Three regional ocean observing systems are developing a new initiative that will set the stage for increased collaboration to help support a greater understanding of the connections among the North Equatorial Current, the Caribbean Current/Gulf Stream and the Loop Current, and fill data gaps for forecasting and responding to environmental events and changes.
The “Intra-American Seas Pan-Regional Ocean Observing Initiative” builds on the joint projects already being undertaken by the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS), the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing System (SECOORA) and the Caribbean Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS), and will serve as a platform to launch even more joint projects in support of coastal communities. These regional observing associations are part of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (U.S. IOOS), a national network of people and technology that gathers and disseminates data and information about our oceans in support of the economy, the environment and public safety. There are 11 regional networks operating across the U.S., including the Great Lakes.
Through this new initiative, GCOOS, focused on the Gulf of Mexico, SECOORA, focused on the southeast Atlantic and western Gulf of Mexico, and CARICOOS, focused on the Caribbean Sea, are already collaborating two projects:
- Developing a better understanding of the locations and impacts of coastal and marine heatwaves, periods of unusually high ocean temperatures defined by how long they last and how intense they are, and
- Forecasts for sargassum inundation along beaches. Sargassum is a type of floating brown algae that forms large mats and can have devastating impacts on coastal communities when they wash ashore.
“Each of our regions are significantly connected downstream of the North Equatorial Current, and by working more closely together, we have the opportunity to further improve and integrate our understanding of the connections in our shared oceans,” said GCOOS Executive Director Dr. Jorge Brenner. “We will also be able to better employ data from existing operational observing assets, missions and modeling products and, especially, deploy new tools and products needed to analyze ocean phenomena driving expressions of a changing climate.”
The Initiative will begin with a focus on several main priorities, including:
- System-wide phenomena and hazards — improving hurricane intensification forecasting via underwater glider missions;
- Climate signal detection — assessing and sharing information about marine heatwaves;
- Joint products — tracking things like the expanded geographic range of sargassum, which is now thriving in the open ocean;
- Cross-boundary expertise sharing — increased collaboration will allow each region to grow expertise in key areas while avoiding overlaps;
- Product development co-design — for example, instead of having a tool like the Sargassum Forecast focused solely on the Caribbean, it can be widened to include the larger southeastern Atlantic, where blooms are a growing problem.
“This announcement elevates our ongoing collaborations and efforts to maximize our impact in communities and with stakeholders that depend on ocean data and products,” said SECOORA Executive Director Debra Hernandez. “Our regions share many common hazards, as well as similar stakeholder perspectives and needs. This new focus on partnership will allow us to leverage each observing system’s regional knowledge and capabilities on a wider scale, increasing our effectiveness and impact. We anticipate a ‘quadruple win,’ — a win for each of our regional associations individually as well as for all of the stakeholders we collectively serve.”
Importantly, the IAS Pan-Regional Ocean Observing Initiative recognizes that oceans and the animals that call them home do not adhere to human-developed boundaries, said Dr. Julio M. Morell, CARICOOS Executive Director. “Instead of focusing solely on our individual regions, this new initiative will allow us to build a fully integrated regional observing system that informs our understanding of the interconnections in our oceans and the impacts those connections have on our communities.”
GCOOS, SECOORA and CARICOOS are funded through the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), a national-regional partnership working to provide new tools and forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy and protect our environment.
GCOOS Executive Director Dr. Jorge Brenner, SECOORA Executive Director Debra Hernandez and CARICOOS Executive Director Dr. Julio M. Morell also presented “Observing for Climate Signals in the Intra-America Seas: A Pan-Regional Approach” outlining the Intra-American Seas (IAS) Pan-Regional Initiative during the Climate Variability and Predictability Program (CLIVAR) “Optimizing Ocean Observing Networks for Detecting the Coastal Climate Signal” workshop. In a poster, the group outlined the initial collaborative products developed by the three regional associations and explained how they set the stage for future long-term collaborations.