MARCOOS SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT: 10/01/2010 - 03/31/2011
NOAA Award Number NA07NOS4730221 (October 2007 – September 2011)
1) PROJECT SUMMARY
The Middle Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (MACOORA) formed the MidAtlantic Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARCOOS) to generate quality controlled and sustained
ocean observation and forecast products that fulfill user needs in the 5 user prioritized theme areas of: 1) Maritime
Safety, 2) Ecological Decision Support, 3) Water Quality, 4) Coastal Inundation, and 5) Offshore Energy.
MARCOOS (a) collaborates with NOAA WFOs to link existing regional coastal weather networks to evolving
NOAA WRF regional forecasting capabilities – to provide an improved ensemble of weather forecasts, (b)
operates the existing Mid-Atlantic HF Radar Network and leverages U. S. Coast Guard (USCG) drifters that are
linked to statistical and dynamical models - to provide an ensemble of regional nowcasts and forecasts of 2-D
surface currents, and (c) operates existing satellite receivers and leverages the Navy investment in a regional
glider capability linked to the dynamical models - to provide an ensemble of 3-D circulation, temperature and
salinity nowcasts and forecasts. The MARCOOS data management team facilitates implementation of an end-toend system consistent with DMAC standards. Education & Outreach (EO) teams engage additional users and
provide frequent and timely feedback, while an economic impact team assesses benefits of MARCOOS
information. A management structure that establishes and monitors performance metrics ensures quality.
2) PROGRESS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Years 1-3 of MARCOOS had 10 major tasks, including 49 milestones annually adjusted to match existing budget
constraints. All but one milestone was completed during Years 1-3. Funds not expended during the first 3 years
were carried over into Year 4 of MARCOOS through a no-cost extension. This report summarizes the activities
supported by the no-cost extension. To remain consistent with the Year 1-3 MARCOOS reports, the activities
supported by the carryovers in each of the 10 major tasks is summarized below.
A) Atmospheric Data Integration: All Years 1-3 tasks were accomplished and all funds were spent with no
carryover into Year 4.
B) HF-RADAR Equipment: HF Radar operators at the Universities of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, Delaware, North Carolina, CIT, Stevens, Old Dominion and Rutgers are each provided $9000/year/site to
cover the costs of minor repairs, supplies, communications and utilities. Over the initial 3 years, 4 of the HF radar
operators (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware and North Carolina) have accumulated a few thousand dollars
each in cost savings. This group has requested no cost extensions to carry this money over into Year 4. The hope
is that if some additional savings can be achieved in Year 4 of MARCOOS or potentially Year 1 of
MARACOOS, sufficient savings can be achieved over time to replace damaged hardware with costs over $5,000.
We anticipate UDelaware and URI will be the first to request a conversion from supplies to equipment over
$5,000 in Year 4 of MARCOOS. URI has some of the oldest operating sites in the MARCOOS region.
UDelaware has some of the youngest and needs new shoreside equipment to make the sites more robust to
increase uptime. North Carolina is in desperate need of a new antenna damaged by lightning for our most
southern site off Cape Hatteras, making it a region-wide repair priority for MARCOOS, and a likely request for
rebudgeting in MARCOOS Year 4.
C) HF Radar QA/QC. All Years 1-3 tasks were completed and all funds expended with no carry over.
D) Underwater Gliders: The largest cost carry over for MARCOOS Years 1-3 is associated with the glider
program. The carry over is mostly associated with the purchase of a second MARCOOS glider made possible by
the DMAC cost savings accumulated by ASA. The cost savings were accrued in Years 1-3 based on the direction
chosen by the National HF Radar Network for combining radial data from multiple sites into total vector fields.
Our original MARCOOS proposal included funding for Opendap to produce the radial combiner. In the ensuing
year, the National HF Radar Network chose a different method for handling the datasets. ASA & Rutgers
implemented that methodology in the Mid Atlantic, saving the cost of the Opendap combiner. As requested and
approved, that cost savings, $110,000, was transferred to the glider team, specifically U. Massachusetts because
of the matching funds they were able to obtain for the payload bay. The $110,000 was transferred to the U.
