ANNUAL SUPPLEMENTAL TO THE MARACOOS SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT:
12/1/2012 – 5/31/2013
NOAA Award Number NA11NOS0120038 (June 2011 – May 2016)
1) TRAINING AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
In addition to MARACOOS’ engagement in various educational venues, including the IOOS Association
(formerly NFRA) Education and Outreach subcommittee, MARACOOS continued the Intern Program to
support undergraduate students with an interest in ocean observing and forecasting. 3 students were
supported from December 2012 through the end of 2013, providing 10 hours per week of research and
other administrative support, in addition to participation in learning opportunities. The MARACOOS
Interns in Winter 2012/2013 and Spring of 2013 were: Bryan Stephan (Senior), Emily Patrolia (Junior),
and Abigail (Abby) Barber (Junior). They have access to the MARACOOS Headquarters for their
internship activities as well as access to MARACOOS partners. Two students will be supported as full–
time interns over the summer 2013.
2) MARKETING, OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
MARACOOS and its partners have engaged with national and international organizations to represent
MARACOOS and IOOS capabilities, as well as to proactively search for opportunities to partner and
leverage existing funding streams. Examples of these engagements include IOOS Association-related
activities, Bi-weekly MARACOOS Board meeting conference calls, and international meetings. Through
its Board, User Council with developing sub-groups, and its membership, MARACOOS is continuing to
broaden its reach in the region. Activities from this reporting period include:
NERACOOS Annual Meeting (December 2012)
MARACOOS participated in the NERACOOS meeting in the interest of furthering strengthening the
partnership in the northeast, building on fisheries related cooperation, wind energy related discussions,
storms and extreme events collaborations, as well as the concept of a joint industry workshop during the
following grant period.
MTS Tech Surge (December 2012)
MARACOOS participated with several Board members, PIs, and members in a one-day workshop to
assess the economic and other benefits realized by the region, nation, and communities before, during and
after Superstorm Sandy as a result of IOOS. The discussions that day, complemented by follow-on
efforts, resulted in a Sandy Impacts document that was used to inform and educated a broad array of
decision makers and stakeholders about the value that IOOS is able to deliver.
Fisherman’s Energy meeting (December 2012)
MARACOOS engaged with Fisherman’s Energy as an opportunity to discuss offshore wind energy
collaboration and the developing offshore wind energy stakeholder group on the East Coast. Initial
discussions were generally favorable, with additional follow up needed through the stakeholder
engagement process.
MARCO Ocean Portal Meeting (December 2012)
MARACOOS participated with several MARACOOS PI’s and partners in discussions with the Ocean
Portal developers to look for synergies and opportunities to strengthen the Ocean Portal further.
Although dynamic/real-time data is not contemplated under phase 1 of the Ocean Portal, there are longer
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
1
term data trends (for example, on climate) that are of interest and can be worked into the Ocean Portal. It
is likely however, that dynamic data will be necessary in the future. Discussions are ongoing, particular
since one of the principals on the development for the Ocean Portal is now also a MARACOOS Board
Member.
AMS conference (January 2013)
MARACOOS participated in the American Meteorological Society’s meeting in Austin, Texas,
presenting several papers/talks, as well as staffing the student summit exhibit, and participating in various
sessions/side events related to hurricanes, storms, and ocean data. Outgoing AMS President (and now
NWS Director) Dr. Louis Uccellini had encouraged participation by the ocean observing community and
was pleased by the participation. Dr. Uccellini also presented the 2013 Francis W. Reichelderfer Award
to MARACOOS Board Member and PI, Dr. Doug Wilson, for his work in the Chesapeake with CBIBS.
MARCO collaboration meeting (January 2013)
MARACOOS met with the new MARCO Program Manager, Michelle Lennox, to discuss next steps for
collaboration, which resulted in agreement of enhanced information exchange and additional discussions
in the area of coastal inundation and climate change.
