On Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, the Gulf of America Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) welcomed new and returning members to its Board of Directors, welcomed several new GCOOS members to its ranks and provided updates on new ocean observing assets and products in the Gulf. The meeting also included updates from the U.S. IOOS office, remarks from U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell’s office and two stakeholder panel discussions focused on Marine Operations & Coastal Hazards, and Healthy Ecosystems & Human Health.
GCOOS, based in the Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M University, is one of 11 regional observing networks under the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. The nonprofit organization is responsible for developing a network of business leaders, marine scientists, resource managers, governmental and non-governmental organizations and other stakeholder groups that collect and combine their data to provide timely information about our oceans — similar to the information gathered by the National Weather Service to develop weather forecasts.
Chief of Staff Joe Nicholson spoke on behalf of U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Mississippi), who was unable to attend the meeting in person due to a scheduling conflict. Rep. Ezell introduced legislation to reauthorize the U.S. IOOS earlier this year and he remains steadfast in his support, Nicholson said. “The congressman is proud to support the integrated ocean observing system and the Gulf regional system. The program plays a vital role in strengthening America’s maritime economy, improving safety and advancing national security. GCOOS delivers the ocean and coastal data that so many industries depend on — from commercial fishing to seafood operations, offshore energy, marine construction to vessel navigation. Buoys, radar networks and gliders provide real time information and keep our ports safe.”
GCOOS Board Chair Dr. Kimberly Yates noted the organization’s 20th Anniversary and announced that the celebration, postponed because of the government shutdown, will now be held during the GCOOS Spring Members’ Meeting in April 2026. She also noted that over the last two decades, the organization has grown to include 35 principal investigators and 62 partners who contribute data from 1,730 sensors across 447 stations located in the Gulf.
Yates also welcomed newly elected and re-elected Board members and thanked retiring Board members for their service:
- New Member Nick Gagliano of Kongsberg Discovery (private sector)
- Re-elected members: Dr. Nan Walker, Louisiana State University (LSU) (outreach and education sector); Dr. Stephan Howden, University of Southern Mississippi (USM) (academic sector); and Dr. Pat Hogan, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA-NCEI) (government sector).
- Retiring members: Jan van Smirren, DHI Water and Environment and Ocean Sierra, LLC,; Dr. Ruth Perry, Shell Exploration & Production Company; and Thomas Wissing, U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office.
- Dr. Kimberly Yates — Board Update presentation slides
- Dr. Jorge Brenner — GCOOS Update presentation slides
Dr. Jeff Payne — IOOS Update presentation slides
Stakeholder and PI Panel Discussion 1 — presentation slides
PI and Stakeholder Panel 2 — presentation slides
“We thank all of them for their service to GCOOS — especially Jan, who has been on the GCOOS board since the organization’s inception and has also served as Treasurer for many years — and Ruth who first became involved in GCOOS as a student, then later joined the Board,” Yates said. “Their contributions have been invaluable for guiding GCOOS over the last two decades.”
GCOOS Executive Director Dr. Jorge Brenner provided a comprehensive update on operations, including highlights of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) data new monitoring dashboard, Regional Model Handler, and six autonomous glider missions completed during the 2025 hurricane season, and continued enhancements to GCOOS’s autonomous vehicle piloting dashboard, GANDALF — including the development of Agentic GANDALF, which uses new AI-assisted tools that allow users to control GANDALF by asking questions or giving commands in plain language.
Brenner also shared the development of Marine Heatwave (MHW) monitoring tools and a series of MHW reports in English and Spanish, as well as updates to the development of data portals to track the health of marine cetacean species (CETACEAN https://cetacean.gcoos.org) and sea turtle species (the Sea Turtle Atlas https://seaturtleatlas.gcoos.org) in the Gulf.
Brenner also welcomed four new voting members to GCOOS:
Dr. Jeff Payne, Acting Director of the U.S. IOOS office provided a Congressional and budget update. The meeting closed after two stakeholder panel discussions:
- Marine Operations and Coastal Hazards with panelists Dr. Christopher Fuller, Chief Operations Officer for Research, Applied Technology, Education, Services, Inc. (RATES, Inc.); Dr. Tony Knap, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG) at Texas A&M University; Dr. Chunyan Li, Director of the Wave-Current-Surge Information System at Louisiana State university; and Tuomo Saari, GCOOS Scientific Computing Specialist.
- Healthy Ecosystems and Human Health & Safety with panelists Dr. Brian Dzwonkowski, Associate Professor, Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of South Alabama and Dauphin Island Sea Lab; Dr. Eric Milbrandt, Director of the Marine Laboratory for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation; and Dr. Chuanmin Hu, Professor of Optical Oceanography at the University of South Florida.
