Summary of GCOOS Workshops Held

Ann E. Jochens, JD, PhDGCOOS Regional Coordinator

April 2006 GCOOS Meetings

Objective

To summarize GCOOS workshops held to date with some results and to indicate upcoming workshops

Since October 2000, eight Gulf-wide meetings have been held with the following foci:

– Academia– State and federal agencies– Private sectors– Predicting, detecting, and tracking

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)– Underpinning research– Education and outreach– Governance and Business Plan for

Regional Association– Requirements of offshore energy

industry

Gulf of Mexico Regional NVODS Workshop

Stennis Space Center, MS, 31 Oct - 2 Nov 2000

• To introduce regional data providers to the Distributed Ocean Data System (DODS)

• To share information regarding regional data archived and that being collected

• To obtain commitments for data sharing• To assess future needs for data sharing

• 41 participants representing 25 organizations.

• 16 formal presentations describing data holdings

• 12 verbal commitments by workshop participants to serve selections of their data holdings via DODS-enabled servers

• Agreement on post-workshop activities to promote data sharing

• As follow up, the Gulf of Mexico regional partners were contacted to inquire regarding resources that might be needed to serve their data sets and to encourage data sharing.

Meeting Attendees and Affiliations

• Tony Amos, University of Texas Marine Science Institute

• Landry Bernard, NAVOCEANO• John Blaha, NAVOCEANO• Jim Bonner, TAMU-CC/TEES• Jim Braud, NAVOCEANO• Richard Campanella, Tulane/Xavier Center for

Bioenvironmental Research• Jim Corbin, MSU ERC/CCS• Steve Foster, MSU ERC/IDSL• Jim Fritz, TPMC• Mike Garcia, SAIC/NDBC• Norman Guinasso, GERG/Texas A&M University• Martha Head, NAVOCEANO• Dan Holloway, University of Rhode Island• Matthew Howard, Texas A&M University• Stephan Howden, University of Southern

Mississippi• George Ioup, University of New

Orleans/Stennis• Peter Lessing, NDBC• John Lever, NDBC• Alexis Lugo-Fernandez, Minerals Management

Service• Mark Luther, University of South Florida• Melanie Magee, Gulf of Mexico Program

• Robert “Buzz” Martin, Texas General Land Office

• Eugene Meier, Gulf of Mexico Program• Patrick Michaud, TAMU-CC/CBI• Bob Molinari, AOML/NOAA• Steve Morey, COAPS/Florida State University• Frank Muller-Karger, University of South

Florida• Doug Myhre, University of South Florida• Worth Nowlin, TAMU/NAVOCEANO• Jim O’Brien, COAPS/Florida State University• George Rey, LEAG/CBR• Reyna Sabina, AOML/NOAA• Mitch Shank, NAVOCEANO• Ruben Solis, Tx Water Development Board• Susan Starke, NCDDC/NOAA• Vembu Subramanian, University of South

Florida• Molly Sullivan, Tulane University• Jack Tamul, NAVOCEANO• William Teague, NRL• Nan Walker, Lousiana State University• Patti Walker, DATASTAR/NDBC

Progress with Data Sharing

Sharing Data in Real Time

• National Data Buoy Center agreed to receive, quality control, and distribute appropriate real time data.

• Most major Gulf producers of such data now are providing through this path, including notably the major systems:– NDBC platforms– Texas Automated Buoy System– Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System

– Texas Coastal Ocean Observing Network– CenGOOS– LUMCON Observations

Regional ServersAOML: Physical Oceanography Group (Molinari & Sabina) Installed DODS server on existing AOML website Opened to public in August 2003 - but has server problems Serving 41,500 XBT profiles from years 1966-2000 Serving 138 drifter trajectories Plan to add XBT profiles as time permits

DISL: Dauphin Island Sea Lab (Keri Duvall & Melissa Kincke) Received DODS configured server from TAMU Server is online Working on format conversion of sensor data LUMCON: Marine Consortium (Brenda Babin) Received DODS configured server from TAMU Server is online Have developed suitable netCDF format conversion software In process of populating server

Regional Servers [Continued]

USF: Satellite Group (Muller-Karger & Brock Murch) Servers purchased by NVODS and configured Currently serving proprietary SeaWiFS images Currently serving full-swath AVHRR data in hdf Plan to serve public domain SeaWifs images Plan to serve archived AVHRR data.

