Presenter(s): Rick Thoman, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP)
Sponsor(s): Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) - A NOAA RISA Team and National Weather Service POC: Tina Buxbaum (tmbuxbaum@alaska.edu, 907-474-7812) and Richard Thoman (rthoman@alaska.edu)
Abstract: The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for January (2020!) and the remaining winter season. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Sponsor(s): Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Science Seminar
Presenter(s): Nazmi Chowdhury, Support Scientist/Systems Engineer, JPSS Program Science and Laura Dunlap, JPSS Algorithm Manager
Abstract: TheJPSS Proving Ground and Risk Reduction (PGRR) program supports user demonstration by stimulating interactions between technical experts from the JPSS Program, university partners, and key user stakeholders. The PGRR program's primary objective is maximizing the benefits and performance of S-NPP and JPSS data, algorithms, and products for downstream operational and research users. The PGRR Program projects are grouped into initiatives, one of which is the NWP Impact Studies and Critical Weather Application initiative. The main purpose of this initiative is to further the scientific advancement of the use of JPSS satellite data to support critical weather forecasting and numerical modeling efforts in NOAA and beyond. Improved use of JPSS sounder data in NWP models will include instrument performance, improved data assimilation methods, impacts of data latency and improved error characterization. Projects in this initiative aim to exploit the benefits of the 50 minute separation between the Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 orbits. Studies on the impact of improved CrIS and ATMS data assimilation in operational Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models,such as the Global Forecast System (GFS) and the High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR), enable performance evaluation. This provides feedback on instrument capabilities, helping determine the impact of additional polar-orbiting sounder data on NWP. This presentation introduces seven projects that are funded under NWP Impact Studies and Critical Weather Application initiative, their research importance, goals, rationale behind the projects and the desired outcomes from the research works. It will also include their research updates, primary users, key accomplishments, collaboration to bridge research operation to development of products, user engagement and future plan. The participating project's research area includes enhancement of direct broadcast satellite radiance assimilation capabilities for regional and global rapid-update models, improvement of NearCasts of geostationary moisture and temperature retrievals using JPSS moisture and temperature, advanced EFSO-based QC methods for operational use and agile implementation of new observing systems, ATMS/CrIS calibration, validation and assimilation improving correlated error, clouds, and the surface, improving the assimilation of CrIS radiances in operational NWP models by using collocated high resolution VIIRS data etc.
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Presenter(s): Mark Zimmermann, Research Fishery Biologist , NOAA/NMFS/Alaska Fisheries Science Center Presenting from Seattle
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Bathymetry is the most important explanatory variable for understanding the abundance and distribution of fish and invertebrates in Alaskan waters, but our seafloor maps are often inadequate. Many areas in Alaska were only surveyed as recently as the 1930s or 1940s, and some areas have never been mapped with formal hydrographic surveys. Therefore we have been combining various available datasets, including non-hydrographic data, and publishing large regional bathymetry compilations for use in fisheries, geological and oceanographic research. This seminar will explain how, as a fishery biologist, I ended up working almost exclusively on bathymetry.
Bio(s): I work in a NOAA group that conducts stock assessment bottom trawl surveys in the Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska during the summer. In the fall, I host an annual Groundfish seminar series to provide better communication for the widely dispersed groundfish community. During the rest of the year, a GIS expert and I proof, edit, digitize, and combine bathymetry data sets to make detailed Alaska seafloor maps for use in fisheries, geological and oceanographic research (https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/RACE/groundfish/bathymetry/). As the geographic extent of our mapped areas has expanded, we have begun collaborating with the international seafloor mapping community at GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans).Last year I was able to learn about some of GEBCO's mapping expertise during a NMFS Science and Technology Fellowship at Stockholm University. The geomorphological seafloor features of our recent western Gulf of Alaska bathymetry map were interpreted by a geologist to show the ice extent of the Last Glacial Maximum and published at Geosciences (https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9100409). This project was also described in a NOAA Feature Story (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/new-seafloor-maps-reveal-habitat-sculpted-ancient-glaciers). .
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Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Christine Hirt (christine.hirt@noaa.gov )
Abstract: Proponents of land-use regulations say we need then to conserve biodiversity. But are the regulations we have effective? Opponents say those same regulations have destroyed rural economies and make it hard for communities to survive. But are people in more heavily-regulated landscapes really worse off? This research, which is part of my doctoral dissertation, examines the effects of two different approaches to conservation policy on human and ecological communities on mixed-use landscapes in the northern US.
About the speaker: Kathryn Frens is a PhD student at Michigan State University and a Knauss Fellow at NOAA. Her professional interests include figuring out how policy works in social-ecological systems, stealing social science methods to apply to natural science questions, and talking about narrative structure in science writing. When she's not writing her dissertation, you can find her at old-time music jams or under a tree with a book.
Sponsor(s): National Sea Grant and the NOAA Central Library POC: Hollis Jones (hollis.jones@noaa.gov)
Presenter(s): Davin Holen, PhD, Coastal Community Resilience Specialist & Assistant Professor Alaska Sea Grant, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences & Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Abstract: Davin will be discussing the adaptation planning he conducts with communities through Adapt Alaska (adaptalaska.org).
Adapt Alaska Development: From 2015 to 2017 Holen worked with collaborators from State, Federal, and Tribal entities to conduct a series of workshops with over 200 participants to assess climate change impacts to communities in Northwest Alaska and the Bering Sea Region. In addition, Dr. Holen and colleagues at the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska organized the Southeast Alaska Climate Change Summit for Tribes to review climate impacts to cultural resources and discuss monitoring, mitigation, and adaptation planning in 2016. A second workshop to continue efforts in Southeast Alaska is planned for 2019. The outcome of both efforts is a new effort called Adapt Alaska. This includes a website, adaptalaska.org which describes current climate stressors for coastal communities in Alaska, pairs them with innovative adaptation solutions, provides a portal of useful websites and databases, and tells stories of successful adaptation strategies.
Adapt Alaska Workshops: Continuing the Adapt Alaska effort, Davin is currently working with partners on a climate adaptation scenario planning exercise in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of Alaska called Adapt Y-K, the Alaska Peninsula Community of Port Heiden, is in the planning stage to develop a workshop in Kodiak called Adapt Kodiak to expand efforts into adapting economies to changes, and is working with smaller communities such as Klukwan and Haines in Southeast Alaska to plan adaptation workshops in those communities to be led by Tribes.
Coastal Vulnerability Tools: Besides working directly with communities in resilience and adaptation planning, Davin also developed a human-dimensions spatial layers for the Alaska Ocean Observing System data portal for planning and responding to potential technological disasters. This tool shows areas of harvest and use of wild resources in Cook Inlet by rural communities and can be used by responders to oil spills as well as in planning exploration activities.
Oil Spill Impacts to Communities: Davin recently coordinated a National Academy of Science Gulf Research Program funded workshop on oil spill impacts to human health, and social and economic disruption to be held February 2019. This brought together stakeholders from across Alaska to discuss challenges and vulnerabilities related to oil spills in the extremes of Alaska.
Bio(s): Dr. Davin Holen is a coastal community resilience specialist for Alaska Sea Grant in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and works collaboratively with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy at the International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Davin facilitates workshops and other activities related to coastal resilience addressing monitoring, mitigation, and adaptation to local stressors from climatic and ocean changes.
Presenter(s): Danielle M. Frechette, PhD Marine Resource Scientist, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Seminar sponsor: This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Visit the EcoFOCI webpage for more information, https://www.ecofoci.noaa.gov/.
Abstract: This talk will provide a bird's eye view of a colonization program implemented for Atlantic salmon population enhancement in a Quebec river.
Title: Climate Change Vulnerability of Lobster Fishing Communities in Atlantic Canada
Presenter(s): Blair Greenan, Research Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Nancy Shackell, Research Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Climate change impacts on fisheries will undoubtedly have socio-economic impacts on coastal communities and the seafood market. However, it is a challenge to integrate climate change information in a form that can be used efficiently by adaptation planners, policy makers and fishery managers. In this study, we frame a climate change impact assessment using a geographical perspective based on the management units of the dominant fishery, in this case, American lobster in Nova Scotia, Canada. The information considered here includes economic dependence on the fishery, population size, diversity of the fishery revenue, status of harbour infrastructure, total replacement cost of each harbour, increased relative sea level and flooding, and the vulnerability of offshore lobster to ocean warming and changes in zooplankton composition and anticipatory changes in fishery productivity across management borders. Using two ocean models to provide multi-decadal scale projections of bottom temperature, changes in offshore lobster distribution are projected to have a neutral, or positive impact on the region as a whole. However, when lobster vulnerability is combined with climate change related vulnerabilities of coastal fishing communities, it is evident that adaptation planning is needed for long-term sustainability. This impact assessment provides both a framework and information for further in-depth analyses by climate change adaptation planners and fishery managers.
Bio(s): Drs. Blair Greenan and Nancy Shackell are research scientists at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Nova Scotia, Canada. In 2012, Nancy and Blair co-managed a large research group to assess the vulnerabilities, opportunities and impacts of climate change throughout the Atlantic Basin. Recently, their research has focused on developing climate change adaptation tools to provide science advice to DFO on issues related to coastal infrastructure and fisheries management.
Blair manages a diverse group of researchers that focus on ocean stressors ranging from marine oil spills to climate change effects such as ocean acidification. He is the Scientific Director for the Argo Canada program which contributes to the International Argo program in advancing global real-time observations of the ocean with autonomous instruments. Blair received his Ph.D. from the Department of Physics at the University of Toronto.
Nancy's research focuses on fisheries ecology in support of Ecosystem Approach to Management. Nancy has published on biodiversity, important habitat of commercial species, marine protected areas, trophic balance, integrated ecological assessments, impacts of climate change, Atlantic halibut spatial ecology, and climate change adaptation. Nancy received a B.Sc. in Biology from McGill University, Montreal and a Ph.D. in Biology from Dalhousie University, Halifax.
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Meghan Dalton, Climate Impacts Research Consortium; Britt Parker, National Integrated Drought Information System, Karin Bumbacco, Office of the Washington State Climatologist, Andrea Bair, NWS Western Region, Erich Seamon, University of Idaho, Jason Kesling, Upper Snake River Tribe Foundation
Presenter(s): Meghan Dalton, Climate Impacts Research Consortium; Britt Parker, National Integrated Drought Information System, Karin Bumbacco, Office of the Washington State Climatologist, Andrea Bair, NWS Western Region, Erich Seamon, University of Idaho, Jason Kesling, Upper Snake River Tribe Foundation
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System, Climate Impacts Research Consortium, USDA Northwest Climate Hub, National Weather Service
Abstract: These webinars provide the region's stakeholders and interested parties with timely information on current and developing drought conditions as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia. Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as wildfires, floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health.
Presenter(s): Dr. Jawed Hameedi, Lead Physical Scientist, NOAA/NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). Presenting at NOAA in Silver Spring.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Some pioneering research at the University of Washington coincided with the stated intent of creating the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1970, which included a realization that the oceans and the atmosphere are interacting parts of the global environment upon which we depend for the quality of our lives.Further, there was an immediate and compelling need for better knowledge of the total environment to more effectively monitor and predict its actions, and ultimately to exercise some degree of control over it. Since its inception andusing new observational technologies, computer-based analyses and models, and greater insight into interconnections and complexity in the environment, NOAA has continually advanced science-based management of natural resources. The Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program and the Marine Ecosystems Analysis Program are two early examples of such endeavors that firmly established NOAA's expertise in conceptualizing and implementing multi-year,multi-disciplinary research programs, whose success could be measured by the quality of information and tools, and benefits to the American public. In the Arctic, NOAA also played a key role in implementing the international Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy and provided scientific leadership in realizing its goals. The relationship between water quality and NOAA has remained both authentic and contradictory; it is indeed paradoxical. For more than two decades, NOAA was engaged in studies to assess impacts of sewage disposal at sea, developing measures of unreasonable degradation of the marine environment, and determining economic, environmental and public health costs of different waste disposal alternatives. Ocean dumping of sewage sludge ceased in 1988. On the other hand, NOAA was not successful in implementing the National Coastal Monitoring Act or its part of the National Water Quality Monitoring Network, which included linkage with the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. Successful future endeavors on coastal water quality would require not only within-NOAA collaboration but also more effective interagency partnerships for more parsimonious and effective approaches.
Bio(s): Dr. Jawed Hameedi is Lead Research Scientist at NOAA/NOS NCCOS Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. His current responsibilities involve strategic planning, review of research and development programs, evaluation of innovative research and applications, and information synthesis in light of Federal legislation and agency priorities. Dr. Hameedi served as Manager of NOAA's National Status and Trends Program for marine environmental quality. Before that, he was Director of the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program, a multi-year, multi-disciplinary program of environmental research, assessment, and information synthesis, to help guide safe and prudent development of oil and gas resources in Alaska offshore waters. He was also Director of the NOAA's Arctic Environmental Assessment Center in Anchorage, Alaska. He has nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on basic and applied research, applying scientific information and research data to resolve resource use conflicts related to energy production and transportation, radionuclide contamination, ecological indicators and biomarkers, and environmental monitoring and assessment. He received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Oceanography from the University of Washington, Seattle.
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Title: Putting the Best Foot Forward: Ending the Era of the U.S. Survey Foot
Presenter(s): Dr. Michael Dennis, National Geodetic Survey
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Geodetic Survey. POC: Steve Vogel, National Geodetic Survey
Abstract: An era will soon end. In 1959, the name U.S. survey foot was given to an existing definition so that its use could temporarily continue alongside the new international foot. After December 31, 2022, only the international foot definition will be used in the United States: 1 foot = 0.3048 meter exactly (but simply called the foot). That will stop the simultaneous use of two nearly identical foot versions that differ by only 0.01 foot per mile.
NGS and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have collaborated to resolve the problem of two feet, as described in this webinar by:
Giving an overview of the history
Providing examples of problems encountered
Summarizing public comments received
Charting a path forward as part of modernizing the National Spatial Reference System
The intent is to provide national uniformity of length measurement in an orderly fashion with minimum disruption. It will end a dilemma that has persisted for over 60 years.
Intermediate Technical Content Rating: Some prior knowledge is helpful.
Abstract: In this presentation, we explore continued modernization of the weather value chain in two key ways. First, we discuss the latest successes and lessons learned for migration of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Common Ground System (CGS) Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS) to the cloud. We also present future thoughts for taking greater advantage of Cloud Services to increase the velocity and responsiveness to the weather community. Second, we discuss various places in the weather value chain where Machine Learning (ML) can be applied, and we show some sample use cases toward that end.
Presenter(s):
Emily Greene is the Deputy Program Manager for the JPSS CGS Program. Prior to her current assignment, she was the IPT Lead for IDPS. During her career with Raytheon, she has specialized in science data processing, archive and distribution for many NASA spacecraft including EOS, Mars, Astrophysics and Heliospheric missions. She received her PhD in Heliospheric Physics from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Scott Kern is the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Common Ground System (CGS) Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS) IPT Lead and prior to that was the IDPS Chief Engineer. He has over 14 years of experience on the JPSS Program supporting both IDPS and C3S with most of those working on the Data Processing side. Scott has an extensive knowledge of the CGS program. He has also worked on other Command and control programs with Raytheon since 1998.
Shawn Miller is an Engineering Fellow and Certified Architect with Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services (IIS). He is currently the Technical Director for Civil Space and Weather. Prior to his current assignment, Shawn was the Chief Architect on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Common Ground System (CGS). He has been working in various aspects of satellite remote sensing for 26 years. He obtained a PhD in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1995.
Presenter(s): Amie West, Chesapeake Biological Lab, University of Maryland
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Coastal regions of the US have unique ecosystem challenges and management complexities that need to be considered when planning and implementing ecosystem-based management (EBM). Researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science are investigating the status and opportunities for EBM in coastal regions of the US. Amie will discuss the results of an online survey and semi-structured interviews conducted with coastal scientists and managers to describe practitioners' perspectives on EBM. She will also describe how a variety of additional information sources are being used to suggest emerging research opportunities to support EBM implementation.
Bio(s): Amie West is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science focusing on coastal ecosystem-based management strategies and implementation. Previously, Amie worked as TMDL developer at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Amie earned her Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas Environmental Dynamics program in 2016. Her dissertation work focused on freshwater ecology and human perceptions of the environment.
Presenter(s): Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
Presenter(s): Kimberle Stark Senior Water Quality Planner, King County, Seattle, WA
Seminar sponsor: This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Visit the EcoFOCI webpage for more information, https://www.ecofoci.noaa.gov/.
Abstract: King County methods for monitoring phytoplankton and zooplankton in the Puget Sound, changes we've observedt, and factors that influence dynamics will be presented.
Abstract: Knowledge exchange, or peer-to-peer learning, is a powerful way to share, replicate, and scale up practical solutions to challenges and transform ideas into action. But designing and executing knowledge exchange to achieve intended results and integrating it as part of larger change processes remains challenging. Using its extensive experience in knowledge exchange, the World Bank has developed a systematic framework and guide to help practitioners be more effective knowledge providers, brokers, and recipients. This webinar will present the five-step framework, introduce a range of knowledge exchange instruments and activities, and discuss how this approach can be applied to marine ecosystem conservation. It will also look at the impact and implications of social media and citizen science.
Bio(s): Philip Karp is a Lead Knowledge Management Specialist at the World Bank where he leads design and implementation of various components of the World Bank's knowledge, learning and innovation work, including South-South knowledge exchange, Communities of Practice, and knowledge networks and partnerships. He has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of knowledge, learning, and advisory services, with particular emphasis on practitioner-to-practitioner and South-South knowledge exchange. He is also an avid Scuba diver and ocean advocate and is actively involved in conservation of coral reef ecosystems, with particular focus on the interface between conservation and livelihoods. Mr. Karp holds a graduate degree in economics and public policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Abstract: Join Professor Bopi Biddanda as he shares the excitement of over a decade of exploration of life in Lake Huron's sinkholes carried out in collaboration with NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. He will ponder the relevance of these findings to major issues of both scientific and societal interest such as Earth's current biologic and physiologic diversity, oxygenation of early Earth in the distant past, and humanity's ongoing search for extraterrestrial life. For an introduction to life in Lake Huron's sinkholes, see this overview educational article: https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/rock-water-microbes-underwater-sinkholes-in-lake-25851285
Kim Cressman, Grand Bay NERR, David Burdick, University of New Hampshire, Dwayne Porter, NERRS Centralized Data Management Office, Chris Kinkade, NOAA Office for Coastal Management
Title: Leveraging NERRS System-Wide Monitoring Program Data for Wetland Research and Management
Presenter(s): Kim Cressman, Grand Bay NERR; David Burdick, University of New Hampshire; Dwayne Porter, NERRS Centralized Data Management Office; Chris Kinkade, NOAA Office for Coastal Management
Abstract: Long-term monitoring data can be a tremendous asset for coastal research and management, but processing and analyzing the data and extracting key findings can be challenging. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System's System-wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) has been collecting physical and biological data at estuaries across the country for many years. This webinar will feature two projects that have been analyzing these monitoring data from multiple sites to understand better trends in marsh surface elevation and vegetation in relation to sea levels. Project leads will share a few examples of their findings that can inform marsh resilience efforts, and provide tips for others considering SWMP synthesis projects. The webinar will wrap up with a discussion of opportunities and strategies for using SWMP data for future research and management applications.
Bio(s): KimCressman from Grand Bay NERR will provide an overview of her catalyst project: Is Marsh Surface Tracking Sea Level Change? Developing Tools and Visualizations for Sentinel Site Data. This project is developing data analysis and visualization tools for a relatively new element within the reserve monitoring program - Surface Elevation Table (SET) data. SET measurements enable reserves to track changes in marsh surface height overtime. The data are critical for monitoring marsh resilience in the face of rising seas, but SET data require specialized protocols for processing, quality checking and analyzing the data in a consistent way across sites. DavidBurdick from the University of New Hampshire and Chris Peters from Great BayNERR will provide an overview of their project: Synthesizing Monitoring Data to Improve Coastal Wetland Management Across New England. This project is analyzing Sentinel Site data from four New England reserves, which have individually been monitoring salt marsh vegetation and elevation changes since at least 2011. The team is developing data packages linking vegetation change with surface elevation and other data,including output from an inundation tool. In addition to providing an initial summary of patterns, the project is developing analysis protocols that can be utilized by other reserves and coastal managers nationwide.The webinar will also include comments and discussion from ChrisKinkade andDwayne Porter.Subscribe to the OneNOAA Science Seminar weeklyemail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminarsrequest@list.woc.noaa.gov with the work 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA ScienceSeminar Series website for more information. https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/seminars/
Presenter(s): Mark Henderson, US Geological Survey
ABSTRACT Low survival rates of Chinook salmon smolts in California's Central Valley have been attributed to multiple biological and physical factors, but it is not clear which factors have the largest impact. In a series of recent studies, my colleagues and I have used a combination of technologies to identify the primary factors contributing to the mortality of juvenile Chinook salmon during their emigration. To identify the habitat and predation related covariates influencing mortality in the most upstream portion of their migration corridor, we used acoustic telemetry and mark recapture models. We found that the most important covariate affecting fish survival was flow. Once juvenile salmon entered the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Delta), they faced a completely new set of stressors, including predators. Juvenile chinook salmon migrating through the Delta have high mortality rates and it is assumed that predation is the proximate cause of this mortality. The Delta is one of the most invaded estuaries in the world, and multiple non-native predators are known to consume outmigrating Chinook salmon. To assess predator populations and predation impacts on juvenile Chinook salmon migrating through the Delta, we used a combination of hydroacoustic surveys and a mobile fish tethering device called a predation event recorder (PER). Results from these studies show that predator populations in the Delta are most strongly related to the number of patches of submerged aquatic vegetation and that the risk of predation increases proportional to habitat complexity, water temperature, time to night, and predator density. Results from these studies have provided guidance to fisheries and water managers throughout California on how to improve juvenile salmon survival, and reduce salmonid predator abundances, to aid in the recovery of Central Valley Chinook salmon populations.
BIO Mark Henderson is the Acting Unit Leader for the USGS California Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Humboldt State University. He received a BS in Biology from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo, an M.Sc. in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Washington, and a PhD in Marine Science from the College of William and Mary. Prior to his current position, he was a postdoctoral scholar at NOAAs Southwest Fisheries Science Center. His research interests have been extremely diverse throughout his career. He has studied the acoustic signature of Pacific hake, summer flounder population dynamics, associations between deep-sea coral and fishes, and the importance of freshwater, estuarine, and ocean life-history stages to salmon survival. In general, he is most interested in understanding how the physical and biological environment influences fish behavior, growth, and survival.
Bio(s): James G. (Jim) Yoe serves in the Office of the Director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction as NCEP's Research Transition Manager. In this capacity he coordinates NCEP's activities for the Science and Technology Integration portfolio and the Observations portfolio, and he serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCDSA.) Prior to joining NCEP, he spent 14 years with the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service, as a member of the NPOESS Data Exploitation Project, after working in STAR and serving as Deputy Director of the JCSDA, and developing applications for space-based remote sensors including Doppler Wind lidar and GPS Radio Occultation. He earned BS and PhD degrees in physics from the University of the South and Clemson University, respectively, and conducted post-doctoral research investigating winds, waves, and turbulence using MST Doppler radar and UV lidar at the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy in Germany. His hobbies include gardening, playing the guitar, and archery. Dogs love him.
Presenter(s): Dr. Tianzhen Hong (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) and Dr. Janet Reyna (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)Seminar sponsor: OAR / CPO / RISA / CCRUN Team at Drexel University
Abstract: December's Green Infrastructure, Climate and Cities seminar topic is Energy Technology in Buildings. Featuring Dr. Tianzhen Hong of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Dr. Janet Reyna of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).Buildings in U.S. cities consume 30% to 70% of primary energy and are facing growing challenges of balancing demand and supply to optimize performance to reduce energy use, utility cost and GHG emissions. Furthermore, as cost and emissions intensities vary on the electric grid by time of day and season, the building sector could play a cooperative role in emissions reduction, system reliability improvements, and cost moderation. Both speakers will discuss their research and modeling of clean energy and energy demand reduction in buildings.This event is FREE to attend and refreshments will be served! The seminar is livecast for those that cannot attend in person can attend online.Dr. Hong's talk is titled Pathway to 100% Clean Energy for Buildings in Cities and will introduce urban systems research at the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division, focusing on modeling and simulation of urban buildings to explore pathways to 100% clean energy, leveraging emerging opportunities in big data, artificial intelligence, and exascale computing. Dr. Tianzhen Hong is a Staff Scientist and Deputy Head of the Building Technologies Department of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He leads the Urban Systems Group and a research team working on data analytics, modeling, simulation, and policy for design and operation of low energy buildings and sustainable urban systems. He is an IBPSA Fellow, LEED AP, and registered mechanical engineer in California. He received B.Eng. and Ph.D. from Tsinghua University, China.Dr. Reyna's talk is titled The role of building energy demand in our low-carbon future: modeling opportunities with NREL's ResStock and ComStock tools. In this talk, Dr. Reyna will discuss on-going efforts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to model the residential and commercial building sectors with increased disaggregation by time, location, building type, and technology type. ResStock and ComStock, NREL's physics-based models of the building sector, have the capability to model the residential and commercial sectors at national, regional, and city-scales. Dr. Reyna will discuss applications of the models in a major project for the City of Los Angeles modeling the potential for 100% Renewable Energy by 2045. She will also discuss the on-going project utilizing the models to develop end-use load profiles for the U.S., including regional coverage of the northeast corridor. Dr. Janet L. Reyna is a research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the Buildings and Thermal Systems Center. She works on several large projects applying building energy stock modeling for national and local scenarios. Prior to joining NREL, she was an ORISE Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies. During her Ph.D., she received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to support her research on changes to building energy demand under climate change. Dr. Reyna's research focuses on environmental impacts of urban systems, and she aims to provide information for policy decision-making with her work. She has expertise in life cycle assessment, environmental analysis, building energy modeling, vehicle emissions simulation, and spatial analysis.Seminar POC for questions: Sean Bath (sean.bath@noaa.gov) or Korin Tangtrakul (krt73@drexel.edu)
Abstract: Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a natural phenomenon that result in the release of a significant amount of water via a glacial system, which has the potential to negatively and severely impact downstream communities.
This webinar will look into two GLOF glaciers in Alaska " Suicide Basin in Juneau and Snow Glacier in the Kenai Peninsula. Both glaciers have recurring GLOFs that affect the downstream areas in Juneau and the Kenai Peninsula in a variety of ways. From homeowners, to tour operators, to electric companies, to emergency responders, these are but a few of the impacted stakeholder groups impacted by GLOFs.
During the webinar, you'll learn about how GLOFs happen, their presence in Alaska, how stakeholders have been affected by these events, what are the available resources to understand and monitor these events, and what is the potential outlook for continued GLOFs in Alaska in the years to come.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Sponsor(s): NOAA Fisheries and the NOAA Central Library; POC: Laura Oremland (laura.oremland@noaa.gov)
Presenter(s): Caitlin Mandeville, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, PhD student
Abstract: Citizen science programs that ask volunteers to report species observations to online databases have become popular, resulting in an enormous amount of openly available biodiversity data. But analyzing these data can be challenging, due to the lack of structured sampling design. We used a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature to describe trends in the analysis of citizen science species occurrence data, with lessons for researchers seeking to use citizen science data as well as managers of programs that collect biodiversity data from volunteers.
Bio(s): Caitlin Mandeville is currently conducting her PhD research on analysis approaches and conservation applications of citizen science species observation data at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She is part of an interdisciplinary research team approaching this topic from many angles, including data quality, modeling methods, social science, and more. Originally from the US, she completed her MS degree at the University of Wyoming and worked in citizen science for New Hampshire Sea Grant before beginning her PhD research.
Presenter(s): Douglas Rasher, PhD Marine Community Ecologist, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science
Seminar sponsor: This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Visit the EcoFOCI webpage for more information, https://www.ecofoci.noaa.gov/.
Abstract: In this talk, Dr. Rasher will discuss how the emergent effects of climate change and megafaunal loss are reshaping an iconic kelp forest ecosystem.
Presenter(s): Colm Sweeney, Global Monitoring Division, Lead Scientist Carbon Cycle Aircraft Program
Sponsor(s): NOAA Central Library (POC: Outreach Librarian Erin Cheever, erin.cheever@noaa.gov)
Abstract: The East Coast Outflow (ECO) experiment is an ongoing intensive airborne campaign whose first phase ran from April 10 through May 15, 2018 measuring the outflow of CO2, CH4, C2H6, O3 and CO from 5 major cities along the NE corridor of the US (Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Providence and Washington, D.C.). Significant correlations exist between these measurements, in particular, CO, CO2, CH4 and C2H6 show very significant correlations with one another, indicating a large fraction of the CH4 emissions are co-located with CO and CO2 emissions at the urban-scale. Methane and ethane relationships also suggest that a majority of these CH4 emissions originate from leakage of natural gas from distribution network of these cities. Using CO2 as a tracer and a variety of CO2 inventories we estimate magnitude of these emissions and the likelihood that leakage of fossil CH4 from the urban distribution network is a large source of CH4 which is largely ignored by recent updates in bottom up methane inventories. Technology now exists to be able to deploy some of the same instrumentation used during ECO on commercial aircraft providing daily measurements of urban centers throughout the world. As demonstrated by the first ECO campaign, these measurements can provide critical feedback to policy and bottom up analysis of urban emissions for greenhouse gases and other trace gases affecting air quality and public health.
Bio(s): Colm Sweeney leads the aircraft program for the NOAA Global Monitoring Division Carbon Cycle Group. Colm has lead or co-authored more than 170 peer-reviewed articles spanning a wide range of topics including air-sea gas and greenhouse gas emissions in the Arctic, urban and oil and gas regions as well as new technologies for sampling the atmosphere and ocean. Colm is currently serving as Acting Deputy Director of the Ocean Observing and Monitoring Division at NOAA.
Presenter(s): Samuel Woodman (Sam.Woodman@noaa.gov), NOAA/NMFS/SWFSC Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, contracted by Ocean Associates, Inc.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Species distribution modeling (SDM) in dynamic marine environments has enhanced our ecological understanding and ability to assess potential impacts to species of conservation concern at finer spatial scales than traditional methods. However,different data sets or analytical approaches often yield different modeled results, creating uncertainty and challenges in the decision-making process.For example, there are currently multiple SDMs for blue whales off the U.S.West Coast, and assessing spatial distribution shifts using these models is challenging because they predict absolute density, relative density, or probability of occurrence at varying spatial resolutions. One solution isensemble averaging', where the outputs of multiple models are combined using a weighted or unweighted average. Such ensemble models are often more robust than individual models. We present eSDM, an R package with a built-in graphical user interface, and as well as an example analysis using eSDM to create an ensemble of the three blue whale models. eSDM allows users to create ensembles of SDM predictions made at different spatial scales, using different data sources, and with different numerical scales to better evaluate spatial uncertainties and make informed conservation and management decisions.
Bio(s): Sam Woodman is a contractor working with the NOAA/NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center's (SWFSC) Marine Mammal and Turtle Division. Since graduating from Harvey Mudd College with a degree in Mathematical and Computational Biology, he has worked on a variety of projects at the SWFSC. These projects have consisted of fieldwork monitoring pinnipeds and seabirds in the Antarctic, as well as developing R code and packages for assessing the risk of cetaceans becoming entangled in fishing gear.Sam hopes to continue to be able to use both his fieldwork and computational experience to collect data and develop tools to help inform management efforts.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Abstract: Summer 2019 was another remarkable year for the Bering and Chukchi Sea regions, with record early sea ice loss in the spring, very warm oceans and late freeze-up producing wide ranging impacts, from the ocean food web to individual and community activities. This webinar will provide an overview of the climate and ocean extremes, the biological ramifications and societal repercussions of another unusual summer around northwest Alaska.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Abstract: Changes in the optical environment can affect the productivity andcatchability of fish stocks. However, the optical environment is rarelymonitored in habitat used by deep-dwelling fishes in coastal marine ecosystems.In this talk, I will describe a novel method of obtaining apparent opticalproperties from light data collected during NOAA's annual summer bottom-trawl surveys of the easternBering Sea. The apparent optical properties, optical depth and the vertical attenuation coefficient, characterize relative darkness andwater clarity. Using a virtualspecies simulation, I will then evaluate whether changes in the opticalenvironment of the eastern Bering Sea during 2004"2018 could affect thereliability of bottom-trawl survey density estimates of demersal stocks due to vision-dependent changes in catchability.
Sponsor(s): NOAA Central Library (POC: Outreach Librarian Katie Rowley (katie.rowley@noaa.gov))
Presenter(s): Andrew Hoell, Research Meteorologist, NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory Physical Sciences Division
Abstract: Early warning of food insecurity requires skillful forecasts of environmental conditions relevant to agriculture at many time horizons and the clear communication of forecast information to the social scientists, who also consider markets, trade nutrition and health when they produce food security outlooks. The food security outlooks are ultimately used to inform the programming of limited aid resources for the times and places where they will be most needed. I will discuss how research on the predictability of regional weather and climate is used to prepare predictions used in food security assessments over Africa, western Asia and Central America.
Bio(s): I research the predictability of weather and climate at regional to continental scales, including assessments of individual extreme events like droughts and floods and their generality. I guide food security forecasts in Africa, western Asia and Central America based on the lessons learned via research.
Abstract: Using time series of satellite images, we have observed hundreds of new beaver ponds in tundra regions of western and northern Alaska. This talk will describe beaver movement into arctic tundra regions and some predicted implications for tundra ecosystems.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Presenter(s): Jim Thorson, PhD Quantitative Ecologist, NOAA Fisheries
Seminar sponsor: This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Visit the EcoFOCI webpage for more information, https://www.ecofoci.noaa.gov/.
Abstract: three examples using spatio-temporal models to investigate processes driving shifts in spatial distribution, secondary production, and recruitment in the eastern Bering Sea.
Presenter(s): Drought & Climate Update: Dan McEvoy, PhD, California Nevada Climate Applications Program (CNAP), Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC), Desert Research Institute Drought & Climate Outlook: Julie Kalansky, PhD, California Nevada Climate Applications Program (CNAP), Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), California Nevada Climate Applications Program (CNAP), Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC), Desert Research Institute (DRI), Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Abstract: Fall in California and Nevada can bring dry weather, but this year has been especially so, with many areas receiving hardly any or no precipitation the last couple months. Is this dryness a trend that will continue into winter, or just typical fall weather? When will the wildfire risk die down? Will the Pacific Blob (marine heatwave) influence the weather? This webinar will provide an overview of the current conditions and outlook for the rest of a fall into winter as well as tools you can use to prepare for, monitor, and respond to the climate conditions this winter.
The California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System (CA-NV DEWS) November 2019 Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar is part of a series of regular drought and climate outlook webinars designed to provide stakeholders and other interested parties in the region with timely information on current drought status and impacts, as well as a preview of current and developing climatic events (i.e. El Nio and La Nia).
Abstract: The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for December and the winter season. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Abstract: The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries announces that a new national marine sanctuary has been designated for the first time in nearly 20 years. We introduce to you Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary in Maryland. Mallows Bay is most renowned for its "Ghost Fleet," the partially submerged remains of more than 100 wooden steamships that were built in response to threats from World War I-era German U-boats that were sinking ships in the Atlantic. Although the ships never saw action during the war, their construction at more than 40 shipyards in 17 states reflected the massive national wartime effort that drove the expansion and economic development of communities and related maritime service industries.
Presenter(s): Pat Guinan, Missouri State Climatologist
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, USDA Midwest Climate Hub, National Drought Mitigation Center, American Association of State Climatologists, National Weather Service
Abstract: The focus area for this webinar is the North Central region of the U.S. (from the Rockies to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley). These free webinars provide and interpret timely information on current climate and drought conditions, as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia.
Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
Presenter(s): Bill Matsubu, National Research Council
ABSTRACT The costs and challenges with sampling in the ocean have limited the research conducted on the vertical and nearshore distributions of salmon. We need a mechanistic understanding of how fish respond to environmental variables for effective management and conservation. To address these needs, we are using modified recreational fishing gear deployed at 5-m intervals from a small fishing vessel (microtrolling), which allows us to determine the latitude, longitude, and depth of capture in nearshore and offshore marine environments. Additionally, we measured temperature, light intensity, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and bottom depth. Our microtrolling data revealed that the vertical distribution of salmon is influenced by temperature and varies by species and genetic stock identification. These results will inform species distribution models and is an essential step in understanding the spatiotemporal overlap of salmon with Southern Resident Killer Whales in the ocean.
BIO Bill Matsubu is a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associate stationed at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in the Fish Ecology Division. Bill received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences in 2019. Bill grew up in California and earned his B.S. in Fisheries Biology from Humboldt State University.
