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Observing and Measuring Ocean Changes for Improved Stewardship
Jeff Adkins1, Mary Glackin2, Jamie Kruse3, Tracy Rouleau3, Suzanne Skelley1, Zdenka Willis1
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Deputy Under Secretary
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Program Planning and Integration
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Overview
Understanding ocean and atmospheric change continues to be a significant challenge in ocean
Contributio
to our natio
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and science policy. Our oceans are important as they deliver significant social and economic
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value.Pressures resulting from demographic dynamics combined with climate variability and
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climate change draw attention to the need to observe and monitor our oceans. Sustained
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observing and monitoring capacities are the foundation to research to improve our understanding
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and to the development of tools to inform decision making in order to attain improved
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economic, public health and safety and quality of life outcomes. Linking and leveraging the
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observing systems that span the measurements of natural environment with the growing
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understanding of socio economic observations and then harnessing that information to be easily
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used by scientists, decision makers, and the public to influence our actions remains our ultimate
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goal.The National Ocean Policy of July 2010establishes a priority area for observations and
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establishes the framework for increased collaboration across Federal, state, regional, local,
of this
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tribal, non-governmental organizations and private sector entities. Further observations provide
per em
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the foundation for 6 of the 9 themes and without this information Coastal and Marine Spatial
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Planning can not be done. The National Ocean Policy also sets forth a Coastal and Marine
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Spatial Planning (CMSP) framework, and within the first 6-9 months must provide guidance
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regarding the development of a national information management system.
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This theme will explore how observations, data, and the tools to disseminate that information
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can provide a critical foundation to inform decision-making, leading to improved stewardship of
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our global ocean resources.
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Significance of our Oceans to Healthy Communities and Economies
billion
suppor
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Our oceans deliver significant social and economic value and the attachment we have to our
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oceans and Great Lakes can’t be valued monetarily. See side box for statistics. Expressed as a
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percentage of the total economy, the ocean-related economy seems small, but employment in this
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sector is twice the number directly engaged in agriculture.
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Nonmarket Values
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Many of the natural amenities that make the coast an attractive place to livework and play can be
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enjoyed at no cost. For this reason, some of the value created by the ocean and Great Lakes is
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completely missing from the standard “market” data (e.g., jobs and wages). However, economic
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studies have been conducted to estimate the “nonmarket” contributions of the oceans and Great
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Lakes to our nation’s economy. One recent study estimated the nonmarket value of ocean and
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coastal resources exceeds $100 billion annually1.
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Citizens visiting our nation's beaches, for example, usually do not pay admission. The nonmarket
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value of this experience can be described as the amount these citizens would be willing to pay to
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visit these beaches. One study estimates this value at $11.98 to $84.49 per trip to North Carolina
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beaches. Likewise, views of and access to coastal and ocean environments can be a source of
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nonmarket value. Homes with unobstructed ocean and bay views can be sold for a price 70
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percent to 200 percent higher than those without views2.
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In addition, there is increasing recognition that coastal and ocean environments provide a wide
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range of “ecosystem services.” For example, wetlands provide coastal storm protection, water
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filtration, and spawning grounds for commercially important fish. The value of wetland services
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in Louisiana has been estimated at $8,437 to $15,763 per acre3.
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"Nonmarket Value of the Coast." NOAA's State of the Coast. NOAA National Ocean Service, 24 Aug 2010. Web.
2 Sep 2010. <http://stateofthecoast.noaa.gov/coastal_economy/nonmarket
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Ibid.
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Ibid.
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While our current state of knowledge is incomplete, individual studies demonstrate significant
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monetary nonmarket value associated with coastal and ocean resources. For this reason,
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nonmarket values must be included in associated policy- and decision-making processes4
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Coastal Infrastructure at Risk [Jamie, can you add content here? Bullets indicate the thoughts,
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for benefit of others, that I think are intended for inclusion here; though, I defer to you, Jamie.]
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In addition to the value delivered by the oceans, another perspective is to examine the
value of the infrastructure built along our coasts.
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This infrastructure is threatened by coastal hazards: inundation from storms, storm surge
and sea level rise.
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To mitigate the risk of these coastal hazards, we need to sustain existing monitoring
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systems and add new measurements to understand ocean conditions and their coastal
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impacts. We need these measurements incorporated into tools and information
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appropriate for citizens and public policy decision-makers so that they are informed about
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choices regarding how we live, work and enjoy our coasts.
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With the changing conditions of our oceans, we need adequate baselines and the ability to
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monitor changes in human systems and the physical systems they depend on in order to
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exercise effective stewardship of our oceans, coasts and the ecosystem services they
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deliver.