Romer Shoal Lighthouse Meeting (January 2013)
MARACOOS explored with the owners of the Lighthouse the ability to conduct research on the
lighthouse island as well as to place an HF Radar antenna on the island. Some challenges exist as a result
of damage from Superstorm Sandy; but initial discussions were positive, with the intent to work together
to develop proposals.
Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Conference (January 2013)
MARACOOS participated in this regional conference to educate on the data products available from
IOOS, emphasize the need for observations for decision making, and look for new opportunities to
collaborate and partner in the Delaware Bay area.
Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (January 2013)
Scott Glenn presented a talk entitled “The Rise of Regional-Scale Ocean Observatories for Science,
Society and Security; and the Development of Collaborative Global Networks. This talk focused on the
development of MARACOOS and the Challenger Glider Mission.
TCS collaboration meeting (February 2013)
MARACOOS met with the leadership of the Coastal Society to discuss working with them to bring the
IOOS community closer to the coastal managers, users, and other stakeholder communities.
MD Watermens Assn Annual Meeting and Trade Show (February 2013)
Presented MyMARACOOS Fisheries decision tool in seminars and to show participants
MA Lobstermens Assn Annual Meeting and Trade Show (February 2013)
Presented MyMARACOOS Fisheries decision tool in seminars and to show participants, sharing a booth
at MA Lobstermens meeting with NERACOOS and NEFSC
Workshop on Data Visualization to Support Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (Feb 2013)
Invited participant in workshop to determine better means of connecting data with stakeholders and
decision makers
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
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Information for Legislative Staffers (March 2013)
MARACOOS continued to expand its outreach with members, partners, and users and decision makers
within MARACOOS’ footprint, including reaching out to educate legislative staff in the congressional
offices of the 111 congressional districts within MARACOOS’ footprint, as well as the legislative staff in
the Senate offices of the 10 States in the Mid-Atlantic. MARACOOS also formed closer ties with allied
organizations in the ocean arena to inform legislative staff about the benefits that MARACOOS partners
provide to society and the region.
IOOS Association Board Meetings (March 2013)
MARACOOS participated in the Spring meetings of the IOOS Association Board, discussing ongoing
collaborative activities as well as new opportunities for collaboration in existing thematic areas, such as
with storms and extreme events (under the theme of coastal inundation).
Coastal America Student Summit (March 2013)
MARACOOS hosted for a day a group of high school students from MARACOOS member, National
Aquarium in Baltimore, and provided them with information on ocean observing, executive and
legislative government roles in oceans, as part of their experiences with the Coastal America Student
Summit.
CARA/CARICOOS Annual Meeting (March 2013)
Scott Glenn and Hugh Roarty attended and presented a talk entitled “IOOS Responses to Hurricanes Irene
and Sandy”.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Meeting/Workshop (April 2013)
Several Board members, PIs, and members of MARACOOS were invited to, and participated in, the MidAtlantic Regional Planning meeting in n Virginia that included discussions on both MARCO and on the
newly-formed Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body under the President’s National Ocean Policy. The
venue also provided the opportunity to speak about collaboration with the individual state government
members of MARCO.
HF-RADAR National Technical Steering Committee Meeting
As a member of the committee, Scott Glenn attended this meeting in Boulder Colorado April 16-17.
CBIBS Partnership Meetings (April 2013)
MARACOOS discussed and agreed with the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office on a scope of work for
maintaining the Chesapeake Bay Interpretative Buoy System (CBIBS) into the future. The CBIBS data is
already integrated into the MARACOOS Asset Map, making it an important data set to maintain in the
future for the Chesapeake Bay stakeholders as well as being a part of the developing long term strategy
for MARACOOS in the region.
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (May 2013)
Scott Glenn attended the IOC meeting in Washington, D.C on May 2. He presented a talk on
MARACOOS and the Challenger Glider mission entitled “The Challenger Glider Mission and the
Development of Collaborative Global Networks”.