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Katie Lohr, (kathryn.lohr@noaa.gov )
Abstract: Hurricanes devastating fishing communities, warm water and parasites decimating salmon runs, red tides shutting down crab & shellfish fisheries. Since 1990 the federal government has provided $1.5 Bn in assistance for such fishery disasters, yet over the past decade, fishermen have had to wait an average of 3 years for disaster aid to arrive. Could an insurance-type solution provide speedier relief?
About the speaker: Gualtiero Jaeger recently completed a PhD in physical oceanography in the MT-WHOI Joint Program, where he studied the ocean's response to and influence on monsoon rainfall in the Bay of Bengal. He previously worked for an acclaimed photographer in So Paulo before studying physics at the University of California Santa Barbara.
Presenter(s): Stacey Weinstock, International Policy Fellow, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Katie Lohr, (kathryn.lohr@noaa.gov )
Abstract: The charter fishing industry is an economically important recreational activity that thrives in tourist destinations in coastal areas. While there has been much research on factors contributing to trip satisfaction on freshwater angling, little has been done on marine charter and head boat anglers. To address this data gap, I utilized recent management changes on black sea bass, an economically and popular recreational species in South Carolina, to evaluate what determines trip satisfaction in the marine charter/headboat industry.
About the speaker: Stacey Weinstock recently completed a M.S. from the Environmental Studies Program at the College of Charleston in June 2018. For her graduate thesis, she focused on social science in recreational fisheries management, but ever the multi-tasker, she simultaneously worked at South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium and The Nature Conservancy focusing on projects concerning coastal issues such as oyster management and climate change. Prior to graduate school, she gained diverse experience working in marine and wildlife conservation in the Florida Keys and Virginia. Stacey originates from Virginia and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2012 with two Bachelor of Sciences in Fisheries and Wildlife.
Abstract: Snow to liquid ratios (SLR) continue to be a large source of error for forecasters in the prediction of snow amounts during the winter months. Current methods of predicting SLR in Alaska range from an empirical method based solely on surface temperatures, to model-derived SLR. Both of these methods have limitations. Thus an SLR climatology was developed yielding a robust data set of snowfall observations. The mean SLR for all Alaska Weather Forecast Offices was found to be much higher than the method based on surface temperatures. Considerable variability was noted in both mean and median SLR values between sites located along the Gulf coast and those in the interior. It is hypothesized that the frequency of events where warmer marine air over- runs cold, dry arctic air from northwest Canada modulates these variations in snow to liquid ratio. An observed sounding climatology was also developed for various low level thermal fields and was matched to observations of SLR at each site. For Southeast Alaska, it was found that the 1000-850mb thickness was a good predictor of SLR with mid level thickness (850-700mb) being the best predictor in general for other areas of Alaska. Finally, the results were then analyzed on a grid using the National Weather Service Graphical Forecast Editor (GFE) and a smart tool was developed which would allow operational forecasters to use this climatology as a starting point when making a prediction of snow to liquid ratio. This presentation will details the work described above.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Presenter(s): Robert Levine, PhD Candidate Biological Oceanography Graduate Student, UW School of Oceanography, Seattle, WA
Seminar sponsor: This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Visit the EcoFOCI webpage for more information, https://www.ecofoci.noaa.gov/.
Abstract: Using repeat summer acoustic surveys in the northeast Chukchi Sea to observe changes in the age-0 Arctic cod population, we are investigating what drives interannual changes in distribution and the fate of these fish as they grow.
Dr. Lee Blaney, Associate Professor, University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Dr. Ke He, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Date & Time:
20 November 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar (see below) or for NOAA SIlver Spring staff, SSMC4, Rm 8150
Presenter(s): Dr. Lee Blaney, Associate Professor, and Dr. Ke He, Postdoctoral Research Associate, both at the University of Maryland Baltimore County Presenting at NOAA in Silver Spring
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Globally, the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the environment has raised critical questions for ecological and human health impacts, but few efforts have focused on the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. To address this lack of data, we measured antibiotics, hormones, and ultraviolet-filters (UV-filters), which are active ingredients in a variety of personal care products, in water, sediment, and oyster tissue from multiple sites in the Chesapeake Bay. Fluoroquinolone, macrolide, and sulfonamide antibiotics were detected in water samples. As both human- and animal-labeled antibiotics were found, wastewater effluent and agricultural runoff were identified as potential sources. Some of the highest aqueous-phase concentrations were recorded for norfloxacin (94 ng/L), enrofloxacin (17 ng/L), sulfamethoxazole (15 ng/L), and clarithromycin (10 ng/L). Estrone and four UV-filters, namely 2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate, benzophenone-3, homosalate, and octocrylene, were frequently detected in Chesapeake Bay water (93-100%), sediment (100%), and oyster tissue (79-100%). High sediment-phase concentrations of estrone (58 ng/g) and 17beta-estradiol (12 ng/g) were detected at the mouth of the Manokin River. Homosalate and benzophenone-3 were present at concentrations as high as 188 and 114 ng/L in water, 74 and 11 ng/g in sediment, and 158 and 118 ng/g in oyster tissue, respectively. These results demonstrate the ubiquitous presence of CECs in the Chesapeake Bay, confirm UV-filter bioaccumulation in oysters, and suggest the need for improved CEC removal during municipal wastewater treatment and agricultural waste management within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Bio(s): Dr. Lee Blaney is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), where he also serves as the Associate Director of Sustainability Engineering. At UMBC, Lee has established a research program focused on (1) the occurrence, fate, transport, and toxicity of contaminants of emerging concern in natural and engineered systems and (2) development of innovative technologies for resource recovery from agricultural and municipal waste. He is the recipient of the Maryland Outstanding Young Engineer Award, the NSF Career Award, and the AEESP Award for Outstanding Teaching in Environmental Engineering and Science.
Dr. Ke He is currently a postdoctoral research associate at UMBC. He received his PhD degree in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from UMBC in 2017, and then he worked as a postdoctoral fellow for a year at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. His research interests focus on the development of advanced analytical and bioanalytical methods to understand the occurrence, fate, and ecotoxicity of prioritized contaminants of emerging concern (e.g., antibiotics, hormones, UV-filters, and PFAS) in different environmental compartments. He has co-authored more than 10 peer-reviewed publications in this research field. .
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Abstract: The purpose of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) CoastWatch/OceanWatch/PolarWatch Program (a.k.a. CoastWatch, https://coastwatch.noaa.gov) is to improve decision outcomes by facilitating the use of ocean satellite data in applications and research. NOAA CoastWatch provides free and open access to global and regional satellite data products for use in understanding, managing and protecting ocean and coastal resources and for assessing impacts of environmental change in ecosystems, weather, and climate. The seed for what later was to become CoastWatch was an unusual algal bloom off the coast of North Carolina in 1987. Dr. Pat Tester, of the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory, used satellite sea surface temperature imagery to investigate the cause (Tester et al., 1991). The printed images were delivered to her by mail. With time and in response to the continual development of ocean observations from space, the CoastWatch scope has expanded to include multiple environmental parameters such as sea surface temperature, ocean color (chlorophyll, etc.), sea surface height (altimetry), ocean winds, surface roughness (synthetic aperture radar), salinity and sea ice. These products have global and regional coverage and near real-time as well as delayed-mode, higher quality and longer term time series datasets. CoastWatch customizes, serves, monitors, and provides user training for ocean and coastal remote sensing data products from NOAA and non-NOAA satellite missions to several audiences who use those products in research and in operational oceanographic applications. The program is organized as a hub and spokes. The hub has the primary processing responsibilities and is co-located with the NOAA ocean satellite environmental data record (EDR; i.e., Level 2) science team producers. The spokes are regional Nodes that are distributed geographically and across NOAA mission line offices. With this arrangement, CoastWatch is well-positioned to bridge upstream ocean EDR producers with downstream user needs. This presentation will give an overview of the data, tools, and services provided by CoastWatch, and show some examples of user applications.
Bio(s): Trained as a biological oceanographer, Veronica Lance spent much of her early research career at sea studying phytoplankton assemblages, phytoplankton photophysiology and primary productivity in relation to geo-physico-chemical environments, especially in regions where iron is a regulating micro-nutrient. After earning her PhD from Duke University and a PostDoc at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, her interests expanded to using satellite remote sensing of ocean color to understand spatial and temporal patterns of ocean productivity as researcher working with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Lance began working with the NOAA Ocean Color Science team in 2014. Currently, in her position as a research scientist with the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies at the University of Maryland, she serves as Program Scientist for NOAACoastWatch/OceanWatch/PolarWatch and works closely with the Center for Satellite Applications and Research, Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division at NOAA/NESDIS in several functions.
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Abstract: As a cooperative project between the NEFSC, NWFSC, NOAA's S&T, and Norway's IMR, we tested the performance of stock assessment modeling approaches under simulated climate scenarios for the California Current and Nordic/Barents Seas ecosystems, both of which are experiencing rapid global climate change. We demonstrate methods for using ecosystem models as simulators to provide both a true system state for skill assessment, and datasets for input into fisheries stock assessment models with realistic observation and process uncertainty. We will evaluate stock assessment performance by quantifying the bias and precision of derived quantities related to population size, fishing intensity, and depletion, and by evaluating management performance on forward projections in which fishing rates were set based on reference points estimated in the assessment.
Sponsor(s): National Sea Grant and the NOAA Central Library POC: Hollis Jones (hollis.jones@noaa.gov)
Presenter(s): Chiara Zuccarino-Crowe, M.S. Great Lakes outreach specialist & Extension Educator, Michigan Sea Grant; Michigan State University Extension - Community, Food and Environment Institute; Sea Grant Liaison, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, NOAA
Abstract: The presentation will describe the regional approach to serving as a NOAA " Sea Grant Partnership Extension Liaison. Instead of driving collaboration on a specific topic or area of inquiry, this role focuses on partnership development and coordination across a variety of priority areas within the Great Lakes region that are of importance to NOAA and multiple state Sea Grant programs. In the short term, this has involved identification of and familiarization with the communities of practice already operating within the broader Sea Grant and NOAA regional networks. This allows the liaison to better facilitate cross-cutting communication and engagement while developing the relationships necessary to achieve longer term goals related to research coordination and building expert capacity for emerging key areas. In some cases, this can take the form of compiling technical resources and outreach products on an issue facing communities across the region, such as high water levels, and serving it on a shared platform that is easily accessible to all Sea Grant and NOAA partners. This coordination can also require a more active role, such as convening a working group through NOAA's Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team to address needs related to evaluating and enriching the Great Lakes Blue Economy.
Bio(s): As a Sea Grant Liaison to NOAA in the Great Lakes, Chiara works collaboratively to enhance partnerships among NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, the eight Sea Grant programs in the Great Lakes, and Michigan Sea Grant / Michigan State University (MSU) Extension. Prior to joining Michigan Sea Grant, Chiara served NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation for several years on issues related to sustainable coastal tourism and outdoor recreation in marine protected areas. She also completed a Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship after achieving an M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from MSU. In other roles, Chiara has worked as a naturalist, conducted ecosystem health assessments with U.S. EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office, and surveyed fisheries along the southern California coast.
Title: A global spatial analysis reveals where marine aquaculture can benefit nature and people
Presenter(s): Seth Theuerkauf, PhD, Aquaculture Scientist, The Nature Conservancy
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Aquaculture of bivalve shellfish and seaweed represents a global opportunity to simultaneously advance coastal ecosystem recovery and provide substantive benefits to humanity. To identify marine ecoregions with the greatest potential for development of shellfish and seaweed aquaculture to meet this opportunity, we conducted a global spatial analysis using key environmental (e.g., nutrient pollution status), socioeconomic (e.g., governance quality), and human health factors (e.g., wastewater treatment prevalence). We identify a substantial opportunity for strategic sector development, with the highest opportunity marine ecoregions for shellfish aquaculture centered on Oceania, North America, and portions of Asia, and the highest opportunity for seaweed aquaculture distributed throughout Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North and South America. This study provides insights into specific areas where governments, international development organizations, and investors should prioritize new efforts to drive changes in public policy, capacity-building, and business planning to realize the ecosystem and societal benefits of shellfish and seaweed aquaculture.
Bio(s): Dr. Seth Theuerkauf is an Aquaculture Scientist with The Nature Conservancy where he leads global-scale synthesis science efforts to better understand and optimize aquaculture's ecosystem services, as well as multiple efforts around the world to support national governments in improving capacity for aquaculture siting and management. Before joining The Nature Conservancy in April 2019, Seth worked in a joint position with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Nature Conservancy where he supported efforts to improve siting of aquaculture operations. Seth has over a decade of marine science research experience, holds a Ph.D. in marine conservation ecology from North Carolina State University, and a B.S. in biology and environmental policy from the College of William and Mary.
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Sponsor(s): Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Science Seminar
Presenter(s): Dr. Daniel Tong, Associate Professor at George Mason University, Emission Scientist NOAA Air Resources Lab
Abstract: Valley fever is an infection caused by fungi living in soil. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 10,000 cases are reported each year in the US, primarily in Arizona and California. The incidence of valley fever in the southwestern US has increased in recent years, likely associated with blowing dust. An overview of the link between dust and valley fever will be presented, followed by a screening of the 25-minute 2018 documentary Dust Rising. This film was created by Lauren Schwartzman as part of her work in the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and features research from NOAA and NASA scientists. Daniel Tong and Hongbin Yu provide commentary on dust transport, and the documentary includes GOES-16 dust color imagery, NASA global aerosol simulations, and GFDL model output.
Presenter(s): Dr. Ryan Hardy, National Geodetic Survey
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Geodetic Survey.
POC: Steve Vogel, National Geodetic Survey
Abstract: NGS's upcoming geopotential datum will require a dynamic geoid model to maintain centimeter-height accuracy. Geoid change is especially challenging to model in Alaska. Geophysical processes in Alaska, including rapid ice mass loss from mountain glaciers, contribute to geoid change rates of more than 2 centimeters per decade. This webinar presents research modeling geoid change in Alaska, past and present. This work combines satellite gravity data with airborne and satellite measurements of glacier elevation change to predict geoid rates with improved fidelity and spatial resolution. The wealth of existing geodetic and geophysical observations in Alaska also enables us to examine how the geoid has changed across the 20th century. Intermediate Technical Content Rating: Some prior knowledge is helpful.
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series. For additional information please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Presenter(s): Rick Goetz, NWFSC
Abstract:
Studies that we have been conducting over the past decade on a deep-water marine species, the sablefish, as well as a deep-water freshwater species, the siscowet lake trout, suggest that there are common strategies in dealing with some of the constraints imposed by deep-water habitats. The most striking strategy is the ability of these fish to undergo extensive vertical migrations in the water column, at times on a 24-hour periodicity (i.e., diel vertical migration). In looking at the diets of these fish, it appears likely that the vertical migrations are involved in foraging and these vertical movements appear to be facilitated by some common physiological adaptations including elevated lipid levels.
BIO Rick Goetz leads the program in Aquaculture and Marine Finfish and Shellfish Biology located at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. He received a BA from Colgate University in Biology and German and a PhD in Zoology and Physiology from the University of Wyoming. He was a Professor in the Biological Sciences Department at the University of Notre Dame from 1978-2000. He then headed the Program in Scientific Aquaculture at the Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, MA) from 2000-2004. Before coming to NOAA in 2012, he was a Professor in the School of Freshwater Sciences (Great Lakes WATER Institute) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2004-2011). He has conducted research on reproduction, growth, and immunology in various fish species including rainbow trout, brook trout, lake trout, yellow perch, zebrafish, goldfish and sablefish. More recently he has been developing and characterizing captive finfish broodstocks for genetic selection in aquaculture and studying phenotypic diversity and speciation in lake trout and sablefish.
Abstract: In this world of rapid global change, managers often have limited ability to control the ultimate drivers of this change or resist or reverse ecological responses to it. Managers in this brave new world' face difficult choices as well as important opportunities to influence ecological trajectories at local, regional, and continental scales, as they work along a management spectrum from resisting, to accepting, to actively directing ecological change. Managers need clear concepts and training in navigating ecological transformation (NET) and mechanisms to coordinate transformation management across agencies and management units. The FedNET working group (composed of representatives from federal land management agencies, USGS, and NOAA) is working to help US federal land managers understand, plan for, and respond to ecological transformation to maximize conservation of species, ecosystems, and ecosystem services. The group will develop concepts, frameworks, and training opportunities to help managers navigate the who, why, where, when, how, and what of NET and coordinate transformation stewardship across scales. The webinar will: 1) discuss how FedNET is using the decision framework Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD), 2) present related case studies to help federal land managers understand, plan for, and respond to ecological transformation, and 3) facilitate discussion with NOAA colleagues and an Ocean Tipping Points representative on how the RAD framework might be applied to marine fisheries.
Bio(s): Gregor Schuurman is an ecologist with the NPS CCRP, where he works with national parks and partners to understand and adapt to a wide range of climate change impacts. His work focuses on 1) incorporating climate projections into management and planning, 2) analyzing climate adaption options in the context of policy, 3) tracking ongoing adaptation in the NPS, and 4) developing and synthesizing management-relevant science.
Wendy Morrison is a fisheries ecologist with NMFS Office of Sustainable Fisheries at NOAA HQ in Silver Spring. She is looking at options for adapting fisheries management for a changing climate and has recently joined the FEDNET group.
Dr. Carrie Kappel is a Research Scientist and Senior Fellow at UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. In her research, Dr. Kappel uses collaborative synthesis science to develop conservation solutions that protect marine ecosystems and enhance human wellbeing. Dr. Kappel recently led the Ocean Tipping Points project, a large, multi-institution collaboration which sought to integrate our growing scientific understanding of tipping points in marine ecosystems into ocean management through practical tools and approaches.
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Join us in the NOAA Central Library, SSMC3, 2nd Floor!
Presenter(s): Carl-Axel P. Soderberg, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Chapter, Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (AIDIS, by its Spanish acronym)
Abstract: The presentation will describe Hurricane Mara's impact on the island's environment, including the impacts on forests, coral reefs, endangered species, beaches, fisheries, water quality, air quality, landfills and potable water supply. The presentation will also delve into long term impacts such as significant reduction in water storage capacity at reservoirs, drastically diminished capacity at landfills and increased coral reef mortality.
Bio(s): Mr. Soderberg has 50 years of experience in the environmental protection field. He was the Director of EPA's Caribbean Division for 20 years. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the San Juan Bay Estuary Program and a member of the Advisory Council of AIDIS-International. He has been very active in assisting countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in the establishment of environmental control programs and capacity development.
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Presenter(s): Dr. Elliott Hazen and Heather Welch, Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Heather and Elliott will discuss the latest research on implementing dynamic applications to address spatio-temporal management problems. Dynamic ocean management (DOM) is emerging as one potential solution to the challenge of spatially managing species and human activities that are dynamic in space and time. DOM strategies use real-time data on environmental conditions to inform management boundaries that can in turn rapidly adjust in response to the shifting nature of the ocean, its biodiversity, and the stakeholders that use it. This webinar introduces the field of DOM, provides the latest on the fisheries sustainability tool EcoCast, and discusses the process of building, validating, operationalizing, maintaining, and forecasting a dynamic ocean management tool. Join this webinar to learn about some of the challenges, solutions, and under-the-hood details of applied dynamic ocean management.
Bio(s): Heather Welch UCSC Project Specialist Heather's research focuses on quantifying and planning for the spatial and temporal dynamics of large-scale marine processes. In a research position at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Heather modeled and projected species seasonal movements in the Mid-Atlantic. In her current position at UCSC / NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Heather works on developing and evaluating dynamic ocean management tools to aid the sustainable usages of ocean resources.Heather received her B.A. from Whitman College in 2010 and her M.Sc. from James Cook University in 2014.
Elliott Hazen NOAA Research Ecologist / UCSC Adjunct Researcher Dr. Hazen is part of NOAA's Climate and Ecosystems Group within the Environmental Research Division, applying statistical approaches to understanding ecological to ecosystem interactions. His general research interests fall in the realm of ecology and ecological modeling with an added interest in using multiple data types to inform novel applied management approaches. He received his Master's of Science in 2003 from the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and his Ph.D. from Duke University in 2008.
Presenter(s): Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
Sydney Evans, MPH, Science Analyst and Olga Naidenko, PhD, Vice President of Science Investigations, both with Environmental Working Group. Presenting at NOAA in Silver Spring.
Date & Time:
12 November 2019
12:00 pm - 12:45 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar (see access below), or for NOAA Silver Spring staff: SSMC4, Room 8150
Presenter(s): Sydney Evans, MPH, Science Analyst, Environmental Working Group. and Olga Naidenko, PhD, Vice President of Science Investigations, Environmental Working Group. Presenting at NOAA in Silver Spring.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Since the 1990s, researchers and health agencies worldwide have been calling for a shift towards aggregate and cumulative assessment of chemical contaminants from the prior framework that focused on assessing contaminants one at a time. Cumulative cancer- and non-cancer risk assessment has become a standard approach for common air quality evaluations, yet no comprehensive assessment has been published for drinking water contaminants on a national level. This approach, which indicates that over 100,000 lifetime cancer cases could be due to carcinogenic contaminants in drinking water, offers a deeper insight into national drinking water quality. Overall, national attributable risk due to tap water contaminants is approximately 4 x 10-4, which is two orders of magnitude higher than the de minimus cancer risk of one-in-a-million. The majority of this risk is due to the presence of arsenic, disinfection byproducts, and radioactive contaminants. Decreasing the levels of chemical contaminants in drinking water represents an important opportunity for protecting public health.
Bio(s): Sydney Evans: Before joining EWG's research team in 2018, Sydney worked as an environmental health specialist at a local health department in Indiana. While there, she was awarded the Indiana Environmental Health Association's Rookie of the Year award for her work in her community. She has co-authored a number of peer-reviewed journal articles in the areas of public health and environmental health and has served as a guest lecturer for Indiana University's School of Public Health. She holds a B.A. in chemistry from the University of Virginia and an M.P.H. in environmental health from Indiana University Bloomington. Her work at EWG primarily focuses on tap water contaminants, exposure analysis, and children's health.
Olga Naidenko: After graduating as a valedictorian from Colgate University in 1995, Olga started her Ph.D. training at the University of California at Los Angeles. Her doctoral studies focused on the molecular basis of immune defense against infectious disease and cancer. During her graduate and postdoctoral research, Olga co-authored and published over two dozen peer-reviewed papers. From 2007 to 2012, Olga served as a senior scientist at EWG, working to advance public policies to reduce Americans' exposures to toxic chemicals. At EWG, Olga conducted groundbreaking studies and testified at federal and California legislative hearings about EWG's research on electromagnetic radiation and children's health. From 2014 to 2016, Olga held a prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science policy fellowship. As a AAAS Science & Technology Policy fellow, Olga worked at the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water, focusing on climate change and water quality standards. In 2016, Olga returned to EWG as a Senior Science Advisor, spearheading EWG's research efforts on children's environmental health under the Jonas Initiative.
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ABSTRACT The Hood Canal Bridge (HCB) spans the northern outlet of Hood Canal in the Salish Sea and extends 4.6 meters (15 ft) underwater, and forms a partial barrier for steelhead migrating from Hood Canal to the Pacific Ocean. Capture-recapture models indicate that only 51% (2017) and 56% (2018) of the steelhead smolts encountering the HCB survive past the bridge to the next array. We studied fine-scale movements of more than 300 steelhead smolts to understand how migration behavior was affected across the entire length of the HCB and to quantify spatial and temporal patterns of mortality. Individually coded acoustic telemetry transmitters implanted in juvenile steelhead were used in conjunction with an extensive array of acoustic receivers (Vemco VPS system) surrounding the HCB to obtain close approximations of the path each steelhead took as they encountered the bridge structure. Steelhead migration at the HCB appeared unaffected by tidal stage, population-of-origin, approach location, current velocity, or time of day, but were influenced by date of bridge encounter. Behavioral data from transmitters with temperature and depth sensors ingested by predators are consistent with high levels of marine mammal predation. This study confirms the considerable impact of the HCB on ESA-listed steelhead smolt survival, and provides detailed information on the behavior of steelhead smolts and their predators at the HCB.
Title: Making Marine and Coastal Protected Areas Climate Savvy
Presenter(s): Eric Mielbrecht, EcoAdapt Sara Hutto, the Greater Farallones Association
Co-
Sponsor(s): Parks Canada, NOAA National Marine Protected Areas Center, Comisin Nacional de reas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), EcoAdapt, the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE), the Greater Farallones Association, and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, and OCTO (MPA News, OpenChannels, EBM Tools Network)
Abstract: Making climate change adaptation planning simple and feasible for managers, The Climate Adaptation Toolkit for Marine and Coastal Protected Areas is a new resource consisting of a complement of tools that support climate vulnerability assessment, adaptation planning, and implementation. Users are supported by essential tools including a library of over 100 curated adaptation actions organized by habitat type and climate impact, each supported by case studies and documents from CAKEx.org, and the North American Marine Protected Area Rapid Vulnerability Assessment Tool. The toolkit is particularly effective as it was co-created with MPA managers and experts from Canada, Mexico and the U.S., working in concert with EcoAdapt, the Greater Farallones Association, and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. View the toolkit at https://www.cakex.org/MPAToolkit.
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Presenter(s): Charles Konrad | Director of the Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC) Jeff Dobur | Senior Hydrologist, Southeast River Forecast Center, NOAA/NWS Todd Hamill | Service Coordination Hydrologist, Southeast River Forecast Center, NOAA/NWS Pam Knox | Agricultural Climatologist, University of Georgia
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), National Weather Service, Southeast Regional Climate Center, American Association of State Climatologists, University of Georgia, Auburn University
Abstract: By October 15, after weeks of dryness accompanied by record heat, 65% of the Southeast region was in drought, with nearly 35% in severe drought. Hardest hit areas were in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Since then, most of the region has seen beneficial precipitation. Is the current drought over? What's the outlook for this winter? This Drought Update Webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of Southeast drought conditions and outlook, hydrological impacts, and an update on agricultural impacts since the October Webinar.
Abstract: Brian will present recent work using machine learning to analyze time series data from chaotic systems. Most of the results concern learning the systems dynamics to facilitate forecasting and climate simulation, but I will also discuss potential applications in data assimilation. First I will show successful application of a particular form of machine learning called reservoir computing to data from relatively low-dimensional systems, and discuss a partial theory for how the method works. Then I will present extensions of the method to handle high-dimensional, spatially-extended systems using parallel computing, and to a hybrid approach using machine learning to improve an imperfect physics-based model.
Bio(s): Brian R. Hunt received a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Maryland in 1983. He went on to study applied mathematics at Stanford University, receiving a Ph.D. in 1989 for research in fluid dynamics and geometric optics. He has since returned to the University of Maryland to pursue research in dynamical systems and fractal geometry, where he is currently a Professor of Mathematics with a joint appointment in the Institute for Physical Science and Technology.
This month's Green Infrastructure, Climate and Cities seminar topic is part of a three-part series called Designing for Climate Change.
Shachi Pandey, Jerome Haferd and Brandt Knapp who are practitioners and academics based out of NYC, will be curating a discussion around Climate Change, especially in relationship to how small practices and academics engage non-architects and others to build actionable insights. The discussion is conceived as a three-part series organized around:
Indigenous Tactics (November 06, 2019) Contemporary Tactics (date to be announced) and Implementation (date to be announced) Join us for the first session in this series on Wednesday November 6th at 4pm!
The seminar is held in the Hill Conference Room in the Lebow Engineering Center on Drexel University's campus in Philadelphia (see registration page for directions to the conference room). Registration is FREE and refreshments will be provided! The sessions will be broadcast live so those that cannot attend in person can attend online.
About the series: CCRUN hosts a monthly series featuring researchers and practitioners from around the region and country all of whom have new ideas on how to promote resilient, livable, and sustainable cities. The talks focus on urban solutions to global problems associated with increasing temperature and sea level rise, precipitation variability and greenhouse gas emissions. We are interested in spurring dialogue on the implications of such changes on the complex infrastructure of intensely developed landscapes, and on the health, well-being, and vulnerability of the people who live in them.
All seminars are free, and held at 4:00 PM on the first Wednesday of every month in the Hill Conference Room at Drexel University. The sessions are be broadcast live via webcast, recorded, and archived. To see previous sessions, visit the seminar page on the CCRUN website.
Presenter(s): Jordan Watson, Ph.D., Mathematical Statistician, NOAA
Seminar sponsor: This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Visit the EcoFOCI webpage for more information, https://www.ecofoci.noaa.gov/.
Abstract: A talk on the integration of fishery and environmental data that facilitates a framework for connecting that data more easily for management
Abstract: A coupled ocean-hurricane model, based on the HYCOM and HWRF models, was used to investigate the impact of the observed ocean conditions on the intensification of major hurricanes in 2017 and 2018. In particular, the coupled model was used to estimate the impact of individual ocean observing platforms (through data-assimilation in HYCOM), on the intensity forecast for several storms. One key finding is that the assimilation of ocean observations contributed to improved ocean representation, and consequently to improved hurricane forecast, which will be shown for Hurricanes Maria (2017) and Michael (2018). More specifically, satellite altimetry allows identifying ocean features such as currents and mesoscale eddies, Argo floats allow for correcting model temperature and salinity large scale biases, and glider data provide continuous temperature and salinity profiles in areas of intense mesoscale activity. In the case of Maria, gliders deployed in the Caribbean Sea helped improve the wind intensity forecast just before the hurricane made landfall in Puerto Rico. Specific results from Hurricane Michael revealed that the storm rapidly intensified as it travelled over specific ocean features in the Gulf of Mexico.
Abstract: Rockfish populations in the Southern Salish Sea (a.k.a., Puget Sound) underwent drastic declines related to overfishing during the 1970s and 1980s, and have shown few signs of recovery. Since early-1990s, the WDFW has experimented with a variety of tools and survey designs aimed at providing accurate assessments of rockfish and greenling abundance in their complex, high-relief substrates. The evolution of these efforts have provided tremendous insights in our understanding of Puget Sound bottomfish, and the ROV survey results will be used to establish a baseline for evaluating rockfish recovery and ecosystem diversity well into the future.
Presenter(s): Gernot Wagner, Clinical Associate Professor, New York University. Presenting remotely.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Pricing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions involves making tradeoffs between consumption today and unknown damages in the (distant) future. While decision making under risk and uncertainty is the forte of financial economics, important insights from pricing financial assets do not typically inform standard climate"economy models. Here, we introduce EZ-Climate, a simple recursive dynamic asset pricing model that allows for a calibration of the carbon dioxide (CO2) price path based on probabilistic assumptions around climate damages. Atmospheric CO2 is the asset with a negative expected return. The economic model focuses on society's willingness to substitute consumption across time and across uncertain states of nature, enabled by an Epstein-Zin (EZ) specification that delinks preferences over risk from intertemporal substitution. In contrast to most modeled CO2 price paths, EZ-Climate suggests a high price today that is expected to decline over time as the insurance value of mitigation declines and technological change makes emissions cuts cheaper. Second, higher risk aversion increases both the CO2 price and the risk premium relative to expected damages. Lastly, our model suggests large costs associated with delays in pricing CO2 emissions. In our base case, delaying implementation by 1 y leads to annual consumption losses of over 2%, a cost that roughly increases with the square of time per additional year of delay. The model also makes clear how sensitive results are to key inputs.
Bio(s): Gernot* Wagner is a clinical associate professor at New York University's Department of Environmental Studies and associated clinical professor at the NYU Wagner School of Public Service. He wrote Climate Shock, joint with Harvard's Martin Weitzman and published by Princeton University Press (2015, paperback 2016), among others, a Top 15 Financial Times McKinsey Business Book of the Year 2015. * It's pronounced like juggernaut without the jug.
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Abstract: Modern management of Oregon's estuaries and surrounding shorelands is based on the economic and social drivers of the 1970s era within which local land use plans were developed. So how do we modernize land use planning in a way that balances responsible economic development, social interests, and the protection of natural resources? A diverse group of local stakeholders is collaborating to answer this question for one Oregon estuary through: 1) compiling existing data to show current conditions and uses within the estuary; 2) gathering stakeholder input and land use and planning recommendations from a diversity of interest groups; and 3) developing management options and detailed roadmaps for officials to use to update their land use plans. This webinar will highlight the collaborative stakeholder engagement process that is driving this work, and provide a snapshot of the products and recommendations developed through this process.
Bio(s): Jenni Schmitt leads the planning and implementation of wetlands-related projects at the South Slough NERR. As part of her work, Jenni has been coordinating collaborative projects with a community-based group of concerned citizens called the Partnership for Coastal Watersheds. Members of this group collaborate to understand local watershed conditions and address their capacity and resiliency to serve ecological, economic, and social needs for present and future generations.
Jill Rolfe has worked for the Coos County Planning Department for 18 years and has been the director since 2012. Ms. Rolfe regularly coordinates research and updates to the County Comprehensive plan with local, state and federal agencies. Ms. Rolfe has been a member of the Partnership for Coastal Watersheds for six years and played a large advisory role for environmental and socio-economic aspects of multiple projects. Ms. Rolfe is also coordinating updates to several Estuary Management Plans.
Abstract: The sensitivity of coupled hurricane intensity forecasts to ocean model initialization is explored using a combination of idealized experiments and Observing System Experiments (OSEs). Earlier results demonstrated that the accuracy of the ocean response to hurricane forcing is very sensitive to the accuracy of ocean model initialization. This earlier work has now been extended by developing the capability to initialize the HYCOM-HWRF prediction model with ocean analyses generated by the HYCOM-based in-house ocean data assimilation system at AOML. This presentation will emphasize the set of idealized ocean experiments conducted to quantitatively assess the impact of anomalously warm ocean conditions present during the 2017 and 2018 hurricane seasons, and also the impact of barrier layers resulting from the Amazon-Orinoco river runoff. It will also emphasize ocean OSEs conducted during the same years to quantitatively assess the impact of individual components of the ocean observing system. Results from some initial HYCOM-HWRF intensity forecasts that were initialized by analyses generated from these ocean experiments will be presented; however, a comprehensive summary of the HYCOM-HWRF experiments will be presented by Matthieu Le Henaff at his seminar scheduled on the following day (Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 2 pm).
Presenter(s): Mary Moser, Fisheries Biologist, NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center
ABSTRACT Listing of species under the Endangered Species Act requires assessment of status using best available information. Often very basic data on a species are limiting or non-existent, making listing decisions and subsequent recovery planning difficult. A decade ago, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed the southern distinct population segment (DPS) of green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. At that time, there was scant information on population status, distribution, migration patterns, basic biology, and habitat requirements. However, recent delineation of critical habitats, documentation of migration patterns, assessment of spawning stock size, and identification of fisheries impacts has provided managers with information in support of recovery planning. Much of this information has come as a direct result of using new technologies and gadgets, including: 1) DIDSON (dual frequency identification sonar) acoustic cameras to count animals and describe feeding habitats, 2) extensive acoustic receiver networks to document coastal movement patterns of sturgeon tagged with transmitters, 3) autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) equipped with an acoustic receiver for identification of coastal aggregation areas, and 4) inertial sensors, pop-up satellite tagging, and machine learning to document the effects of sub-lethal green sturgeon bycatch in gillnet and trawl fisheries. Armed with information from this research, the NMFS recently released a recovery plan for green sturgeon and is in a better position to update status of the northern DPS, which is currently considered a Species of Concern.
BIO Mary Moser is a research fisheries biologist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in the Fish Ecology Division. She received her PhD from North Carolina State University, taught ichthyology and fisheries biology at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, and then moved to the NWFSC in 1999. Mary's research has focused on use of telemetry to document fish migration behavior and energetics. She is particularly keen on use of cutting-edge tagging technologies to further our understanding of where and when fish move; but, also to get at the how and why. She has applied a variety of telemetry techniques to answer management questions relating to dam passage (Pacific lamprey, salmonids, white sturgeon), marine distributions (English sole, green sturgeon), and even fine-scale physiological ecology (Pacific lamprey, steelhead trout). Watching fish is among her favorite activities and has been both a personal and professional source of inspiration.
Presenter(s): Melanie Jackson, Congressional Affairs Fellow, NOAA HQ Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Sam Chin, (sam.chin@noaa.gov)
Abstract: The oyster industry has long been an important and iconic component of the Chesapeake Bay. Sustainability efforts to increase oysters in the Bay are of particular interest because oysters provide ecosystem services that may reduce nitrogen inputs, which are the primary cause of eutrophication. This presentation will discuss the state of aquaculture in the Bay and reveal how oysters fit into our current toolbox for improving water quality and mitigating nitrogen in coastal areas.
About the speaker: Jackson recently completed her doctorate at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, Maryland specializing in how oyster restoration and aquaculture remove nitrogen pollution. Prior to her Ph.D. work, she completed her master's degree at UMCES on algae blooms and nitrogen pollution. Jackson received her undergraduate degree in marine science and biology from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in 2012.