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Observation systems strengthen connections between humans and the environment.
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The National Policy calls for communities to strength their resiliency and their abilities to
adapt to climate change. The Policy calls out the Arctic as a special place and to enhance
the water quality. Observations underpin each of these priority areas and following
vignettes underscore this point.
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Inundation of our coastal communities and ecosystems is a significant risk, independent of its
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cause: inland precipitation events, coastal storms, hurricane storm surge, coastal subsidence,
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rising sea level due to climate change or a combination of these phenomena. All sectors of our
Coastal Inundation
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Ibid.
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society have a stake in impacts due to climate change. Regional alliances of state governors are
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tackling impacts to their jurisdictions. Corporations are investing in risk assessments and strategy
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development. Local and state governments are collaborating with non-governmental
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organizations (NGOs) and federal government agencies to understand the potential impacts and
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devise mitigation and adaptation strategies. Tools such as the Coastal County Snapshots, under
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Digital Coast, combine information about vulnerable populations, critical infrastructure and land
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converted to development within floodplains at the county level. This information is then used to
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assess how many people and buildings are at risk from flooding and the land’s capacity to
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continue to protect these facilities and populations from too much water.
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Place holder picture, we can pick any location and we can determine that for geographic balance
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A Tale of Oysters and Ocean Acidification
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Shellfish and finfish industry representatives across the nation are increasingly concerned with
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what appear to be large-scale changes in our ecosystems with respect to water conditions. The
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west coast industry has been leading the way in trying to uncover the roots of the problem.
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Many in the industry are finding high correlations between mortality of oyster larvae and lower
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pH levels. They are also finding correlations between mortality and higher partial pressure of
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CO2 (pCO2) levels in coastal waters. In 2005 along the west coast of the U.S., hatcheries and
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growers started noticing lower success rates for larval and adult oysters. The Pacific Shellfish
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Growers Association statistics show a 22% decline in production and 13% decline in gross sales
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of total shellfish (oysters, clams, geoduck, and mussels) produced on the west coast from 2005 to
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2009. Shellfish contribute about 50% of total commercial fishery dockside revenue in Oregon
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and Washington, and about 60% in California. Aquaculture shellfish production accounts for
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3,000+ jobs in coastal communities. So how can observing help this issue. The IOOS partner
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CenCOOS has developed indicates for growing conditions which are being consulted daily by
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local oyster growers.
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Challenges Present in Alaska – The United States’ Footprint in the Arctic
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Critical national issues are emerging in the Arctic, from environmental threats to economic
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opportunities to national security. Within the region, some economic sectors such as shipping,
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tourism, fishing, mining, and energy development potentially stand to gain from increased access
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to the Arctic due to loss of sea ice, even on a seasonal basis. However, these activities may
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compete with each other, conflict with existing uses, or place additional stresses on the
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environment.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science
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Foundation (NSF)currently observe the Arctic atmosphere and cryosphere from manned
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observatories at Barrow, Alaska, and Summit, Greenland. The United States also have
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operations in conjunction with many of our international partners in Canada, Norway, and
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Russia. NOAA performs weekly sampling at many locations to monitor global and high-latitude
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greenhouse gases to better understand the roles of clouds, aerosol, and radiation in controlling
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the Arctic climate. Satellites also monitor the Arctic, and now provide a nearly 30-year record of
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atmospheric temperature, humidity, clouds and surface properties. Satellite-based passive
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microwave, visible, infrared, and commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images help to
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track the extent of the Arctic ice cover. The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®)
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regional partner - Arctic Ocean Observing System provides observation systems along the
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coastal Alaskan waters. In addition to weather and sea ice forecasts, NOAA has long been
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responsible for providing the Nation with nautical charts and oceanographic information for
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marine transportation, accurate positioning infrastructure, models, and tools that benefit all
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modes of transportation, and satellite search and rescue services.