Massachusetts account, the glider has been ordered, and is due to be delivered in May of 2011. At that point,
$110,000 will be removed from the U. Massachusetts carry over. U. Massachusetts, through no fault of their PIs,
is well behind on its billing for salaries, and Rutgers is behind on accounting for this. Once the UMassachusetts
MARCOOS Semiannual Report for IOOS: Oct. 2010
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salary costs are fully accounted for by Rutgers, and the glider purchase is include, the UMassachuseets account
will be left with about $10,000 in supply money. This supply money is intentionally being held back pending the
delivery of the new glider and its first test flight. The supply money will then be used to outfit UMassachusetts
with the necessary test tanks, glider deployment/recovery gear, and new batteries to initiate an independent glider
deployment, operation and recovery capability.
E) Satellites: All tasks were completed and virtually no costs were carried over.
F) Short Term Prediction System (STPS): All tasks were completed and no costs were carried over.
G) Dynamic Models: As reported last time, budget cuts have resulted in the dynamical modeling groups
working at reduced capacity for the entire 3 years of MARCOOS. Despite this, all three MARCOOS models
were configured for real-time data assimilative forecasts during the 3-year time period. The one milestone not met
was the comparison of the models with drifters. The initial attempted at this resulted in the discovery that the
drifter data required much more serious quality control then anyone anticipated. The quality control task was
shifted to the DMAC team in MARCOOS Year 3 and was completed. In MARCOOS Year 4, the dynamical
modelers are back to the model validation task.
H) DMAC: All tasks completed at a cost savings in Years 1-3 that enabled purchase of a second glider. No
DMAC funds were carried over into Year 4.
I) Education and Outreach: All tasks were completed and no education and outreach funds were carried
over into MARCOOS Year 4.
J) Economic Benefits: The most significant portion of the Economic Benefits budget that was carried over
into Year 4 were the funds dedicated to Monmouth University to establish the MARCOOS interface with
MARCO. Because of the slow development of MARCO, this has only warranted the direct involvement of the
Monmouth PI at a significant cost savings. An anticipated workshop between MARCOOS and MARCO for year
3 was postponed to Year 4, so the funds to accomplish this were carried over. The UMaryland group has a small
amount of carry over money they will use for the publication and distribution of their Years 1-3 results.
K) Statistics: All statistics for MARCOOS Year 4 are reported in the MARCOOS Year 4 report and are not
repeated here in the MARCOOS Years 1-3 No-Cost Extension Report.
3) SCOPE OF FUTURE WORK
The final half of MARCOOS Year 4 is described in the MARCOOS Year 4 report.
4) LEADERSHIP PERSONELL AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Leadership changes are described in the MARCOOS Year 4 report.
5) BUDGET ANALYSIS
The 3-year MARCOOS budget includes Rutgers $1,749,734 plus $3,350,266 in subawards for a total of
$5,100,000.
This budget
#
Distribution
Year 1-3
Remaining Balance
analysis covers three years of
LEAD: Rutgers University
$1,749,734
$0
funding of the Mid Atlantic
1
Applied Science
$206,498
$16
Regional
Coastal
Ocean
2
Center for Innovative Technology
$90,000
$0
Observing
System
grant
3
Monmouth University
$75,000
$22,520
NA07NOS4730014.
The
4
Old Dominion University
$299,000
$0
balance shown is what has been
5
Stevens Institute of Technology
$343,154
$0
6
University
of
Connecticut
$466,000
$2,677
invoiced to date, not necessarily
7
University
of
Delaware
(Oliver)
$119,550
$2
what has been spent to date as
8
University
of
Delaware
(Lipphardt)
$67,000
$10,547
billing from subcontractors can
9
University
of
Massachusetts
$798,000
$194,516
lag. The base IOOS regional
10
University of North Carolina
$56,000
$4,950
funding was $1,700,000 per
11
University of Rhode Island
$165,628
$4,352
year. Funds are slightly adjusted
12
Weatherflow
$270,000
$0
from previous reports from the
13
OpenDap
$49,436
$0
NOAA approved transfer of
14
University of Maryland (Boicourt)
$270,000
$0
funds from OpenDap to the
15
University of Maryland (King)
$75,000
$399
TOTAL AWARDED $5,100,000
$239,979
University of Massachusetts for
an underwater glider purchase in the amount of $110,000. With this change, grant NA07NOS473021 was
extended through September 30, 2011.
MARCOOS Semiannual Report for IOOS: Oct. 2010
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