Presenter(s): Madi Harris, Foreign Affairs Fellow, NOAA Fisheries Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Sam Chin, (sam.chin@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Since its trial season in 2014, the Channel Islands Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) program has expanded in geographic scope and in participation. The voluntary, incentive-based program, which offers financial rewards to shipping companies for slowing their speeds to prevent ship strikes with endangered whales and reduce harmful air emissions, now boasts coverage of almost 90% of all large vessel traffic passing through the region. Yet, as the California national marine sanctuaries look toward the future of their successful, non-regulatory program, no consistent funding source has been identified. Through semi-structured interviews with shipping industry and corporate business representatives, this research explores the potential for better-aligned, non-financial incentives that support sustainable continuation of the program and long-term behavior change.
About the speaker: Madi Harris recently earned a Master's in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara. There, she focused on marine spatial planning, community stakeholder engagement in environmental solutions, and science communication. Her work included supporting planning and research efforts with the NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and the West Regional Planning Body. Madi also has a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California and is an avid diver.
Bryan Costa, Marine Ecologist, NOAA's National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Marine Spatial Ecology Division, Biogeography Branch, USA. Presenting from California
Date & Time:
31 October 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar or for NOAA Silver Spring staff, SSMC4, Large Conference Room - 8150
Presenter(s): Bryan Costa, Marine Ecologist, NOAA's National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Marine Spatial Ecology Division, Biogeography Branch, USA. Presenting from California.
Co-Authors: Ken Buja, Matt Kendall and Jen Kraus, all with NOAA's National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Marine Spatial Ecology Division, Biogeography Branch, USA, and Bethany Williams, on contract to Consolidated Safety Services, Inc., USA, in support of NOAA's National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Biogeography Branch, USA
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Spatial information about the seafloor is critical for decision-making by marine science, management and tribal organizations. While this type of information is important, its collection is expensive, time consuming and logistically intensive. Developing a network of partners and coordinating data needs can help overcome these challenges by leveraging collective resources to meet shared goals. To help promote coordination across organizations, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) developed a spatial framework, process and online application to identify common data collection priorities across space. This application was used by organizations participating in NOAA's West Coast Deep Sea Coral Initiative (WCDSCI) and Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) Campaign to identify overlapping, high priority areas for seafloor mapping, sampling and visual surveys offshore of U.S. West CONUS Coast (WCC). Ten high priority locations were broadly identified for future mapping, sampling and visual surveys based on the results of the prioritization. These locations were distributed throughout the WCC, primarily in depths less than 1,000 m. Participants consistently selected (1) Exploration, (2) Biota/Important Natural Area and (3) Research as their top reasons (i.e., justifications) for prioritizing locations. Participants also consistently selected (1) Benthic Habitat Map and (2) Bathymetry and Backscatter as their top data or product needs in high priority grid cells. The map layers developed here were published in NOAA's U.S. Mapping Coordination website to allow participants (and other users) to collectively track their overall progress towards addressing key priorities areas identified in this effort. Combined, these tools and this information will enable NOAA WCDSCI, EXPRESS and other organizations to more efficiently leverage resources and coordinate their mapping of high priority locations along the WCC.
Bio(s): Bryan Costa graduated from Middlebury College with a joint degree in Biology and Environmental Studies and from the University of Maryland, College Park with an MPS in Geospatial Sciences. He joined the NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) in 2005 as a marine ecologist. Since joining NOAA NCCOS, he has worked as a principal investigator on a variety of projects, characterizing, monitoring and modeling marine ecosystems in the United States. His research interests include novel applications of state-of-the-art remote sensing and geospatial technologies. He currently is co-located with the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in Santa Barbara, CA.
Remote Access:https://mediacentrallive.princeton.edu/ (no registration required). This Webcast will be recorded, archived and made accessible in the near future.
Abstract: Please see https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/2019review/. Laboratory scientific reviews are conducted periodically to evaluate the quality, performance and importance of research conducted in OAR laboratories relative to both internal and external interests, and to help strategically position the laboratory in its planning of future science. These reviews are intended to ensure that OAR laboratory research is linked to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Strategic Plan, relevant to NOAA's research mission and priorities, and consistent with NOAA planning, programming, and budgeting. This review will cover Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory research with a focus on the five years since the 2014 Review. The research themes are: (1) Modeling the Earth System, (2) Advancing the Understanding of the Earth System, and (3) Earth System Predictions and Projections.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Abstract: The webinar will provide updated information on the climate, water, and drought status of the ACF River Basin. Input will be provided by the Florida State Climatologist, USGS, Southeast River Forecast Center, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Mobile District), and others.
Presenter(s): Felix Martinez, PCMHAB Program Manager, NCCOS/Competitive Research Program, NOAA
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Since the authorization of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act, NOAA has made available competitive funding for research on how and why harmful algal blooms (HABs) form and persist, as well as addressing the effects of the blooms through bloom prevention, control of their spread, or mitigation of their impacts. Through this webinar we will provide those interested in HABs research with information and answer questions about NCCOS/CRP's FY 20 Federal Funding Opportunity focused on prevention, control, mitigation, and socioeconomics of HABs.
Bio(s): Felix Martinez has over 15 years of experience as a Federal Program Officer in NOAA. Since coming to NOAA, Felix has developed and implemented research programs that have funded projects focused on coral reefs, mesophotic coral ecosystems, invasive species, hypoxia, valuation of ecosystem services, harmful algal blooms, and ecosystem based management. As part of the NCCOS/CRP HABs Team, he manages the Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of HABs Program or PCMHAB.
Abstract: The proportion of groundfish species' population availability to the eastern Bering Sea shelf survey can change from year to year in response to environmentally-mediated trends affecting movement and distribution. We estimated the spatial availability and variation among groundfish species to the eastern Bering Sea across years by combining multiple fishery-independent bottom trawl surveys conducted throughout the Bering Sea. Based on these combined data sets from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Russian TINRO-Centre, we calculated three different index estimators to determine the availability of groundfish: conventional design-based, k-nearest neighbor design-based, and VAST model-based.
Dr. Jeremy Hoffman of the Science Museum of Virginia
Sponsor(s): NOAA NESDIS NCEI
Abstract: How can community-based participatory research campaigns, known as "citizen science," aid in the creation of maps of urban heat as well as prime volunteers and stakeholders to take sustained action to ameliorate it? Here, I will discuss the impacts of campaigns in Richmond, VA, Baltimore, MD, Washington, D.C., and Boston, MA as case studies.
Jeremy Hoffman is the Chief Scientist at the Science Museum of Virginia and Affiliate Faculty in the Center for Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is interested in how communities can co-produce actionable climate science data related to heat, stormwater, and air quality, and how best to communicate those findings to stakeholders.
If you would like to present on a topic, speak to your Branch Chief and Sara Veasey (sara.veasey@noaa.gov).
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Presenter(s): Judith S. Weis, Professor Emerita, Rutgers University
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: There has been a virtual explosion of research on microplastics (MPs). Every week new articles are published, but not all are original or important. Dozens of papers report the number of microplastic particles found in some water body, but they cannot be compared because there are no standardized methods for collection or analysis. However, it has become clear that collecting with nets misses most of the MPs, since microfibers, which are by far the most abundant type when whole water samples are analyzed, pass through nets. These microfibers are derived primarily from synthetic clothing via wastewater from washing machines. Counting under a microscope is not as accurate as using sophisticated technology such as Raman or FTIR which can identify different plastic polymers. Another common study documents that some species consumes MPs. It seems that every animal studied eats them; it would be of greater interest to learn why they do or find one that does not ingest them. Although animals consume them, few studies have examined how soon and how many are egested. Most may pass through the gut without causing any noticeable effects; this needs to be studied. MPs are considered vectors for transferring contaminants to animals and up the food chain, but few studies demonstrate this with realistic scenarios such as providing the animals some real food and time to egest. Effects attributed to MPs may be symptoms of inadequate nutrition or a clogged digestive tract. It is also important to learn how much of the adsorbed contaminants the gut can desorb during the time that MPs are passing through. Future feeding studies should not use spherical MPs which are rare in aquatic environments but should use primarily microfibers which are the predominant shape found, provide real food, and allow time for egestion. Other research needs include examining respiration as a mode of intake in aquatic as well as in terrestrial biota, and developing ways to modify the manufacture of textiles to shed fewer microfibers.
Bio(s): Dr. Judith S. Weis is a Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, Newark. Her research is on estuarine ecology and ecotoxicology, and she has published over 200 refereed scientific papers, as well as books for the general public on salt marshes, fish, crabs, and marine pollution, a technical book on marine pollution and one on biological invasions and animal behavior. She is interested in stresses in estuaries and their effects on organisms, populations and communities. She is on the editorial board for BioScience, is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and was a Fulbright Fellow in Indonesia. She has been on advisory committees for EPA, NOAA and NAS and chairs the Science Advisory Board of NJ DEP. She chaired the Biology Section of AAAS, and was president of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) in 2001. She received the Merit Award from the Society of Wetland Scientists in 2016.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Remote Access:https://mediacentrallive.princeton.edu/ (no registration required). This Webcast will be recorded, archived and made accessible in the near future.
Abstract: Please see https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/2019review/. Laboratory scientific reviews are conducted periodically to evaluate the quality, performance and importance of research conducted in OAR laboratories relative to both internal and external interests, and to help strategically position the laboratory in its planning of future science. These reviews are intended to ensure that OAR laboratory research is linked to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Strategic Plan, relevant to NOAA's research mission and priorities, and consistent with NOAA planning, programming, and budgeting. This review will cover Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory research with a focus on the five years since the 2014 Review. The research themes are: (1) Modeling the Earth System, (2) Advancing the Understanding of the Earth System, and (3) Earth System Predictions and Projections.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Abstract: These webinars provide the region's stakeholders and interested parties with timely information on current and developing drought conditions as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia. Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as wildfires, floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health.
Abstract: Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have emerged as an important tool for many environmental science applications. However, ANNs are not naturally transparent and are thus often used as a black box, i.e. without detailed understanding of their reasoning. Fortunately, new tools for the interpretation of ANN models are becoming available from the field of explainable AI. Such tools can provide great benefits for earth science researchers. In this tutorial we first provide a general overview, including methods for both ANN visualization and ANN attribution. Then we focus on one method in detail, namely layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP; sometimes known as Deep Taylor decomposition), and show how it can be used to identify the specific elements of the input that were most important for the ANN's prediction. Thus, this method helps "open the black box" and attribute specific predictions to specific predictands. We find LRP methods to be particularly useful, yet few in the earth science community seem to have discovered them. We demonstrate the use of LRP methods for a variety of applications related to weather and climate, and show their use for tasks ranging from debugging and designing ANN networks to gaining new scientific insights for atmospheric science applications.
Bio(s): Imme Ebert-Uphoff received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mathematics from the Technical University of Karlsruhe (known today as Karlsruhe Institute of Technology or KIT). She received M.S and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. She was a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech for over 10 years, before joining the Electrical & Computer Engineering department at Colorado State in 2011 as research professor. Her research interests are in applying data science methods to climate applications. She is also very involved in activities to build bridges between the AI community and the earth science community, including serving on the steering committee of the annual Climate Informatics workshop, and of the NSF sponsored research coordination network (RCN) on Intelligent Systems for the Geosciences. Starting July 1, 2019, she is spending 50% of her time with CIRA to support their machine learning activities.
Dr. Elizabeth (Libby) Barnes is an associate professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. She joined the CSU faculty in 2013 after obtaining dual B.S. degrees (Honors) in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Minnesota, obtaining her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Washington, and spending a year as a NOAA Climate & Global Change Fellow at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Professor Barnes' research is focused on large scale atmospheric variability and the data analysis tools used to understand its dynamics. Topics of interest include jet-stream dynamics, Arctic-midlatitude connections, subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) prediction of extreme weather events (she is currently Task Force Lead for the NOAA MAPP Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) Prediction Task Force), health-related climate impacts, and data science methods for climate research (e.g. machine learning, causal discovery). She teaches graduate courses on fundamental atmospheric dynamics and data science and statistical analysis methods.
Ben Toms is a fourth year PhD student in the Barnes research group in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. His PhD research focuses on using neural networks to improve our understanding of decadal predictability within the climate system. This research requires a fundamental understanding of neural networks and techniques for their interpretation, so he enjoys testing which methods proposed by the computer science community are transferrable to atmospheric science.
Presenter(s): Alex Lincoln, King County Water and Land Resources Division
ABSTRACT Animal foraging requires a series of complex decisions that ultimately ends with consumption of resources. The extent of consumption varies among consumers, including in predator-prey systems; some predators always consume prey completely, others may partially consume prey too large to be entirely consumed, and still others may partially consume prey even if that prey is small enough to be consumed in its entirety. Partial consumption of prey may allow predators to maximize energy intake through selectively feeding on energy-rich tissue, as is observed in bears (Ursus spp.) selectively feeding on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Here, we examined selective and partial consumption of sockeye salmon (O. nerka) by brown bears (U. arctos) in western Alaska. We tested a series of hypotheses to determine what factors best explain why some salmon are killed and abandoned without tissue consumption, why bears choose to scavenge rather than predate salmon, and what tissues are consumed from the salmon that are fed upon. We also documented empirical relationships between salmon availability and consumption by bears to evaluate whether current salmon management in Bristol Bay, Alaska limits salmon intake by bears foraging in small streams. Through exploring the intricacies of selective and partial consumption of salmon by bears, this work aims to increase understanding of the bear-salmon predator-prey relationship and the flow of salmon-derived nutrients through aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
BIO Alex Lincoln is a Senior Ecologist with the King County Water and Land Resources Division's River and Floodplain Management Section where she works on multi-benefit capital projects to reduce flood risk and promote salmon recovery. Alex completed her M.S. from the University of Washington's School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences in 2019, where she researched predator-prey interactions and wildlife behavior in Alaska, and impacts of restoration on salmonids in Washington. Alex grew up in California and earned her B.A. in Biology from Pomona College.
Title: Using Science Operations Tools and Methods from NASA for Remote Presence Ocean Exploration on Earth: A case study from E/V Nautilus Cruise NA108
Presenter(s): David Lees, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center, Intelligent Robotics Group/Carnegie Mellon University
Project Partners: Tamar Cohen, MS, Senior Computer Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center, Intelligent Robotics Group/SGT Inc. Matthew Deans, PhD, Deputy Group Lead, NASA Ames Research Center, Intelligent Robotics Group
Abstract: As part of the NASA/NOAA Systematic Underwater Biogeochemical Science and Exploration Analog (SUBSEA) project, NASA's Exploration Ground Data Systems (xGDS) software supported science operations at the Inner Space Center at University of Rhode Island for a recent E/V Nautilus Cruise to the Gorda Ridge. xGDS is designed to help scientists plan and monitor remote robotic or human science operations and organize the data they return. We will discuss the features of xGDS, how the team used it, our accomplishments, what we observed, and the impact xGDS had on the Ocean Exploration Trust's* (OET) operations, especially around support for active participation and engagement of a remotely located science team. *OET is a NOAA partner, part of the new Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, and owner of E/V Nautilus
Bio(s): David Lees is a research scientist in the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) at NASA Ames Research Center. His current work is focused on the development and assessment of IRG's Exploration Ground Data Systems (xGDS). xGDS is a set of web-based software tools that has been used in multiple NASA mission analogs (including BASALT, PLRP, NEEMO, and D-RATS), and is intended as a testbed/prototype for new ground control tools concepts for future NASA missions. Dr. Lees was also responsible for the integration of portions of IRG's xGDS tools into the flight data systems of the MER and Phoenix missions to support 3-D visualization for science analysis and is currently supporting the MSL mission. He previously helped to develop IRG's 3-D visualization and simulation software (Viz/VERVE), which is used for scientific analysis and rover control in both IRG's Analog field tests and on the MER and Phoenix missions. David's overall research interests center on user interfaces, automated analysis and organization of field science data and 3-D visualization.
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Abstract: I am completing a 1-year research visit program sponsored by the Japanese Government at the NOAA Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS) Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS), which is now the Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies (CISESS). My research at CICS has primarily focused on evaluating the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Level 2 product. In this study, the GLM Level 2 product was validated using ground-based lightning observations, in terms of flash geographical distribution and flash detection efficiency, as well as group timing and geolocation accuracy. The presentation will provide an overview of JMA's Himawari satellites, results of the GLM product validation, and highlights of other studies I have conducted at CICS, such as cost benefit analysis of weather satellites.
Bio(s): Mr. Yoshida's is a Scientific Officer at the Satellite Program Division, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). His work at JMA has been concerned with the Himawari series satellites. He developed Himawari-8/9 image navigation and registration processing operating on the ground system. He was also responsible for development and implementation of Himawari-8/9 level 2 products at the Meteorological Satellite Center of JMA. Mr. Yoshida received B.S. and M.S. degrees in geophysics from Tohoku University, in 2007 and 2009, respectively.
Title: Quantifying Observation Impacts in Ocean Data Assimilation Systems
Presenter(s): Andy Moore, PhD, Professor of Oceanography, University of California Santa Cruz
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) Science Seminar Series and the NOAA/NOS Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS); coordinators for this event are Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov and Aijun.Zhang@noaa.gov.
Abstract: Observations are a critical component of ocean analysis and forecast system. They are costly to acquire and maintaining current observing systems is a constant challenge in the face of rising costs and shrinking budgets. It therefore behooves the ocean modeling community to demonstrate the value of existing observing systems, and if possible, demonstrate ways in which a constellation of instruments can perhaps be optimized. In this talk Andy will present some state-of-the-art methods for monitoring the impact of observations within real-time ocean analysis-forecast systems run in support of U.S. IOOS, and which demonstrate the sometimes complex interplay between different observation types. The talk will end with a discussion about how these same methods could be used to augment and/or optimize existing observing systems.
Bio(s): Andy obtained a PhD in Physical Oceanography from the University of Oxford, more years ago than he cares to remember, and since then has held research and academic positions at the CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre, the Nova Oceanographic Center and the University of Colorado. He is currently a Professor of Oceanography at the University of California Santa Cruz. During his career he has worked on ocean data assimilation, adjoint methods, and coupled ocean-atmosphere modeling. He is one of the co-developers of the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) 4-Dimensional Variational (4D-Var) data assimilation system.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Sponsor(s): NOAA Central Library & Voices Oral History Archives
Speaker is remote, to join the webinar register here
Presenter(s): Molly Graham, Voices Oral History Archives, Program Manager
Abstract: Since 2003, the Voices Oral History Archives has been collecting and preserving eyewitness accounts to the changing environment. Today's presentation will introduce VOHA's mission, history, scope and various oral history collections. Also, we will talk about the value of oral history as a research and educational tool. Finally, we will spotlight current and upcoming projects, such as the NOAA 50th Anniversary Oral History Project, which seeks to document and celebrate NOAA's growth as an organization and its impact on environmental science, service and stewardship.
Bio(s): Molly Graham is a professional oral historian and documentarian. She trained at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine where she produced the award- winning radio documentary, Besides Life Here, which has been licensed by several National Public Radio affiliates. She has her master's degree in Library Science and Archives Management from Simmons College in Boston. Molly is the former director of the oral history program at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and Assistant Director of the Rutgers Oral History Archives.
Sponsor(s): Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Science Seminar
Presenter(s): Edward Kim NASA/GSFC ATMS Instrument Scientist
Abstract This talk will summarize the history of satellite microwave sounding, from its beginnings on early research satellites through its transition to operational satellites, to today's central role in numerical weather prediction and climate studies. Along the way, microwave sounders have flown on many of the major NASA/NOAA/DOD satellite series: Nimbus (1970s); DMSP (1979-present); TIROS-N and NOAA 6-14 (1980s-2000s); EOS & NOAA 15-20 (1990s-present). Sounders have also flown on Earth observing satellites from several other countries; we will touch on these briefly, including some stories from the early days. And, we will conclude with a peek at the future of microwave sounding.
Presenter(s): Helen Bailey, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Although documented sightings of bottlenose dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay date back to the 1800s, there is very little information on where they go, how long they spend there and what they are doing. Through our Chesapeake DolphinWatch app and website (www.chesapeakedolphinwatch.org) we have been able to raise public awareness about bottlenose dolphins in the Bay. As well allowing users to view and report dolphin sightings, we provide responsible viewing guidelines to encourage safe and respectful encounters with these wild animals. This sighting information has helped to guide where we have conducted passive acoustic monitoring to learn more about the dolphins' movements and behaviors within the Chesapeake Bay, and characterize the underwater soundscape. Through analysis of dolphin signature whistles we have identified individual calls allowing us to record the number and identity of individual bottlenose dolphins. These data provide an important baseline on the distribution and seasonal occurrence of bottlenose dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay.
Bio(s): Helen Bailey is a Research Associate Professor at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. She has published over 50 journal articles, specializing in marine mammals and sea turtles. She received her B.A. (Hons) in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford, UK, and her M.Sc. in Oceanography from the University of Southampton, UK. Dr. Bailey was awarded her Ph.D. at the University of Aberdeen (UK) for her work on the habitat use of bottlenose dolphins. She subsequently studied the underwater sound levels and environmental impacts of offshore wind turbines on marine mammals. Dr. Bailey then received a National Research Council postdoctoral award to study migration pathways and hot spots of marine predators at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as part of the Census of Marine Life's Tagging of Pacific Predators project. She joined the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in 2010 where her research focuses on studying movement ecology, patterns of habitat use and behavior of marine species, and its application to management and conservation.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Abstract: Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) bring partners together to work on conservation solutions that help communities and decision makers adapt to and thrive in a rapidly changing north. Alaskans face many challenges as the climate warms, erosion accelerates, storms and flooding intensify, sea ice and river ice changes, wildfires increase, and subsistence resources shift. These challenges are too complex for any one entity to address alone. By working together we are better able to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of current and future generations of Alaskans. Despite recent changes in federal funding, and with new help from private funders, four of the five original Alaskan LCCs are still active:
Aleutian and Bering Sea Initiative Northwest Boreal LCC North Pacific LCC Western Alaska LCC Currently the LCCs are helping to lead projects focused around climate resilience and adaptation, coordinated and community-led monitoring, and collaborative, climate-smart approaches to land use planning. This presentation will give an overview of the four Alaska LCCs.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Abstract: Gulf Watch Alaska is the long-term ecosystem monitoring program of the Exxon Valdez oil spill Trustee Council. The program provides scientific data on nearshore and pelagic ecosystems to support management and public understanding of species injured by the spill and the environmental conditions that affect them. Multi-disciplinary data collected and compiled under the GWA program are provided for public and research use at www.gulfwatchalaska.org.
Title: Decoding a Decade of Detections: Acoustic Telemetry and Connectivity of Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary with the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Ocean
Presenter(s): Bethany Williams, Marine Ecologist, NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/MSE/Biogeography Branch and CSS Inc., and Matt Kendall, Marine Biologist, NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/MSE/Biogeography Branch
Co-Authors: Kimberly Roberson, Research Coordinator, NOAA/NOS/ONMS/GRNMS and Joy Young, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy Gill. Questions? Email tracy.gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Gray's Reef national Marine Sanctuary is a protected natural area off the coast of Georgia that provides critical habitat for a wide range of fish and invertebrate species. In this study, we demonstrate the importance of Gray's Reef in supporting broader animal movements in the U.S. Atlantic coastal ocean, using ten years of acoustic telemetry data. Over 160 transient individuals of eighteen species have been detected at Gray's Reef since 2008, including a variety of sharks, fish, and sea turtles. Individuals traveled up to 2400 km to reach Gray's Reef, crossing both state and international boundaries. Detections of transient species at Gray's Reef suggest it may be a hub of migratory activity or known landmark on the migratory pathway of some individuals. With increasing use of acoustic telemetry technology, continued monitoring of Gray's Reef is critical to further understanding of the importance of this sanctuary.
Bio(s): Bethany Williams has been working with NCCOS since February 2018. She initially began as a Sea Grant Knauss Fellow and has since transitioned to a contractor position with CSS Inc, supporting the Biogeography Branch. Bethany supports a variety of work in the BioGeo portfolio including acoustic telemetry, biogeographic assessments, and the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program. Prior to joining NCCOS/CSS, Bethany received a Master's in Marine Science from Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
Dr. Matt Kendall is a salty sailor who enjoys eel-wrangling, legos, sending Bethany off the boat during field missions, and letting her write his Bio for this seminar. He has been with the Biogeography Branch since his Knauss Fellowship 100 years ago.
Presenter(s): Dr. Brian McDonald, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder and NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division
Abstract: The average US person consumes ~10 kilograms of products derived from oil and natural gas per day. In this talk, the emissions of methane and ozone and aerosol precursors will be discussed for three key sectors: (1) upstream oil and natural gas production, (2) transportation, and (3) volatile chemical products.
Bio(s): Dr. McDonald is a research scientist at the Cooperative Institute of Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado working at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, CO. Prior to arriving in Colorado, he received his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Master's in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. His expertise is on constructing emission inventories, assessments of long-term air quality trends, and regional weather-chemistry modeling.
Presenter(s): Meg Chadsey, Pacific Marine Environmental Lab Sea Grant Ocean Acidification Liaison, Washington Sea Grant
Abstract: Each Sea Grant Liaison position is a unique reflection of the relationships and capacities of its respective host Sea Grant and NOAA programs, and the circumstances that led to its creation. In my case, the PMEL Ocean Acidification Liaison position has been profoundly shaped by Washington's leadership on Ocean Acidification, starting with the 2012 recommendations of Blue Ribbon Panel and the ensuing responses of state, tribal, local federal entities and NGOs inspired by these recommendations. Both Washington Sea Grant and NOAA PMEL have been key players since the beginning; the strength of the Liaison position has been the synergy it has brought to these efforts (something we like to refer to around WSG as the Sea Grant Glue').
Bio(s): A microbiologist by training, Meg discovered her true calling when she read Elizabeth Kolbert's seminal article about ocean acidification, The Darkening Sea. Initially contracted by Washington Sea Grant (WSG) to staff the Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification in 2012, Meg was hired as WSG's first Ocean Acidification Specialist in 2013, and shortly thereafter appointed NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Lab Liaison (a joint position currently shared by WSG's Coastal Hazards Specialist Carrie Garrison-Laney). Meg has a bachelor's degree in Genetics from Cornell University, a Ph.D in Microbiology from the University of Washington, and worked as a molecular biologist before returning to marine science (her first love).
Sponsor(s): Join the NOAA Central Library and the Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) for the new NOAA Innovators Series! This series will be facilitated by Tiffany House, SBIR Commercialization Specialist.
Presenter(s): Dr. Yi Chao, Principal Scientist, Remote Sensing Solutions, Inc.
Abstract: A computationally-efficient data assimilation module is described using an open-source and non-proprietary programming language. Demonstration of this data assimilation module in the Lake Erie Operational Forecast System is presented. Advantages and disadvantages of this data assimilation method will be discussed.
Bio(s): Dr. Yi Chao joined Remote Sensing Solutions since 2012 after 20 years working at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Dr. Chao was the Project Scientist at JPL and contributed to the first NASA satellite known as Aquarius to measure ocean salinity from space. He has a Ph.D. degree from Princeton University and has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Presenter(s): Rick Thoman, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP)
Sponsor(s): Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) - A NOAA RISA Team and National Weather Service POC: Tina Buxbaum (tmbuxbaum@alaska.edu, 907-474-7812) and Richard Thoman (rthoman@alaska.edu)
Abstract: The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for November and the winter season. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Abstract: The Global/Regional Analysis and Prediction System (GRAPES) is an operational numerical weather prediction system developed by China with the supports of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the China Meteorological Administration. By end of 2019, a series of GRAPES sub-systems have been established to follow up the GRAPES_GFS, such as GRAPES_GEPS (global ensemble prediction system), GRAPE_MESO (3km regional system, 10km regional rapid update assimilation system, 10 km regional ensemble prediction system) and GRAPES-Typhoon (the northwest Pacific-Indian Ocean typhoon prediction system).
Recently, there are many upgrades of GRAPES-GFS around dynamics, physics and data assimilation. The upgraded system introduced 1) The three-dimensional reference profile, predictor-corrector semi-implicit semi-Lagrangian (SISL) scheme, high-resolution spectral filtering terrain, which effectively improves the accuracy of the model dynamics; 2) The improved boundary layer scheme and two-moment microphysics scheme under Charney-phillips vertical grid, and the optimization of surface layer to match Charney-phillips vertical grid, the modification of convection scheme which effectively mitigation humidity bias; 3) The improvement from global 3DVar to 4DVar analysis, and the influence of linearization of moisture physical process on the analysis; 4) The tangent linear model and adjoint model developed in 4DVar system which is also applied to the global ensemble prediction system for singular vector initial perturbation.
The verification statistics have demonstrated the improvement of GFS from each upgrade. Meanwhile, increasing the model vertical levels from 60 to 87 and ensemble of 4DVar based En4DVar have been investigated as well. Finally, CMA NWP center's model development plan (out to 2025) will be presented.
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Presenter(s): Camrin Braun, University of Washington
Abstract: A central challenge to the understanding and management of ocean seascapes is the dynamic spatial and temporal nature of marine ecosystems. Yet, the knowledge of the physical processes structuring these environments is in its infancy but is critical for any mechanistic and predictive understanding of the distribution and population dynamics of oceanic predators. The talk will use several model apex predators to explore a primary biophysical mechanism influencing pelagic ecosystems and the communities they support. These results motivate a case study to investigate the ubiquity of and potential motivations for top marine predators to frequent the deep ocean. By integrating across multiple levels of organization, from physiology to ecosystems, we can elucidate underlying mechanisms that govern complex, multifaceted traits such as behavior of top predators. This has important implications for formulating effective management strategies for these commercially-important species that account for ocean dynamics and is integral to anticipating how marine predators will respond to a changing ocean.
Bio(s): Camrin Braun is a marine ecologist and Assistant Professor at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. Camrin's research at the interface of top predator ecology and oceanography seeks to unite physical-biological interactions with the challenges of managing living marine resources in a dynamic ocean. He is particularly passionate about applying computational, lab and field-based approaches to emerging ocean challenges. For example, his work in predator-environment relationships has demonstrated the significance of the ocean twilight zone for top predators, a deep region of the marine realm that remains largely unexplored. He received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography and recently completed a NASA-funded postdoc at the Applied Physics Laboratory (UW) studying the influence of (sub)mesoscale oceanography on pelagic ecosystems. Dr. Braun received his MSc from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Thuwal, Saudi Arabia) and is a National Geographic Explorer and member of the Explorer's Club.
Presenter(s): Laura Edwards, South Dakota State Climatologist and Brad Rippey, USDA Office of the Chief Economist
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, USDA Midwest Climate Hub, National Drought Mitigation Center, American Association of State Climatologists, National Weather Service
Abstract: The focus area for this webinar is the North Central region of the U.S. (from the Rockies to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley). These free webinars provide and interpret timely information on current climate and drought conditions, as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia.
Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
Josie Spearman of Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR, Ellen M. Leroy-Reed of Friends of Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR , Dave Feliz of Elkhorn Slough NERR , Jay Haigler of Diving with a Purpose, and Lauren Swaddell of NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
Title: Engaging Diverse Audiences in Marine and Coastal Protection
Presenter(s): Josie Spearman, Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR Ellen M. Leroy-Reed, Friends of Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR Dave Feliz, Elkhorn Slough NERR Jay Haigler, Diving with a Purpose Lauren Swaddell NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
Abstract: Managers of coastal and marine protected areas are responsible for places that are important for a wide range of audiences, yet we often come up short in engaging meaningfully with diverse audiences. This webinar will present brief case studies about coastal and marine protected areas and non-profit partners that are working with people from diverse backgrounds to provide opportunities to understand and enjoy our ocean and coasts. Educational initiatives from two national estuarine research reserves (NERRS) -- Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) in Florida and Elkhorn Slough in California -- will be presented. GTM NERR's educational programs have recently increased their ability to accommodate students and potential visitors with physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges and communities with little or no access to transportation. Elkhorn Slough NERR conducts after school and science mentoring programs, regular school field trips, and subsidized school transportation programs, including for several predominantly Hispanic communities. Diving with a Purpose (DWP) is working with partners to engage and educate the community-at-large on cultural heritage resources that exist in marine protected areas throughout the US with a focus on the African Diaspora. Finally, the first Knauss (Sea Grant) Fellow from Guam will speak about her experiences.
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Presenter(s): Larissa Lee, Restoration and Ecosystem Services Fellow, NOAA NMFS Office of Habitat Conservation, Restoration Center
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Christine Hirt, (christine.hirt@noaa.gov)
Abstract: As demand for water resources in the desert Southwest grows, managers have an increased need for information on the habitat requirements of desert fish species. This presentation will discuss results of habitat suitability criteria developed for fish species in four Arizona streams, and how these results can be used to protect instream flows.
About the speaker: Larissa Lee recently earned an M.S. in Natural Resources at the University of Arizona, where she studied habitat use and streamflow requirements of desert fishes. Prior to completing her masters and becoming a Knauss Sea Grant Fellow in the Restoration Center, Larissa worked on fisheries management issues throughout the Rocky Mountains, holding positions with the National Park Service in Yellowstone, Trout Unlimited in Montana, Idaho Fish and Game, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Salt Lake City, UT.
Presenter(s): Katie Lohr, Conservation Science Fellow, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Christine Hirt, (christine.hirt@noaa.gov)
Abstract: As awareness of and capacity for coral restoration increase globally, practitioners are increasingly interested in identifying and culturing coral genotypes with key traits that could enhance survival under changing ocean conditions. As a step toward this goal, we assessed phenotypic variation in situ for an established nursery population of staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis). Next, we applied untargeted metabolomic profiling to a subset of phenotypically-diverse corals to determine whether unique metabolite fingerprints could be discerned. Our results suggest that significant phenotypic variation exists in coral nurseries, and that future metabolomics work could assist with phenotypic assessments to inform future restoration efforts.
About the speaker: Katie recently completed a Ph.D. in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Florida. Her studies focused on strategies for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of acroporid coral restoration. Prior to completing her Ph.D., Katie spent several years working on coral reef conservation and restoration projects at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. She previously earned an M.P.S. in Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami/RSMAS and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Michigan.
Alison Watts, University of New Hampshire; Jennifer West, Narragansett Bay NERR; Nikki Dix, Guana Tolomat Matanzas NERR; and Julia Wondolleck, University of Michigan
Title: Conceptualizing and Designing Collaborative Science Projects
Presenter(s): Alison Watts, University of New Hampshire; Jennifer West, Narragansett Bay NERR; Nikki Dix, Guana Tolomat Matanzas NERR; and Julia Wondolleck, University of Michigan
Abstract: Planning a collaborative research project can be challenging " it requires integrating researchers and the intended users of the science in a collaborative process that is unlike most traditional research approaches.
Join us for a panel discussion webinar highlighting the collective advice of three panelists who have helped design and manage collaborative science projects addressing a range of coastal management issues. This webinar will help participants understand the key factors to consider in designing collaborative research projects. The panel discussion will explore lessons learned about:
Conceptualizing research to ensure it addresses natural resource management needs; and
Designing a collaborative research process to ensure that it succeeds.
Bio(s): Alison Watts, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, University of New Hampshire. Learn more about her project.
Jennifer West, Coastal Training Program Coordinator, Narragansett Bay NERR. Learn more about her involvement in a recent project, and a regional initiative to advance marsh resilience.
Nikki Dix, PhD, Research Director, Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR. Learn about her work in recent projects about living shorelines and oyster management.
Julia Wondolleck, PhD, NERRS Science Collaborative. Learn more about Julia's research and her Science Collaborative work developing training and tools to help teams manage their collaborative processes.
Join us in the NOAA Central Library for a workshop training on Clarivate Analytics new platform Publons.
Presenter(s): Tom Zamocjin & Don Sechler, Clarivate Analytics
Topic: Overview of the new Author Search capabilities in Web of Science, designed to help researchers locate their papers using Web of Science, and then claim them to their Publons ResearcherID profile.
Objective: Publons integration with unique author identifiers like ResearcherID and ORCiD can help you bring all your publications, citation metrics, peer reviews and journal editing work together in one place. We will spend most of the hour familiarizing you with the user experience, and will demonstrate how a NOAA researcher can get started using a live example!
William Straka, Researcher University of Wisconsin - Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center, SSEC, Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, CIMSS
Date & Time:
16 October 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Webex Only no in-person conference room will be used
Sponsor(s): Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Science Seminar
Presenter(s): William Straka, Researcher. University of Wisconsin - Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)
Abstract In the last several years, next generation of weather satellites, such as GOES-16 and NOAA-20, have operational, providing higher temporal and higher spatial resolution products. In addition, the next generation of United States polar satellites have unique channels, such as the Day Night Band (DNB) as well as other instruments which can provide a variety of measurements that can aid in the monitoring of unfolding disasters as they occur as well as post disaster monitoring. This began in 2013 when the JPSS Program first tested a response to the Galena AK flooding along the Yukon River in May 2013, providing the flood maps derived from the VIIRS instrument to the National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFCs). This effort began to expand during the extraordinary tropical cyclone season of 2017, where the VIIRS Flood Map product was provided to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as other federal agencies, along with Day Night Band imagery showing the power outages after both Irma and Maria that same year. Since then, JPSS personnel are considered standing members of FEMA's core of technical experts providing critical products to support their response to such events as tropical cyclones, wildfires, and volcanic eruptions. This has included the support of the JPSS Program in the FEMA-lead National Level Exercise (NLE) 2018, which was a simulated Category 4 hurricane hitting Hampton Roads VA, where simulated products were provided to help exercise various parts of the simulated response.