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So are we prepared to support operations in the Arctic? No! Current observation and monitoring
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efforts are too coarse to sufficiently meet user requirements and guide Arctic management
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decisions. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors provide the best sensing capability within the
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Arctic. Currently a combination of international and commercial sensors SAR satellites are
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available. While they are great for analyzing the ice extent, they are limited in measuring sea ice
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thickness. As the Arctic becomes ice-free, increasing resolution of remote sensed observations
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will be needed to determine if the waters are truly ice-free or nearly ice-free. Higher resolution
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regional models are needed for guidance on climate change at scales important for planning,
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mitigating, and adapting. Finally, there are large gaps in tidal datum and tidal current prediction
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coverage, primarily due to lack of physical support infrastructure.Many ocean ecosystems
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variables are ready for sustained observations (e.g. nutrients, chlorophyll, oxygen, chemical
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tracers, plankton, benthos) while others (e.g. marine mammal populations and productivity)
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require further research to determine optimal observation approaches5
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Willis, Calder, An Integrated International Approach to Arctic Ocean Observations for Society, MAST
Conference Oct 2009
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Picture of Arctic Observing
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Innovation to Address Harmful Algal Blooms
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Many of our coastal communities are affected by blooms of harmful algal blooms or HABs. The
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occurrence, causes and research to forecast occurrence in order to more proactively warn about
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conditions conducive to HABs has been well documented for coastal areas in New England,
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along the Gulf of Mexico coast, along the US west coast, and in the Great Lakes. 6Over 20
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different diatoms, dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria are known to have adverse impacts to
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human and marine ecosystems. Since the instigator organisms have different lifecycle behaviors
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and are detected by different means, each one must be studied and appropriate detection methods
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developed. For example, blooms of Karenia brevis, responsible for neurotoxic shellfish
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poisoning in the Gulf of Mexico, can be remotely sensed by satellite with in situ measurements
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to determine extent and to inform daily and 3-day forecasts. However, blooms of Alexandrium
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fundyense, responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning in the Gulf of Maine, cannot be detected
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by satellite remote sensing. Instead, new technologies and observing platforms are being
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developed. The Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) is one such technology, which permits
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near-real time automated detection of abundance of Alexandrium.One of these sensors was
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recently acquired by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) HAB group to work with
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Integrated Ocean Observing System in Support of Forecasting Harmful Algal Blooms, Ann Jochens et al, Marine
Technology Society Journal, Special Ocean Observing edition Nov/Dec 2010, submitted.
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the regional IOOS partner, Northeastern Regional Association for Coastal Ocean Observation
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System (NERACOOS) through funds from the Environmental Protection Agency and IOOS
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Program in NOAA. Through a NSF award to WHOI, five additional ESP sensors and the
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specialized moorings (with the necessary power, communication band width, and instrument
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stability) will also be available for deployment in the region.7 Understanding and responding to
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HABs and their impacts requires innovation and adaptive practices across the United States.
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How do we Measure and Monitor?
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In meeting the ocean information needs of users, the available types of data collection have
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resolution constraints, both spatial and temporal. Remote sensing by satellite provides global
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spatial coverage (multiple times per day) but is limited to surface observations through one of
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three means: thermal, visible and radar. In situ measurements using moored or fixed platforms
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provide near-continuous monitoring but only over limited spatial ranges. In situ mobile
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platforms, like gliders and autonomous underwater vehicles, offer the advantage of sampling
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over broader geographic ranges, in the water column, using sampling profiles which can be
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adjusted on a dynamic basis. All observing systems are costly, which is significant in a resource-
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limited environment, but advances in technology are making some observing technologies more
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affordable and are expanding the parameters we are able to measure.
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Observing Systems
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The National Ocean Policy defined observing, mapping and infrastructure as an emphasis area.
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This area also included an important point when it outlines the emphasis to integrate Federal and
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non-Federal observations into a National and International system.
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IOOS® is an end-to-end system that includes in situ and remote-sensing platforms, as well as
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other collection methods such as trawl surveys, undersea imagery, mobile sub-surface platforms
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and laboratory analysis of field samples and has the mandate to integrate the data from these
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disparate sources. The idea for a national integrated ocean observing system began with the
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Ibid.
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passage of the Oceans Act of 2000. The Act created the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy,
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which in 2004 recommended the establishment of the IOOS, which was authorized by the law,
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the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-11). Participants
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in IOOS span sectors of Fed government, state, local & tribal government, academia, industry
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and NGOs and this community strongly believes that the new National Ocean Policy
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recommendation endorses the IOOS efforts over the past 9 years.
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The Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI) of the NSF, fully funded last year, is working to
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advance the ocean sciences by developing the infrastructure for sustained ocean observations at
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key coastal and open ocean locations. Two coastal arrays, four global arrays in the deep ocean, a
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cabled observatory over the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate, and asophisticated cyberinfrastructure
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comprise the effort.
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Projects such as Digital Coast Launched in 2008, is used to address timely coastal issues,
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including land use, coastal conservation, hazards, marine spatial planning, and climate change.
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This partnership network is building not only a website, but also a strong collaboration of coastal
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professionals intent on addressing coastal resource management needs.
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The National Water Quality Monitoring Network is an integrated approach toaddressing a range
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of resourceissues, from upland watersheds tooffshore waters.
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Exploring new technology horizons
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In 1989 Hank Stommel published an article where he dreamed of fleets of unmanned gliders.
