Continued Development of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System

Abstract

Brief Project Summary: The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) was formed in 2000 as one of the regional coastal ocean observing systems now under the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). GCOOS is developing as a sustained ocean observing system that provides data, information, and products on marine and estuarine systems to a wide range of users. A Regional Association, GCOOS-RA, was established by Memorandum of Agreement in January 2005. The organizational structure was in place by April 2006. Much progress has been made toward the development of the GCOOS. However, as revealed by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, which is a vivid example of the need for a robust ocean observing system in the Gulf of Mexico (GoMex), much remains to be done to bring this observing system to maturity. It should be noted that no new observing assets have been provided from any of the Deepwater Horizon funding opportunities to date.

The goal of this project is to build a robust, user-driven, sustained, operational GCOOS that integrates data from diverse providers; assures consistency and quality of the data; creates new data products needed by users; and provides accurate data, products, and services to IOOS, decision-makers, and the public in a timely and efficient manner. Physical, meteorological, biogeochemical, biological and bathymetric data are included in the data system. The goal will be achieved through accomplishment of six objectives: (1) Maintain and strengthen the GCOOS-RA through continuation of activities of the board, councils, committees, task teams and office staff to manage the development of the GCOOS and organizing stakeholder workshops to identify needs and guide the priorities;

(2) Continue to build the observing system, GCOOS, through: integration of existing observations made by different entities; provision of operation and maintenance support for existing non-federal systems that monitor surface currents, harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, water level changes, estuarine water quality, and ecosystem health; and provision of support for non- federal systems that derive products needed by users from satellite data, and addition of new observations as funding allows;

(3) Improve the Data Management and Communications system by establishing and expanding the capabilities of the GCOOS Data and Products Portal, adding new data providers for Gulf open ocean, coastal, and estuarine regions and making their data interoperable, building capabilities to access historical datasets, and participating in the development and evolution of the data management and communication plans of IOOS;

(4) Support regional modeling capacity through providing in situ and remotely-sensed data to meet the needs of the modeling community in machine-to-machine formats, supporting the regional modeling task team for the Gulf of Mexico, pursuing physical and ecosystem modeling pilot projects to support marine resource decision-makers and hosting a model-data viewer for the region;

(5) Enhance the integrated outreach and education activities of the GCOOS-RA through activities of the Outreach and Education manager and Outreach and Education Council that improve information exchange between user groups and data providers, promote ocean literacy, and provide materials for the public, and

(6) Obtain certification to become a member of U.S. IOOS. Intended benefits: Four major benefits will come from this project. First, further integration of existing observing elements into a unified ocean observing system will provide easy access to data, products, and services needed by users in their desired formats. Second, some observations, which are in jeopardy of being eliminated, will be continued. Third, through outreach and education projects, more information will be available to help make informed decisions regarding a broad range of interactions with the coastal ocean environment—from recreational activities to emergency responses. Fourth, the formation of new connections between different sectors and the resulting synergies will provide society the capability to better predict and mitigate against coastal hazards, preserve and restore healthy marine ecosystems, ensure human health (e.g., improve prediction of water quality including harmful algal blooms), manage resources, facilitate safe and efficient marine transportation, and detect and predict climate variability and consequences. Sharing data, models, and products via the Internet will benefit all participants, including industry, NGOs, academia, and federal, state, regional, and local government agencies