Along with the response on the federal level the JPSS Program has critical to Federal, State, and local agencies as they have responded to natural disasters. In additional, products from the JPSS program have been used internationally via the International Charter, which is effort to make satellite data and products available to countries without their own satellite capability for disaster response.
The JPSS Program has created a new role to assist in coordinate the response these various incidents. This presentation will provide an overview of how JPSS Program has responded to disasters over the years along with how it plans to respond as the products and data become more widely known.
Abstract: Accurate estimates of distributions of semi-pelagic species requires accounting for changes in vertical distribution because acoustic (AT) and bottom trawl (BT) gears both have vertical blind zones. We resolve this issue by explicitly modeling vertical distribution of eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) in an index standardization, using both BT and AT data simultaneously, with a feature we added to the VAST software. Annual availability was variable for AT (35-93%) and BT (49-92%) from 2007-2018 and indicated that both survey types provide distinct, but overlapping, information about the spatiotemporal vertical distribution of semi-pelagic fishes.
Title: Building the field guide of the future: new approaches to identification of deep-sea corals in the Gulf of Mexico
Presenter(s): Dr. Erin E. Easton, Biological Oceanographer, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Presenting remotely from Charleston, SC.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinator for this event is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Link to poster is here; feel free to download and post in your office,
Bio(s): Dr. Erin E. Easton is a biological oceanographer specializing in the ecology and genetics of benthic fauna. She is postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley with the NOAA Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, funded by the NOAA Educational Partnership Program with Minority-Serving Institutions Cooperative Agreement Award #NA16SEC4810009. For the last six months, she has been working in collaboration with National Center for Coastal Ocean Science researchers Dr. Peter Etnoyer and Dr. Thomas Greig on mesophotic octocoral genetics. She is working towards developing a field guide for the mesophotic octocorals in the Gulf of Mexico and identifying new genetic markers that will improve our understanding of the diversity of these vulnerable ecosystems. These data will provide critical data to inform management, conservation, and restoration decisions.
Abstract: The continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is muddy expanse punctuated by a few protruding reefs at mesophotic depths (30-150 m). These reefs provide essential habitat for abundant and diverse marine communities, including octocorals. Octocorals are difficult to identify from images, and the morphological variations are not well understood for many taxa. In addition, traditional octocoral barcoding regions often reveal few to no genetic differences within or among species, and most GOM mesophotic octocorals lack reference barcodes. Therefore, our understanding of the octocoral diversity on these reefs is limited. My goals are thus to identify new mitochondrial barcode regions for diversity assessments, obtain DNA barcodes for each species, to obtain complete mitochondrial genomes for representative species, and to produce a field guide for species assignments based on in-situ images, microscope images, and genetic data. Results to date show that field identifications are often inaccurate. Some morphotypes consist of multiple distinct lineages or putative species. Also, some new mitogenome regions may better resolve interspecific differences than the standard barcoding regions. These data will be critical for updating habitat suitability maps and informing restoration and management decisions.
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ABSTRACT While Chinook salmon is widely distributed in offshore waters of the North Pacific Ocean, and of great importance, little is known about this species' oceanic ecology. To address this knowledge gap, we used pop-up satellite archival tags to examine the life of large individuals in the ocean, including movement, diving behavior, and thermal environment. An unexpected and darker finding was about the death of many of the tagged fish, which may help understand life history changes observed over the past few decades.
BIO Andy Seitz is an Associate Professor of Fisheries at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. After growing up in Maine, he completed his undergraduate degree at Cornell University. Needing a break from studying, he worked as a tuna research technician for five years at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Wanting a change from traffic jams in California, he moved to Fairbanks, Alaska for graduate school and ultimately his current position in the Fisheries Department.
Title: Be a Part of the Change: A Guide to Customizing State Plane for 2022
Presenter(s): Dr. Michael Dennis, National Geodetic Survey
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Geodetic Survey. POC: Steve Vogel, National Geodetic Survey
Abstract: We hope you already know about the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 (SPCS2022). But you may not know how (or whether) you can provide input on the design of SPCS2022 zones. If you want to be a part of the change in SPCS2022, then this webinar will provide useful information"even if you are already acquainted with the request, proposal, and design submittal process.
Intermediate Technical Content Rating: Some prior knowledge is helpful.
Presenter(s): Victor Murphy, Climate Services Program Manager at the National Weather Service (NWS) Southern Region Headquarters
Pam Knox, Agricultural Climatologist at the University of Georgia
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), National Weather Service, American Association of State Climatologists, University of Georgia, Auburn University
Abstract: Drought has developed rapidly in the Southeast. Record-breaking late summer and early fall heat and persistent short-term dryness have led to a sharp increase in drought intensity and coverage across the region. This Drought Update Webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of current drought conditions in the Southeast and the outlook for the rest of the year. Impacts on agriculture sector will be highlighted.
Presenter(s): Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: The intensive harvest of wild populations for food can pose a risk to food security and to conservation goals. While ecosystem approaches to management are a potential means to balance those risks, they require a method of assessment that is commensurate across multiple objectives. A major challenge is conducting these assessments in a way that considers the priorities and knowledge of stakeholders. In this study, we co-developed an ecological risk assessment (ERA) for fisheries in California (USA) with scientists, managers, and stakeholders. This ERA was intended to meet the requirements of existing policy mandates in the state of California and provide a systematic, efficient, and transparent approach to prioritize fisheries for additional management actions, including the development of fisheries management plans fully compliant with California laws. We assessed the relative risk posed to target species, bycatch, and habitats from nine state-managed fisheries and found risk to target species was not necessarily similar to risks to bycatch and habitat groups. In addition, no single fishery consistently presented the greatest risk for all bycatch or habitat groups. However, considered in combination, the greatest risk for target species, bycatch groups, and habitats emerged from two commercial fisheries for California halibut. The participatory process used to generate these results offers the potential to increase stakeholders' trust in the assessment and therefore its application in management. We suggest that adopting similar processes in other management contexts and jurisdictions will advance progress toward eco- system-based fisheries management that simultaneously satisfies fisheries, conservation, and relationship-building objectives.
Bio(s): Jameal Samhouri leads the Ecosystem Science Program at the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA. His research focuses on adapting ecological principles to inform ocean management and conservation, using a combination of theory, quantitative analysis, and fieldwork. Jameal serves as a member of the California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment team, as a core team member for the Pacific Fisheries Management Council Climate and Communities Initiative, and on the Implementation Team for the Western Regional Action Plan associated with the National Climate Science Strategy at NOAA Fisheries. He completed both of his degrees in ecology and evolutionary biology (PhD, UCLA, 2007; AB, Princeton University, 2000).
NOCCG Seminar crosslisted with OneNOAA and STAR Seminars
Presenter(s): Joaquim I. Goes, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University
Seminar
Sponsor(s): NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group (NOCCG). This seminar will not be recorded. Slides may be shared upon request (send email to the POC listed below).
Abstract: Of the many anthropogenic and climate-driven changes being reported in oceanic ecosystems worldwide, the recent advent of the green Noctiluca scintillans (herein after Noctiluca) as the dominant bloom forming organism represents the most dramatic and extreme of all. Large widespread and intense blooms of Noctiluca have now become a common feature in the Arabian Sea and in many other tropical coastal ecosystems of southeast Asia that come under the influence of the Indian monsoons. In the Arabian Sea outbreaks of Noctiluca blooms have been attributed to the seasonal shoaling of hypoxic and low pH waters. It recent rapid range expansion has been attributed to ocean stratification and warming Because Noctiluca is not a preferred food for zooplankton, its emergence at the base of the food chain represents a threat to many countries where coastal marine resources are of great economic and cultural significance.
This presentation will highlight new results from a satellite and coupled physical biological modeling effort called DISCO aimed at 1) investigating the origins of Noctiluca and its unique ecophysiological characteristics and, 2) developing Noctiluca specific ocean color algorithms and 3) developing based decision support tools specifically geared towards mitigating large socio-economic losses being caused by massive Noctiluca blooms along the coast of the Sultanate of Oman.
Bio(s): Fields of interest: a) Marine phytoplankton physiologyand productivity b) Climate change and its impact on ocean biota andbiogeochemical processes c) Development of ocean color and other remote sensingalgorithms and methods for studying ocean carbon cycling and air-sJoaquim I. Goesbio: https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/jig Seminar POC for questions or access to slides: Merrie.Neely@noaa.gov
Note: This 10/9 seminar is subject to Federal Funding Opportunity getting posted in Federal Register by 10/9/19.
Title: Prevention, Control, Mitigation, and Socioeconomics of Harmful Algal Blooms: FY 2020 Federal Funding Opportunity Overview and Q&A
Presenter(s): Felix Martinez, PCMHAB Program Manager, NCCOS/Competitive Research Program, NOAA
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Since the authorization of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act, NOAA has made available competitive funding for research on how and why harmful algal blooms (HABs) form and persist, as well as addressing the effects of the blooms through bloom prevention, control of their spread, or mitigation of their impacts. Through this webinar we will provide those interested in HABs research with information and answer questions about NCCOS/CRP's FY 20 Federal Funding Opportunity focused on prevention, control, mitigation, and socioeconomics of HABs.
Bio(s): Felix Martinez has over 15 years of experience as a Federal Program Officer in NOAA. Since coming to NOAA, Felix has developed and implemented research programs that have funded projects focused on coral reefs, mesophotic coral ecosystems, invasive species, hypoxia, valuation of ecosystem services, harmful algal blooms, and ecosystem based management. As part of the NCCOS/CRP HABs Team, he manages the Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of HABs Program or PCMHAB.
Abstract: OceanReports (https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/ort.html) is the most comprehensive web-based spatial assessment tool for the ocean in the U.S., designed to improve decision-making and increase transparency for ocean and coastal users, and resource managers. The tool contains approximately 100 distinct data layers capable of analyzing energy and minerals, natural resources (including species and habitats), transportation and infrastructure, oceanographic and biophysical conditions, and the local ocean economy for any area of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Learn more about OceanReports from Dr. Morris and help NOAA determine how formal and informal educators can utilize this robust online product.
OceanReports was developed through a partnership between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, NOAA, and the Department of Energy, and utilizes new and authoritative data from MarineCadastre.gov and other trusted sources.
Abstract: HabCam, or Habitat Mapping Camera, is an underwater towed-camera system that collects continuous, high-resolution benthic images, in addition to a suite of oceanographic data. Since the vehicle's first inception in 2002, the system has grown to include six distinctive versions, demonstrating its success as a non-invasive and low-impact surveying tool. Two of these system versions, HabCamV3 and V4, are respectively in use by the Coonamessett Farm Foundation and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and aid in tracking fisheries populations and behaviors, as well as overall ecosystem monitoring and other applications.
Abstract: The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin Drought Assessment Webinar is part of a monthly (twice a month during drought status) webinar series designed to provide stakeholders, water-resource managers, and other interested parties in the ACF region with timely information on current drought status, seasonal forecasts and outlooks, streamflow conditions and forecasts, groundwater conditions, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir conditions.
Sponsor(s): Join the NOAA Central Library and the Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) for the new NOAA Innovators Series! This series will be facilitated by Derek Parks, Technology Transfer Program Manager, NOAA Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) (derek.parks@noaa.gov)
Speaker is remote, webinar ONLY
Presenter(s): Anthony Mulligan, CEO/President, Hydronalix
Abstract: Team of initial disaster responders deployed with a small 37 pound unmanned surface vehicle (USV) equipped with side scan sonar to map clear passage and open shipping lane immediately after Hurricane Dorian passed Abaco Island, Bahamas.
Bio(s): Anthony Mulligan founded Hydronalix to develop advanced surface robots in 2009 after he sold his successful UAV company to Defense Prime BAE Systems. He has been active in developing and using robotic systems for earth science, disaster response, law enforcement, and defense missions since 2001. He has managed over $120 million in funding for R&D, acquisition, and deployment in this field since 2000.
Abstract: Assimilation of land surface temperature (LST) observations into variational data assimilation (VDA) frameworks to estimate turbulent heat ?uxes has been the subject of several studies. However, current VDAs neglect the role of leaf area index (LAI) in the simulation of vegetation dynamics and gross primary productivity (GPP). In this study, remotely sensed LST and LAI measurements are assimilated into a coupled surface energy balance-vegetation dynamic model (SEB-VDM) within a VDA system to estimate both turbulent heat fluxes and GPP. The SEB and VDM are coupled by relating photosynthesis in the VDM to transpiration in the SEB equation. The unknown parameters of the VDA system are neutral bulk heat transfer coefficient (CHN), soil evaporative fraction (EFS), canopy evaporative fraction (EFC), and specific leaf area (SLA). The performance of the VDA approach is tested over the Heihe River Basin (HRB) in northwest China, which covers an area of approximately 1.43 - 106 km2. The spatio-temporal patterns in the EFS estimates are consistent with those of SMAP soil moisture data. The estimated turbulent heat fluxes and GPP agree well with the corresponding eddy covariance measurements at eight sites in the HRB. The specific leaf area (SLA) retrievals show a physically reasonable response to changes in rainfall and irradiance. Overall, the results show that the developed VDA approach can extract the implicit information in the sequences of space-borne LAI and LST measurements to estimate sensible and latent heat fluxes, and GPP.
Must have AdobeConnect installed to access recordings.
Abstract: In 2012, we started the first seasonal forecast of the cyanobacterial bloom in western Lake Erie. Over the 8 years of forecasting, we have learned a few things about the bloom and models, and may have made some progress in understanding the blooms by reviewing the forecasts.
Bio(s): Rick Stumpf is located at NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). He has been working on harmful algal blooms since Gulf of Mexico red tide showed up in North Carolina, and on Lake Erie (and cyanobacteria) for about 15 years. He is responsible within NOAA for trying to transition forecasts of harmful algal blooms into routine and useful products. He uses satellites as a tool in his work, which has included wetlands, seagrass, coral, water quality, as well as harmful algal blooms.
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Title: Towards Heterogeneous Process, Scale, and Model Coupling in Simulating the Hydrodynamics of the Coastal Ocean
Presenter(s): Joannes Westerink, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, contact Mary Ogdahl at ogdahlm@umich.edu.
Abstract: Hurricane wind wave, storm surge, and current environments in the coastal ocean and adjacent coastal floodplain are characterized by their high energy and by their spatial variability. These processes impact offshore energy assets, navigation, ports and harbors, deltas, wetlands, and coastal communities. The potential for an enormous catastrophic impact in terms of loss of life and economic losses is substantial.
Computational models for wind waves and storm driven currents and surge must provide a high level of grid resolution, fully couple the wind wave and long wave processes, and perform quickly for risk assessment, flood mitigation system design, and forecasting purposes. In order to accomplish this, high performance scalable codes are essential. To this end, we have developed an MPI based domain decomposed unstructured grid framework that minimizes global communications, efficiently handles localized sub-domain to sub-domain communication, applies a local inter-model paradigm with all model to model communications being kept on identical cores for sub-domains, and carefully manages output by assigning specialized cores for this purpose. Continuous Galerkin (CG) and Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) implementations are examined. Performance of explicit and implicit implementations of the wave-current coupled system on up to 32,000 cores for various platforms is evaluated.
The system has been extensively validated with an ever increasing amount of wave, water level and current data that has being collected for recent storms including Hurricanes Katrina (2005), Rita (2005), Gustav (2008), Ike (2008), and Sandy (2012). The modeling system helps understand the physics of hurricane storm surges including processes such as geostrophically driven forerunner, shelf waves that propagate far away from the storm, wind wave " surge interaction, surge capture and propagation by protruding deltaic river systems, the influence of storm size and forward speed, and frictionally controlled inland penetration.
These models are being applied by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the development of the recently completed hurricane risk reduction system in Southern Louisiana as well as for the development of FEMA Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMS) for Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and other Gulf and Atlantic coast states. NOAA applies the models in extra-tropical and tropical storm surge forecasting.
Current development is focused on incorporating a wider range of physics affecting coastal and inland water levels as well as forces on infrastructure including large scale baroclinically driven processes, rainfall runoff in upland areas and on the coastal floodplain, and wave run-up. This is accomplished with an interleafing framework in which heterogeneous models focused on a select range of processes are coupled over the same domain and/or specific targeted equations that are dynamically assigned to changing portions of the domain as appropriate to the prevailing flow conditions. This is all done in a dynamically load balanced framework. Algorithmic development is focused on DG solvers, ideally suited for the associated strongly advective flows, allow super-parametric elements for p=1 and p=2 and iso-parametric elements for p=3 in order to achieve improved convergence rates and overall runtime efficiency, and allow for the selection of localized physics on the elemental level.
About the speaker: Joannes Westerink is the Joseph and Nona Ahearn Professor of Computational Science and Engineering and the Henry J. Massman Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. He obtained his B.S. (1979) and M.S. (1981) degrees in Civil Engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo and Ph.D. (1984) degree in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Austin is a Professor at the Large Lakes Observatory and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He is a Physical Limnologist with broad interests, studying a wide range of phenomenology on large lakes around the world. His interests include, but are not limited to, thermal structure, the role of ice, climate change impacts, acoustics, and convective processes. He is primarily an observationalist, utilizing moorings, autonomous gliders and autonomous profilers as well as historical data to study lake processes. He also utilizes numerical modeling techniques, largely to study the sensitivity of lake systems to climate change. He is also interested in pedagogy and outreach. Dr. Austin's undergraduate degrees in Physics and Math are from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and his PhD (1999) is from the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Physical Oceanography. He has been at UMD since 2005.
Note this is a Training resource available to NOAA staff
Presenter(s): Andrew Sharer, Esri's training consultant for NOAA, will be leading the discussion and presentation on these resources. This webinar will be recorded for those that can't make it.
Abstract: Mark your calendars for an upcoming Esri webinar specifically for NOAA. This webinar will focus on Esri Training resources available to NOAA staff. Esri's training website contains a wide range of resources including curriculum development, a dashboard to manage classes of interest and schedules. Esri also provides opportunities to procure training in a number of ways, whether for individual classes, group training, and a training pass program to procure levels of training in advance that can cover upcoming training requirements.
Presenter(s): Alex Gagnon, University of Washington
Abstract: From the pace of the ice ages to how the carbon cycle has changed through time, much of what we know about past climate is based on chemical signatures locked within minerals. Recorded as trace element anomalies or as isotopic shifts, these chemical signatures reflect how mass and energy move across the planet, as well as the response of biological systems to these changes. When viewed at the sub-micron to nano-scale however, chemical composition rarely follows a simple relationship with environmental conditions. This is especially true for the preserved CaCO3 skeletons of marine organisms, which often exhibit systematic patterns of high magnitude chemical variability at the sub-micron scale. While this biologically-driven variability can complicate the interpretation of climate records, it also represents a rich and largely untapped signal. Major advances in our understanding of both how organisms grow their skeletons and paleoproxies hinge on new techniques that can isolate small signals from this complexity. To probe the mechanisms controlling biomineralization and sub-micron compositional variability, we use a suite of high spatial resolution tools: laser ablation mass spectrometry, NanoSIMS, ToF-SIMS, and Atom Probe Tomography (APT), together with stable isotope labels and biomineral culture. I will share examples of how we use these tools to understand the connection between environmental change and skeletal growth in a diverse set of organisms, from cold-water coral to subtropical plankton. Ultimately it is through a mechanistic understanding of biomineralization that we best predict the sensitivity of organisms like coral to environmental change.
Bio(s): Alex Gagnon is an assistant professor in the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington. He uses tools from chemistry and geology to study how ocean acidification impacts calcifying marine organisms like corals and foraminifera. This mechanistic understanding of biomineralization can help predict how changing ocean conditions will affect coral reefs and can unlock the climate records within fossil marine skeleton. The field component of his research includes regular expeditions to Tetiaroa in French Polynesia and has taken him to the bottom of the ocean in the submersible Alvin while searching of deep-sea reefs. He also leads the TraceLab at UW, an analytical facility for the measurement of trace elements in environmental materials- everything from otoliths to volcanoes (http://depts.washington.edu/tracelab/). He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, as well as a B.S and B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. Lab website: https://faculty.washington.edu/gagnon/
Abstract: This month's Green Infrastructure, Climate, and Cities Seminar series will be on Wednesday October 2nd, 2019 from 4 to 6pm. Our seminar this month is on the "Evolution of Resilience Planning" and features Dr. Donovan Finn of Stony Brook University.
Dr. Finn is an assistant professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University and director of the Sustainability Studies Program's undergraduate major in Environmental Design, Policy and Planning. Trained as an urban planner, he has worked on issues of sustainable, resilient and equitable development in East St. Louis, IL and in the Chicago and New York City regions. His current research focuses primarily on long-term recovery from disasters, planning for coastal resilience and public participation in the planning process. He is currently a member of the inaugural two-year cohort of Early Career Faculty Innovators at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, CO, where he will work to advance the integration of cutting edge climate science into urban planning. Dr. Finn will be presenting on the recovery process of the NYC region after Hurricane Sandy, illustrating how New York City, New York State, Hoboken, Long Beach and the federal government used the recovery as a process to advance goals of resiliency and sustainability, while New Jersey, by contrast, did not. Dr. Finn will also touch on his research of the evolution of Dutch approaches to resilience planning based on interviews with Dutch urban planners, water managers, and others. The seminar is held in the Hill Conference Room in the Lebow Engineering Center on Drexel University's campus in Philadelphia (see registration page for directions to the conference room). Registration is FREE and refreshments will be provided! The sessions will be broadcast live so those that cannot attend in person can attend online.
About the series: CCRUN, a NOAA RISA program, hosts a monthly series featuring researchers and practitioners from around the region and country all of whom have new ideas on how to promote resilient, livable, and sustainable cities. The talks focus on urban solutions to global problems associated with increasing temperature and sea level rise, precipitation variability and greenhouse gas emissions. We are interested in spurring dialogue on the implications of such changes on the complex infrastructure of intensely developed landscapes, and on the health, well-being, and vulnerability of the people who live in them.
All seminars are free, and held at 4:00 PM on the first Wednesday of every month in the Hill Conference Room at Drexel University. The sessions are be broadcast live via webcast, recorded, and archived. To see previous sessions, visit the seminar page on the CCRUN website or the CCRUN YouTube Channel.
Please direct all inquiries to Dr. Franco Montalto, fam26@drexel.edu.
James Thorson, Program lead, Habitat and Ecosystem Process Research program, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, NOAA. Presenting remotely from Seattle.
Date & Time:
2 October 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar, or for NOAA staff in Silver Spring, SSMC4, SSMC4 - Large Conference Room - 8150
Title: Spatio-temporal models connecting across line offices; regional ocean models, biogeographic assessments, and modes of variability in fish spatial distribution
Presenter(s): James Thorson, Program lead, Habitat and Ecosystem Process Research program, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, NOAA. Presenting remotely from Seattle.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinator for this event is Tracy Gill.
Abstract: NOAA Line Offices conduct research on a tremendous variety of topics, including hurricane tracking, harmful algal bloom forecasts, support for marine sanctuaries, and information for fishery harvest advice. Research communities addressing these different topics often develop different analytic methods, using various standards of model evaluation, and communicating results differently. In response to differences between habitat, ecosystem, and stock-assessment methods within the National Marine Fisheries Service, colleagues have been developing spatio-temporal methods that estimate variation in population density across space for multiple species and its evolution over time; these models can then be summarized to identify key habitats, summarize community dynamics, or estimate regional population abundance. In this talk, I speculate about how spatio-temporal models could also address important topics for other NOAA line offices; for illustration I focus on regional ocean models, biogeographic assessments, and identifying modes of variability in ocean and atmospheric dynamics that drive biological processes. I hope to start a conversation this powerful new class of statistical methods that can be adapted NOAA-wide.
Bio(s): James Thorson worked as a stock-assessment scientist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, before accepting a new position as lead of Loss of Sea Ice and Essential Fish Habitat programs at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. He plans and conducts research regarding physical and biological processes that can inform ecosystem-based fisheries management.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Title: CHIKRisk App: Global Mapping and Prediction of Chikungunya Risk
Presenter(s): Dr. Assaf Anyamba, Research Scientist with Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR/USRA) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Sponsor(s): NOAA's International Research and Applications Project (IRAP) and the Department of Defense (DOD) demonstrates the potential applications of climate data and information - including forecasts - to reduce risk in the public health sector. The NOAA National Weather Service is a partner in this effort.
In Person and Remote Participation: The seminar will be held in Room 12836 (the large conference room) in SSMC3 (1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD). If you are not with NOAA, and would like to be cleared into the building, please let us know ahead of time by contacting Lisa.Vaughan@noaa.gov so that we can make arrangements.
Abstract: Emerging and re-emerging diseases of global public health concern are recognized to be closely associated with variations in global climate regime. Recent chikungunya epidemics in the Americas (2013-2016), Africa, Indian Ocean and Asia (2005-20067 and have been associated with extreme departures in climate parameters including rainfall and temperature. Chikungunya in particular has illustrated the potential for global spread as demonstrated with epidemics in the Americas, Mediterranean Europe and by the limited local transmission in Florida and Texas. Under the umbrella of the Department of Defense (DoD) " Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) " Biosurveillance Ecosystem (BSVE) and NOAA International Research and Applications Project (IRAP) programs, we have developed a global chikungunya mapping and forecasting application system to map areas at risk for chikungunya concurrently and 1 to 3 months ahead. Using this model, we are producing monthly risk maps based on climate observations and forecast risk maps based on NOAA's North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) temperature and rainfall seasonal forecasts. This effort is aimed at supporting DoD Force Health Protection (FHP) mission, regions of the US at risk (Texas and Florida) and international public health agencies (including World Health Organization, PAHO). This nascent effort illustrates how massive amounts of climate datasets combined with publicly available outbreak information using machine learning methods, can be brought to address an issue of public health concern. This effort demonstrates and provides a template that can be employed in the immediate and near future to develop applications relevant to other vector-borne and ecologically coupled diseases.
Bio(s): Dr. Assaf Anyamba is a Research Scientist with Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR/USRA) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. He received his undergraduate degree from Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya in Geography and Economics (1989) and a Masters degree in Geography from Ohio University, Athens (1992). He received his Ph.D. (1997) in Geography with a focus on Remote Sensing of Land Surface Patterns of ENSO from Clark University, Worcester, MA. His research interests are in the extraction of interannual climate variability signals from remotely sensed vegetation measurements, drought pattern analysis, applications of remotely sensed data in agricultural monitoring, drought & famine early warning and the links between climate and disease outbreaks. His current work supports research and development for USDA/FAS-PECAD and USAID/FEWNET, DoD-GEIS, USDA/CMAVE and FDA Programs.
Abstract: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the impact of 50% sampling reduction in intensity or frequency of the U.S. West Coast GroundfishBottom Trawl survey. The influence of the survey reductions on assessment outputs and catch limits for 11 species depends upon species life-history, frequency of occurrence in the survey, and the data-richness of each assessment. All approaches to reducing survey sampling led to increased uncertainty in stock assessment results, especially for rarer species, for species which have not been heavily exploited, and for data-moderate assessments, which rely more heavily on survey data.
Abstract: Seaports are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to their coastal location. Engineers play a pivotal role in improving the resilience of ports, as they are responsible for designing port infrastructure that will be adequately prepared for future sea level change (SLC). However, incorporating SLC is a challenging task due to the uncertainty of SLC projections and the long service lives of port infrastructure. Through an online survey of 85 U.S. port and marine infrastructure engineers, this research explores the engineering community's attitude and approach to planning for SLC for large-scale maritime infrastructure projects. Survey findings highlight that only 29% of respondents indicated that their organization had an internal policy or planning document that communicates how to design for SLC. Furthermore, results show the lack of regulatory design standards in this area leads to engineers and their clients disregarding SLC more frequently. There is a clear need for collaboration among engineers, port authorities, and policy makers to develop practical design methods for designing resilient port infrastructure.
Bio(s): Ben Sweeney recently graduated with his master's degree in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island (URI). For his thesis, Ben researched how port and marine infrastructure engineers are incorporating sea level change (SLC) into the design specifications of piers, terminals, wharves, and other marine civil works. He is primarily interested in how regional uncertainty of SLC, differing guidelines and recommendations for managing SLC, and the long working lifespans of these structures affect the engineering community's attitude and approach to planning for SLC for large-scale port engineering projects. Ben has also had the opportunity to contribute to several other major research projects during his time as a graduate student. For example, Ben has assisted with developing a GIS inventory of critical coastal infrastructure land use in Caribbean Island Small Island Developing States. After graduating from URI, Ben was selected as a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow to work with the New Hampshire Coastal Program (NHCP). He has been with NHCP since August, and primarily works on coastal hazard adaptation and resiliency planning. Prior to attending URI, he received a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.
Wilson Center Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Flom Auditorium, 6th floor (One Woodrow Wilson Plaza 1300 Pennsylvania, Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20004)
Abstract: The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the leading global body on climate science. On September 25, it will release its first-ever Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. More than 100 scientists from 80 countries assessed the latest scientific knowledge about how climate change is impacting the ocean, coastal, polar, and mountain ecosystems, and the communities that depend on them.
Join us to hear Ko Barrett, Vice Chair of the IPCC, present the key findings of the report. Following her remarks, speakers will explore the future of sea-level rise and its cascading impacts, and how the international policy community can meaningfully respond to the Special Report.
Welcome Remarks Ambassador David Balton Wilson Center
Pete Ogden United Nations Foundation
Keynote Presentation: Ko Barrett, IPCC Vice Chair
Speakers Ambassador Kre R. Aas, Ambassador to the United States, Norway
Robert DeConto, Professor of Climatology and Glaciology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; IPCC Report Author
Mark Eakin, IPCC Report Author
Sherri Goodman, Senior Fellow, Wilson Center
Honorable Gumundur Ingi Gubrandsson (invited), Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, Iceland
Paula Lehtomki (invited), Secretary General, Nordic Council of Ministers
Michael Oppenheimer, Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School and the Department of Geosciences, Princeton University; IPCC Report Author
Honorable Simonetta Sommaruga (invited), Vice President of the Federal Council, Switzerland
Honorable Carolina Schmidt (invited), Minister for the Environment, Chile; President of COP 25
Concluding Remarks:
Ambassador David Balton, Wilson Center Rafe Pomerance, Arctic 21
Abstract: The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for October and the early winter season. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Are our seminars recorded? Yes, you can find them here (https://uaf-accap.org/events/list/?tribe_event_display=past)
Presenter(s): Stuart Munsch, Ph.D., Fish Ecology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Abstract: The applied ecologist's job is often to understand how ecosystem changes impact habitat function. From this understanding we may develop solutions to ecological challenges or place the role of ecosystem components in the greater context of management realms, especially when total restoration is impractical. Two systems where this is the case are salmon in the Central Valley (CA) and Elliott Bay (WA). The Central Valley is a transformed, seasonally-arid landscape that is increasingly susceptible to drought. It also supports human activities that divert water and salmon fisheries increasingly reliant on hatcheries. Elliott Bay in downtown Seattle is an urban waterfront that aggregates human activities along its highly modified shoreline. Despite these stressors, both systems are inhabited by federally listed salmon. In this talk, I will discuss how (1) in the Central Valley, (a) annual rearing windows of juvenile salmon are constrained by its climate and engineered water supply system and (b) fisheries management, flow regulation, and habitat restoration may coordinate to increase productivity of naturally spawned salmon and (2) in Elliott Bay, (a) armoring and overwater structures impair juvenile salmon habitats and (b) the City of Seattle rebuilt its downtown waterfront with science-informed habitat features that attempt to repair these lost habitat functions. By appreciating how ecosystem modifications impact habitat function, we may work within constraints of human activities to improve salmon outcomes.
BIO Stuart Munsch earned a B.S. in Biology from Gonzaga University in 2010 and a Ph.D. in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences from the University of Washington in 2016. He is currently in the Watershed Program at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center.
Dan Dorfman, Senior Marine Spatial Ecologist, NOAA/National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science; Leslie Henderson, Coral Reef Initiative Coordinator, USVI Dept of Planning and Natural Resources; Pedro Nieves, Project Coordinator, USVI Dept of Planning and Natural Resources. Dan presenting at NOAA in Silver Spring and Leslie and Pedro presenting remotely from USVI
Title: Serving Coral Connections in the US Virgin Islands
Presenter(s): Dan Dorfman, Senior Marine Spatial Ecologist, NOAA/National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science; Leslie Henderson, Coral Reef Initiative Coordinator, USVI Dept of Planning and Natural Resources; Pedro Nieves, Project Coordinator, USVI Dept of Planning and Natural Resources. Dan presenting at NOAA in Silver Spring and Leslie and Pedro presenting remotely from USVI.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, the Coral Reef Conservation Program, and the NOS Science Seminar Series; Coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: NCCOS and the USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources have partnered to develop an on-line tool and mapping services in support of coral ecosystem planning and management. The tool provides a wide range of information associated with coral reef ecosystems. The information provided includes locations of coral and distributions of benthic habitats. Data from in water surveys, ecosystem characterization, and human uses. By providing the information as public map services and an on-line tool, we enable local planners and managers to readily and reliably integrate information on coral ecosystems into management decisions. The tool can be applied by the USVI DPNR to provide ecosystem context to permitting and land use decisions. Additionally, this on-line capacity can support a wide range of needs including promoting public awareness, advancing scientific research, and communicating management decision.
Abstract: Dave will talk about the challenges of communicating with a social media audience, and share tips and considerations for crafting an understandable, eye-catching message, and shareable message for your audience.
If you would like to submit examples of successful social media posts for Dave to highlight, please email them to tmbuxbaum@alaska.edu.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Are our seminars recorded? Yes, you can find them here (https://uaf-accap.org/events/list/?tribe_event_display=past)
Julianna Mullen of NERACOOS and the OAInfoExchange.org, Jenny Waddell of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and Francis Chan of Oregon State University
Date & Time:
25 September 2019
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm ET
Location:
Webinar only; Please note this webinar will last 1.5 hours.
Title: We've Got Chemistry! Leveraging Partnerships and the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange to Advance Ocean Acidification and MPA Science
Presenter(s): Julianna Mullen, Marine Scientist & Communications Specialist and Site Manager of the New England Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observation Systems (NERACOOS) and the OAInfoExchange.org, Jenny Waddell, Research Coordinator, at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and Francis Chan, Associate Faculty, Senior Researcher in the Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University
Co-
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Center and the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program with OCTO (MPA News, OpenChannels, EBM Tools Network). Webinar points of contact: Zac Cannizzo and Meg Chadsey.
Abstract: Marine protected areas (MPAs), sanctuaries, and reserves offer refuge to a wide variety of marine species, but can they also protect vulnerable organisms from the effects of ocean acidification (OA) and other climate-related stressors? Increasingly, OA scientists and MPA managers are working together to explore questions of adaptability in marine protected areas to explore this question and sharing their ideas on a dynamic new online platform called the OA Information Exchange (OAIE). In this webinar, we will: 1) provide an orientation to the OAIE to the MPA community and other new users, 2) describe how innovative collaborations between researchers and volunteer scientists are advancing both OA and MPA science in Oregon Marine Reserves, and 3) provide examples of efforts to document changing ocean conditions and understand potential impacts of ecosystem change in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, including how the development of a sentinel site for ocean acidification on the Olympic Coast supports OA coordination and collaboration in Washington. [Please note this webinar will last 1.5 hours.]
Bio(s):
Julianna Mullen: Julianna is the Community Manager for the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange, a collaborative online platform for professionals working or interested in ocean and coastal acidification. Through her role as manager, Julianna works to increase engagement among members, maintain an online environment where users feel empowered to share, and improve the site interface. The OA Information Exchange is a program of NERACOOS, the regional ocean observation network for New England, and Julianna also oversees NERACOOS' communications programs, focusing on raising awareness of the organization's activities and successes.
Jenny Waddell joined the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary team as sanctuary research coordinator in the summer of 2016, after several years of international work as a team lead at the Office for Coastal Management's Coral Reef Conservation Program. Jenny enjoys being able to focus on more 'place-based' conservation efforts as part of the OCNMS team, helping to protect the wild and wonderful outer coast of Washington state.
Francis Chan is an Associate Faculty, Senior Researcher in the Department of Integrative Biology at OSU. Dr. Chan leads much of the coastal oceanography work in Oregon for PISCO (Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans), which is teaming up with marine reserve community groups up and down the coast, to not only fill geographic gaps in ocean acidification monitoring, but to also engage citizens in addressing this complex issue.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Sponsor(s): Join the NOAA Central Library and the Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) for the new NOAA Innovators Series! This series will be facilitated by Tiffany House, SBIR Commercialization Specialist.