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While we have not gotten to the fleet stage we have in fact embarked on a path to get us to his
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vision. Today, many of the IOOS Regions and academic partners are beginning to make Glider
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operations routine. For example, long-endurance, autonomous gliders developed at the Applied
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Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, have seen successful operation in an ice-covered
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environment, occupying a section across the wintertime Davis Strait. In 2009 Rutgers flew a
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glider across the Atlantic. Spending 7 months at sea, themission served as a major advancement
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for ocean data collection technology, allowing critical data collection in the middle of the ocean
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at lower cost and risk to human life than ever before. Scientists correlate these data with those
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from satellite imagery and altimetry and the data sent back directly improved the global
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oceanographic circulation model by showing that the model was predicting conditions that did
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not exist. Along the west coast of the United States, IOOS partners in California are using
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gliders to track spatial and temporal patterns of algal blooms and forecasting conditions of La
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Nina conditions. In the IOOS Mid-Atlantic Regional the gliders have been conducting regional
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surveys of the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) and in the past three years the glider fleet has
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conducted 22 missions spanning10,867 kilometers and collecting 62,824 vertical profiles of
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data.During the response to the Deepwater Horizon MC-252 spill, up to nine underwater gliders
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were routinely providing data about conditions in the water column to 1,000 meters for up to 100
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days without interruption. The United States Navy awarded a contract to Teledyne Webb
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Research in 2009 to purchase 150 gliders which they will begin operating in the upcoming year.
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We also exploring how to use animals as platforms for ocean sensors to help scientists better
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understand the organisms and the ocean environment. Animals can travel to regions and depths
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of the oceans we can’t necessarily get to, either physically or with equipment. By using animals
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to collect data, we can see their habitats through their eyes and get a more accurate picture about
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an animal’s behavior, foraging ‘hotspots’, key migration routes, and how these organisms
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interact with their ocean habitat.
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A whole new class of wave gliders that use waves to power them on the ocean’s surface and new
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classes of unmanned vehicles leaves us the water’s edge to realize Hank Stommel’s vision.
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The National Ocean Policy can lead to lasting solutions
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So are we there yet, no! The vignettes provided in this article and the respective end to end
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observing systems such as IOOS, OOI, and NWQMN have all put into place the foundation for
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meeting the needs outlined in the National Ocean Policy. All of these systems have set up a
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means to obtain observations, integrate data and provide solutions for decision makers. These
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systems are national in nature and bring together the Federal and Non-Federal partners outlined
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in the National Ocean Policy. Projects such as Digital Coast focus on a specific issue and bring
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together some of the same groups to the table but extend to yet another set of non-Federal
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partners.
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Many of the same players are involved in the observing systems outline above and work is
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ongoing to linking all of these efforts but this requires constant attention to make this
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collaboration work.In its capacity as the lead federal agency, the IOOS program in NOAA has
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made incremental investments in data management services, specifically a registry, catalog and
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viewer, with the result of expanding access to and use of data from Federal and non-Federal
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sources to a wider set of users. While IOOS has a broad mandate to integrate and delivery
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information across a broad spectrum of mission areas, the OOI and NWQMN are more focused
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in answering specific science questions and dealing with the issue of water quality, not the less
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all 3 programs have agreed to work together to bring a full observing capacity across the Federal
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and non-Federal partnership. Projects such as Digital Coast are meeting the needs of a group of
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stakeholders and is one of the first projects that brings together the socio economic information
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with the natural environment a critical linage. The intent between the program managers is there
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but realities of managing large projects with many resource sponsors and stakeholders make this
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difficult.
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The Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, adopted by the
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President by Executive Order on July 19, 2010, form the basis of the Obama Administration’s
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National Ocean Policy. Calling out the need to integrate observations, mapping and
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infrastructure across Federal and non-Federal system gives us the opportunity to make real
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progress in monitoring our Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes.
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Further, the integration of disparate information is not easy nor is it exciting but it must be done
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if we want to be able to truly plan along our coasts we are going to have to ensure we do not start
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again and not build off the foundation of the observing systems that are in place. The observing
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systems can not perform all the functions called out in CMPS but they certainly have set up data
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standards and protocols that can underpin the National Information System. Secondly each of
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these systems/projects have brought together State, Local, Tribal governments, academia and
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industry to focus on our issues along our Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes. Systems such as
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IOOS, OOI, NWQNM and projects such as Digital Coasts should be recognized by the new
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National Ocean Council.
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We should not squander the opportunity that the National Ocean Policy and the momentum it is
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generating to really bring together the community focused on the problems we face at our
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Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes.
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