NWS collaboration meeting (May 2013)
MARACOOS has been in multiple discussions/meetings with various parts of the NWS, including
specific ideas to develop the results of a white board exercise conducted with Dr. Louis Uccellini and Dr.
Ming Ji. These include supporting improvements to hurricane intensity modeling, one of the results of
which was a hurricane intensity forecast improvement initiative that was developed among the regional
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
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associations in the North Atlantic Storm Pathway (GCOOS, CARA, NERACOOS, SECOORA, and
MARACOOS).
World Ocean Council Smart Ocean/Smart Industries panel (May 2013)
MARACOOS was invited to speak on a panel to present its work with fishermen on developing
predictive capacity, in cooperation with MARACOOS member, Rutgers University.
Industry Workshop Discussion (May 2013)
MARACOOS met with NERACOOS and COL to plan for an industry workshop in the Northeast to be
held during the next grant period. The purpose of the workshop would be to engage new and as yet nontraditional industry and users. The workshop would be along the lines of similar events held in Houston,
TX, and Seattle, WA.
University of Delaware Environmental Institute Collaboration meeting (May 2013)
In an effort to strengthen MARACOOS’ partnerships and offerings in the Delaware Bay area, as well as
the Chesapeake, MARACOOS met with the Delaware Environmental Institute at the University of
Delaware to explore opportunities for collaboration, including joint stakeholder engagement approaches
and funding of stakeholder liaison type personnel. Follow discussions have occurred and concrete
initiatives are being developed.
Oxford Lab Vibrio Model Meeting (May 2013)
MARACOOS was connected to the NOAA/NOS/NCCOS colleagues working on vibrio
modeling/forecasts for the Chesapeake Bay, and met with them to discuss collaboration opportunities,
including expanding the work to include the Delaware Bay as well.
MyMARACOOS meeting (May 2013)
MARACOOS held a meeting to discuss with the various partners about the status and eventual formal
release of the first product (for fishermen, boaters, divers) on the MyMARACOOS platform---the tailored
product platform based on the original MARACOOS Asset Map. It was agreed at the end of the meeting
to include another month’s worth of work to make final adjustments and respond to specific comments
from the stakeholders before the formal release.
Meeting on CERF/TCS Conference Collaboration with IOOS input (May 2013)
MARACOOS met with TCS leadership to discuss collaboration with CERF on their Annual Meeting
during the next grant period, to include a strong presence from IOOS partners. The IOOS Association is
now included, and the NANOOS Exec Director is a Vice Chair of the CERF conference, providing for
strong linkages for IOOS on the West and East Coasts and additional opportunities to engage with the
coastal and restoration communities.
MAFMC Habitat Committee meeting (Deep Sea Corals) May 2013
Meeting to identify and delineate deep sea corals on the shelf break, MARACOOS present to determine a
role to play in characterizing the chemistry of the water column around corals and whether there exists a
chemical signature that can be detected In order to develop a predictive capacity for determining possible
coral presence.
NMFS Protected Resources Group meeting (May 2013)
Meeting to discuss possible ESA listing of river herring and shad, MARACOOS present to learn if
current OpenOcean Study Group effort on habitat modeling may be adapted to determine river herring
pelagic habitat preference.
OpenOcean Study Group on Butterfish Assessment (May 2013)
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
4
MARACOOS provides on-going support of the Working Group and is tracking the project for potential
application to additional stock assessments.
Meetings with Users and Developers on MARACOOS Website (December 2012 – May 2013)
The MARACOOS website continues to be updated with enhancements to the asset map, information
through news articles, and an improved slide show. A Member benefit initiative was started during this
period to assess and expand member/user benefits via the website, including a members only area, articles
highlighting members, and enhanced member presentation on the website. Additionally, MARACOOS
reconfigured and enhanced its social media presence, increasing its following to 291 (likes) on its
Facebook page.