USF: Coastal Observations (COMPS Group Luther &

Subramanian) Servers purchased by NVODS and configured Scripts to automate serving of near-real-time data are

under development Serving 8 coastal stations Serving test data for 4 offshore buoys Serving nowcast and forecast model data Plan to serve offshore buoy archived data Plan to install Live Access Server

Regional Servers [Continued]

NDBC: National Data Buoy Center Server online Serving all Gulf of Mexico buoy & CMAN stations Serving meteorological and wave data Sept-2001 to Mar 2003

TAMU: Dept. of Oceanography (Nowlin & Howard) Server up - new interface with aids to data selection Serving historical data: 9500+ CTD/STD/Bottle profiles,

29000 XBT, 8 Million hours current meter time series,

and 33 river discharge data sets from northern Gulf of Mexico

GERG: Geochemical and Environmental Research Group

(Guinasso & Lee) Server online Serving archived Texas Automated Buoy System (TABS) data Working on scripts to append near real time data Thinking about using FreeForm server

Regional Servers [Continued]

TWDB: Texas Water Development Board (Dale Crockett) Currently developing netCDF format conversion routines for their Bay Model Circulation Data Sets

UTMSI: Coastal Observations Group (Tony Amos) NVODS supported for recovery of data in archives Server purchased and configured by TAMU FreeForm data format designed and tested Data population in progress Server hacked and taken offline in October 2003.

Other existing DODS servers in Gulf of Mexico region

• Florida State University, Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS). Serving NSCAT Winds, QuikSCAT Winds, FSU Winds, WOCE Ship Data

• Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO). Serving SWAFS circulation model output, wave model output, bathymetry, MCSST

• Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC). Serving MMS-DeSoto Canyon Moorings Eddy Intrusion Study

Gulf of Mexico Workshop for Managers of Observing System

ActivitiesStennis Space Center, 14-15 January 2003

• Describe aids to data sharing:– OPeNDAP data transfer protocol– NDBC offer to QC and distribute real time data– NCDDC offer of portal to distributed data sets

• Review ongoing observing system activities• Agree on resolution to establish regional ocean observing system beginning with sharing of data and products

• Agree on Vision Statement for Gulf of Mexico regional ocean observing system

• Agree on provisional structure for regional system

• Agree on nominees to represent region at First National Ocean.US Summit

• 52 participants• Representation of state agencies in AL, FL, LA, MS, and TX

• Representation of federal agencies in Gulf region, including Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, NASA, Navy, and NOAA

• Agreement on a Mission Statement for GCOOS

• Initial signatories to a Resolution to Participate in the Development of the GCOOS, beginning with sharing of non-priority, non-commercial data

A Workshop to Explore Private Sector Interests and Roles in the U.S.

Integrated Ocean Observing System; Focus on the Southeastern U.S. and Gulf of

Mexico. 2-4 March 2004 Houston, TX• The overall workshop goal was to define the interests

and potential roles of the private sector in the regional/coastal ocean component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).

• The key objectives were:- To introduce to industry the U.S. IOOS and specifically the plans for Southeast Atlantic-Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEA-COOS) and (GCOOS);– To identify the basis for public/private/academic sector interactions in the context of U.S. IOOS: and- To develop a plan-of-action, including public relations, demonstration project initiation, follow-on communications, and plans for advocacy.

Exploration of Private Sector Interests in IOOS: Focus on GoM and Southeast

U.S.

Five breakout groups met to consider:• The role of industry in implementation of IOOS

• Sharing of data and products• Plans for demonstration projects• Recommended levels of advocacy by the private sector

• Plans for future communications

This highly successful workshop set the standard for follow-on IOOS-Industry interactions.

Harmful Algal Blooms: The Role of GCOOS in Detection, Monitoring,

and Prediction

13-15 April 2004, St. Petersburg, FL

• To review HAB data and information needs of agencies, managers, and scientists

• To assess current capabilities• To formulate an action plan to improve capabilities

HABS Workshop• 45 participants representing 31 organizations.

• Formal presentations and breakout sessions focused on needs and priorities.

• Agreement on needs for observations, model development, common standards and protocols, research and development.

• As follow up, NOAA Coastal Services Center published a workshop report, “Action plan for harmful algal blooms and the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System: Results from a regional workshop” (NOAA/CSC/20516-PUB). http://www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/habf/HAB_GCOOS_report.pdf

• The EPA Gulf of Mexico Program prepared a document giving needed enhancements and budgets following the workshop.