Presenter(s): Dr. Ben Cameron, Creare LLC
Abstract: Creare is developing a fixed wing Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) drone for shipboard operations to eliminate the complex launch and recovery procedures typical of non-VTOL drones. Creare's drone utilizes a biplane configuration to achieve lower flight speeds and higher endurance than existing monoplane with the same wingspan. The drone employs a novel control method that eliminates the added cost, weight and complexity of traditional control surfaces (e.g., elevators and ailerons) and also reduces weight by using a single propulsion system for vertical and horizontal flight.
Bio(s): Ben Cameron is the Principal Investigator of this NOAA SBIR Phase II effort. At Creare, Dr. Cameron leads the Unmanned Aircraft Systems research group and oversees development of complete drone systems and airborne sensor packages for specialized scientific missions.
Abstract: Understanding connectivity and dispersal pathways, as well as identifying the underlying mechanisms influencing these patterns are essential to properly understand how biodiversity is generated in the sea and to inform management strategies. Since direct observation of larvae is impractical, a variety of genetic methods have been developed to characterize connectivity and dispersal patterns in marine organisms. Join Dr. Richard Coleman as he explains how he incorporated several genetic-based approaches to assess connectivity of two recreationally important reef fishes across the Hawaiian Archipelago to assess connectivity between the Main Hawaiian Islands and the Paphanaumokukea Marine National Monument.
NOAA DataFest is a month-long effort throughout September to educate the public and inspire our colleagues at NOAA to learn more about NOAA data while celebrating its value, reliability, and accessibility. NOAA data covers a robust collection of scientific earth and environmental observations available to the scientific community and the public.
Abstract: Motivated by recent developments in image recognition, we hosted a data science challenge on the crowdsourcing platform Kaggle to automate the identification of endangered North Atlantic right whales. The winning solution automatically identified individual whales with 87% accuracy with a series of convolutional neural networks to identify the region of interest on an image, rotate, crop, and create standardized photographs of uniform size and orientation and then identify the correct individual whale from these passport-like photographs. Recent advances in deep learning coupled with this fully automated workflow have yielded impressive results and have the potential to revolutionize traditional methods for the collection of data on the abundance and distribution of wild populations.
Bio(s): Christin Khan is a Fishery Biologist in the Protected Species Branch at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole. She is an aerial survey observer and data manager of the North Atlantic Right Whale Sighting Survey which conducts aerial surveys to monitor right whale abundance and distribution from New Jersey to Canada. When not in the air, Christin also works on right whale social behavior, automated image recognition, right whale outreach signs, the Right Whale Sighting Advisory System, interactive Google map, and the Whale Alert app.
Abstract: I will discuss how scientific "storm chasing," computer simulations, and theory have helped meteorologists better understand and predict tornadoes, and some of the challenges that remain, particularly with respect to operational NWP.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Presenter(s): Drought & Climate Update, Dr. Amanda Sheffield, NOAA/NIDIS Drought & Climate Outlook, Eric Boldt, NOAA NWS, Los Angeles/Oxnard Precipitation Regime Change in Western North America: The Role of Atmospheric Rivers, Dr. Sasha Gershunov, CNAP, Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UC San Diego
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), California Nevada Climate Applications Program (CNAP)
Abstract: Another record hot summer is coming to a close in California and Nevada. However, both states have avoided drought for some time, with the exception of a small slice on the California/Arizona border. The region is now looking ahead to prepare for the next water year. This webinar will provide an overview of the current conditions and outlook for the fall into winter as well as the role of atmospheric rivers in Western North America.
The California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System (CA-NV DEWS) September 2019 Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar is part of a series of regular drought and climate outlook webinars designed to provide stakeholders and other interested parties in the region with timely information on current drought status and impacts, as well as a preview of current and developing climatic events (i.e. El Nio and La Nia).
Jay Austin, Large Lakes Observatory/Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Date & Time:
20 September 2019
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm ET
Location:
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 4840 S State Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA or via webinar at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7427155266631505164
Title: What does it really mean for a lake to "turn over"? Radiatively driven convection in a deep lake.
Presenter(s): Jay Austin, Large Lakes Observatory/Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, contact Mary Ogdahl at ogdahlm@umich.edu.
Abstract: Due to the existence of the temperature of maximum density for freshwater (3.98C), springtime heating of a freshwater lake from incident sunlight can result in a process called radiatively-driven convection, where heating at the surface of the lake makes surface waters denser, resulting in full water-column convection. In a deep lake like Lake Superior, this process can dominate the circulation of the lake for two to three months every year, and controls the vertical redistribution of physical, biological, and geochemical properties in the lake during this period. Characteristic features of the convection cells produced are discerned from a set of observations made in Lake Superior over the last several years, from autonomous underwater gliders, turbulence profilers, and moorings, including a large, two-point mooring that consisted of a two-dimensional array of thermistors 180m on a side. Glider data suggests that warm water produced near the surface convect into the lake in chimney-like structures with lateral scales on the order of 10m, and the cells themselves have lateral scales on the order of 100m. Observed vertical velocities on the order of 1cm/s. Temperature anomalies on the order of 0.1K build up during the day, and the water column tends to fully homogenize each night. Developing a better understanding of the dynamics of this convective process is essential to our understanding of the annual development of deep, dimictic lakes.
About the speaker: Dr. Austin is a Professor at the Large Lakes Observatory and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He is a Physical Limnologist with broad interests, studying a wide range of phenomenology on large lakes around the world. His interests include, but are not limited to, thermal structure, the role of ice, climate change impacts, acoustics, and convective processes. He is primarily an observationalist, utilizing moorings, autonomous gliders and autonomous profilers as well as historical data to study lake processes. He also utilizes numerical modeling techniques, largely to study the sensitivity of lake systems to climate change. He is also interested in pedagogy and outreach. Dr. Austin's undergraduate degrees in Physics and Math are from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and his PhD (1999) is from the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Physical Oceanography. He has been at UMD since 2005.
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, USDA Midwest Climate Hub, National Drought Mitigation Center, American Association of State Climatologists, National Weather Service
Abstract: The focus area for this webinar is the North Central region of the U.S. (from the Rockies to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley). These free webinars provide and interpret timely information on current climate and drought conditions, as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia.
Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
Presenter(s): Ali Burgos, Knauss Coastal Resiliency Science Fellow, NOAA NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow K.C. Wilson, (katherine.wilson@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Nuisance flooding, or sunny day flooding, is an increasing issue throughout the United States due to sea level rise. The Hampton roads area in southeast Virginia hosts the world's largest navy base, houses more than 1.5 million people, and is threatened by a large rise in nuisance flooding from rising seas, which could be exacerbated in the future due to internal climate variability. This project analyzes future nuisance flooding events in Norfolk due to tides and internal climate variability out to 2050.
About the speaker: Ali Burgos received her undergraduate in meteorology from Rutgers University where she was on track to become a broadcaster. Her senior year she switched gears to attend graduate school at Old Dominion University to study sea level rise. Now into her fellowship she's working on congressional outreach for coastal resiliency.
Presenter(s): Andie Chan, Fisheries Science Coordinator, National Stock Assessment Program and National Observer Program, NMFS Office of Science and Technology
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow K.C. Wilson, (katherine.wilson@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Corals provide the foundation of reefs, and may reproduce sexually or asexually, often via fragmentation. Increased asexual reproduction reduces the genotypic diversity of a coral population, potentially making that population more vulnerable to stressors. While previous work has examined the effects of heat and acidification on coral sexual processes, less focus has been directed towards the possible effects of climate change on coral asexual reproduction. I will discuss this issue using two case studies of coral populations along natural acidification gradients in the Galapagos and Palau.
About the speaker: Andie recently graduated from Penn State with a Ph.D. in Ecology where she studied the effects of climate change on coral symbioses. The ongoing decline of corals motivated her to work on projects with strong management implications to help improve resource conservation. Currently, Andie is a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow working on bycatch-related issues and incorporating socioeconomic information in fisheries stock assessments.
Kieran D. Cox, Dept of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and Hakai Institute, Calvert Island, British Columbia, Canada
Date & Time:
19 September 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar (see below) or for NOAA folks in Silver Spring, SSMC4, Room 8150
Presenter(s): Kieran D. Cox, Dept of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and Hakai Institute, Calvert Island, British Columbia, Canada
Co-Authors: Garth A. Covernton, Hailey L. Davies, John F. Dower, Francis Juanes, Sarah E. Dudas
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Microplastics are ubiquitous across ecosystems, yet the exposure risk to humans is unresolved. Focusing on the American diet, we evaluated the number of microplastic particles in commonly consumed foods in relation to their recommended daily intake. The potential for microplastic inhalation and how the source of drinking water may affect microplastic consumption were also explored. Our analysis used 402 data points from 26 studies, which represents over 3600 processed samples. Evaluating approximately 15% of Americans' caloric intake, we estimate that annual microplastics consumption ranges from 39000 to 52000 particles depending on age and sex. These estimates increase to 74000 and 121000 when inhalation is considered. Additionally, individuals who meet their recommended water intake through only bottled sources may be ingesting an additional 90000 microplastics annually, compared to 4000 microplastics for those who consume only tap water. These estimates are subject to large amounts of variation; however, given methodological and data limitations, these values are likely underestimates.
Bio(s): Kieran Cox is a Ph.D. Candidate and Hakai Scholar at the University of Victoria, co-supervised by Dr. Francis Juanes and Dr. Sarah Dudas. Broadly, his research focuses on how ecological communities respond to alterations to abiotic and biotic conditions, especially those driven by anthropogenic activities. Primarily focusing on nearshore marine biodiversity, Kieran has recently expanded to include the study of microplastics, and their movement through food webs.
Title: Subseasonal to seasonal scale ocean forecasting for Chesapeake Bay and the Northeast United States
Presenter(s): Andrew C. Ross, PhD (Princeton University and NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), Princeton, NJ.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy Gill
Abstract: We present advances in subseasonal to seasonal scale forecasting of water temperature, salinity, and oxygen in Chesapeake Bay and the broader Northeast United States and discuss potential ecological applications of these forecasts. First, we use a machine learning model trained on observations from the Chesapeake Bay Program dataset to show that dissolved oxygen concentrations (DO) in Chesapeake Bay are primarily controlled by density stratification and temperature. With this model, DO can be skillfully predicted in most regions of the bay if the current stratification and temperature are known. However, forecasting DO in advance with this model, when stratification and temperature must also be forecast, is more challenging. To attempt to solve this challenge, we next produce and assess forecasts using a dynamical model of Chesapeake Bay based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ChesROMS). We use ChesROMS, along with an ensemble of 35-day atmospheric forecasts produced by NOAA's GEFS model as part of the Subseasonal Experiment (SubX), to run a series of 35-day reforecast simulations for Chesapeake Bay that forecast temperature, salinity, stratification, and oxygen. When compared to both an ocean model hindcast and to observations, forecasts for sea surface temperature and stratification are skillful out to about two weeks of lead time, and forecasts for surface salinity are skillful for the majority of the forecast period. Dissolved oxygen remains challenging to forecast, and we suggest that improvements to the oxygen model, which was based on a simple parameterization, may be necessary to obtain reliable forecast skill for oxygen. We also examine the performance of the forecasts for two high-impact events, a heat wave and a hurricane, that may be predictable at the subseasonal to seasonal scale. Finally, we present some early results from ongoing work to expand the scale of our forecast experiments to cover the entire Northeast U.S. marine ecosystem, and we discuss potential applications of our models to ecological forecasting.
Bio(s): Dr. Andrew Ross is a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University and was previously a PhD student at Penn State. His research focuses on predicting the impacts of atmospheric variability on estuarine and coastal oceans and fisheries, from short-term weather scales to longer-term climate changes.
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
Abstract: We propose a novel Bayesian Monte Carlo Integration (BMCI) technique to retrieve the profiles of temperature, water vapor, and cloud liquid/ice water content from microwave cloudy measurements in the rainbands of tropical cyclones (TC). These retrievals then can either be directly used by meteorologists to analyze the structure of TCs or be assimilated into numerical models to provide accurate initial conditions for the NWP models. The BMCI technique is applied to the data from the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) onboard Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) and Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI).
Bio(s): Dr. Isaac Moradi is a remote sensing scientist with over fifteen years of experience specializing in radiative transfer modeling; Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSE); data assimilation; satellite data analysis and bias correction; atmospheric humidity and ice clouds; inverse methods and retrieving geophysical variables from satellite observations; solar radiation resource assessment; quality assurance of solar radiation and in-situ radiosonde measurements; and developing new instrument concepts especially for measuring tropospheric humidity. Please also see https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/isaac.moradi
Presenter(s): Steve Miller, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Fort Collins, CO USA
Sponsor(s): JPSS Science Seminar, JPSS Program. POC: Bill Sjoberg (bill.sjoberg@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Visible satellite imagery is a longstanding staple of daytime operational weather forecasting for situational awareness. The lack of visible imagery at night has ingrained within the forecaster a mentality of infrared (IR) exclusivity, which has many limitations in terms of aerosol, low-cloud, and surface property detection. The Visible/Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB) on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) and the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1; a.k.a. NOAA-20) have introduced a formidable new First Order' to nighttime environmental characterization. Nocturnal awareness of parameters key to commerce and transportation (surface/aviation/maritime), infrastructure (e.g., power consumption), and major components of the climate system (clouds, cryosphere, aerosol, land, and ocean), are now capable via the DNB's unique sensitivity to artificial (ships, cities, gas flares) and natural (e.g., lunar reflection, active fires, airglow) sources of nocturnal light.
Unfortunately, the coarse temporal resolution at low latitudes inherent to polar-orbiting satellites, has relegated the greatest operational impacts of the DNB to the high latitudes. Mostly for this reason, but also for the unique benefit of low-light sensitivity to the high latitude winter season, the DNB imagery (represented by Near-Constant Contrast; NCC) Key Performance Parameter is currently relegated to latitudes poleward of 60 N, despit its unique and complementary capabilities to other VIIRS bands at all latitudes. With the launch of the first Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) in late 2017, this resolution has improved for the mid- and low-latitudes. JPSS-1, inserted -orbit ahead of S-NPP in the same orbital plane, now enables a ~50 min sampling about the nominal local crossing time of 0130. The revisit offers new opportunities to characterize features through motion/change and dual viewing perspective.
Here, we present selected results from a JPSS-sponsored research project: Visible Applications in Dark Environments, Revisited"VADER. The project aims to socialize and capitalize on the potential of the expanded dual-VIIRS/DNB observing system for the benefit of the research and operational communities. One constancy during these early years of DNB evaluation has been the growing list of capabilities. Leveraging the novel DNB capabilities to resolve the diverse signals of the night, VADER pursues diverse cross section of science and discovery, while also providing practical operational utility to forecasters in achieving societal benefits
NOAA DataFest is a month-long effort throughout September to educate the public and inspire our colleagues at NOAA to learn more about NOAA data while celebrating its value, reliability, and accessibility. NOAA data covers a robust collection of scientific earth and environmental observations available to the scientific community and the public.
Abstract: TBD
Bio David Hall joined NVIDIA in January 2018, after working as an Assistant Professor of Research in Computer Science at CU Boulder. Dr. Hall has technical expertise in theoretical physics, numerical methods, computational fluid dynamics, and artificial intelligence. David spent the previous decade developing non-hydrostatic atmospheric models for high resolution climate modeling in HPC environments. As a solution architect at NVIDIA, Dr. Hall's primary role is to help scientist and engineers understand and translate the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence into practical solutions in the areas of weather, climate, and space. Dr. Hall earned his PhD in Physics from the University of Santa Barbara, CA and a BA in physics from CU Boulder.
Title: Climate change could reduce estuarine habitat for oysters in California
Presenter(s): Edwin Grosholz, Professor and the Alexander and Elizabeth Specialist in Cooperative Extension, University of California, Davis. Presenting remotely.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is tracy.gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Ocean acidification is bad news for shellfish, as it makes it harder for them to form their calcium-based shells. But climate change could also have multiple other impacts that make California bays less hospitable to shelled organisms like oysters, which are a key part of the food web. Changes to water temperature and chemistry resulting from human-caused climate change could shrink the prime habitat and farming locations for oysters in California bays, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The study recently published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography, shows that changes to dissolved oxygen levels, water temperature, and salinity could have an even greater impact than ocean acidification on oyster growth in estuaries and bays. In California, climate change is expected to lead to increased variability in precipitation, higher water temperatures, and increased upwelling. The study suggests that this combination of effects would lead to greater stress on oysters, particular at the edges of bays that connect to rivers and the ocean. In the estuaries and bays where oysters grow, acidification is a much more complicated process than in the open ocean. Estuarine organisms have evolved with this variable pH regime, which could make them more resilient to ocean acidification. But other factors important to oyster health, such as temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen, are also projected to change with climate change. The study provides insight for oyster restoration projects as well as commercial oyster farmers. For example, projections for suitable oyster habitat could help determine where to site projects and farms for the best chance of success.
Bio(s): Ted Grosholz is a Professor and the Alexander and Elizabeth Swantz Specialist in Cooperative Extension in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California, Davis. He is a benthic marine ecologist whose works at the community and ecosystem level examining the effects of climate change and other human impacts in coastal ecosystems. Much of his work concerns climate impacts and non-native species in California estuaries where he is also involved in the restoration of coastal habitats including native Olympia oysters.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Abstract: After retiring from NOAA in 2005 I considered building microwave radiometers using information and components available through the Internet. My project became a reality when I realized how cheap the components could be. In fact the most expensive part was the test equipment needed to measure the radiometer performance. However, I was able to construct a 4, 12 and 20.5 GHz Dicke radiometer from parts costing about $100 each. The construction, measurements and analysis is summarized in an 88 page report that is available on the internet. This talk briefly outlines some main findings in the report.
Unlike infrared, the microwave emissivity over land is highly variable. Emissivity measurement is important for two reasons. It provides information on surface properties and is needed to properly derive atmospheric variables such as precipitation and water vapor over land using satellite viewing radiometers. I shall therefore also describe the anomalous emissivity found over deserts and snow/ice covered surfaces from satellite microwave radiometer measurements that have yet to be resolved. For example, deserts are found to have different emissivity and penetration depths depending on frequency, grain size and impurities. Also, compared to new snow, aged or metamorphosed snow is found to have distinct microwave signatures at high frequencies. Finally, ice on the snow and within the snow pack displays inverted microwave spectra that is yet to be fully understood.
Bio(s): Beginning in the 1960's NASA solicited scientists and engineers to develop satellite infrared and microwave radiometers for observing and measuring the atmospheric and surface properties of our solar system. After completing my PhD in Electrophysics at NYU doing plasma research, I began my government career working at NASA in 1971 at a time when the US first began carrying experimental microwave radiometers aboard satellites to view Earth from space. I then joined NOAA in 1972 working on more advanced radiometers by the Air Force, Navy, NASA and NOAA. Throughout the years, these instruments measured the low level thermal radiation (~10-12 watts) emanating from the Earth's surface and intervening atmosphere at frequencies between 1.4 and 183 GHz. At NOAA I was mainly involved in developing algorithms to derive surface and atmospheric parameters from the radiometric measurements. These parameters are used by various organizations to help monitor, analyze and forecast the weather and climate.
Abstract: On Thursday, September 12, @NOAASatellites will be holding its second annual #Datapalooza " a Twitter relay that aims to celebrate NOAA data while also making it more accessible. We'll specifically look at data as it pertains to tropical, space, and fire weather. Look out for unique data visualizations which highlight how we can use Earth and atmospheric observational data to measure our dynamic planet. Share and follow along with the hashtag #Datapalooza.
This year we will be hosting conversations on three different topics throughout the day.
Tropical Weather (9:00 a.m. ET " 12:00 p.m. ET) Space Weather (12:00 p.m. ET " 3:00 p.m. ET) Fire Weather (3:00 p.m. " 6:00 p.m. ET)
Experts will be available to chat and answer questions pertaining to the specific topics during the given time frames.
We'd love it if you would join us! We also encourage you to share a data visualization, graphic, or anything that shows how excited you are about data using the #Datapalooza hashtag.
Abstract: A high elevation rain gauge network, known as the Duke Great Smoky Mountains Rain Gauge Network (Duke GSMRGN), has been collecting rainfall observations since 2007 in the Pigeon River Basin located in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The presentation will focus on the founding, funding, findings, and future of the Duke GSMRGN and their associated fellowships. The findings portion will examine the influence of atmospheric rivers on extreme rainfall events observed by the Duke GSMRGN over an eight-year period commencing 1 July 2009.
Bio(s): Douglas Miller is a professor at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. He received his Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from Purdue University. His research expertise is in mesoscale and synoptic meteorology, mountain meteorology, coastal meteorology, boundary layer meteorology, and numerical weather prediction/forecasting. He has been involved with a collaborative project extending the Great Smoky Mountain rain gauge mesonet and exploring the origins of extreme precipitation events in the southern Appalachian Mountains and their signatures as observed by the GOES-R satellite.
Abstract: On Thursday, September 12, @NOAASatellites will be holding its second annual #Datapalooza " a Twitter relay that aims to celebrate NOAA data while also making it more accessible. We'll specifically look at data as it pertains to tropical, space, and fire weather. Look out for unique data visualizations which highlight how we can use Earth and atmospheric observational data to measure our dynamic planet. Share and follow along with the hashtag #Datapalooza.
This year we will be hosting conversations on three different topics throughout the day.
Tropical Weather (9:00 a.m. ET " 12:00 p.m. ET) Space Weather (12:00 p.m. ET " 3:00 p.m. ET) Fire Weather (3:00 p.m. " 6:00 p.m. ET)
Experts will be available to chat and answer questions pertaining to the specific topics during the given time frames.
We'd love it if you would join us! We also encourage you to share a data visualization, graphic, or anything that shows how excited you are about data using the #Datapalooza hashtag.
Presenter(s): Dr. Jennifer M. Fitchett, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Remote Access: Please register at: https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/phenology/event/registration.html After registering, you will get a confirmation email with a link to the webinar. Users should use either IE or Edge on Windows or Safari if using a Mac. Audio will be available thru the computer only; no phone. Questions will be addressed in the chat window. This Webcast will be recorded, archived and made accessible in the near future. You can test your ability to use Adobe Connect at the following link: https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm Audio is over the computer, so adjust volume on your computer speakers or headset. Questions? Email Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Phenology refers to the timing of annually recurrent biological events. These events are argued to be one of the most sensitive bioindicators of climate change. Shifts in the timing of plant and animal phenological events have been recorded across the globe. These records have indicated the highly species- and location-specific nature of phenological response, requiring comprehensive local studies to be conducted. For South Africa, phenological records are sparse " we do not benefit from long traditions of naturalists, nor the deliberate phenology gardens planted in the United States and Europe. Research has therefore been slow in emerging. In this talk I cover the studies on phenology and climate change that have been conducted, including apple and pear flowering dates, jacaranda flowering dates, and changes in the timing of the sardine run.
Bio(s): Dr. Jennifer Fitchett is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She completed her PhD split-site through the University of the Witwatersrand and University College London. Her research explores climate change at long (~24,000 years) and short (~50 years) timescales, and the impacts on plants, animals and people, through the subdisciplines of phenology, climatology and tourism and climate change.
Abstract: On Thursday, September 12, @NOAASatellites will be holding its second annual #Datapalooza " a Twitter relay that aims to celebrate NOAA data while also making it more accessible. We'll specifically look at data as it pertains to tropical, space, and fire weather. Look out for unique data visualizations which highlight how we can use Earth and atmospheric observational data to measure our dynamic planet. Share and follow along with the hashtag #Datapalooza.
This year we will be hosting conversations on three different topics throughout the day.
Tropical Weather (9:00 a.m. ET " 12:00 p.m. ET) Space Weather (12:00 p.m. ET " 3:00 p.m. ET) Fire Weather (3:00 p.m. " 6:00 p.m. ET)
Experts will be available to chat and answer questions pertaining to the specific topics during the given time frames.
We'd love it if you would join us! We also encourage you to share a data visualization, graphic, or anything that shows how excited you are about data using the #Datapalooza hashtag.
Presenter(s): Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s):
Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
NOCCG Seminar crosslisted with OneNOAA and STAR Seminars
Presenter(s): Mari Smith, Natural Resources & Environment Unit, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Cape Town, South Africa Seminar
Sponsor(s): NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group (NOCCG). This seminar will not be recorded. Slides may be shared upon request (send email to the POC listed below).
One tap mobile +19292056099,,103820156# US (New York) +16699006833,,103820156# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 103 820 156 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aF4svIkta
Abstract: This seminar aims to highlight some of the research and development taking place as part of two projects: 1) the South African Oceans and Coasts Information Management System (OCIMS) project, and 2) the Marine and Coastal Service Development for Southern Africa (MarCoSouth) project, i.e. the southern African consortium of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Africa Grant. OCIMS is an innovative web-based platform offering a variety of decision support tools intended to empower decision-makers and support effective governance and growth of South Africa's blue economy. OCIMS has consolidated South African observational and forecasting expertise through the development of a range of services that are very similar in scope to those proposed for GMES & Africa. The MarCoSouth project is strongly aligned with (and will effectively provide a platform for the regional expansion of) the services developed through OCIMS. Within GMES & Africa the MarCoSouth project will maintain, further develop and provide a sustainable platform for local, institutional, human and technical capabilities in the African partner countries (i.e. Namibia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa) through the development of services focused on sustainable socio-economic development, empowering a wide range of users in the public and private sectors through the application of regionally-optimized satellite observations and model based forecasts in the South and East African Marine and Coastal domains
Bio(s): Dr. Mari Smith is a Postdoc (soon to be senior researcher) in the Marine Earth Observation Unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Cape Town, South Africa. She has a PhD in physical oceanography from the University of Cape Town and has specialized in marine remote sensing for 11 years. Her main areas of interest are optical water type classification and ocean color algorithm development, particularly for coastal marine applications. She is the lead on operational earth observation product development for harmful algal bloom (HAB) detection, aquaculture, fisheries and water quality decision support for the OCIMS and MarCoSouth projects. She is also actively involved in post-graduate student supervision and training in Africa.
Presenter(s): Michael Fogarty, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: The New England Fishery Management Council is currently evaluating options for implementation of Ecosystem-based Management (EBFM) on Georges Bank. The mixed-species fishery on the Bank has presented seemingly intractable problems for conventional single-species management. Michael Fogarty will describe potential avenues under consideration for the transition to place-based management of species complexes on the Bank. The approach attempts to account for the strong technical and biological interactions that are at the heart of the management challenges in this region. It focuses on management of Fishery Functional Groups defined as species that are caught together by specified fleet sectors, play similar roles in the ecosystem with respect to energy transfer, and have similar life history characteristics. Michael Fogarty will describe proposed harvest control rules for this system and initial performance simulation tests made as a prelude to a full multispecies management strategy evaluation.
Bio(s):
Dr. Michael. J. Fogarty is a Senior Scientist at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA where he has been employed since 1980. He received his doctorate from the University of Rhode Island. He currently holds adjunct appointments at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island and the School of Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts. He is a Visiting Scientist in the Marine Policy Center of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He has served on numerous national and international panels and committees including the Science Committee of the Global Ocean Observing System Program, the Coastal Ocean Observation Panel of the Global Ocean Observing System, the Scientific Steering Committee of the U.S. Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) Program (Chair 1997-2002), the Science Board of the Comparative Analysis of Marine Ecosystem Organization Program. His research interests center on the ecosystem effects of fishing, the role of climate change in marine ecosystem dynamics and strategies for implementing marine Ecosystem-Based Management.
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
One of the most striking, and widely publicized, environmental changes underway in the Earth system is the disappearance of the Arctic sea ice cover. Since sea ice is a key component of the climate system, its ongoing loss has serious, and wide-ranging, socio-economic implications. Increasing year-to-year variability in the geographic location, concentration and thickness of Arctic ice will pose both challenges and opportunities. Advancing our understanding of how the sea ice cover varies, and why, is key to characterizing the physical processes governing change, and for advancing model predictions. An emerging need is short-time-critical sea ice data products to support safety and security for maritime operations in ice-infested waters. Altimeter instruments on satellite and aircraft platforms have revolutionized our understanding of Arctic sea ice mass balance over the last two decades. Satellite laser and radar altimeters on NASA's ICESat and ICESat-2 satellites, and ESA's CryoSat-2, provide unique measurements of sea ice elevation, from which ice thickness may be derived, across basin scales. Meanwhile altimeters deployed on aircraft such as the Operation IceBridge Mission, together with coincident digital imagery, provide a range of novel, high-resolution observations that describe key features of the ice cover including its snow cover, surface morphology and deformation characteristics, and summer melt features. We will explore the novel sea ice data products developed at the NOAA Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry that describe changes in the Arctic ice cover during the last two decades. We will also discuss efforts to advance access to polar ocean remote sensing observations and improve communication with Arctic stakeholders through the NOAA PolarWatch initiative, which is designed to deliver data products that best address societal needs (polarwatch.noaa.gov).
Bio(s): Sinad Louise Farrell is an associate professor with the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland, and a visiting scientist at the NOAA / NESDIS / STAR / SOCD Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry, College Park, Maryland. Dr. Farrell received her Ph.D. in Space and Climate Physics from University College London in 2007. Her primary fields of study are cryospheric sciences and remote sensing. She is a principal investigator on the NASA ICESat-2 Science Team and a member of the Mission Advisory Group for the EU Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter. Prior to joining the Department of Geographical Sciences, Dr. Farrell was with the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), at the University of Maryland.
NOAA DataFest is a month-long effort throughout September to educate the public and inspire our colleagues at NOAA to learn more about NOAA data while celebrating its value, reliability, and accessibility. NOAA data covers a robust collection of scientific earth and environmental observations available to the scientific community and the public.
Abstract: Every day, thousands of forecast maps are produced by NOAA and related agencies. All forecasts come with error but how can we best visualize uncertainty on a forecast map? Max Schneider, PhD student in Statistics and NCEP intern, says the effectiveness of different approaches towards visualizing this uncertainty can be carefully studied in user experiments. In this talk, he presents a human subjects experiment where three common visualization techniques go head-to-head, to see which one enables effective map-reading and judgments using the forecasts.
Bio Max Schneider is a PhD student in Statistics at the University of Washington, Seattle. This summer, he is interning at the Environmental Modeling Center within NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction in College Park, MD. In his dissertation work, Max builds spatiotemporal models to forecast earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest. He focuses on quantifying various sources of error in these models and how to visualize them to diverse audiences. He collaborates with cognitive psychologists to directly study the effect visualizations have on how people use forecasts. In his work at NOAA, Max quantifies the uncertainty within coupled numerical models of hurricane impacts, for the US COASTAL Act. His motivation is to improve operational forecasting with a statistical approach to uncertainty quantification and visualization.
Presenter(s): Hannes Baumann, PhD., University of Connecticut
Sponsor(s): NECAN Sea Grant Webinar Series. The purpose of this webinar series is to highlight four projects funded through NOAA Sea Grant (http://necan.org/seagrantwebinars)
Abstract: Sand lance species play a key ecological role in most temperate to polar shelf ecosystems of the northern hemisphere, where they channel planktonic productivity upwards to higher trophic piscivores such as whales, seabirds, cod, and tuna. However, they have remained unstudied with respect to their sensitivity to predicted future CO2 levels in the ocean. For the past three years (2016 - 2018), we have sampled and spawned with northern sand lance (Ammodytes dubius) from Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and subsequently reared their embryos under factorial CO2 x temperature conditions to hatch and early larval stages. Our results were striking, in all years, high CO2 conditioned severely reduced embryo survival up to 20-fold over controls, with strong synergistic reductions under combined high CO2 and temperature conditions. High CO2 also delayed hatching, reduced remaining endogenous energy reserves at hatch, and in combination with higher temperatures, reduced embryonic growth. Indeed, given the observed effects in size, northern sand lance might be the most CO2 sensitive fish species to date. This webinar will give a first-hand account of our work on sand lance, its results and implications for temperature to polar ecosystems, which may be among the most vulnerable to marine climate change.
Lisa Auermuller, Jacques Cousteau NERR, Syverine Bentz, Kachemak Bay NERR, Philip Orton, Stevens Institute of Technology, Stuart Siegel, San Francisco Bay NERR, and Susi Moser, NERRS Science Collaborative
Title: Accelerating Collective Learning and Action for Enhanced Resilience
Presenter(s): Lisa Auermuller, Jacques Cousteau NERR; Syverine Bentz, Kachemak Bay NERR; Philip Orton, Stevens Institute of Technology; Stuart Siegel, San Francisco Bay NERR; and Susi Moser, NERRS Science Collaborative
Abstract: As the pace of climate change accelerates, there is a need to also accelerate collective learning about how best to prepare and adapt to changing environmental conditions. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is working on the frontlines of climate change, learning important lessons about communicating with and engaging communities in climate change adaptation; reserves are producing critical scientific insights; and they work with local and state partners to strategically advance action on the ground. This webinar is designed to draw out broader lessons from the work in which the reserves and their partners are engaged in order to help accelerate learning and the transfer of ideas across the NERRS and the broader coastal management and adaptation community. With support from NOAA and the Science Collaborative, reserves have been engaging communities in resilience building for years. Join us for a lively panel discussion among four project leads that have been testing different approaches for helping communities anticipate and prepare for climate impacts.
Bio(s): Lisa Auermuller, Assistant Manager and Coastal Training Program Coordinator, Jacques Cousteau NERR. Learn more about Lisa and her Science Collaborative projects on risk communication and planning tools.
Syverine Bentz, Coastal Training Program Coordinator, Kachemak Bay NERR. Learn more about Syverine and her Science Collaborative projects on scenario planning and fisheries.
Philip Orton, Research Assistant Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology. Learn more about Philip and his Science Collaborative project.
Stuart Siegel, Resilience Specialist, San Francisco Bay NERR. Learn more about Stuart and his Science Collaborative project.
Susi Moser, NERRS Science Collaborative. Learn more about Susi and her Science Collaborative work.
Presenter(s): Aaron Jacobs NWS, Rick Thoman ACCAP, Holly Prendeville USDA
Sponsor(s): OAR/CPO/RISA/Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) and National Weather Service POC: Tina Buxbaum (tmbuxbaum@alaska.edu, 907-474-7812)
Abstract: This talk will look at how the summer of 2019 turned out from a climate and drought perspective across the temperate rainforest of Southeast Alaska and look into if the region will see a wet autumn and snowy winter. We will also go over what type of impacts were recorded throughout the summer along with a progress report on follow-up work from the Southeast Alaska Drought workshop held this past spring.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Are our seminars recorded? Yes, you can find them here (https://uaf-accap.org/events/list/?tribe_event_display=past)
Sponsor(s): NOAA Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ; https://owaq.noaa.gov/) POC: for questions about this workshop, please contact: Micki Olson (OWAQ Social Science Program Coordinator; michele.olson@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Social and behavioral science (SBS) integration into the weather enterprise has a long and meaningful history. However, there have traditionally been barriers to transitioning SBS research, including a lack of shared understanding between the social and physical scientists, cultural differences between research and operations, and a lack of shared language.
The goal of this workshop is to nurture and help understand the roles, goals, and capacities of people and organizations comprising the SBS and weather communities by building shared languages, terminologies, theories, concepts and methodologies to enhance the research to operations (R2O) process.
Join us in person or remotely via webinar to help kickoff this workshop! All sessions will have an interactive Q&A.
Agenda:
2:00 - 3:00pm: Fireside Chat: A Historical Overview and Round Table Discussion on NOAA R2O policies with Dr. Gary Matlock and Mary Erickson - This session features a discussion with Dr. Gary Matlock and Mary Erickson about the Research to Operations (R2O) process from the perspective of two different NOAA Line Offices (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research - OAR and the National Weather Service - NWS) and how they work together. Here, we will discuss the history of R2O and the social science transition process more specifically.
3:00 - 3:45pm: What Guides NOAA Weather Funding, Policy, Priorities, and Process -In this session, we will hear from Dr. Hendrik Tolman, Dr. Bill LaPenta, Dr. Gina Eosco, and Jen Sprauge about how R2O fits into their respective offices and relevant grant policies.
3:45 - 5:00pm: Perspectives on the R2O Transition Process - This panel will dig into the meaning of the R2O and transitions from the perspective of research (Dr. Julie Demuth and Castle Williams), operations (Dr. Dave Myrick and Robbie Berg), and OAR (Dr. Pam Heinselman).