3) REGIONAL OCEAN GOVERNANCE ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES
Collaboration with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO)
Interaction between MARACOOS and MARCO continues on the development of the Ocean Portal,
including the potential need for dynamic data and information products in the future. The leadership for
MARCO and MARACOOS agreed that enhanced collaboration was needed, and that additional
opportunities for collaboration would be sought out commensurate with existing resources. Discussions
with the new Program Manager, Michelle Lennox, resulted in agreement of enhanced information
exchanged and additional discussions in the area of coastal inundation and climate change. MARACOOS
also participated with several Board members and members in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning
meeting in April in Virginia that included discussions on both MARCO and on the newly-formed MidAtlantic Regional Planning Body under the President’s National Ocean Policy.
4) EFFORTS TO LEVERAGE IOOS FUNDING
A summarized list of current grants that either leverage IOOS funding or that MARACOOS leverages
are shown below. Based on this list, the average annual non-IOOS leveraged funding is $15,377,015.
MARACOOS therefore supports approximately 16% of the partners total leveraged research.
Partner
Grant Title
Agency
Budget
Years
CCNY
Cooperative Remote Sensing Science
and Technology (CREST) Center
NOAA
CREST
$15,000,000
5
CCNY
Coastal site and data uncertainties,
validation and NN retrieval algorithms
NOAA
$900,000
6
CCNY
Development of a methodology for the
retrieval of characteristics of water
constituents from satellite polarimetric
observations
NASA
$686,000
3
CCNY
Exploring techniques for improving
retrievals of bio-optical properties of
coastal waters
ONR
$900,000
4
Rutgers Univ.
Ocean Observatories Initiative
Education and Public Engagement IO
NSF
$3,500,000
4
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
5
Rutgers Univ.
Evaluation of broad and fine scale
models of butterfish biomass
NOAA
$160,891
2
Rutgers Univ.
Expanding USCG Maritime Domain
Awareness Capabilities in the Arctic:
Vessel Tracking and Communications
US Dept. of
Homeland
Security
$124,000
2
Rutgers Univ.
Real Time bistatic vessel detection in
approaches to NY harbor HF Radar
testbed
US Dept. of
Homeland
Security
$86,250
1
Rutgers Univ.
COSEE
NSF
$2,500,000
6
Rutgers Univ.
Undergraduate development of
ecological proxies using ocean
observatory data in support of marine
fisheries research
NOAA
CINAR
$16,713
1
Rutgers Univ.
Improving coastal circulation analysis
and prediction thru refined altimeter
data processing & variational data
assimilation
NASA
$824,398
4
Rutgers Univ.
The influence of nursery area diversity
and population structure on the
population dynamics of marine fishes
NSF
$192,907
3
Rutgers Univ.
Impacts of changing climate and land
use on carbon cycling
NASA via
VIMS
$319,157
3
Rutgers Univ.
Coastal Ocean Modeling of nonlinear
internal wave physical and acoustic
effects
ONR
$450,000
4
Rutgers Univ.
Climate to humans: A study of
urbanized coastal environments
NSF
$3,853,332
3
Rutgers Univ.
Network for ocean research interaction
and application
NSF
$410,998
6
Rutgers Univ.
Accounting for habitat-dependent
observation error in bottom trawl
survey
NOAA - S&T
HAIP
$95,000
2
Rutgers Univ.
The effect of channel deepening on
flow properties in the Kill van Kull &
Newark Bay
Hudson River
Foundation
$55,299
2
Rutgers Univ.
Meteorological modulation of exchange
btw Raritan bay and the coastal ocean
NJSG
$190,000
2
Rutgers Univ.
BIOME- Bio-Robotic Infrastructure of
Oceanic Microbial Ecology
NSF
$826,000
3
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
6
Stevens Inst.
The National Ctr. for Secure &
Resilient Maritime Commerce &
Coastal Env.
US Dept. of
Homeland
Security
Stevens Inst.
