Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) Program

IOOS Program Director, Zdenka Willis13 November 2009

Small Sea Changes: Big Infrastructure Impact

What is the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System?

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Improve safety

A tool that will enable the Nation to track, predict, manage and adapt to changes in our marine environment and deliver

critical information to decision makers to…

Enhance our economy Protect our environment

U.S. IOOS®

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Federal Players

Global Ocean Observing System

US IOOS: a National Endeavor

But Part of a Global Framework

GEOSS

IOOS Regional ComponentIOOS Regional

ComponentA network of 11 regional coastal ocean observing

systems that meet national and regional needs for local ocean

observations, data management, and

modeling

1 national partnership providing sensor

validation/verification

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11

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4

10

3

7

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1. Alaska Ocean Observing Systems (AOOS)2. Caribbean Regional Association (CaRA)3. Central and Northern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS) 4. Gulf Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS)5. Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS)6. Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association

(MACOORA)

7. Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS)8. Northeast Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems

(NERACOOS) 9. Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS)10. Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS)11. Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association

(SECOORA)12. Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) {Sensor V & V}

• Meeting National missions through…– Expanded observations

and modeling capacity– Connections to users and

stakeholders

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– Implementation of national data standards

– Products transitioned to other regions and to National operations

– Sensor validation/verification

The Components of IOOS®

3 Subsystems– Observations– Data Management &

Communications– Modeling &

Assessment

2 Cross Cuts– Research and

Development– Education

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Warming ocean waterexpands, leading to

Sea Level Rise

Measuring Ocean Temperature with buoys, ships, Argo

profiling floats, and satellites

Argo Float

Ocean Climate Reference StationHow Argo Floats work

One month of Subsurface Temperature observations from theGlobal Ocean Observing System.

NOAA provides 48% of the platforms in this international system.

World OceanHeat Content

The Ocean has potential to store 1000X more heat than the Atmosphere.

Climate Monitoring and Ocean Observing

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IOOS Delivering New Observing Capability

•>100 Coastal High Frequency Systems• Uses: SAR; Oil Spill; Harmful Algal Bloom; Ocean Circulation

96 hr searchWithout HFR36,000 Km2

96 hr searchWith HFR12,000 Km2

National DMAC View

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Overview• Distributed Regional & Federal

Data Assembly Centers

• Develops and manages technical design & standards

• Leverages existing Federal and Non-Federal technologies

Functionality• Integrated data #1 request• Simplify delivery of data

from multiple sources• Access to broader data

resources to understand impacts of climate change and improved management decisions

AOOS

PacIOOS

GCOOS CoastWatchMiami, FL

CaRA

SECOORA

GLOS

SCCOOS

CeNCOOS

NANOOSNERACOOS

NWQMN (EPA/USGS)CoastWatch Pacific Grove, CAERDDAP Monterey, CA

OOI (NSF)

OOI (NSF)

OOI (NSF)

CoastWatchAnchorage, AK

CoastWatchAnn Arbor, MI

CoastWatchHonolulu, HI

CoastWatchAnnapolis, MD

Other Partner Agencies

CO-OPSOther NOAA

NDBC

MACOORA

National DMAC View

Data modeling and

products

Ocean Observations

Storage &Access

Within DMAC or existing

NOAA resources

Queries & data accessby modeling activities

Portal Services includingmodeling & analysis tools

Data Discovery Tools

DMAC Functions and Interfaces

Public and other Users

Long-term Archives

Receiving, quality control transformation, Work flow

The Benefits: Mitigate the Effects of Natural Hazards

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Hurricane Katrina - 2005

Coastal storms account for 71% of recent U.S. disaster losses annually. With an average of 14 events each year, = $7 billion loss per year.

The Benefits: Reduce Public Health Risks

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Orbimage - SeaWiFS

Pollutants from storm water runoff can result in public beach closures

Increasing warning of harmful algal blooms (HABS) increases the options for managing these events

The Benefits: Energy Sector

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• Pre -Construction– Avian Studies– Geophysical/Geotechnial

Investigations– Met Tower Installation– Wave Sensor Deployment– Staging Port Development

• Construction– Foundation Installation– Sub-sea Electrical Cable Installation– Offshore Substation Installation – Turbine Installation

• Post-Construction– O&M Activities; Decommissioning

Collaboration: IOOS Oil & Gas Industry

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Partnership: Oil and gas companies provide data to the National Data Buoy Center to advance observational quantity, quality and diversity to improve operational forecasts and understanding of the Gulf of Mexico environment, particularly during tropical storms season.

GCOOS: Organization

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Board Composition

AcademicPrivate

GOVEducation/Outreach

• Obtain accurate bathymetry and topography with consistent vertical control between data sets in the coastal zones, including locations of shorelines

• Improve coverage of real-time currents in the coastal zone and navigable estuaries using HF radars as the primary technologies; improve forecasts of surface currents offshore; Produce reliable forecasts and maps of 3D currents off shore

• Improve real-time, offshore meteorological measurements• Improve forecasts & nowcasts of sea level, winds, waves; need additional OBS• Improve monitoring, forecasts and dissemination of hurricane severity & severe wx • Enhance measurements of water quality parameters• Modern, real-time current and water level observing system in all major ports• Establish coastal storm surge/inundation maps for mitigation planning (not real-time)• Improve real-time forecasts of coastal inundation • Improve information on and forecast visibility• Increase number of stations monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms• Improve data and product dissemination techniques taking into account the

sophistication of the user

Stakeholder Requirements

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GCOOS Integrates Information

TCOON1992

TABS1995

WAVCIS1999

LUMCON1999

DISL2003

USM2004

MOTE2004

COMPS1996 Oil & Gas

2005

IMaRS1993

LSU/ESL1988

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Linkages to Models

http://gcoos.tamu.edu/

• COAPS Winds and SSH simulations

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Operational IOOS

– Network of Observations

• biological

• physical

• chemical

– Fully developed Data Management and Communications (DMAC)

– Robust Partnership with Regional Coastal Component

– Models & decision tools at resolution to support coastal communities

The Future of U.S. IOOS

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Federal Data Assembly Centers

and Archives

Regional Data Assembly

Centers

US IOOSUtility Services

Individual Users

US IOOS

Operational Support

Research

Societal Benefits

US IOOS Support and Coordination for• R&D• Training and Education

Satellites

Ships and other observations

HF Radar

Buoys and Floats

Ocean ObservationsIOOS

Data Services

IOOS

Data Services

IOOS

Data Services

Decision Support

IOOS Interoperable Data

IOOS Enhanced Interoperable Data

Other Communications

IOOS Data ServicesIOOS

Data Services

3rd Party Services

IOOS Data Services

Governance, Management and Customer Support

Models and

Analytical Tools

National Endeavor: we NEED your Help to Deliver IOOS

• Opening new frontiers for IOOS• Rutgers University course – “Atlantic Crossing”• Research initiative transitioning to operational use

Historic Atlantic Glider Flight

18New Technologies; Next Generation Oceanographers

Questions

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www.ioos.gov