
A record number of attendees participated in the Fall Members Meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS), which included an introduction to new board members, updates on new database catalogs for dolphins, whales and sea turtles, along with summaries of new projects being funded through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, as well as ongoing efforts to improve and strengthen the only ocean observing system dedicated solely to the Gulf of Mexico.
“We marked a major milestone this year when we surpassed the half-a-billion mark for data observations of ocean currents in the Gulf, we’re mobilizing new platforms for biological data, hosting record autonomous vehicle missions and expanding into new data delivery platforms,” said GCOOS Executive Director Dr. Jorge Brenner. “We’re also embarking on new projects that will expand our datasets, lead to new collaborations and connections across the Gulf and developing regional collaborations to better connect us with the Caribbean and the southern Gulf of Mexico.”
Meeting Agenda
Welcome, Leadership Transition, Retiring and New Board Member Announcements
- Kirsten Larsen, NOAA/NCEI, Outgoing Chair
- Dr. Kim Yates, USGS, New Chair
GCOOS Updates
- GCOOS-RA Activities Overview: Dr. Jorge Brenner, Executive Director (10 min)
- BOD Activities Overview: Dr. Yates, Board Chair (10 min)
- Questions: Dr. Brenner and Board of Directors (10 min)
Inflation Reduction Act: New Projects
- New Project Overview: Dr. Brenner (10 min)
- Focus on Equitable Service Delivery: Dr. Chris Simoniello, GCOOS Outreach and Education Manager (10 min)
- Questions/Discussion (10 min)
Understanding Gulf Ocean Systems (UGOS) Project Update
- Jan van Smirren, GCOOS Board Member (10 min)
- Questions (5 min)
HFR Network: Status and Challenges
- Dr. Uchenna Nwankwo, GCOOS Oceanographer (10 min)
- Questions (10 min)
Marine Life Projects
- The Compilation of Environmental, Threat, and Animal Data for Cetacean Population Health Analyses Platform (CETACEAN) Project Data Hub and Sea Turtle Project: Megan Howson, GCOOS Marine Mammal Biologist and Jerad King, GCOOS GIS Manager
- NOAA Update on Rice’s Whale: Clay George, Large Whale Recovery Coordinator, National Marine Fisheries Service
- Turtle Telemetry: Dr. Kristen Hart, United States Geological Survey
- Questions/Discussion (10 min)
Presentation PDF — Howson, King
Presentation PDF — Hart
Lightning Talks — 3 Slides in 3 Minutes Moderator: Dr. Chris Simoniello
- Marine Heatwaves Project — Dr. Renata Poulton Kamakura, GCOOS,
- Spotter with Smart Mooring — Nick Gagliano, SOFAR Ocean
- Multi-Agency HAB Monitoring in Florida — Emily Cooley, Florida Department of Health
- ERDDAP2AGOL — Jerad King, GCOOS GIS Manager
- Ocean Biogoechemistry — Dr. De’Marcus Robinson, NOAA/CCME Postdoctoral Research Associate
- High Frequency Radar, Louisiana — Dr. Kevin Xu, Lousiana State University
Preview: The GCOOS 20th Anniversary Celebration in 2025 (and Closing Remarks)
- Jen Vreeland-Dawson, GCOOS Program Coordinator (10 min)