NJ Coastal Protection Technical
Assistance Service
Stevens Inst.
Stevens Inst.
$10,000,000
5
NJDEP
$500,000
3
Validation of LiDAR Based
Measurement Platforms for Remote
Measurement of Offshore Wind Fields
US Dept. of
Energy
$891,093
3
New York - New Jersey Harbor
NAvigation and Vessel SAFEty
Support System
NJ Dept. of
Transportation
$726,853
3
NOAA-RISA
$300,417
5
NASA-GISS
$226,163
2
Stevens Inst.
Building resilience to storm surges and
sea level rise: A comparative study of
coastal zones in New York City and
Boston
NOAA
Climate
Program
Office (CPO)
$60,000
2
Stevens Inst.
Real-time observations in the Hudson
River during extreme events
Hudson River
Foundation
$75,000
2
Stevens Inst.
The Hudson River Flood Hazard
Decision Support System – Accurate
NY State
Modeling of Flood Zones for Combined NYSERDA
Sea Level Rise, Storm Surge, and Rain
$134,000
2
Stevens Inst.
Analyzing history to project and
manage the future: Simulating the
effects of climate on Long Island
Sound’s physical environment and
living marine resources
NY and
Connecticut
Sea Grant
Programs
$380,000
2
Stevens Inst.
Technical study of the effects of sea
level rise on coastal flooding in New
York City
NYC Office
of Emergency
Mgmt
$180,000
1
Stevens Inst.
Quantifying the value and
communicating the protective services
of living shorelines using flood risk
assessment
NOAA
$134,000
2
Stevens Inst.
Storm Surge Reduction Alternatives for
Barnegat Bay
NJ DEP
$98,000
0.5
Stevens Inst.
Stevens Inst.
Consortium for Climate Risk in the
Urban Northeast: Interactions between
Storm Surge
Inundation Hazard Assessment for New
York City from Hurricane Storm Surge,
Rainfall
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
7
Univ of Conn
Long Island Sound Supplementary
Environmental Impact StatementPhysical Oceanography Study
Univ of Conn
Water quality monitoring enhancements
to support the hypoxia management in
Long Island Sound
Univ of Conn
Seafloor Mapping of Long Island
Sound: Phase 1 : Pilot Project
CT DEEP
$1,300,000
Univ of Conn
The Development of a Community
Model of Nutrient Transport and
Cycling for Long Island Sound
Env.
Protection
Agency
$261,000
2
Univ of Conn
Collaborative Research: CI-ADDONEW: Ocean-TUNE: A Community
Ocean Testbed for Underwater
Wireless Networks
NSF
$1,200,000
4
Univ of Conn
MRI: Instrumentation development for
sustainable Distributed Cyber-Aquatic
Systems
NSF
$499,999
3
Univ of Conn
Temperature, Salinity and Sea Level in
Long Island Sound: NECOFS for
Managing Coastal Resources,
Ecosystems and Habitats
Connecticut
Sea Grant
$100,000
3
Univ of
Delaware
ROBERTSON-OLIVER GLIDER
PROGRAM
Robertson
Fund
$501,000
3
Univ of
Delaware
Sturgeons in the mid-Atlantic region: a
collaborative research approach
$160,280
3
Univ of
Delaware
Biodiversity and Functioning of two
marine ecosystems (BIOFUME)
$119,791
3
Univ of
Delaware
Sediment Sources, Transport
Mechanisms and Fluxes in Coastal
Plains
NSF
$780,000
4
Univ Florida
Impact of secondary circulation and
estuarine exchange flows
NSF
$1,050,597
4
Univ. Maryland
The Role of Wind in Estuarine
Dynamics
NSF
$2,000,000
3
Univ. of Mass.