Bio(s): For more information about our speakers, click here
Presenter(s): Dr. ngel G. Muoz, Associate Research Scientist of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), and Ana Riviere-Cinnamond of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)
Seminar sponsor: OAR / CPO / IRAP
Abstract: Aedes-borne diseases, such as dengue and chikungunya, are responsible for more than 50-100 million infections worldwide every year, and are considered a national and global security issue. In the US, the vast majority of Aedes-borne infections are imported from endemic regions by travelers, who can become new sources of transmission once they are back in the country if the mosquitoes and suitable environmental conditions are present. In this seminar, we'll discuss a new monitoring and forecasting system that is being implemented in a partnership with several institutions to provide useful information for decision makers in the health sector. This work is supported through a grant from NOAA's International Research and Applications Project (IRAP), and involves collaboration with one of the NOAA-supported RISA teams " the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN).
Additional Information about the NOAA International Research and Applications Project (IRAP):
Within NOAA's Climate and Societal Interactions Program (CSI), the International Research and Applications Project (IRAP) supports interdisciplinary research focused on countries and regions where weather and climate impacts may affect U.S. economic, development, scientific and security interests. The IRAP seeks to create practical knowledge, bridges and partnerships among the scientific community's multi-disciplinary research and services activities, and the needs and capabilities of decision makers and resource managers around the world with a stake in risk management, adaptation and development.
Climate and weather events such as heavy rains, flooding, heatwaves, droughts and severe storms have substantial implications for human health and well-being around the world. In an increasingly global society, these impacts can have cascading consequences for communities and states within U.S. borders as well as our investments in the private sector, international development, and national safety and well-being. Understanding how climate and weather events abroad affect U.S. interests in the health, international development and national security sectors is a critical step in the use of knowledge, products and early warning, and the development of integrated information systems - including those supported by NOAA and our international partners - to address practical challenges of risk management, economic growth, and bolster the stability and security of the U.S. In FY 19, IRAP launched 6 new projects focused on climate and health, several of which include a partnership with NOAA's Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) teams. For additional information about IRAP, please click here: https://cpo.noaa.gov/Meet-the-Divisions/Climate-and-Societal-Interactions/IRAP/Funded-Projects
Title: Decision Making under Uncertainty: Case Studies from the Weather Community & Experimental Research
Presenter(s): Dr. Susan Joslyn, Cognitive Psychology Professor, University of Washington
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Office of Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Weather Service (NWS) and National Ocean Service (NOS); coordinators for this event are Micki Olson and Tracy Gill
Abstract: People are often called upon to make important decisions involving uncertainty in domains in which they are not experts, such as medical treatment, financial planning and precautions for severe weather. The mission of the Decision Making with Uncertainty lab is to uncover the psychological factors that impact such decisions in order to determine how best to support them. This presentation will focus on lab research conducted with forecasters and emergency managers with respect to a changing probabilistic forecast.
Bio(s): Dr. Susan Joslyn is a cognitive psychology professor at the University of Washington where she leads the Decision Making with Uncertainty Laboratory. She has numerous publications and grants focused on how probabilistic information and/or time pressure impacts decision making. She has an M.S and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in psychology.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
NOAA DataFest is a month-long effort throughout September to educate the public and inspire our colleagues at NOAA to learn more about NOAA data while celebrating its value, reliability, and accessibility. NOAA data covers a robust collection of scientific earth and environmental observations available to the scientific community and the public.
Abstract: A discussion of UMBC's visualization research and related facilities, including spherical displays, VR/AR head mounted devices, 3D scanning, an immersive VR wall, and glasses-free 3D display. The presentation includes work taking place in UMBC's Imaging Research Center (IRC) and the IRC-affiliated Assistive Visualization and Artificial Intelligence Lab (AVAIL).
Bio Dr. Don Engel is a professor and the Assistant Vice President for Research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). As AVPR, Don leads UMBC's Office of Research Development. Don's research is on the applications of visualization and artificial intelligence (esp. image processing and computational linguistics) to data-driven discovery (esp. in the physical and life sciences). After completing a Ph.D. in physics and master's in computer science, Don spent several years working for Congress and executive branch agencies as a science and technology policy advisor. Don's background also includes clinical experience as a resident in radiation oncology medical physics.
Title: Actions to Reduce Risks in a Changing Climate: Findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar #11, the last in the NCA4/NOAA11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States
Presenter(s): Roger Pulwarty, Senior Scientist, Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA and Jeremy Martinich, Climate Scientist, EPA
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov and Katie Reeves. <kreeves@usgcrp.gov>
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. This presentation will address the potential for reduction or avoidance of future risk through adaptation efforts and emissions mitigation.
Bio(s): Roger S. Pulwarty is Senior Scientist at NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. Roger's publications focus on weather, water, climate extremes and risk management in the US, Latin America and the Caribbean. He also helped develop and lead programs linking science and services, including the National Integrated Drought Information System, the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments, and the World Meteorological Organization Climate Services Information System. Roger has been a convening lead author on the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the IPCC Working Group II on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. He is the co-editor of Hurricanes: Climate and Socio-economic Impacts (Springer, reissued in paperback 2012), and Drought and Water Crises (CRC Press, 2017).
Jeremy Martinich is a climate scientist with EPA's Climate Change Division. He coordinates the Climate Change Impacts and Risk Analysis (CIRA) project, a multi-team modeling project to estimate and monetize the risks of climate change to U.S. sectors.
Presenter(s): Cassandra Jean, MA, NERTO (EPP) Summer Intern under Vankita Brown and Cindy Woods
Abstract: In 2017, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, collectively brought about billions of dollars in infrastructure and property damage, political unrest, high casualties, massive mental health issues, and more. This study focuses on the disaster victims from Houston, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands who personally experienced the storms to a) investigate their hurricane preparedness and communication usage, b) examine their levels of suffering on a micro and macro-level, and c) how their recovery efforts and levels of suffering affect their social and economic position. The information garnered from this study aims to advance scientific knowledge regarding people's perception and susceptibility, and the emotional and psychological toll of natural disasters.
Bio(s): Cassandra Jean, MA is a third-year Ph.D. student with the NOAA Center for Atmospheric and Meteorology (NCAS-M) at Howard University in the Department of Sociology and Criminology. As an NOAA Experiential Research and Training Opportunity (NERTO) intern, she is working at the National Weather Service in the Operations Division for the Office of the Chief Operating Officer assisting with social science research. Her research interests include the Sociology of poverty, Sociology of suffering, social and global stratification, and decision sciences.
Presenter(s): Jennifer Sevadjian of NOAA/NMFS (presenting remotely)
Sponsor(s): STAR Science Seminar Series
Audio: +1-415-527-5035 US Toll Access code: 907 468 427
Abstract: NOAA PolarWatch is the newest satellite data distribution portal of NOAA's CoastWatch program. The portal offers a single location for federal agencies, research groups, and private industry to obtain the most recent and historical satellite observations of Arctic and Antarctic waters, including measurements of sea ice cover, ocean temperature, and winds. We will provide an overview of the data and services provided by PolarWatch with examples that demonstrate supporting safety at sea, navigation, fishing, transportation, tourism, and recreation. We will also highlight user training materials and training courses that are designed to encourage broad usage of polar satellite data.
Bio(s): Jennifer Sevadjian is the Operations Manager for PolarWatch a regional node of NOAA's CoastWatch. She has a background in ocean data management, data integration and web development. She began her career at NOAA CO-OPS Ocean System Test and Evaluation Program, in 2002, collecting in-situ data and performing data analysis, and has gone on to work in many different sectors including the military, academia, private industry and non-profit communities. She joined NOAA PolarWatch in 2017, after serving as the information manager for CeNCOOS (a U.S. IOOS regional association). She is particularly passionate about data discovery, data integration and increasing the use of ocean data and is currently enjoying building solutions to address the challenges associated with polar ocean data.
Sponsor(s): Join the NOAA Central Library and the Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) for the new NOAA Innovators Series! This series will be facilitated by Derek Parks, Technology Transfer Program Manager.
Presenter(s): Dr. Ru-Shan Gao, NOAA/ESRL/CSD (Earth System Research Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division)
Abstract: POPS (the Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer) is a small and light research-grade aerosol instrument. It has been used for aerosol measurements from the Earth's surface to the stratosphere. Robust and relatively inexpensive, it is particularly suitable for UAV and balloon applications.
Bio(s): Ru-Shan is a research physicist in the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he has worked since 1992. He leads the Atmospheric Composition and Chemical Processes group in the Chemical Sciences Division and specializes in instrument development and field measurements related to air quality and climate.
Abstract: Coral reef ecosystems across the globe are threatened by a number of anthropogenic impacts, most notably the rising ocean temperatures associated with climate change. This is namely due to the thermo- sensitivity of the coral-dinoflagellate endosymbioses that are responsible for building these high-biodiversity habitats reefs. That being said, some corals, including those of certain reefs in the Florida Keys, Taiwan, and elsewhere, are resistant to dramatic changes in their external milieu. Over the past 15 years I have been working at attempting to understand what underlies coral resilience (or lack thereof) at the sub-cellular level, with the goal of then using such knowledge to develop models aimed at predicting which corals will persist over the coming decades and which will instead succumb to bleaching or disease. After uncovering that gene expression data cannot be used to make physiological inferences in corals or their in hospite algal populations (the focus of my research for over a decade), I have recently switched to instead characterizing the proteins that allow corals to thrive in extreme environments. Meanwhile, I am also looking at those macromolecules (namely proteins and small metabolites) involved in the stress response of those corals that are unable to acclimatize to (non-exclusively) high temperatures; the ensuing data would allow for the creation of a "coral stress test" that could aid managers interested in conserving particularly threatened reefs.
Meghan Dalton, Climate Impacts Research Consortium; Britt Parker, National Integrated Drought Information System; Nick Bond, Office of the Washington State Climatologist; Jeremy Wolf, National Weather Service Spokane; Katherine Hegewisch, University of Idaho
Presenter(s): Meghan Dalton, Climate Impacts Research Consortium (CIRC) and Britt Parker, National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Climate Recap & Current Conditions: Nick Bond, Office of the Washington State Climatologist Seasonal Conditions/Climate Outlook: Jeremy Wolf, NWS Spokane The US Water Watcher: Katherine Hegewisch, University of Idaho/CIRC Irrigation Demands for Specialty Crops, Lauren Parker, University of California-Davis/USDA California Climate Hub
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System, Climate Impacts Research Consortium, USDA Northwest Climate Hub, National Weather Service
Abstract: These webinars provide the region's stakeholders and interested parties with timely information on current and developing drought conditions as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia. Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as wildfires, floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health.
Presenter(s): Ryo Yoshida, Japan Meteorological Agency
Sponsor(s): ESSIC Seminar Series, crosslisted to the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series
Abstract: For over the last 40 years, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has been operating Himawari series geostationary weather satellites covering the Asia-Pacific region. The latest generation of the series is Himawari-8 and -9 launched in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Equipped with the Advanced Himawari Imager, Himawari-8/9 enhances JMA's weather monitoring and prediction. Himawari-8/9 data are distributed internationally to national meteorological and hydrological services, and the data are also open to academic and nonprofit users.
JMA has undertaken feasibility studies of Himawari-8/9 follow-on satellites. Lightning mappers on geostationary satellites are expected to provide continuous total (intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground) lightning observation. The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) aboard GOES-R Series satellites is the first operational lightning mapper in geostationary orbit. To assess the GLM performance, this study validates the GOES-16 GLM level 2 product, using ground-based lightning observation data. In this talk, I will provide the GLM product validation results as well as an overview of Himawari-8/9.
Bio(s): Mr. Yoshida is a Scientific Officer at the Satellite Program Division at the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in geophysics from Tohoku University, Japan, and began to work for JMA in 2009. His work at JMA has been concerned with Himawari series weather satellites. He developed Himawari-8/9 image navigation and registration processing operating on the ground system. He was also responsible for development and implementation of Himawari-8/9 level 2 products. Since November 2018, he has been a 1-year visiting scientist at ESSIC to research NOAA's advanced efforts for weather satellites including the Geostationary Lightning Mapper.
Presenter(s): Zac Cannizzo, MPA Climate Specialist and Interagency Coordinator, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries - National Marine Protected Areas Center
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Sam Chew Chin, (sam.chin@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Artificial structures such as buildings, telephone poles, and boat docks are ubiquitous in the modern environment and are often thought of as having negative impacts on wildlife. However, the role that artificial structures can play in mitigating the impacts of stressors, including climate change, on affected species is increasingly being recognized. In addition to a discussion of this topic, this presentation will highlight a case study which examines the role of boat docks in facilitating the climate-mediated range expansion of a crab into a suboptimal novel ecosystem.
About the speaker: Zac Cannizzo recently cearned his Ph.D. in Marine Science at the University of South Carolina. His research interests broadly involve climate change ecology and his graduate work focused on the factors governing the climate-mediated range expansion of the mangrove tree crab into the novel salt marsh ecosystem. Prior to his graduate work, Zac received a B.S. in Biology and Biological Aspects of Conservation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and spent time between degrees working in conservation.
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
Abstract: Distributing large global or regional datasets to a targeted user community is challenging, particularly if the users require data from many data providers and are interested in discrete geographical and temporal ranges. The ERDDAP data server addresses these challenges, acting as middleman between disparate remote data servers, to provide a single unified pathway for data access that offers 1) a simple, consistent way to download data, 2) subsetting by user-defined areas and time periods, and 3) downloads in over 30 data, image, and metadata formats that are compatible with analysis tools such as R, MATLAB, and Python. The ERDDAP GUI allows users to visualize data and refine download requests. Download requests are completely defined within a URL, allowing machine-to-machine data exchange, bringing data directly into analysis tools, and using ERDDAP as a backend to drive customized online interfaces. ERDDAP was developed by Bob Simons at the NMFS/SWFSC Environmental Research Division and has been installed by over 80 organizations worldwide. The ERDDAP servers at CoastWatch Regional Nodes and other NOAA offices provide access to thousands of satellite data, model output, and climatology products, as well as ocean-related ancillary datasets (e.g. buoy, shipboard oceanographic, animal track, and in situ data). NOAA's Data Access Procedural Directive includes ERDDAP in its list of recommended data servers for use by groups within NOAA. In this seminar we will describe the features of ERDDAP, including subsetting and downloading data, creating mapped images, visualizing wind vector fields, and generating timeseries and Hovmller diagrams. A live demonstration of these capabilities will be given. A tutorial explaining how to use ERDDAP is also available on the website of the West Coast Regional node of CoastWatch at https://coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/projects/erddap/
Bio(s): Cara Wilson is a satellite oceanographer for the Environmental Research Division (ERD) at NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Monterey CA and is the PI of two regional nodes of NOAA's CoastWatch program - the West Coast Regional Node and PolarWatch, which are both housed at ERD. Her research interests are in using satellite data to examine bio-physical coupling in the surface ocean, with a particular focus on determining the biological and physical causes of the large chlorophyll blooms that often develop in late summer in the oligotrophic Pacific near 30N. She received a Ph.D. in oceanography from Oregon State University in 1997, where she examined the physical dynamics of hydrothermal plumes. After getting her PhD she worked as the InterRidge Coordinator at the University Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, France. Her introduction to remote sensing came with a post-doc at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center which involved analyzing TOPEX and SeaWiFS data. She joined NOAA in 2002 and has been active in increasing the satellite usage within the National Marine Fisheries Service. She is also the treasurer for PORSEC (Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference) and the current chair of the IOCCG (International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group).
Abstract: Atmospheric rivers (ARs) have the ability to transport large amounts of water vapor from the tropics poleward into the upper latitudes that can have positive and negative affects on the environment and society. For example, ARs events can cause dangerous flooding, debris flows and large amounts of snowfall but at the same time can be beneficial to the environment especially areas that are in a drought. 20+ years of research have increased our understanding of the dynamics of ARs. At the same time the improved remote sensing and better numerical weather prediction has given forecasters increased ability to monitor atmospheric rivers, although forecast challenges associated with ARs remain. This talk will review what we know of ARs, how forecasters monitor these events, what type of impacts they can have on communities of Alaska and ongoing research particular to Alaska.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Are our seminars recorded? Yes, you can find them here (https://uaf-accap.org/events/list/?tribe_event_display=past)
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
Abstract: The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) sun-synchronous operational constellation missions have been evolving rapidly in recent years. The Visible-Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) has replaced the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) in the afternoon orbit on the Joint Polar-Satellite System (JPSS) satellites, which will provide sustained earth observations till 2031 and beyond. Meanwhile, the last AVHRR, launched on MetOp-C in late 2018, will be replaced by the METimage around 2022, to provide continued observations of the earth in the morning orbit.
This seminar provides an overview of METimage, including its major instrument capabilities, and expected radiometric, spatial, and spectral performance. While VIIRS and METimage have similar characteristics, significant differences exist as well. For example, METimage includes water vapor channels, while VIIRS supports ocean color product generation with dual gain capabilities, and low light imaging with the Day/Night Band. The potential impacts of these differences on product generation will be discussed. Characteristics of the METImage datasets simulated and provided by EUMETSAT will be introduced. The goals are to support the Metop-SG product development at NOAA, facilitate advanced planning and user readiness, as well as collaboration between NOAA and EUMETSAT teams to provide sustained support to the operational global earth observations with a variety of land, ocean, and atmosphere products.
Bio(s): Dr. Changyong Cao specializes in the calibration and validation of radiometers onboard NOAA's Operational environmental Satellites. He initially joined NOAA in 1999 as the infrared sounder instrument scientist, became the VIIRS sensor team lead since 2011, and the branch chief for the Satellite Calibration and Data Assimilation Branch (SCDAB) of NESDIS/STAR/SMCD in 2018. In addition, he is actively involved in the Metop-SG (METImage), small satellite data exploitation, and GNSS radio occultation.
In addition to the operational pre&post instrument calibration support, Changyong is responsible for developing and refining the methodology for inter-satellite calibration using the Simultaneous Nadir Overpass (SNO) method, which has been used for the performance monitoring of satellite radiometers, and for developing long-term time series. He has made significant contributions to the international and inter-agency satellite instrument calibration/validation community, including the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group on Calibration/Validation, and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Space-based Inter-Calibration System (GSICS).
Before joining NOAA in 1999, Changyong was a senior scientist with five years of aerospace industry experience supporting NASA small satellite technology initiative and commercial remote sensing program. He was the recipient of two gold and one silver medals honored by the U.S. Department of Commerce for his scientific and professional achievements. He has served as the reviewer and editor for professional journals, published many peer-reviewed papers, as well as a book on the calibration and validation of visible infrared imaging radiometers. Changyong received his Ph.D., and B.S. degrees in geography from Louisiana State University and Peking University respectively.
Dr. Jon Hare, Science and Research Director, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Andy Lipsky, Acting Chief of Staff, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Date & Time:
21 August 2019
11:30 am - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar (see below) and in person at URI Bay Campus, Coastal Institutes Auditorium, Narragansett, RI
Presenter(s): Dr. Jon Hare, Science and Research Director, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Andy Lipsky, Acting Chief of Staff, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Seminar
Sponsor(s): NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). Seminar POC for questions: Andy Lipsky
Abstract: Offshore wind energy development is proceeding rapidly on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Wind energy development will soon enter the construction phase within New England and the Mid-Atlantic and efforts are also underway to develop wind energy along the west coast of the U.S. To date, 15 commercial offshore wind leases are active in the Northwest Atlantic shelf from North Carolina to Massachusetts and additional lease areas are under consideration. We will provide an overview of the development process, review the potential interactions with NOAA fisheries mission; including the impacts on our scientific enterprise; and discuss the major challenges and opportunities to achieving coexistence between sustainable fisheries and offshore renewable energy.
Bio(s): Jon Hare is the Science and Research Director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. He oversees science activities related to NOAA Fisheries mission in the Northeast region including fisheries, aquaculture, protected species, habitat, and ecosystem science. Jon received a PhD in Coastal Oceanography from SUNY Stony Brook. He was awarded a National Research Council Research Associateship in 1994 to work at the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory and was hired by NOAA in 1997. Jon moved to the NOAA Narragansett Laboratory in 2005, was appointed Oceanography Branch Chief in 2008 and Lab Director in 2012. He started as Northeast Fisheries Science Center Director in 2016 and is now located at the NOAA Woods Hole Laboratory. His research has focused on fisheries oceanography: understanding the interactions between the ocean environment and fisheries populations with a goal of contributing to assessments and management. He is also an expert on the effect of climate change on marine fisheries and the implications to coastal communities.
Andy Lipsky: With over 25 years of fisheries experience, Andy has worked at the NGO, private industry, State, Tribal, and Federal levels. Andy joined NOAA and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in 2016 and currently serves as Center's Acting Chief of Staff and Planning Officer in the Office of the Directorate. In this role he leads strategic and annual scientific and research budget planning across the Center's scientific enterprise. In addition, he serves as the Center's offshore energy and fisheries science team leader and co-chairs the NMFS Regional Wind Team. Prior to joining NOAA, Andy served as a managing partner for SeaPlan-a private resource planning startup, where he led efforts to design and execute collaborative fisheries studies to study the impacts of the Block Island Wind Farm on groundfish and lobster resources. From 2009-2011, Andy was appointed by USDA to serve as an Ocean Policy Advisor to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. From 2001-2009 Andy served as a State and Regional Fish and Wildlife Biologist for USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service to advance watershed and aquatic conservation programs, including fish passage, seagrass, and coastal wetland restoration; and developed conservation programs with the aquaculture industry. Andy began his fisheries career working on endangered desert fishes in the Southwestern United States back in 1992.
Available in-person at: NOAA Fisheries NEFSC, 28 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI
Presenter(s): Monica Allen, Acting Director of Communications for NOAA Research; Brooke Carney, Chief of Staff and National Communications Coordinator, NOAA Sea Grant; Jamie Roberts, Librarian, LAC Group at NOAA Central Library
Abstract: This event celebrates the end of the Summer Library Challenge. If you've participated in the Challenge, you've sampled the library's range of premier services for researchers. From access to research databases and the bibliometrics program to NOAA's Institutional Repository, the library supports NOAA scientists throughout the research cycle. We will have a series of three flash talks on science communication including a librarian and two special guests. Librarian Jamie Roberts will be covering the library's role in science communication vis-a-vis bibliometrics. Monica Allen of OAR Communications will be speaking on how to get the media interested in science stories. Brooke Carney of SeaGrant will discuss the use of social media to communicate science.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Meredith Muth, International Program Manager, Climate Program Office, NOAA, and Leon Clarke, Team Lead, Integrated Earth Systems Science Program, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Date & Time:
20 August 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via Webinar (see access below) or for NOAA staff, SSMC4 - Large Conference Room - 8150
Title: International Effects and Complex Systems in a Changing Climate: Findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 10 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States
Presenter(s): Meredith Muth, International Program Manager, Climate Program Office, NOAA, and Leon Clarke, Team Lead, Integrated Earth Systems Science Program, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov and Katie Reeves. <kreeves@usgcrp.gov>
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. This presentation will address the international effects and complex systems in a changing climate in the United States.
Bio(s): Meredith Muth currently serves as a Regional Drought Information Coordinator with the U.S. National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) program, where she is working to improve the nation's capacity to manage drought-related risks. Prior to joining NIDIS, Dr. Muth worked for ten years as an International Program Manager in NOAA's Climate Program Office. Her responsibilities included leading several international partnerships and activities related to the development of climate information for decision-making with a strong emphasis on partnership development, coordination and policy.
Dr. Leon Clarke is an expert in energy and environmental issues, with a focus on climate change, climate change mitigation strategies, energy technology options, and integrated multi-sector modeling. He is currently the Research Director at the Center for Global Sustainability and a Research Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. He formerly led the Integrated Human Earth System Science Group and directed a range of integrated assessment modeling activities at the Joint Global Change Research Institute. Dr. Clarke has served as an author and coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the National Climate Assessment, and the National Research Council. He has also led a number of multi-institution studies on climate response options.
Presenter(s): Cara Wilson NOAA/Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC)/Environmental Research Division (ERD) Principal Investigator, West Coast node of CoastWatch and PolarWatch
Abstract: This talk will summarize the history of ocean remote sensing, which started in the 1970s (considerably after the launch of TIROS-1, the first weather satellite in 1960) with some sensors aboard the manned Skylab spacecraft. In 1978 the unfortunately short-lived SeaSat was launched, as well as Nimbus-7, which carried the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (the CSCZ) which flew until 1986 and completely changed our understanding of the dynamics of ocean biology. Similarly, the Topex/Poseidon altimetry mission, launched in 1982, revolutionized our understanding of ocean currents and circulation. However compared to that of weather satellites, the history of ocean remote sensing has had more setbacks, and these will also be discussed
Presenter(s): Rick Thoman, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP)
Sponsor(s): Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) and National Weather Service POC: Tina Buxbaum (tmbuxbaum@alaska.edu, 907-474-7812) and Richard Thoman (rthoman@alaska.edu)
Abstract: The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for September and the remaining fall season and early winter. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Are our seminars recorded? Yes, you can find them here (https://uaf-accap.org/events/list/?tribe_event_display=past)
Presenter(s): Aaron Wilson, State Climate Office of Ohio
Sponsor(s): National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, USDA Midwest Climate Hub, National Drought Mitigation Center, American Association of State Climatologists, National Weather Service
Abstract: The focus area for this webinar is the North Central region of the U.S. (from the Rockies to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley). These free webinars provide and interpret timely information on current climate and drought conditions, as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia.
Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
Presenter(s): Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
NOCCG Seminar crosslisted with OneNOAA and STAR Seminars
Presenter(s): William Hernandez, Executive Director of Environmental Mapping Consultants and faculty at University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Seminar
Sponsor(s): NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group (NOCCG). This seminar will not be recorded. Slides may be shared upon request.
Abstract: In this presentation we highlight some examples of the integration of scientific research by Academia, NOAA, and local NGO's to support current ocean color research from satellite and field instrumentation for sites and Puerto Rico and West Maui, HI. Also, we will discuss the development of data portals and workshops to provide easier access to managers from Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Hawaii to the remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) data. We will also present the integration of drones for supporting observations and address new threats, like Sargassum accumulations and sea level rise. Examples and results from this work will be presented.
Bio(s): Dr. Hernndez is currently working as a private consultant and as an Adjunct Professor of the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez. He was previously appointed as a Post-Doctoral Researcher for the NOAA CREST City College City University of New York and has more than 12 years of experience in the analysis and processing of remotely sensed data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). His education consists of a Bachelor's degree in Biology, a Master's degree in Environmental Science (Water Resources) and a Ph.D. in Marine Sciences (Biological Oceanography) from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. His doctoral dissertation was entitled: Benthic Habitat Mapping and Bio-Optical Characterization La Parguera Marine Reserve using Passive and Active Remote Sensing Data. He has worked in multiple industries including academia, government and private sector, performing duties as an environmental consultant, research scientist, fish and wildlife biologist in government agencies dedicated to conservation, and developer of information systems technology in environmental science and infrastructure management. Dr. Hernndez is currently a collaborator of the NOAA NESDIS STAR Coral Reef Watch Ocean Color Projects and the US Coral Reef Task Force Guanica watershed management. He has also been collecting bio-optical and water quality data in La Parguera and the Gunica area for the past 8 years
Title: Florida Keys Iver AUV: Surveying Reefs, Wrecks, and Debris Discussion at 12pm EDT Presentation at 1pm EDT
Presenter(s): Jon Fajans, Xylem Analytics, St. Petersburg, FL. Presenting at NOAA, Silver Spring, SSMC4, Rm 11153.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries; point of contacts are Kathy Broughton and Katy Lohr
Abstract: You are invited to attend a presentation by Orca Marine, L3Harris, and Xylem covering data products collected by the IVER3 and I3EXO Ecomapper AUVs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and other locations. These data products are examples of how an AUV can support NOAA missions as collected by an end user and brought into a GIS platform: Coral health and monitoring Damage assessment - coral reef Damage assessment - seagrass Water quality and harmful algal blooms Dredging operation monitoring Cultural resource and marine archaeology (ID, documentation, monitoring) Marine debris and ghost trap location and identification Tagged animal location and tracking Post storm navigation channel survey Invasive species monitoring Search and recovery
Bio(s): Jon Fajans earned a Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences and served 11 years in the U.S Coast Guard as a Flight Surgeon's Assistant, specializing in aviation and dive medicine before going back to school at the University of Florida. There he earned additional Bachelor's degrees in Zoology, and Wildlife Ecology, and a Master's degree in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences studying marine invasive species. Since then Jon has been the manager of the SEAKEYS Monitoring Program in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as a scientist for the Florida Institute of Oceanography, Dive Safety Officer for the University of Belize, and President of a small marine research consulting company. He served as a scientific support coordinator for the NOAA Subsurface Monitoring Unit for the MC-252 incident response, and has installed ICON buoys throughout the Caribbean on a joint 5C's-AOML project. Jon came to Xylem in 2015 and served as a Field Service Engineer until January of this year when he accepted his current position as a Technical Sales Application Specialist for the Ocean and Coastal segment of Xylem Analytics, covering the Americas and Caribbean. Jon likes to teach scientific diving in his spare time and is an avid underwater photographer.
Title: Connectivity processes in the Gulf of Mexico due to ocean circulation: impact on coastal ecosystems and their management
Presenter(s): Dr. Matthieu Le Hnaff, Assistant Scientist, University of Miami (UM)/Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), based at NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML).
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Restore Science Program and National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Kassy Ernst and Tracy Gill
Abstract: The Gulf of Mexico hosts rich and productive coastal marine ecosystems, which are influenced by the specific Gulf oceanic processes. In particular, the Loop Current is a large-scale current whose effects on local ecosystems are poorly known. I will present results based on both observations and modeling, which illustrate some of the connectivity processes in the Gulf of Mexico and their impacts on coastal ecosystems. I will then discuss how these processes can be taken into account from an ecosystem management perspective, with examples in the Florida Keys and the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuaries.
Bio(s): Dr. Matthieu Le Hnaff received his Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography at the Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France, in 2008, with a focus on regional and coastal oceanography. In 2009, he joined the University of Miami (UM) as a Post-doc, where he started studying the Gulf of Mexico circulation, through modeling and observations. He has since worked on several important aspects related to the Gulf dynamics, including mesoscale circulation, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, or the interactions of the Gulf circulation with the Mississippi River plume. He has been Assistant Scientist at UM since 2012, and since 2015 he is based at NOAA/AOML through the Cooperative Institute CIMAS.
Abstract: Algal blooms are not uncommon in the oceans around Alaska, but only rarely are they harmful to people. Along the shores of the Gulf of Alaska, harmful algal blooms are a known hazard. However, in western Alaska, the oceans have historically experienced fewer impacts from the kinds of algae that produce paralytic shellfish and domoic acid poisoning. This presentation will provide an overview of algal toxins and their impacts and a review of the recent changes in ocean climate that now make this a potential hazard for the coasts of western Alaska.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Title: Tourism and Recreation in a Changing Climate: Findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 9 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States
Presenter(s): Dr. Victoria Keener, Research Fellow, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov and Katie Reeves. <kreeves@usgcrp.gov>
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. This presentation will address the impacts of climate change on tourism and recreation in the United States.
Bio(s): Dr. Victoria Keener is a Research Fellow at the East-West Center, the Lead Principal Investigator of the NOAA Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences & Assessments (Pacific RISA) program, and is the Lead Author of the Hawaii and US-Affiliated Pacific Islands chapter of the 4th US National Climate Assessment. Dr. Keener also serves as one of five members of the City and County of Honolulu Climate Commission, which provides science-based recommendations to the Mayor and City Council. She earned a PhD in Agricultural & Biological Engineering from the University of Florida, specializing in hydro-climatological research. Dr. Keener leads an interdisciplinary team of social and physical scientists that aims to reduce Pacific Islands' vulnerability to climate change by translating research into actionable knowledge for a variety of stakeholders at the local, state, and regional level.
Sponsor(s): NOAA Central Library and the NOAA Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) as part of the NOAA Innovators Series.
POC: Tiffany House, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Commercialization Specialist, (tiffany.house@noaa.gov)
Presenter(s): Jerry Bieszczad and Marc Shapiro, Creare
Abstract: Creare has developed an Android/iOS smartphone app (WeatherCitizen) for collecting and distributing crowd-sourced environmental observations in a marine environment. In collaboration with Stony Brook University, we recently performed a field trial of WeatherCitizen on Long Island Sound collecting observations from 10+ geospatially distributed mobile devices and disseminating data-driven insights in real-time. This presentation will provide an overview of the development and deployment of WeatherCitizen, an overview of the Long Island Sound field trial, and the roadmap of WeatherCitizen into the future.
Bio(s): Jerry Bieszczad is the Principal Investigator of this NOAA SBIR Phase II effort. At Creare, Dr. Bieszczad leads a wide range of projects investigating the use of mobile devices as crowd-sourced observational platforms; serverless cloud computing for earth science data analytics; and scientific and geospatial software design and development.
Marc Shapiro is the lead software architect for this NOAA SBIR Phase II effort. At Creare, Mr. Shapiro is the lead software developer on multiple projects aimed at providing mobile-based tools for data collection, aggregation and distribution. These efforts include a flexible, cross-platform mobile framework for administering hearing assessments and training and an Android based platform for crowd sourcing local environmental conditions based on mobile device sensors.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Despite a clear link between drought and wildfire, there is currently a lack of information for stakeholders at the regional and local levels for improved wildfire risk management using drought early warning information. Fire managers and other specialized fire professionals, such as Incident Meteorologists, will increasingly need to effectively use drought information in forecasts of fire behavior at fire incidents, and in long-term planning (i.e., seasonal fire potential outlooks) as the climate continues to warm along with shifts in the timing and duration of fire seasons. This presentation will highlight recent efforts to incorporate drought-wildfire linkages into the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System. Our research finds that drought indices which are both multi-scalar and incorporate evaporative demand are most strongly correlated to fuel moisture and key results will be presented. Testing of the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) was conducted by Predictive Services in Northern California during the 2018 fire season and feedback will be summarized. Finally, Dan will summarize web tools that have been developed (and some that are still in development) to access EDDI, other drought indices, and remote sensing data (often with global coverage) that can potentially benefit wildland fire management in Alaska. This will focus on EDDI tools developed at NOAA's Physical Science Division and Climate Engine (app.climateengine.org) developed jointly between the Desert Research Institute and University of Idaho.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Presenter(s): Monique Baskin, Management and Program Analyst, Office of International Activities (OIA), NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
Summary: The UNs foremost authoritative voice on the state and behavior of the Earth's atmosphere, oceans and climate. Here's how it's reacting to the dynamic and constantly changing landscape.
Bio(s): Monique Baskin is an International Activities analyst with OARs International Activities office. She brings varied and unique experiences to the international activities office from her experience as a Political Military officer for the Far East Asia region and former Knauss Fellow working Arctic Research issues, among which was to plan the the 1st White House Arctic Science Ministerial.
Abstract: Meteo France as a NWP center is facing common problem in advancing data assimilation methods. In particular, Meteo-France is on the way of transitioning its global and limited area systems towards ensemble variational scheme, with traditional issues such as the localization or the sensitivity to ensemble size and resolution. In this talk, I will cover two different subjects that have been tackled by PhD students recently and that address two challenges of modern data assimilation. The first subject is the representation of correlated observation errors. Today, the assimilation of dense observations is hampered by the fact that, for algorithmic reasons, we take the associated covariance matrix to be diagonal. We propose a method that aims to model directly the inverse covariance matrix by using the diffusion equation. To account for the lack of spatial structure of certain observations, the discretization uses the finite elements method. The scheme is able to efficiently represent correlation of the Matrn family. Numerical experiments illustrate the potential and limitations of the method on cloud cleared MSG SEVIRI data, with operational implementation envisioned in the future years. The second subject investigates whether hydrometeor initialization can substantially improve short-term forecasting at convective scale. As regards the 3D fields of rain, cloud water, ice crystals, rain and graupel (hydrometeor fields), several barriers make their initialization a sensitive issue: strong non-linearity of observation operators, strong non-Gaussianity of model errors, spatial discontinuity and positivity of the variables. We start our investigations by comparing experiments by the convective-scale model AROME-France in a 3DEnVar framework with and without hydrometeor initialization. The improvement in forecast skill for precipitation and cloud cover is then respectively assessed by comparisons with ground based precipitation observations as well as by the SEVIRI imager onboard the MSG geostationary satellite. Further improvement could be expected from variable-dependent localization or non-linear change of variables.
Title: 2018 State of U.S. High Tide Flooding with a 2019 Outlook
Presenter(s): William Sweet, PhD, Oceanographer, NOAA NOS Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS). Presenting at NOAA in SIlver Spring, SSMC4, Room 8150.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov; Mike Shelby will be hosting this seminar.
Abstract: High tide flooding (HTF) is increasingly common due to years of relative sea level increases. In fact, last year (2018/2019), the rate of HTF broke or tied numerous local and national records and busied NOAA Weather Forecast Offices, which issued record numbers of coastal flood advisories. More of the same is expected next year (2019/2020). Impacts are typically more disruptive than out-right damaging, but responding to HTF requires time and resources is becoming a serious concern in many coastal communities. Impacts are mounting, and in response, NOAA's National Ocean Service has been tracking changes in flood risk and issuing annual reports providing predictions to help communities plan and prepare accordingly. This talk will dig into the most recent report and new NOAA products that focus on tracking the rapid uptick in HTF trends, identifying the coastal regions at risk and providing next-year and next-decade projections for about 100 U.S. coastal locations.
