September 12, 2018
Hello Coast Survey,
As Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast, our teams here at Coast Survey are preparing for not only hydrographic survey response following the storm, but lending our modeling expertise to the National Hurricane Center’s storm surge team. Thank you to all those involved in prestaging our assets and coordinating with our federal and state partners.
You can monitor the storm’s progress as well as other coastal observations at nowCOAST™. We will also be posting regular updates on our response efforts to our blog. Most importantly, however, please make sure you and your loved ones are safe and prepared for this storm.
Rear Admiral Shepard M. Smith
Director, Office of Coast Survey
Collaborative modeling showcased at the NOAA General Modeling Meeting and Fair
This week, members of the Coast Survey Development Lab attended the NOAA General Modeling Meeting and Fair in College Park, Maryland. The purpose of the event is to bring together not only NOAA line offices to discuss common goals and work, but to also bring perspectives from outside the agency, valuable to advancing the overall scientific and mission goals of the industry. The extensive agenda included talks by senior NOAA leaders, such as Dr. Neil Jacobs, assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observations and prediction, representatives from academia, and partners across NOS including our own Dr. Greg Seroka, physical scientist from Coastal Marine Modeling Branch, who spoke on behalf of NOS efforts and served on a panel discussion. As part of this event, staff from the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), and Coast Survey collaborated on several detailed posters, outlining our work on operational forecast system modeling, storm surge, coupling, and importance of international standards to navigational data models and products. For more information contact Gregory.Seroka@noaa.gov.
NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson presents survey work to Puerto Rico south coast stakeholders
Almost one year following the passage and destruction of Hurricane Maria, NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson returned to Puerto Rico to conduct follow-up hydrographic survey work along the north and south coasts. While anchored in Bahia de Guayanilla, the commanding officer (CO) of the ship, presented at the South Coast Harbor Safety & Security Committee meeting on nautical hydrography, including an outline of the ship’s 2017 post-Maria work, as well as current project plans and preliminary results. Attendees showed particular interest in survey results in and around port areas previously identified by the South Coast Pilots as critical for local and island-wide economies as well as allocation and positioning of survey capabilities in preparation for major storm events in the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands region. For more information contact CO.ThomasJefferson@noaa.gov.
Coast Survey navigational products and services shared at the Tampa Boat Show
Tim Osborn, NOAA’s eastern Gulf Coast navigation manager, joined the National Weather Service Tampa Bay Office and National Marine Fisheries Service to represent NOAA at the Tampa Boat Show. Together, they provided seminars on navigation, marine weather, and local fisheries. The Tampa Boat Show is an annual event that features the latest commercial boating products available, but most importantly for Coast Survey, provides an opportunity for our organization to gain insight into how the public is using our products, what services they are looking for, and how we can better meet their needs. The organizers of the Tampa and Miami boat shows asked if Coast Survey would participate in a day-long educational series that they will introduce at the next Miami Boat Show in February 2019. For more information contact Tim.Osborn@noaa.gov.
Current meter no match for Deception Pass, Washington
Recently, a CO-OPS current meter thought to be lost to the sea washed ashore on Whidbey Island, Washington, and found by a local citizen. NOAA deployed the current meter in Deception Pass a couple of years ago to measure and model the significant currents in the area. NOAA Ship Fairweather’s launches acquired multibeam echo sounder (MBES) data there to help CO-OPS determine where to deploy the sensor. Unfortunately, the strong currents that NOAA would like to measure are the very ones that washed the current meter away. The citizen reached out to the sensor's manufacturer who traced it to Crescent Moegling, NOAA northwest and Pacific Islands navigation manager, via a local notice to mariners. Coast Survey and CO-OPS is looking forward to determining if the MBES data collected will be helpful in updating the current model for Deception Pass. Efforts to retrieve the current meter are underway. For more information contact Crescent.Moegling@noaa.gov.
Coast Survey keeping a close eye on Saildrone missions in the Arctic
The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) and partners entered the final month of a research mission with Saildrone in the U.S. Arctic. While the focus of their research is to measure carbon dioxide and the abundance of Arctic cod in the Arctic Ocean, Coast Survey is interested in whether Saildrone data can be used to update navigational charts. Coast Survey provided the team with geographic locations for data collection that will later be evaluated for its utility in navigation. To learn more about this project, follow the Saildrone 2018 blog. For more information on Coast Survey's interest in the project contact Neeraj.Saraf@noaa.gov.
Do you have an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that targets building the skills needed to do your job most effectively? One that reflects your desired career path? Is an IDP more than a list of training? Does the thought of an IDP overwhelm you? Coast Survey employees are invited to a participant-driven IDP training session September 24, 2018, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 p.m. in SSMC3 6836. This opportunity is mandatory for new Coast Survey employees and open to all interested Coast Survey employees in Silver Spring with supervisory approval. (Since this training is interactive, it is not conductive to doing virtually via Google Handouts or Webinar. However, please note that an adapted version of this training will be provided later for OCS employees in the field, so stay tuned for more information to come on that!). Advance registration is required by 9/14/18. Please use the following Google signup sheet and a Google Calendar meeting invite will be sent to you. If you have questions or concerns please contact the training organizer: Meredith.Payne@noaa.gov.
Staff Updates
Marine Chart Division welcomes James Moy (ERT). James graduated from the University of Maryland with both an M.S. and B.S. in geospatial information systems (GIS). While earning his degrees, he also worked as a teaching assistant for several GIS courses, and as an intern at NOAA. With his background, James is passionately interested in exploring the potential of GIS, its technology, and how it can be used to better society.
did you know?
NOAA's nowCOAST™ is a GIS-based webmap service that provides frequently updated ocean observations along with coastal and marine weather forecasts 24 hours a day. The free online map offers point-and-click access to 60 NOAA data products and services all in one place. Visit nowCOAST™ for updates on the latest hurricane tracks.
coming up
9/11-13 - Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission meeting in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway
9/24 - Individual Development (IDP) training, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Advance registration required. Contact Meredith.Payne@noaa.gov.
10/4 - NOAA Industry Day at the Annapolis Yacht Club, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
10/4-14 - Annapolis Boat Shows