Operational Modeling for the Trinidad
North Brazil Current Ring & Shelf
Flows
Horizon
Marine
$50,000
1
CT Dept. of
Transportation
$472,000
Nat. Res. &
Env. Control
(DE)
Partner
University
Fund
TOTAL:
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
$1,347,109
1.5
1
1.5
$54,638,247
8
5) UPDATE TO RA MEMBERSHIP
Below is a listing of the MARACOOS board members as well as the general MARACOOS
membership. During this reporting period, Jay Odell was appointed to the Board.
Board Member
James Manning
Andrew McGovern
Doug Wilson
Genevieve Boehm-Clifton
Daniel Leathers
Edward Kelly
Michael Bruno
Ray Toll
Joseph Vietri
Scott M. Glenn
Jay Odell
Carolyn Thoroughgood
William C. Boicourt
Larry Atkinson
Wendell Brown
Board Position
Professional Affiliation
Rep., MA/RI sub-region
Rep., LIS sub-region
Rep., Chesapeake sub-region
Rep., NY Bight sub-region
Rep., Delaware sub-region
Board Appointed; Vice Chair
Board-Appointed
At-Large
At-Large
At-Large
Board-Appointed
At-Large; Chair
At-Large
At-Large; Secretary
At-Large
Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NMFS
NJ Sandy Hook Pilots Association
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
NJDOT/Office of Maritime Resources
University of Delaware
Maritime Association of the Port of NY/NJ
Stevens Institute of Technology
CSC
US Army Corps of Eng. N. Atlantic Div.
DMCS, Rutgers University
Nature Conservancy, Mid-Atl. Marine Pr.
University of Delaware
University of Maryland, Horn Point Lab
Old Dominion University
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Membership continues to increase. The distribution of membership among various types of organizations
is: Business and Industry (25%), Government (20%), Non-Governmental Organizations (15%), and
Academic Institutions (40%). A complete members list is shown below.
MARACOOS 2013 Members
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Applied Science Associates
CARIS USA, Inc.
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
New York Sea Grant
NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection
Monmouth University
Teledyne RD Instruments, Inc.
Woods Hole Group, Inc.
Fugro Atlantic
Rutgers Inst. of Marine & Coastal Sciences
NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Center for Innovative Technology
College of William and Mary, VIMS
City College of New York / NOAA CREST
Chesapeake Research Consortium
Xylem, Inc. / YSI Inc
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
Delaware River Basin Commission
Alliance for Coastal Technologies
Battelle
Clarkson Univ, Beacon Institute
U.S. Naval Academy, Research Office
Chesapeake Bay Virginia, NERR
Columbia Univ, Dept of Earth & Env. Eng.
Columbia Univ., Lamont-Doherty Earth Obs.
Delaware Sea Grant College Program
Delaware Dept. of Nat. Res. & Env. Control
Fugro EarthData, Inc.
Hach Company
JGD Associates
Maritime Association of the Port of NY & NJ
Maritime Exch. for the Delaware River & Bay
Massachusetts Fishermen's Partnership
9
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
University of Maryland
The Nature Conservancy
Weatherflow, Inc.
CODAR Ocean Sensors
East Carolina University
Maryland Sea Grant College
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stony Brook University
Sutron Corporation
Millersville University
Univ. of Massachusetts at Dartmouth
NJDOT/Office of Maritime Resources
Liquid Robotics, Inc.
Washington College, Custom House
Old Dominion University
Sonardyne, Inc.
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
Delaware River Basin Commission
MARACOOS Semiannual Report Supplemental: June 2013
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51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
NASA Goddard, Wallops Flight Facility
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
NOAA Coastwatch - East Coast Node
NYC DEP Harbor Safety Program
Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (NEP)
Pennsylvania Sea Grant
Public Service Electric & Gas Company
Quantitative Env. Analysis, LLC
The Port Authority of NY and NJ
U.S. Geological Survey
University of Connecticut
University of Delaware
University of North Carolina
Virginia Maritime Association
Hudson River Env. Conditions Obs. System
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
National Aquarium in Baltimore
10