Bio(s): William Sweet is a NOAA CO-OPS oceanographer researching and developing products about how sea level rise affects coastal flood risk. He helped the U.S. Department of Defense assess coastal flood risk across their global installations and was a lead author for the 4th U.S. National Climate Assessment. He enjoys sailing the Chesapeake Bay and teaching his kids about the signs of sea level rise from his home in Annapolis.
Imme Ebert-Uphoff, CIRA and Christina Kumler, CIRES
Date & Time:
8 August 2019
11:30 am - 12:30 pm ET
Location:
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
Abstract: Machine learning is becoming more and more accessible to the scientific community, with high performance computing capabilities, data collection, and increasing availability of free and highly efficient software packages. Part 1 of this talk discusses machine learning projects that are currently ongoing within NOAA ESRL's Global System Division (GSD). GSD has several active projects applying different methods of ML to satellite data that will be covered briefly in this talk. One project in particular, a Regions of Interest (ROI) project that uses deep learning to detect cyclonic ROI from water vapor satellite data, will be highlighted at the end. Part 2 then discusses the great potential as well as some challenges of using machine learning for climate and weather applications. Challenges include the perceived lack of transparency and the potential for incorrect generalization of these methods. We then discuss strategies for overcoming these challenges, including i) leveraging physics in the AI approach and ii) utilizing visualization tools to help understand the reasoning of these algorithms.
Bio(s): Imme Ebert-Uphoff received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mathematics from the Technical University of Karlsruhe (known today as Karlsruhe Institute of Technology or KIT). She received M.S and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. She was a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech for over 10 years, before joining the Electrical & Computer Engineering department at Colorado State in 2011 as research professor. Her research interests are in applying data science methods to climate applications. She is also very involved in activities to build bridges between the AI community and the earth science community, including serving on the steering committee of the annual Climate Informatics workshop, and of the NSF sponsored research coordination network (RCN) on Intelligent Systems for the Geosciences. Starting July 1, 2019, she is spending 50% of her time with CIRA to support their machine learning activities.
Christina Kumler comes from an applied mathematics, meteorology, and oceanic science background. She completed her B.S. degree at CU Boulder in applied mathematics in 2013 and then completed her M.S. at University of Miami Florida RSMAS in meteorology and physical oceanography in 2015. She is currently a CIRES scientist and specializes in computational aspects of weather modeling. Over the last two years, her time has been dedicated to applying machine learning techniques to big data problems in the field of weather and climate. In her spare time, she races triathlons, hikes, does semi-professional photography, and loves to cook/bake/eat with friends, family, husband, and dog.
Sponsor(s): Join the NOAA Central Library and the Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) for the new NOAA Innovators Series! This series will be facilitated by Derek Parks, Technology Transfer Program Manager.
Presenter(s): Vera Trainer, NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Research Oceanographer
Abstract: SoundToxins is a diverse partnership of aquaculture businesses, federal, tribal, state, and local governments, education institutions, and Puget Sound residents that monitor for harmful algae to alert health and natural resource agencies of their abundance. The complimentary online database allows for near-real time viewing of traffic-light maps. This partnership has helped to minimize the risks to human health and reducing the economic losses to Puget Sound fisheries since its formation in 2006.
Bio(s): Vera Trainer is a supervisory oceanographer at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington, USA. Her current research on harmful algal blooms focuses on the assessment of climatic factors that influence toxic bloom development and understanding susceptibility of shellfish and marine mammals to toxins in their environment. Her work has led a comprehensive ecological forecast to alert tribal, state and federal managers to toxic events that threaten coastal shellfish harvest.
Title: Climate Change and Tribes and Indigenous Peoples: Findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 8 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States
Presenter(s): Rachael Novak, Science Advisor, Tribal Resilience Coordinator, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov and Katie Reeves. <kreeves@usgcrp.gov>
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. This presentation will address the impacts of climate change on tribes and indigenous peoples in the United States.
Bio(s): Rachael Novak, Navajo (Din) is Coordinator of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) Tribal Resilience Program (Acting) and also serves as the Tribal Resilience Science Coordinator. Her first clan is Tse' Deeshgizhnii (Gap in the Rock Clan) and her maternal grandfather's clan is Kinyaa'anii (Towering House Clan). At BIA, she leads efforts to support tribal resilience including the annual competitive funding opportunity for tribal adaptation planning and the development of the Tribes and Indigenous Peoples Chapter of the 4th National Climate Assessment (as Coordinating Federal Lead Author). From 2008-2015, she worked on the development of water quality standards through the Clean Water Act at the Office of Water at the U.S. EPA in Washington, DC. She has an M.S. in geosciences from the University of Arizona and a B.S./B.A. in Environmental Science (geoscience track)/International Studies in Environmental Science from Oregon State University. She currently resides in Albuquerque, NM with her husband and toddler.
Abstract: Coupled models of the Earth system have now enabled numerical prediction from weather time scales to climate projections. Strongly coupled data assimilation (DA) based on an ensemble of forecasts is a promising approach for providing initial conditions for these coupled models due to their ability to estimate flow-dependent coupled error covariance. Because the coupling strength between subsystems of the Earth is not a simple function of a distance, we need a better localization strategy than the current distance-dependent localization. We first propose the correlation-cutoff method, where localization of strongly coupled DA is guided by ensemble correlations of an offline DA cycle, so that, for example, an atmospheric observation will be assimilated into an ocean location only if the variables at the two locations have been determined to have significantly correlated errors. The method improves the analysis accuracy when tested with a simple coupled model of atmosphere and ocean. We then extend the correlation-cutoff method to a global atmosphere-ocean strongly coupled DA with neural networks. The combination of static information provided by the neural networks and flow-dependent error covariance estimated by the ensemble improves the atmospheric analysis in our observation system simulation experiment. The neural networks can reproduce the global error statistics reasonably well, and their computational cost in a DA system is reasonable. As a related topic, error growth and predictability of a coupled dynamical system with multiple timescales are explored with a simple coupled atmosphere-ocean model. The attractor is found to have a discontinuous response to the strength of the coupling.
Presenter(s): Yusuke Kuwayama, Fellow at Resources for the Future, and VALUABLES Consortium Director
Seminar
Sponsor(s): NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group (NOCCG). This seminar will not be recorded. Slides may be shared upon request.
Abstract: National and international organizations are placing greater emphasis on the societal and economic benefits that are derived from applications of satellite data, yet improvements are needed to connect the decision processes that produce actions with direct societal benefits. Quantifying the socioeconomic benefits of Earth observations can (a) demonstrate return on investment in satellites and data products, (b) help satellite programs make informed choices about how to invest limited resources, (c) give Earth scientists an effective tool for communicating the value of the their work in socioeconomically meaningful terms, and (d) increase the likelihood that a satellite or satellite data application produces socioeconomic benefits by requiring Earth scientist to think about how project outcomes will be evaluated. To encourage the use of impact assessments to quantify the value of Earth science information energy and environmental economists at Resources for the Future (RFF) are collaborating with NASA Scientists through the VALUABLES Consortium (Consortium for the Valuation of Applications Benefits Linked with Earth Science). I will summarize the consortium's ongoing impact assessments, which quantify the value of using satellite data to enforce air quality standards, regulate air emissions from oil and gas development, detect harmful algal blooms, inform post-wildfire response, and predict ice sheet decline.
Bio(s): Yusuke Kuwayama is a Fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF). Kuwayama's research focuses on the economics of water resource management and the societal value of Earth science information. Kuwayama is also the Director of the Consortium for the Valuation of Applications Benefits Linked with Earth Science (VALUABLES). Kuwayama's research is often interdisciplinary in nature, involving collaboration with hydrologists, ecologists, and engineers. He has been PI or co-PI on grants supported by a variety of funders including NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His work has been published in outlets such as the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Land Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Regional Environmental Change, and Hydrogeology Journal. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics and M.S. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an A.B. in Economics from Amherst College.
Title: Air Quality and Human Health in a Changing Climate: Findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 7 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States
Presenter(s): Chris Nolte, Physical Scientist, National Exposure Research Laboratory, EPA, and Kristie Ebi, Professor, Global Health, University of Washington
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Tracy Gill and Katie Reeves.
Bio(s): Chris Nolte is a research physical scientist in EPA's Office of Research and Development in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, with expertise in regional scale modeling of climate and air quality. He was the coordinating lead author for the air quality chapter of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's fourth National Climate Assessment and a contributing author of the air quality chapter of the USGCRP Climate and Health Assessment, which came out in 2016. Chris is also co-lead of ORD's GLIMPSE project, which is developing a decision support tool to help state and regional planning organizations conduct long-term air quality management, simultaneously considering state and regional climate and energy objectives. He holds a BS in physics from Stanford University and MS and PhD degrees in environmental engineering science from the California Institute of Technology.
Kristie L. Ebi is has been conducting research and practice on the health risks of climate variability and change for more than twenty years, including on extreme events, thermal stress, foodborne safety and security, and vectorborne diseases. She focuses on understanding sources of vulnerability, estimating current and future health risks of climate change, and designing adaptation policies and measures to reduce the risks of climate change in multi-stressor environments. She was a lead author for the IPCC special report on warming of 1.5C, and of the 4th US National Climate Assessment.
Abstract: In 2022, the National Spatial Reference System will be modernized. This presentation addresses how geospatial professionals can expect to work within the newly modernized NSRS.
Intermediate Technical Content Rating: Some prior knowledge of the topic is helpful.
Presenter(s): Dr. Dru Smith, National Geodetic Survey
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Geodetic Survey. POC: Steve Vogel (steve.vogel@noaa.gov@noaa.gov), National Geodetic Survey
Presenter(s): Jeff Weinrich, JPSS Program Aviation Initiative Facilitator
Abstract: The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Proving Ground and Risk Reduction (PGRR) program facilitates initiatives to increase or improve the use and value of JPSS data products in user products, services, and application or service areas. Building on the success of the Fire and Smoke, River Ice and Flooding, Hydrology, Sounding, and Arctic Initiative, the JPSS Aviation Initiative is the latest endeavor of the JPSS PGRR program. The aviation initiative was created in 2017 as a solution to the need of satellite products in the aviation community. It is establishing and building relationships with pilots and forecasters in the Alaska region and connect JPSS capabilities with the user needs. The initiative demonstrates JPSS/VIIRS cloud products to the pilots and forecasters in AK based on user interest and current season. It is also investigating the value of quantitate products to the pilots and forecasters. the initiative is determining how polar satellite data improves diagnosis and forecast of aviation hazards. The major participants in the Aviation Initiative to date are the JPSS program office, Alaska Aviation Weather Unit (AAWU), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Alaska Flight Service Stations, the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), National Weather Service (NWS) Center Weather Service Units (CWSUs), NWS Arctic Test Bed, and The Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA). Another goal is to highlight experimental products for future applications. The next step is to Expand utility in the Continental United States and internationally and to collaborate with other satellite programs.
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
Abstract: After more than four decades of international research and development in Doppler Wind Lidar, the Atmospheric LAser Doppler INstrument (ALADIN) on ESA's Aeolus mission is the first system to demonstrate direct measurement of vertically resolved wind profiles from space. While international studies are already demonstrating the positive impact of Aeolus lidar observations on weather forecasts, the ALADIN mission life is limited to a maximum of three years. The same year as the Aeolus launch, the NOAA Satellite Observing System Architecture (NSOSA) study listed 3D-Winds as one of the top observational objectives for future weather architectures and the National Academies Earth Science Decadal Survey (ESDS) listed Atmospheric Winds as one of the top targeted observables. The Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar (OAWL) approach developed at Ball Aerospace, with funding support from NASA, provides a validated, high-TRL, and reduced-risk U.S. option for an Aeolus follow-on. This seminar will discuss the characteristics of Doppler wind lidar observations, compare wind lidar to other wind-observing methods used in numerical weather prediction, describe what the OAWL approach offers relative to Aeolus, and provide a roadmap for achieving a U.S. space-based wind lidar as part of a future operational weather architecture.
Bio(s): Sara Tucker is technical lead of Operational Weather in Civil Space and Technologies at Ball Aerospace where she focuses on development of advanced remote-sensing techniques and system architectures to meet next-generation operational weather requirements and Earth science objectives. She also serves as the Principal Investigator for the Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar (OAWL) system. At Ball, and previously at NOAA/CIRES, Sara has managed Doppler lidar development and participation in several ground, ship- and aircraft-based field campaigns to study atmospheric winds. She has written and contributed to publications on Doppler lidar instrument and data product development, planetary boundary layer dynamics, cloud processes, and dust/pollution transport and mixing processes. Sara graduated from the University of Colorado with M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a focus on digital signal processing and optics.
Abstract: In September 2018, a team of scientists and divers led by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center conducted a large-scale mission to survey and remove marine debris from the islands and atolls of the Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument. Over the course of 41 days, 2 ships, and a shore-based mission, the team was able to successfully remove over 74 metric tons (164,000 lbs) of derelict fishing gear, plastic, and other marine debris from the shallow (<30 ft) coral reef and shoreline environments. This presentation will provide an overview of the project's history, survey and removal methods, recent research, and future missions.
Bio(s): James Morioka is the Operations Manager for the Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) at NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). He specializes in project planning, logistics, and field operations. He has been with NOAA PIFSC since 2011 and has managed large-scale marine debris removal operations in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands since 2015.
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, ASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Andrei Iancu, Director of the Office of Space Commerce Kevin O'Connell, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO Laura Peter, Former Associate Director, Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office, NASA and National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee Frank Cepollina, Astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, Astronaut Paul Richards, VP and General Manager of Strategic Operations of Ball Aerospace Debra Facktor, CEO of NanoRacks Jeffrey Manber, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Slingshot Aerospace Melanie Stricklan
Date & Time:
23 July 2019
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar or 600 Dulany Street Alexandria, VA 22314
Presenter(s): Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, ASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Andrei Iancu, Director of the Office of Space Commerce Kevin O'Connell, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO Laura Peter, Former Associate Director, Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office, NASA and National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee Frank Cepollina, Astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, Astronaut Paul Richards, VP and General Manager of Strategic Operations of Ball Aerospace Debra Facktor, CEO of NanoRacks Jeffrey Manber, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Slingshot Aerospace Melanie Stricklan
Abstract: To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, the USPTO will host an event focused on space innovation, technology transfer from the Apollo missions, and an overview of the current administration's policy on space exploration and space commerce. Information: https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/events/apollo-50-role-intellectual-property-space-commerce
Featured speakers include federal government executives, astronauts, inventors, and commercial space industry executives:
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Andrei Iancu Director of the Office of Space Commerce Kevin O'Connell Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO Laura Peter Former Associate Director, Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office, NASA and National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee Frank Cepollina Astronaut Kathryn Sullivan Astronaut Paul Richards VP and General Manager of Strategic Operations of Ball Aerospace Debra Facktor CEO of NanoRacks Jeffrey Manber Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Slingshot Aerospace Melanie Stricklan
Sponsor(s): NOAA Central Library POC: Ayeisha Brinson, Economist, NOAA/CFO/PRSSO (ayeisha.brinson@noaa.gov)
Presenter(s): Jenny Helmick, Linda Girardi, and Chris Lamie, Eastern Research Group, Inc.
Abstract: This webinar will present the results of a Performance, Risk, and Social Science Office (PRSSO) project to improve communication of risk and uncertainty for natural hazards. Staff from Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG) will discuss key findings from interviews and other research within and outside NOAA about the agency's risk communication strengths and challenges. They will also describe a new practical guide developed to help strengthen and institutionalize risk and uncertainty communication NOAA-wide.
Bio(s): Jennifer Helmick combines graduate-level education in environmental health and environmental policy with more than 30 years of experience as an environmental researcher, writer, and trainer. She has developed outreach and training products for NOAA and other agencies on a wide range of environmental and health risks.
Linda Girardi is an ERG communications and marketing consultant. She has supported NOAA's National Weather Service, Office for Coastal Management, and NOAA Fisheries in a wide range of social science research, communication planning, and outreach tasks.
Chris Lamie is senior scientist at ERG with more than a decade of experience at the nexus of environmental science, public health, and communications. He specializes in conveying technical information in an engaging yet scientifically rigorous manner, as well as coordinating interdisciplinary teams of scientists, writers, artists, web developers, and consultants to achieve these goals.
Libby Larson, Support Scientist, Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Jennifer Jacobs, Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of New Hampshire
Date & Time:
23 July 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar (see access below) or for NOAA Silver Spring folks, SSMC4, Rm 8150
Title: Transportation and the Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 6 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States
Presenter(s): Libby Larson, Support Scientist, Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Jennifer Jacobs, Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of New Hampshire
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Katie Reeves <kreeves@usgcrp.gov> and Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. This presentation will address the impacts of climate change on transportation and the built environment in the United States.
Bio(s): Libby Larson is a support scientist in the Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, a role she took on after her AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship in the Terrestrial Ecology Program, Earth Sciences Division, NASA Headquarters. In her work at NASA, Dr. Larson focuses on facilitating stakeholder interactions and knowledge co-production for the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), is a member of the Carbon Cycle Science Interagency Working Group, and co-chairs the Social Sciences Coordinating Committee at US GCRP. She is also Coordinator of the North American Carbon Program (NACP). Dr. Larson has a B.A. from Haverford College (1996) and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University (2010). An urban ecologist by training, Dr. Larson's work is related to incorporating humans into our understanding of ecological processes. Rather than thinking of humans as external factors that mainly disturb the ecosystem, people are internal agents that both drive and respond to changes in the system. Developing this kind of ecological understanding requires an interdisciplinary perspective, including the fields of urban planning, sociology, economics, anthropology, history, engineering, etc.
Jennifer Jacobs is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New Hampshire. She has a Sc.B. from Brown University, an M.S. from Tufts University, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. She has over 25 years of experience using novel weather and climate information to enhance infrastructure design and practice with a specialty in cold weather and snow. She has over 80 published journal articles on these topics. She is the Director of the National Science Foundation funded Research Coordination Network: The Infrastructure and Climate Network (ICNet). ICNet brings together climate scientists and civil engineers to accelerate research for climate resilient infrastructure. Dr. Jacobs has provided expertise on design and managing transportation infrastructure under a changing climate to numerous national and international organizations and was the Lead Author for the Transportation Sector Chapter of the 4th National Climate Assessment.
Presenter(s): Craig Williamson, Global Change Limnology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH
Abstract: The holy grail of lake management can be found in the strong relationship between nutrient loading and chlorophyll concentrations. Increases in nutrients can lead to harmful algal blooms, cyanotoxins, and dead zones. These events plague western Lake Erie, coastal oceans, and many other inland waters. Yet a recent survey of 2,913 lakes in the USA shows that overall little has changed with either nutrients or chlorophyll in recent decades. In the meantime, lakes in many parts of the world are turning browner due to up to a doubling of terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter. Other lakes such as Michigan and Huron are increasing in water clarity. Both increases and decreases in water clarity have important implications for lake ecosystem structure and function, the success of invasive and native fish species, as well as solar UV disinfection of parasites and pathogens in lakes. Understanding the causes and consequences of change in water transparency is essential to effective management of lakes and the important ecosystem services that they provide.
Bio(s): Craig Williamson is the Ohio Eminent Scholar of Ecosystem Ecology at Miami University in Ohio where he leads the Global Change Limnology Laboratory. His expertise is in the ecology of UV radiation and climate change, with a current focus on the effects of water clarity on lake ecosystems. His research is based at the Lacawac Sanctuary and Biological Field Station in the northeastern Pennsylvania, but extends worldwide. Research questions range from UV effects on the ecology of zooplankton, larval fish, and infectious diseases, to deploying advanced sensors to decipher the sentinel responses of lakes to climate change. He serves on the United Nations Environment Programme Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (UNEP EEAP), is active in the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) where he leads the Climate Sentinels Working Group, and is the Chief Scientific Adviser of the Pocono Lake Ecological Observatory Network (PLEON), an outreach program on public education and monitoring of lakes in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Abstract: The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for August and the remaining summer season and early fall. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Are our seminars recorded? Yes, you can find them here (https://uaf-accap.org/events/list/?tribe_event_display=past)
Abstract: Hurricane Irma made landfall in southwest Florida within the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in September of 2017 as a Category 3 storm with winds in excess of 115 mph. For some areas within the reserve, the impact of the storm compounded the stress caused by decades of human development and changes to water flow patterns. Managers of the reserve want to better understand the synergistic effects of chronic stress from human modification or other drivers (e.g., sea level rise) and acute impacts from Hurricane Irma. One approach is to measure habitat structure and change in the time preceding and following the major storm event. This webinar will describe the use of advanced satellite imagery to map the damage, death, and recovery of mangroves with a time series of images from 2010 to 2018. Dr. Matt McCarthy will share the methods used to map the landscape and evaluate change. Dr. Brita Jessen will provide background for the study and discuss the management implications for the reserve and other coastal areas. Matt and Brita have been collaborating on a one year-year catalyst project that has relevance to coastal land managers interested in mapping habitat change.
Bio(s): Dr. Matthew McCarthy is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science. He specializes in remote sensing and large-scale coastal mapping with supercomputing technologies and advanced image processing techniques. He has applied remote sensing methods to study a variety of issues, including mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs, coastal geomorphology, sea-level rise, aquaculture and public health.
Dr. Brita Jessen is the research manager at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. She specializes in ecosystem ecology of coastal wetlands. As the research team lead, Dr. Jessen supports long-term monitoring programs related to water quality, sea level rise, habitat change, and wildlife, and works across departments to facilitate the translation of current research into management and policy.
Presenter(s): Sam Chew Chin, Recreational Fisheries Initiative
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Katie Lohr, (kathryn.lohr@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Environmental DNA analysis has gained attention in recent years for its potential as a low-cost, minimally invasive biomonitoring tool. This presentation will give an overview of the fundamentals of eDNA methods, what their present capabilities and limitations are, and strategies for employing them that will yield the most benefit for marine resource science and management.
About the speaker: Sam is a doctoral candidate in Biology at the City University of New York's Graduate Center. Originally from California, he began his life in marine science as an undergrad volunteer at SWFSC in La Jolla, and later worked as an observer in gillnet and longline fisheries.
Title: Introduction to the Aviation Weather Center (AWC), National Weather Service, NOAA
Presenter(s): Karen S. Eagle, Senior Aviation Meteorologist at the Aviation Weather Center
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; seminar coordinator is tracy.gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: The National Weather Service provides a variety of aviation weather services. The Aviation Weather Center (AWC) in Kansas City, MO contributes to the NWS mission by forecasting for several aviation hazards across the Continental United States and beyond.
Bio(s): Karen Eagle is a Senior Aviation Meteorologist at the AWC in Kansas City, MO. She joined the AWC over 16 years ago. Like many meteorologists, her love of weather developed as a young child. It was her love of severe weather that gave her the desire to pursue meteorology as a career. However, early on in her career there was an opportunity to become an aviation meteorologist. Despite her little knowledge of aviation weather, she jumped at the chance for a new challenge. It was then she discovered how much she enjoyed aviation weather and the uniqueness that was created with the day-to-day challenges of forecasting for the Continental U.S. In the near future, Karen will take on new challenges as she begins a new chapter in her career as Meteorologist In Charge at the Center Weather Service Unit (CWSU) in Longmont/Denver, CO. There are 22 CWSU facilities across the country. Each CWSU is a NWS unit located inside FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC).
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Machine learning is becoming more and more accessible to the scientific community, with high performance computing capabilities, data collection, and increasing availability of free and highly efficient software packages. Part 1 of this talk discusses the great potential as well as some challenges of using machine learning for climate and weather applications. Challenges include the perceived lack of transparency and the potential for incorrect generalization of these methods. We then discuss strategies for overcoming these challenges, including i) leveraging physics in the AI approach and ii) utilizing visualization tools to help understand the reasoning of these algorithms. Part 2 then discusses machine learning projects that are currently ongoing within NOAA ESRL's Global System Division (GSD). GSD has several active projects applying different methods of ML to satellite data that will be covered briefly in this talk. One project in particular, a Regions of Interest (ROI) project that uses deep learning to detect cyclonic ROI from water vapor satellite data, will be highlighted at the end.
Bio(s): Imme Ebert-Uphoff received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mathematics from the Technical University of Karlsruhe (known today as Karlsruhe Institute of Technology or KIT). She received M.S and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. She was a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech for over 10 years, before joining the Electrical & Computer Engineering department at Colorado State in 2011 as research professor. Her research interests are in applying data science methods to climate applications. She is also very involved in activities to build bridges between the AI community and the earth science community, including serving on the steering committee of the annual Climate Informatics workshop, and of the NSF sponsored research coordination network (RCN) on Intelligent Systems for the Geosciences. Starting July 1, 2019, she is spending 50% of her time with CIRA to support their machine learning activities.
Christina Kumler comes from an applied mathematics, meteorology, and oceanic science background. She completed her B.S. degree at CU Boulder in applied mathematics in 2013 and then completed her M.S. at University of Miami Florida RSMAS in meteorology and physical oceanography in 2015. She is currently a CIRES scientist and specializes in computational aspects of weather modeling. Over the last two years, her time has been dedicated to applying machine learning techniques to big data problems in the field of weather and climate. In her spare time, she races triathlons, hikes, does semi-professional photography, and loves to cook/bake/eat with friends, family, husband, and dog.
Presenter(s): Ralph Ferraro, Branch Chief, Satellite Climate Studies Branch, NOAA
Seminar
Sponsor(s): Virtual Alaska Weather Symposium. Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) and NOAA CPO RISA Program
Abstract: Passive microwave sensors on low earth orbiting satellites have the ability to monitor several parameters associated with the Earth's hydrological cycle - falling precipitation, snow and ice parameters, soil moisture, etc. These observations are particularly useful for high latitude locations where geostationary satellites have limited coverage. In this presentation, a review of the methodology used to retrieve this information will be given, then followed by several practical applications for weather forecasting and climate monitoring.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Dr. Jon Hare, Science and Research Director, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Andy Lipsky, Acting Chief of Staff, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Date & Time:
17 July 2019
12:00 pm - 1:15 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar (see below) and in person at Stephen Clark Conference Room, NEFSC Aquarium Bldg, Woods Hole, MA
Presenter(s): Dr. Jon Hare, Science and Research Director, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Andy Lipsky, Acting Chief of Staff, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Seminar
Sponsor(s): NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). Seminar POC for questions: Paula Fratantoni
Abstract: Offshore wind energy development is proceeding rapidly on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Wind energy development will soon enter the construction phase within New England and the Mid-Atlantic and efforts are also underway to develop wind energy along the west coast of the U.S. To date, 15 commercial offshore wind leases are active in the Northwest Atlantic shelf from North Carolina to Massachusetts and additional lease areas are under consideration. We will provide an overview of the development process, review the potential interactions with NOAA fisheries mission; including the impacts on our scientific enterprise; and discuss the major challenges and opportunities to achieving coexistence between sustainable fisheries and offshore renewable energy.
Bio(s): Jon Hare is the Science and Research Director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. He oversees science activities related to NOAA Fisheries mission in the Northeast region including fisheries, aquaculture, protected species, habitat, and ecosystem science. Jon received a PhD in Coastal Oceanography from SUNY Stony Brook. He was awarded a National Research Council Research Associateship in 1994 to work at the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory and was hired by NOAA in 1997. Jon moved to the NOAA Narragansett Laboratory in 2005, was appointed Oceanography Branch Chief in 2008 and Lab Director in 2012. He started as Northeast Fisheries Science Center Director in 2016 and is now located at the NOAA Woods Hole Laboratory. His research has focused on fisheries oceanography: understanding the interactions between the ocean environment and fisheries populations with a goal of contributing to assessments and management. He is also an expert on the effect of climate change on marine fisheries and the implications to coastal communities.
Andy Lipsky: With over 25 years of fisheries experience, Andy has worked at the NGO, private industry, State, Tribal, and Federal levels. Andy joined NOAA and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in 2016 and currently serves as Center's Acting Chief of Staff and Planning Officer in the Office of the Directorate. In this role he leads strategic and annual scientific and research budget planning across the Center's scientific enterprise. In addition, he serves as the Center's offshore energy and fisheries science team leader and co-chairs the NMFS Regional Wind Team. Prior to joining NOAA, Andy served as a managing partner for SeaPlan-a private resource planning startup, where he led efforts to design and execute collaborative fisheries studies to study the impacts of the Block Island Wind Farm on groundfish and lobster resources. From 2009-2011, Andy was appointed by USDA to serve as an Ocean Policy Advisor to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. From 2001-2009 Andy served as a State and Regional Fish and Wildlife Biologist for USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service to advance watershed and aquatic conservation programs, including fish passage, seagrass, and coastal wetland restoration; and developed conservation programs with the aquaculture industry. Andy began his fisheries career working on endangered desert fishes in the Southwestern United States back in 1992.
Available in-person at: Stephen Clark Conference Room, NEFSC Aquarium Bldg, Woods Hole, MA
Abstract: These presentations are part of a monthly series hosted by CCRUN, a NOAA RISA Team. The lectures are drawn from the recent book, Our Warming Planet: Topics in Climate Dynamics, published by World Scientific. The series encompasses topics such as natural and anthropogenic climate forcing, climate modeling, radiation, clouds, atmospheric dynamics and storms, hydrology, cryosphere, paleoclimate, sea level rise, agriculture, atmospheric chemistry, and climate change education. The lecture series is for students, teachers, and interested researchers and colleagues around the world to be better able to understand various aspects of climate change.
Webinars will take place monthly on Tuesdays from 3:00"5:00PM. No purchase of book necessary for viewing the webinar series. All webinars are recorded and made available on the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast website at http://www.ccrun.org/resources/lectures-in-climate-change/.
About the Educational Global Climate Model (EdGCM): The Educational Global Climate Modeling (EdGCM) Project develops and disseminates an integrated suite of software that makes it possible for educational institutions to operate a fully functional version of the GISS GCM Model II without the need for programmers or supercomputers. EdGCM uses a graphical user interface to ease the operation of the GCM's basic functions, from model set up to post-processing of output. It is built on a database framework so that teachers, students or scientists can more easily organize large numbers of experiments as well as the input and output from climate simulations. Scientific visualization capability is supplied and there are user-expandable image libraries, and eJournals. Thus, using EdGCM students can obtain a complete and meaningful research experience in which they learn about various climate change issues (global warming, past climates, etc.) while simultaneously learning about computer modeling techniques, Numerous universities, schools and research institutions are employing EdGCM as a means of lowering the barriers to participation in climate change and climate modeling science.
Title: Oceans and Coastal Communities in a Changing Climate: Findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 5 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States MP4 and PDF of the slides are here: https://www.globalchange.gov/engage/webinars#OneNOAA%20NCA4
Presenter(s): Jeff Payne, Director, Office of Coastal Management, NOAA, and Andrew Pershing, Chief Scientific Officer, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Katie Reeves <kreeves@usgcrp.gov> and Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. This presentation will address the impacts of climate change on oceans and and coastal communities and ecosystems in the United States.
Bio(s): Dr. Jeff Payne is the Senior Executive Service director for the Office of Coastal Management, and under his leadership, the nation's coastal management activities are coordinated to address the significant challenges affecting our coastal communities. Payne previously served as the deputy director of NOAA's Coastal Services Center. During that time he also led the Southeast and Caribbean Regional Team, a NOAA-wide effort to improve the value of NOAA services to the Southeast region states, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. From 2009 to 2010, he served as the acting deputy chief of staff for NOAA. He was deputy director of NOAA's Office of Policy and Strategic Planning in Washington, D.C. and served in the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President as the budget examiner for NOAA and the Marine Mammal Commission. He also served a year in the U.S. House of Representatives as the American Geophysical Union Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow.
Dr. Andy Pershing has served as Chief Scientific Officer for the Gulf of Maine Research Institute since 2014 and continues to run the Ecosystem Modeling Lab. Prior to becoming CSO, Andy had a joint appointment as a faculty member in the University of Maine School of Marine Sciences and as a research scientist at GMRI. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of changing conditions in the Gulf of Maine, and he is an expert on how climate variability and climate change impact the ecosystems in the northwest Atlantic. He uses a variety of techniques, including analysis of past changes in the physical and ecological conditions, as well as advanced mathematical and computer models of how marine populations change through time. Andy has worked primarily on zooplankton, especially rice grain-sized crustaceans called copepods, but he has also studied lobsters, herring, cod, salmon, bluefin tuna, and right whales. He is actively involved in regional efforts to understand and adapt to climate change.
Presenter(s): Dr Paul Menzel, University of Wisconsin Senior Scientist
Sponsor(s): Satellite History Seminar Series, JPSS Program. POC: Bill Sjoberg (bill.sjoberg@noaa.gov)
Abstract: This talk will touch on the events from the last 70 years. Early post WWII rockets showed the potential for taking pictures from high altitudes. The International Geophysical Year 1957-58 started satellite observations of earth. Thereafter the polar orbiting TIROS gave the first mosaic of the global cloud cover. With the advent of geostationary cameras in 1966, high temporal resolution animations of cloud motion were realized. ISCCP started with the imager data from POES and GOES. Now high spatial resolution images from MODIS, VIIRS, ABI now provide the benchmark for long range cloud studies.
Presenter(s): Harvey Locke of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Beyond the Aichi Targets Task Force
Co-
Sponsor(s): NOAA National MPA Center, MPA News, and the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe). For questions: zac.cannizzo@noaa.gov
Abstract: What should global conservation targets be beyond 2020? The Beyond the Aichi Targets Task Force, appointed by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, is trying to answer this question and is developing a framework for potential use by the Convention on Biological Diversity to help implement post-2020 targets set at the next Conference of the Parties in China. The Three Global Conditions for Biodiversity Conservation Framework proposes to divide the world into three conditions: 1) heavily used areas, 2) intermediate areas, and 3) wild areas. Each of these global conditions requires different conservation and restoration strategies to restore or maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function. The Task Force is currently exploring the applicability of this framework to the world ocean. Dr. Harvey Locke, Chair of the Beyond the Aichi Targets Task Force, will present the results of a global scientific survey on area-based conservation and explore the idea of the Three Global Conditions framework.
Adrienne Copeland, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Science and Communications Advisor; Kasey Cantwell, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Project Coordinator, Mission Team on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, and Amy Wagner, Expedition Science Co-lead, Assistant Professor, California State University, Sacramento
Date & Time:
11 July 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar or for NOAA Silver Spring staff, SSMC4, Rm 8150
Title: A Window to the Deep Through Live Ocean Exploration
Presenter(s): Adrienne Copeland, PhD, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Science and Communications Advisor and Kasey Cantwell, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Project Coordinator, Mission Team on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Kasey presenting remotely from the NOAA OE ship and Adrienne presenting from NOAA in .SIlver Spring, MD. Amy Wagner, Expedition Science Co-lead, Assistant Professor, California State University, Sacramento.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar and NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research; seminar coordinator is Tracy Gill
Abstract: From June 20 - July 12, NOAA and partners will conduct an expedition to explore deep waters off the southeastern United States,from Florida to North Carolina, from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Using advanced mapping systems and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), they expect to explore deep-sea coral and sponge habitats, maritime heritage sites, submarine canyons, and cold seeps, at depths as great as 3,400 meters (~2 miles). Join this presentation for a review of some of the exciting things seen during the expedition and to learn how you can get involved in future Okeanos expeditions.
Bio(s): Adrienne Copeland is a Science and Communications Advisor for the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) and is serving as the web coordinator for this expedition. Adrienne joined OER in 2017 as a Knauss Sea Grant Exploration Fellow. She received her Ph.D. in Zoology with Marine Biology specialization from the University of Hawaii at Mnoa and her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Certificate in Mathematical Biology from Washington State University. Her research interests focus on using active and passive acoustics to understand predator prey dynamics in the open ocean. Adrienne has been on over 20 seagoing expeditions and was chief scientist on six of these trips, including trips throughout the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Kasey Cantwell is a Project Coordinator with OER. Kasey has a Master of Science degree in Marine Affairs and Policy and Marine Geology and Geophysics, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science and Biology, both from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Kasey is responsible for coordinating telepresence-enabled expeditions conducted onboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Since joining OER in 2012, she has coordinated over a dozen expeditions and projects, including multidisciplinary expeditions to the Atlantic submarine canyons, the Marianas, Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Glacier Bay National Park, and offshore the southeastern United States. Kasey is the Expedition Manager for this expedition.
