of BON with legacy data.
3. Establish one or more Biodiversity Observation Center(s) to coordinate sample processing, including taxonomic
   identifications, data management, and training and invest in the computational expertise to handle large
   datasets in an open access environment.
4. Synthesize and make accessible marine taxonomic resources.
5. Invest in developing new approaches for automated sample processing.
6. Modernize and enhance the nation’s physical infrastructure for marine exploration.
7. Initiate an integrated marine BON demonstration project soon. .

Federal partners are discussing the potential for implementation of recommendation #7 as a next step -- to initiate a demonstration of marine BON in one or more key habitats. 

MARINEGEO – Integrated Ecological Observatories for Changing Marine Ecosystems

IOOS is contributing to the planning phase -- led by the Smithsonian Institution -- of a collaborative network of marine sites designed to make long-term ecological observations.  MarineGEO is envisioned as a global‐scale network of ecological observatories dedicated to understanding changes associated with natural and anthropogenic forcing that occur at local, regional and global scales.  MarineGEO will address critical knowledge gaps that currently limit the capacity of the science community to forecast change, and the policy community to plan for change. These needs will be met through standardized, long‐term measurements and experiments at spatial and temporal scales appropriate for oceans.