Next Steps in the Gulf of Mexico: Response to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy

Recommendations

7-8 July 2004, College Station, TX About 130 representatives from marine industry, academia, and

government met to plan the next research steps steps for the Gulf of Mexico in response to recommendations from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. Included were two commissioners.

Next Steps in the Gulf of Mexico

The individual topical presentations were followed by breakout sessions to focus recommendations for needed research in the areas of:• Biodiversity• Oceans and human health• Texas watersheds and sediment management

• Policy, economics, and social sciences• Human impacts

GCOOS Education and Outreach Formation Meeting

29-30 November 2004, Biloxi, MS

• 21 attendees representing education and outreach activities of Sea Grant Programs, COSEEs, NERRs, state agencies, and universities on the Gulf coast.

• Included were representatives from the Ocean.US Office and Digital Library for Environmental Science Education

GCOOS Education and Outreach Formation Meeting Results

• Suggested terms of Reference for the GCOOS Education and Outreach Council

• Suggested programmatic questions for consideration by the GCOOS Education and Outreach Council in the following areas:- Stakeholder/user identification and engagement- Education community identification and engagement- Public awareness- Inreach with GCOOS community- Project and product development- Evaluation and assessment

Initial GCOOS Stakeholder Meeting

24-25 January 2005, New Orleans, LA

The objectives of this meeting were to:

• Ratify an initial governance mechanism, in the form of a Memorandum of Agreement, for the Regional Association that will govern GCOOS

• Request nominees for the Board of Directors, Councils, and Committees of the Regional Association

• Consider recommendations for a longer-term governance structure

• Reach consensus on parts of a draft GCOOS Business Plan and a path to its further development

Initial GCOOS Stakeholder Meeting

• In preparation, working groups prepared draft Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) and Business Plan for the GCOOS-Regional Association. http://ocean.tamu.edu/GCOOS/RA/documents/01-12-06_MOA.pdf

• 88 participants represented a very broad range of stakeholders.

• The MoA was accepted with revisions as the governance document establishing the GCOOS-RA and was signed by enough Parties to the MoA to bring the RA into force.The draft Business Plan was discussed at length—many suggestions for improvements were obtained.

• Written nominations for the Board of Directors and Councils and Committees of the new RA were solicited.

• Activities to inform and entrain potential providers and users into the system were considered.

GCOOS and the Private Sector: Oil and Gas and Related Industry

2-4 November 2005, Houston, TX

Objectives• Obtain agreement on a short list of recommended

products of highest priority to these industry sectors.• Identify users for these priority products.• Obtain guidance regarding what observations are needed

to produce these products.• Discuss which products are for common use, and so

likely produced at government expense, and which are niche products, best produced by the private sector.

Participation• 47 attendees; representing oil and gas companies,

state and federal government, offshore service companies, environmental forecasting firms, data management companies, and academia.

Result• Identified priority needs for data and products.

Identified High Priority NeedsProduct Needs

Hurricane Severity Forecasts

Surface current forecast maps

Measurement & Product archive

Operation maps of SSTsForecast maps of 3-D

deepwater currentsForecast maps of winds and

waves 3-D current forecasts on

shelfProbability maps of bottom

hazards

Measurement Needs

Hurricane severity model improvementOperational satellite altimeters

(near real-time)Operational satellite radiometers

(near real-time)Operational satellite wind (QuikSat)2Hz wave data (not real-time)Improve hurricane severity forecasts

(real-time)Offshore meteorology measurements

(real-time)Upper column current and

temp/salinity profilesMarine mammals and sea turtle

sightingsHigh resolution coastal bathymetry,

topography, and subsidence rates

Future Focused Stakeholder Workshops

• Fisheries Workshops—Planning presentations to the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council, Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, and Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee to obtain guidance on how best to bring in all fisheries sectors: regulatory, commercial, recreational, and academic. Followed by in-depth workshops to develop requirements of the sectors separately. A steering committee for this effort, including a representative of SECOORA, met on 3 March 2005.

Emergency responders to storm surge and flooding—energy management; Joint CSC/NOAA-SECOORA-GCOOS sponsorship.

Maritime transportation elements—including tanker traffic, container ships, cruise ships, shipping agents, port authorities, pilots, LNG carriers, intercoastal waterway traffic, and commercial transportation of people.

Recreational boating—including marina operators, power squadrons, yacht clubs, marina operators, and retailers.

Urban planners/developers• Water quality—Key on Gulf of Mexico Alliance Plans and on

results of U.S. IOOS Public Health Workshop held 23-25 January 2006.