Amy Wagner, Science Co-lead, Assistant Professor, California State University, Sacramento Leg 2. Dr. Amy Wagner has been teaching oceanography, geochemistry, and marine geology at Sacramento State since 2015. Although she grew up in the Arizona desert, she was always drawn to the ocean, is an avid SCUBA diver, and loves being at sea. She earned her undergraduate degree in Marine Science from Texas A&M University, Galveston and her Ph.D. in Oceanography from Texas A&M University, with a focus on paleoceanography and paleoclimate. In Sacramento, she is the founder of the WagsLab, which provides undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct water isotope research projects. Amy has participated in over a dozen research cruises in all the world's oceans except the Arctic, including one dive aboard the human operated vehicle Alvin. During the expedition, she will be co-science lead, helping to guide remotely operated vehicle dives, providing narrative regarding the seafloor and the geology, providing commentary on squishy sea critters, and interacting with shore-based scientists.
Abstract: Entanglement or by-catch is a global issue that affects many marine animals, including large whales like the charismatic humpback whale. Hundreds of thousands of whales die worldwide each year, but the impacts go beyond mortality. When conditions and resources allow, trained responders under NOAA's Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program attempt the dangerous task of freeing whales from life-threatening entanglements. However, the ultimate goal is to gain information to reduce the threat for whales and humans alike. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary working closely with its partners and the community, coordinates response efforts for Hawaii, the principle breeding and calving ground of humpback whales in the North Pacific. The effort represents a unique and valuable opportunity to gain a broader understanding of large whale entanglement threat. Learn more about whale entanglements and response efforts from expert Ed Lyman.
Presenter(s): Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
Presenter(s): Morgan Kilgour, Delta Stewardship Council Science Program
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Morgan Kilgour will discuss the challenges in providing ecosystem information to managers so that a more holistic approach to fisheries management can be achieved. Managing fisheries with a myopic view (single stock management) can be ineffective and may lead to distrust of science by stakeholders. Without incorporating multiple factors affecting fish, management of fisheries is unlikely to be successful. Factors may include habitat requirements, interactions with other fish/species, or anthropogenic stressors such as fishing pressure. In particular, Morgan will focus on two examples 1) leading the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council towards implementing a Fishery Ecosystem Plan and 2) working in the State of California and communicating ecosystem information to managers.
Bio(s): Morgan Kilgour is a Senior Environmental Scientist with the Delta Stewardship Council Science Program in Sacramento, CA. Her primary responsibilities include promoting scientific exploration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, effectively communicating science needs to scientists and managers, and distilling information for decision makers. She recently moved to California from Tampa, Florida where she was a fishery biologist for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. There she was the lead staff member for aquaculture, ecosystem management, shrimp, spiny lobster, coral, and sustainable fisheries.
Title: The Ecosystem Forecasting Initiative: How we got here, where we hope to go, and what we've learned along the way
Presenter(s): Dr. Heather J. Lynch, Associate Professor of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; seminar coordinator is tracy.gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: The Ecological Forecasting Initiative (EFI) is a broad, interdisciplinary effort aimed at promoting the use of forecasts to understand, manage, and conserve ecosystems and the services they provide. In May, the inaugural EFI 2019 conference was aimed at bringing together scientists, agencies, industry, and stakeholders to build a community of practice and advance research, applications, and collaboration around near-term (subdaily to decadal) ecological forecasts. In this presentation, I will discuss the motivation behind the development of the Ecological Forecasting Initiative, the challenges remaining for wide-spread development of iterative short term forecasts in ecological applications, and some of the major themes raised at EFI 2019.
Bio(s): Dr. Heather Lynch is a quantitative ecologist and an Associate Professor at Stony Brook University with a joint appointment in the Department of Ecology & Evolution and the Institute for Advanced Computational Science. Dr. Lynch's research is dedicated to understanding the population dynamics of Antarctic wildlife, particularly penguins, with a focus on using past dynamics to make both short- and long-term forecasts of future dynamics. Dr. Lynch has an A.B. in Physics from Princeton University, an M.A. in Physics from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Shawn Carter, Acting Chief, USGS National Climate Adaptation Center, USGS and Prasanna Gowda, Research Leader, Grazinglands Research Laboratory, USDA - ARS
Date & Time:
9 July 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar or for NOAA Silver Spring staff, SSMC4, Rm 8150
Title: Ecosystems, Agriculture, and Rural Communities in a Changing Climate: Findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 4 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States MP4 and PDF of the slides are here: https://www.globalchange.gov/engage/webinars#OneNOAA%20NCA4
Presenter(s): Shawn Carter, Acting Chief, USGS National Climate Adaptation Center, USGS and Prasanna Gowda, Research Leader, Grazinglands Research Laboratory, USDA - ARS
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Katie Reeves & Tracy Gill
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. The assessment was developed through active engagement with regional and sectoral stakeholders, collaboration with author teams from other NCA4 chapters, and an extensive assessment of peer-reviewed literature on climate impacts. This presentation will address observed and projected impacts of climate change on ecosystems, agriculture, and rural communities in the United States.
Bio(s): Shawn Carter is the Senior Scientist of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Climate Adaptation Science Center, headquartered in Reston, VA. Shawn has degrees from Cornell, Virginia Tech, and SUNY-ESF and his research interests include: ecological monitoring and assessment, forest ecology, and species-habitat relationships.
Prasanna Gowda is a research leader of the Forage and Livestock Production Research Unit of the USDA-ARS Grazinglands Research Laboratory, El Reno, OK. Prasanna has degrees from Ohio State University and University of Minnesota and his research interests include agricultural systems monitoring and modeling, irrigation management, and remote sensing.
Dr. Trisha Kehau Watson, Co-Chair, Cultural Heritage Resource Working Group [CHRWG], Lauren Wenzel, NOAA MPA Center and CHRWG Co-Chair Joe Schumacker, Quinault Department of Fisheries, CHRWG Member
Presenter(s): Dr. Trisha Kehau Watson, Co-Chair, Cultural Heritage Resource Working Group [CHRWG], Lauren Wenzel, NOAA MPA Center and CHRWG Co-Chair Joe Schumacker, Quinault Department of Fisheries, CHRWG Member
Sponsor(s): NOAA National MPA Center, MPA News, and the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe). For questions: zac.cannizzo@noaa.gov
Abstract: What are cultural resources anyway? Often MPA managers are experts in natural resources management, and lack background in managing cultural resources. The Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee (MPAFAC) developed an on-line toolkit to address this need. Covering topics such as spanning legal authorities, a cultural landscape approach, planning for climate change and natural disasters, engaging stakeholders, and underwater archeology, the group's Cultural Resources Toolkit provides invaluable insight and strategies for marine and coastal managers and MPA visitors alike. In this webinar, the Cultural Resources Working Group of the MPAFAC provide an overview of the enhanced Toolkit and discuss its role in connecting people to their heritage in special coastal places throughout the US and elsewhere. The MPAFAC provides recommendations to the US Departments of Commerce (NOAA) and Interior for the effective design, establishment, and adaptive management of US MPAs. Learn more at: https://marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov/fac/products/
Jim Wickham, Senior Research Biologist, EPA; Jim Vose, Senior Research Ecologist, Southern Research Station, USFS; and Dave Peterson, Professor, Forest Ecology, University of Washington
Date & Time:
2 July 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar (see below) or for NOAA folks in Silver Spring, SSMC4 - Large Conference Room - 8150
Title: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in a Changing Climate: An Overview of the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 3 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States
Presenter(s): Jim Wickham, Senior Research Biologist, EPA; Jim Vose, Senior Research Ecologist, Southern Research Station, USFS; and Dave Peterson, Professor, Forest Ecology, University of Washington.
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Katie Reeves & Tracy Gill
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. This presentation will address the impacts of climate change on land cover and land-use change and forests in the United States. Presenters will discuss the assessment's findings, including adaptation actions, what we've learned since the previous assessment, and what we hope to understand better in the future. Screen reader support enabled.
Bio(s): Jim Wickham is a Research Biologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to joining EPA in 1998, Jim worked for Tennessee Valley Authority, Desert Research Institute, and Earth Satellite Corporation. Jim has a broad interest in the environmental impacts of spatial and temporal land cover patterns (https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=27c2SekAAAAJ). He coordinates EPA's participation in the MultiResolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) consortium, a group of 10 federal agencies that produces the National Land cover Database (NLCD), the Cropland Data Layer (CDL), the Coastal Change Analysis Program land cover (C-CAP), and LANDFIRE.
Jim Vose is a Senior Research Ecologist with the USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Integrated Forest Science (CIFS) at Research Triangle Park, NC. Prior to his current appointment as Co-Director of CIFS, he spent 25 years at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory studying and leading research on watershed ecosystem responses to disturbances and forest management. He has published over 250 research papers and two books. His current research examines the interactions among climate change, changing forest conditions, and water resources at landscape scales. In addition, he has led numerous national assessments and syntheses investigating forest ecosystem responses to drought and climate change, including the recently released National Climate Assessment.
Dave Peterson is Emeritus Senior Research Scientist with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, and Professor of Forest Biology at the University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. He has conducted research on climate change and fire science throughout western North America, has published 230 scientific articles and four books, and as a contributing author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He recently published the book Climate Change and Rocky Mountain Ecosystems, and currently works on climate change assessment and adaptation on federal lands throughout the western United States. Dave lives in northwest Washington state where he manages Mountain Heart Tree Farm.
Abstract: The mean of an ensemble of forecasts is traditionally defined as the Arithmetic Mean (AM) of all ensemble members. In the past two decades, this product gained significant use in weather forecasting. As a statistical construct, AM offers a nonlinear filtering of unpredictable forecast features across ensemble members that is reflected in a Root-Mean-Square (RMS) forecast error below that of individual forecasts. This is achieved at the cost of smearing out features that in different members appear at different positions and with different shapes and amplitudes. In the proposed Developmental Testbed Center (DTC) Visitor Project, we will develop an algorithm and software for an alternative ensemble mean that we call Feature-based Mean (FM). In FM, all forecast features appear at the mean of their position in the individual members, represented with an amplitude that is the mean amplitude of features aligned in all members. Preliminary results show that the FM retains more small-scale features and larger amplitudes than the AM. In addition, the FM can reduce about 10% RMS error for short to mid-term forecasts of extreme events relative to the AM. After the development of the algorithm, real-time FM graphics will be demonstrated to Weather Prediction Center (WPC) forecasters and the FM software will be contributed to the DTC software repository.
Abstract: Estuarine systems are areas of immense ecological importance and provide numerous social, economic, and environmental benefits. These benefits, both direct and indirect, are referred to as ecosystem services. Ecosystem services considerations are of increasing importance to the NERRS and many of their partners, and this webinar describes a project aimed at finding streamlined ways to incorporate ecosystem services into NERR coastal decision-making. We use Ecosystem Service Conceptual Models (ESCMs) as a framework to think about ecosystem services and how they can be considered within the NERRS. We will describe our work with the North Carolina and Rookery Bay NERRs to develop oyster reef and mangrove ESCMs, our efforts to apply these models to specific restoration sites at these NERRs, and our use of the models as a way to think about standardized monitoring of ecosystem services outcomes across the NERR network.
Bio(s): Sara Mason joined the Ecosystem Services Program at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions as a policy associate after graduating from Duke with a master's degree in environmental management. Her work focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of biodiversity conservation and how that can be leveraged to engage the public and policy makers in conservation efforts. Prior to joining the Nicholas Institute, Sara worked in ecological field research and endangered animal rehabilitation.
Lydia Olander directs the Ecosystem Services Program at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University. She leads the National Ecosystem Services Partnership, supporting efforts to integrate ecosystem services into decision making, and studies environmental markets and mitigation, including forestry and agricultural based climate mitigation; wetland, stream and endangered species mitigation; and water quality trading. She also serves on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board and the secretariat of The Bridge Collaborative.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Collaborating with community science groups for coastal acidification monitoring
Presenter(s): Beth Turner, National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Abstract: Like everywhere, the northeastern US doesn't have enough data on nearshore coastal acidification. But we are rich in citizen science monitoring organizations who are passionate about their local bodies of water. One way to expand monitoring efforts is by engaging these monitoring groups. They are well-positioned to help fill the gaps in coastal acidification monitoring, since they are on the ground in their estuaries and nearshore environments. Through a NOAA Ocean Acidification Program mini-grant, we conducted a series of on-line and hands-on workshop trainings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine with more than 40 community water monitoring programs. The workshops introduced techniques and approaches for measuring pH, total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon and explored how community monitoring groups might expand their current measurements to include acidification parameters. In this webinar, the speaker will report on priorities and capacities of citizen science groups for acidification measurements, their reactions to the provided training, lessons gained from the workshops and how we might engage in future coordinated monitoring efforts.
Bio(s): Beth Turner is an Oceanographer and Program Manager at the Competitive Research Program in the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), National Ocean Service (NOS) at NOAA. In this position, she manages research projects that focus on developing understanding and predictive capabilities for coastal management issues such as hypoxia, shoreline modification, ocean acidification and fisheries ecosystems. Beth was trained as a biological oceanographer and benthic ecologist, and holds degrees from Texas Christian University (Bachelor's), SUNY at Stony Brook (Master's), and University of Delaware (PhD). She did post- doctoral work at Rutgers University and the University of Maryland. Beth is a founding member of the steering committee of the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN) and co- chairs their Management and Policy Working Group.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Join the NOAA Central Library for a webinar only presentation on Machine Learning for Numerical Weather Prediction on June 26th at 12PM.
Presenter(s): Dr. Vladimir Krasnopolsky, Physical Scientist, Environmental Modeling Center, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction
Abstract: Basic groups of Machine Learning (ML) applications that have been already developed for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and climate simulations (for model initialization/data assimilation, model improvements, and model output postprocessing) are overviewed. It is shown that major challenges that NWP currently faces can be resolved or alleviated using ML techniques. Several examples of ML application: ML satellite retrieval algorithm, fast ML parameterizations of subgrid processes, and ML nonlinear ensembles, are introduced to illustrate capabilities of ML techniques. Advantages and limitations of ML techniques are discussed.
Bio(s): Vladimir M. Krasnopolsky received his M.S. in Theoretical and Computational Physics and Ph. D. in Theoretical Nuclear Physics from the Moscow State University (Russia). Since 1990, working in NOAA, he developed multiple ML applications for numerical weather and climate prediction. Dr. Krasnopolsky published two books, two book chapters, over 70 papers in refereed scientific journals, and over 100 technical and conference papers.
Upmanu Lall, Director, Columbia Water Center, Columbia University and Craig Zamuda, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Energy Policy & Systems Analysis , Dep't of Energy
Date & Time:
25 June 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Webinar only for this NCA4 seminar - see info below.
Title: Water and Energy in a Changing Climate: Findings from the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 2 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States
Presenter(s): Upmanu Lall, Director, Columbia Water Center, Columbia University, and Craig Zamuda, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Policy, Dep't of Energy
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators for this webinar are Katie Reeves & Shannan Lewinski/
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. This presentation will address the impacts of climate change on water and energy supply, delivery, and demand in the United States.
Bio(s): Dr. Upmanu Lall is the Director of the Columbia Water Center and the Alan and Carol Silberstein Professor of Engineering, and the Chair of the Dept. of Earth & Environmental Engineering at Columbia University. He has broad interests in hydrology, climate dynamics, water resource systems analysis, risk management and sustainability. He is motivated by challenging questions at the intersection of these fields, especially where they have relevance to societal outcomes or to the advancement of science towards innovative application. Dr. Lall has been engaged in high level public and scientific discussion through the media, the World Economic Forum, and with governments, foundations, development banks, and corporations interested in sustainability. He has served on several national and international panels. He was one of the originators of the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, and is a past President of the Natural Hazards Focus Group of the American Geophysical Union.
Craig Zamuda is a senior policy advisor with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Policy. He provides policy and technical advice on DOE programs related to energy sector vulnerabilities and resilience. He has provided leadership to public-private partnerships with electric utilities focusing on characterizing critical infrastructure vulnerabilities; identifying and deploying cost-effective resilience activities and best practices, and addressing key research and policy opportunities. Craig has served as a lead author on numerous reports related to the energy sector and resilience, including the Energy Chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, as well as, Climate Change and the Electricity Sector: Guide for Climate Change Resilience Planning; Climate Change and the U.S. Energy Sector; Regional Vulnerabilities and Resilience Solutions; and, U.S. Energy Sector Vulnerabilities to Climate Change and Extreme Weather. These reports examine current and potential impacts of extreme weather and climate change on the energy sector, and cost-effective resilience solutions to enhance preparedness and resilience.
Abstract: Ensemble Forecast Sensitivity to Observations (EFSO) can use future observations to identify whether each observation in the current analysis is beneficial or detrimental. Chen and Kalnay MWR, 2019a, and 2019b (under review) used Proactive Quality Control (PQC), to find and delete the observations found to be most detrimental, which can significantly improve the forecasts.
Since Reanalysis, by definition, knows future observations, EFSO/PQC can be used to delete detrimental observations, and improve future reanalyses. A second new application is to minimize the "jumps" (for example, in precipitation) that take place when a new observing system is introduced, due to the fact that the model climatology is different from the true climatology. We suggest that these "jumps" can be minimized by correcting the reanalysis climatology before the introduction of the new observing system (Zhou, 2014, DRUM).
Abstract: The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for July and the remaining summer season and early fall. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Presenter(s): Hollis Jones, Research Integration Specialist, NOAA Sea Grant, OAR
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow K.C. Wilson (katherine.wilson@noaa.gov)
Abstract: As coastal landscapes change, management professionals are working hard to transition research results into actions that support scientifically informed decisions impacting our coastal communities. Our goal is to explore Sea Grant's research and extension projects to better understand how this model can be used to transition university-based research into tangible results for its stakeholder communities. Successful research to application projects require an understanding of stakeholder needs, well-designed scientific research, collaborative partnerships, effective communication, and adequate resources for transition.
About the speaker: Hollis Jones is the Research Integration Specialist for the National Sea Grant Office. Hollis joins NOAA as part of the 2019 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program. Prior to her fellowship, she earned an MS in Biology from Louisiana State University with Dr. Morgan Kelly, studying the impacts of climate change on eastern oysters in the Gulf of Mexico. Hollis also has a BS in Biology from Northeastern University and professional experience with the Marine Biological Laboratory, New England Aquarium, and Pigeon Key Foundation & Marine Science Center.
Presenter(s): Kelley Uhlig, Ocean Observing and Arctic Research Program Fellow
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow K.C. Wilson (katherine.wilson@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Plastic pollution of the oceans continues to capture the public's attention, driving many consumers to seek out "green" alternatives. Bio-based, bio-degradable polymers have begun to gain market share as an alternative to traditional petrochemical-based plastics, but not much is known about their interactions in the marine environment. I will present on one chapter of my Master's thesis which sought to characterize the microbial communities that colonize microplastics in the marine environment, specifically with an eye toward overall differences between green plastics and their traditional petrochemical-based counterparts.
About the speaker: Kelley Uhlig is passionate about plastics. After earning her Bachelor's of Science at the University of North Florida in Chemistry, she turned her attention toward the issue of microplastic debris. Her Master's work at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science focused on investigating early estuarine biofilms present on microplastic particles and the partitioning of organic pollutants to bio-based and petrochemical microplastics. Kelley is currently working in the Ocean Observation and Monitoring Division, Arctic Research Program and Tropical Pacific Observing System Project.
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
Abstract: The MetNet Alliance is currently developing a network of LEO small weather satellite constellations including imagers, upper atmosphere dynamics, microwave, space weather, and Hyperspectral IR Sounding. These small satellites shall provide key commercial weather data to NOAA, Department of Defense agencies, and weather analytics companies. For MetNet, Hyperspectral Infrared Sounding has been identified as one of the top observations needed for improving weather forecasts by providing temperature profiles, moisture profiles, and atmospheric motion vector (AMV) 3D winds. Brandywine's proposed solution is to provide global, high-resolution, hyperspectral infrared (LWIR) sounding data through a constellation of 24-36 small LEO satellites using modified commercial interferometers. A Small Business Innovation Research Phase I contract has been funded by Air Force Research Labs to evaluate the customer interest in CHISI to fill in key gaps in Defense global weather models. This talk will discuss the advantage of small satellites, more recent enabling technologies, and the roadmap to an observational infrared sounding capability.
KEYWORDS: Infrared Sounding, Longwave Infrared, Atmospheric Motion Vectors, 3D Winds, Temperature Sounding, Moisture Sounding, Commercial Data Pilot Program.
Bio(s): John Fisher is the President and CTO for Brandywine Photonics, whose mission is to Save Lives and Homes through Better Weather Data. After working as an optical engineer at the U.S. Naval Research Labs, John founded Brandywine Photonics in 1999 to build his own airborne sensors. His work in oceanography culminated in the delivery of the Hyperspectral Instrument for Coastal Observing (HICO) spectrometer, which operated on the International Space Station from 2010-2015. In 2015, John transitioned Brandywine Photonics to weather satellite payload development, with currently three payloads in early stage development, and one funded for launch in late 2020. John is the Co-Founder of the MetNet Alliance which teams with other payload and data analytics companies in developing lower-cost, higher performance, small weather satellites. He graduated from Penn State with a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering in 1986 and 1987 respectively, with a specialization in optics. John lives in Exton, Pennsylvania with his wife and family, and enjoys camping with his two sons in the Cub Scouts and watching his daughter's ballet recitals.
Presenter(s): Jack Dostalek, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University
Sponsor(s): JPSS Science Seminar
Abstract: The NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System, or NUCAPS, combines satellite measurements of infrared and microwave radiation to provide global operational retrievals of vertical profiles of temperature and water vapor. In particular, NUCAPS retrievals from the SNPP and NOAA-20 polar-orbiting satellites are generated using data from the CrIS and the ATMS instruments. With early afternoon overpasses, the NUCAPS retrievals generated from SNPP and NOAA-20 are well positioned in time to be used by forecasters assessing the pre-storm environment during the spring and summer months. Evaluations of NUCAPS at the Hazardous Weather Testbed's Experimental Warning Program have revealed that NUCAPS can have errors in its low-level temperature and moisture retrievals. These low-level values are critical for severe weather analysis via their use in calculating variables such as Convective Available Potential Energy. A project was therefore begun to combine NUCAPS retrievals with surface data from the Real Time Mesoscale Analysis, split window data from the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager, and a simple mixed layer model to reduce the errors in the low levels and to make the retrieved soundings more reliable for analysis of severe weather potential. The algorithm to make this modification will be presented, largely in the context of its evaluation at the Hazardous Weather Testbed over the last three years.
Seminar sponsor: The Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (a NOAA RISA)
Abstract: Topics:
Soil Moisture in the Climate System by Randal Koster
Atmospheric Radiation by Valdar Oinas
These presentations are part of a monthly series hosted by CCRUN, a NOAA RISA Team. The lectures are drawn from the recent book, Our Warming Planet: Topics in Climate Dynamics, published by World Scientific. The series encompasses topics such as natural and anthropogenic climate forcing, climate modeling, radiation, clouds, atmospheric dynamics and storms, hydrology, cryosphere, paleoclimate, sea level rise, agriculture, atmospheric chemistry, and climate change education. The lecture series is for students, teachers, and interested researchers and colleagues around the world to be better able to understand various aspects of climate change.
Webinars will take place monthly on Tuesdays from 3:00-5:00PM. No purchase of book necessary for viewing the webinar series. All webinars are recorded and made available on the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast website at http://www.ccrun.org/resources/lectures-in-climate-change/.
Presenter(s): Dr. Ed Kearns, Chief Data Officer; Office of the Chief Information Officer
Abstract: The Government OPEN Data Act was signed into law in January 2019 as part of the Foundations of Evidence Based Policymaking Act. The implications for NOAA of these new laws that take effect in July 2019 will be discussed, as well as connections to the new Federal Data Strategy and its related Action Plan, and their relationships to NOAA's ongoing data and cloud strategy efforts.
Bio(s): As NOAA's first Chief Data Officer, Dr. Edward J. Kearns leads the development of strategies and practices for managing NOAA's data as a national asset. Ed is seeking to promote new uses and wider understanding of NOAA's data through new partnerships and technologies, such as the NOAA Big Data Project. As part of the White House's Leveraging Data as a Strategic Asset initiative, he is helping develop the new Federal Data Strategy. Previously, Ed led the Climate Data Record program and data archive and stewardship activities at what is now NCEI; guided Everglades restoration for the National Park Service; and calibrated NASA satellite products and developed integrated ocean observing systems as a professor at the University of Miami. Ed holds degrees in Physical Oceanography from URI/GSO (Ph.D. 1996) as well as Physics and Marine Science from the University of Miami (B.S. 1990).
Title: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in a Changing Climate: An Overview of the Fourth National Climate Assessment Seminar No. 1 in the NCA4/NOAA 11-part Seminar Series: The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States
Presenter(s): Ben DeAngelo, Deputy Director, Climate Program Office, NOAA
Sponsor(s): US Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Katie Reeves & Tracy Gill
Abstract: The Nation's authoritative assessment of climate impacts, the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4 Vol. II) was released in November 2018. The assessment focuses on the ecological, societal, and economic impacts of climate change for ten regions and seventeen topics across the country, and provides examples of local actions being taken to reduce the risks associated with climate change. This presentation will provide an overview of NCA4, including a look at the structure and the summary findings of the report.
Bio(s): Benjamin DeAngelo has over 20 years of experience bridging science and policy for the stewardship of the global environment. Ben is the Deputy Director of the Climate Program Office within NOAA's research arm, and serves as the U.S. head of delegation for the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP), a working group under the Arctic Council. In addition to his work on 2017's Climate Science Special Report, Ben served on the Federal Steering Committee for Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, and was an author on Chapter 29 of NCA4: Reducing Risks Through Emissions Mitigation. Prior to starting at NOAA in 2017, Ben was the Deputy Director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and special assistant for climate change to the President's Science Advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and had a 18-year career at EPA working on climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Presenter(s): Dr. Anika Kuczynski, National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Christchurch, New Zealand
Abstract: For decades, nutrient-driven nuisance algal growth has wreaked havoc in the lower four Great Lakes. Empirical and mechanistic models have long been used to set open-lake nutrient targets and manage nutrient loads to meet those targets. Although there was some success in mitigating nuisance algal growth, ecosystem perturbations in the last two decades have resulted in a Cladophora resurgence. We offer improvements in the mechanistic Great Lakes Cladophora Model in version 3 (GLCM v3) to better inform management. Like earlier versions (GLCM v1 and v2), the model simulates algal biomass density (g dry mass m-2) and stored (cellular) phosphorus content (P as % dry mass) over the growth period. Earlier versions of the GLCM treated the algal mat as a lumped system, using the logistic growth model with a prescribed maximum biomass density coefficient to simulate the carrying capacity effect. While that approach resulted in a good model fit to biomass observations (normalized root mean square error, NRMSE =17.8%, and percent bias, PBIAS = -11.0%), it was not based on identified ecological mechanisms and empirical specification of the coefficient was undermined by significant intra- and inter-site variability. Two major advances are presented: 1) an improved characterization of the light and temperature response surfaces driving photosynthesis and respiration and 2) a segmented canopy approach for simulating the effect of self-shading (carrying capacity) on growth. In the GLCM v3, biomass accrual is mechanistically governed by light attenuation through the canopy and model agreement with observations improved (NRMSE = 13.6%, PBIAS = -5.7%). The introduced vertical extinction coefficient for light passing through the mat included in GLCM v3 may be directly measured and offers much less freedom as a tuning parameter than the prior approach using a maximum biomass coefficient. The GLCM v3 is a more mechanistic and robust tool than previous versions, designed to aid management of nuisance algal growth.
Bio(s): Dr. Anika Kuczynski is a water quality modeler at the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Christchurch, New Zealand. She has experience in using and developing field, laboratory, and modeling approaches to inform river and lake management regarding nuisance algal growth. Anika's background is in water quality modeling in the Laurentian Great Lakes and she is interested in mechanistic stream periphyton (attached algae) modeling and nutrient cycling. The focus of Dr. Kuczynski's PhD (in environmental engineering at Michigan Tech) was mechanistic modeling of nuisance Cladophora (filamentous green alga) in the Great Lakes. At NIWA, Anika's focus is on monitoring and modeling periphyton growth in streams, seeking to develop tools that can be applied by regional councils to work toward meeting national water quality standards. She currently leads a team in developing and testing methods using fixed and aerial (drone) red-green-blue and multispectral imagery to monitor stream periphyton cover and biomass. Clients and stakeholders who have received her work include the Northeast Ohio Region Sewer District, the Upstate Freshwater Institute, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (Canada), the Town of Ajax (Canada), Mercury Ltd. (hydropower company, New Zealand), Environment Canterbury (regional council, New Zealand), and the Ministry of the Environment (New Zealand).
Remote Access: Please register for this webinar at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3384346667423511053 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Call +1(631) 992-3221 or use computer audio.
Abstract: In this talk, I will discuss some of the innovative science and conservation mechanisms The Nature Conservancy uses. TNC co-authors over 320 Web of Science listed peer reviewed papers a year (up from 30 twenty years ago). Major scientific partners include US federal agencies, University of Queensland, Stanford, Minnesota, Cornell, Columbia, Yale, Oxford, etc. New science is required to both develop the strategies for action on the ground and evaluate the performance of existing strategies. Examples include (1) the science behind valuing natural infrastructure, (2) the science behind choosing the best sites to protect, (3) the science behind enabling development that also allows nature to thrive, and (4) the science behind determining the impact of urban trees on mental and human health. TNC also explores new economic instruments that help to deliver outcomes for nature and people: (1) insurance for natural infrastructure, e.g. coral reefs, (2) Incentive schemes to change behaviour for agricultural practices, and (3) payment schemes for migratory birds.
Presenter(s): Erica Towle, CRCP's National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Coordinator
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Coral Collaboration Seminar. POC: Robin Garcia (robin.garcia@noaa.gov) Communications Director, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
Abstract: Thermal stress is a major contributor to loss of coral cover, significantly impacting reefs during the third global bleaching event between 2014 and 2017. The long term persistence of coral reefs depends on acclimatization and adaptation to changing climate, which are influenced greatly by the interactions between bleaching and reproductive success. We observed a genotypically diverse population of Orbicella faveolata before, during, and after consecutive bleaching events in 2014 and 2015 in the Florida Keys. We documented less bleaching during the second event despite 40% more time above local bleaching thresholds and an association between bleaching severity and subsequent spawning. Approximately 75% of colonies experienced the same or less severe bleaching in the second event despite being metabolically compromised, with a substantial minority ( ~35%) faring better in the second event. The second bleaching event also resulted in smaller decreases in chlorophyll content per symbiont cell and symbiont-to-host cell ratio reef-wide, representing less damage to the coral"algal symbiosis. All colonies that recovered quickly (~1 month) or did not bleach in 2014 released gametes in 2015, while only 60% of colonies that 30 recovered more slowly did. Bleaching also impacted the amount of gametes released, with more severe bleaching significantly associated with gamete release from <50% of the colony surface area. Bleaching and spawning outcomes were supported by dynamic physiological changes during bleaching and recovery. Lipid concentration and symbiont-to-host cell ratios collected from the bottom edge of the colony in the middle of the recovery period (February and April) were most important for predicting spawning the following year, highlighting the dynamic interaction between micro-habitats and time in recovery and gametogenesis. This study finds signals of physiological acclimatization in an important reef-building coral and underscores the importance of recovery post-bleaching and reproduction for the persistence of coral reefs.
Presenter(s): Audrey Maran, Science Communication Specialist, OAR/National Sea Grant Office
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Hollis Jones (hollis.jones@noaa.gov)
Abstract: From weather and climate to ocean coasts and fisheries, insects impact NOAA science and information sharing. Tune in to learn more about how insects can have surprising and sometimes even profound impacts on oceanic and atmospheric research
About the speaker: Audrey Maran is a Biological Sciences PhD candidate at Bowling Green State University. Her research has centered around insect ecology in a human-impacted world. Her specific research topics have included insects and carbon cycling under climate change, insects and nutrient cycling in agricultural soil, and insect interactions in urban prairies. Before pursuing her Master's degree, and now PhD, Audrey received her undergraduate degree in High School Life and Earth Science Education from Bowling Green State University. During her undergraduate senior year she was asked to volunteer in a professor's lab, where she fell in love with the process of science, aquatic insects, and the terrestrial-aquatic interface.
Presenter(s): Bianca Prohaska, OAR International Activities
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Hollis Jones (hollis.jones@noaa.gov)
Abstract: We examined basic stress physiology over ontogeny and as a function of capture using different fishing gears. We also examined stress parameters to test whether degraded habitat and water quality from altered habitats may have resulted in chronic stress in juveniles. Results suggested that the stress response to capture by all methods was low, particularly for blood lactate, compared to other elasmobranchs examined to date. Overall, the low physiological stress responses to all capture methods investigated in this study suggest that this species is resilient, which should promote optimism for recovery of the population.
About the speaker: Bianca earned a Bachelor's in Science in biology and marine biology from Florida Institute of Technology, a Master's of Science in marine science from the University of New England, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in ecology and evolution from Florida State University. Her main research interests lie in studying the physiological ecology of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays), so that the results can be applied to management and conservation.
Title: Finding Meteotsunamis: A Signal in the Noise of NOAA Tide Gauges
Presenter(s): Greg Dusek, PhD, Senior Scientist, NOAA/NOS Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS). Presenting at NOAA in SIlver Spring, SSMC4, Room 8150.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Meteotsunamis are atmospherically forced ocean waves with characteristics similar to seismic tsunamis. Roughly 25 of these weather-driven tsunami waves arrive on the shores of the U.S. East Coast each year, but until recently little was known about when or where they occur and what kind of risk they pose. This seminar discusses recently published research describing a climatology of meteotsunamis along the U.S. East Coast from 1996-2017. The meteotsunami signals were discovered through an analysis of what is often considered the less important noise of NOAA tide gauges - wave oscillations of under 2 hours. We found that although meteotsunamis are fairly common, the vast majority of them are quite small (~95% are under 2 feet). Larger waves occur on average about once a year and are associated with a range of weather events including summertime thunderstorms, tropical storms and nor'easters. Tide gauges along the open coast observed the most frequent events, including more than five events per year at Atlantic City, NJ, Duck, NC, and Myrtle Beach, SC. The largest waves were observed by gauges in estuaries that amplified the meteotsunami signal, such as those in Providence, RI and Port Canaveral, FL. This work helps to better understand meteorological conditions which force more impactful waves and supports ongoing NOAA efforts to warn on the detection of potentially hazardous events.
Bio(s): Greg is a physical oceanographer and the Chief Scientist for the NOS Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS). His research focuses on coastal oceanographic product development through the intersection of data science with coastal hazards. Greg has been at CO-OPS for nearly 8 years. Prior to serving as Chief Scientist, Greg was an oceanographer on the currents team where he led a range of physical oceanographic projects. Notable projects include a large-scale, multi-year current survey of Puget Sound where over 130 current profilers were deployed; the development of a High Frequency Radar Surface Current web product; and the creation and operationalization of a rip current forecast model. Prior to joining NOAA, Greg completed his PhD in physical oceanography at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he studied coastal processes and rip currents.
Presenter(s): Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
Title: Communication, collaboration, and transparency: Tailoring ecosystem science to inform fisheries management
Presenter(s): Elizabeth Siddon - NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Science Center Co-Authors: Stephani Zador & Martin Dorn - NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Science Center
Sponsor(s): NOAA Office of Science and Technology and NOAA's Central Library, Point of Contact: Peg.Brady@noaa.gov
Overview: Ecosystem information is essential to U.S. federal fisheries managers that are charged with setting fisheries quotas. The ecosystem information is comprised of indicators such as physical and biological parameters that track and document changes in the ecosystem. To be effective the ecosystem information needs to be timely and at relevant spatial scales to be valuable to the decision-making process. The indicators are synthesized into an assessment within the Ecosystem Status Reports that are presented to managers annually. This information is shared immediately preceding the individual stock assessment reviews and the determination of quota recommendations, providing contextual information and operationalizing ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM).
Communication, collaboration, and transparency are integral components of this information sharing effort. Regular communication among scientists, managers, and fisheries practitioners enables information to be tailored to specific needs through iterative conversations. Collaboration and transparency are vital to ensuring a level of trust within the fisheries management system among all stakeholders.
Our presentation will focus on best practices, as well as new products we are implementing in order to improve trust, understanding, and engagement in the fisheries quota-setting process in Alaska.
About our
Presenter(s): Elizabeth Siddon is a Fisheries Research Biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, in Juneau, AK. She holds a MS and PhD in Fisheries from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She leads the Eastern Bering Sea assessment for the Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Program and is also the lead for the Eastern Bering Sea Ecosystem Status Report. She is also co-founder of SouthEast Exchange, a community partnership between STEM professionals and the Juneau School District with the goal of bringing place-based science into classrooms.
About our Co-Authors: Stephani Zador has been leading the development and production of Alaska's ecosystem status reports (ESR) since 2009. She recently moved to a new position as a deputy division director at the AFSC, but will continue to be involved with ESRs and providing ecosystem science to federal fisheries managers. She received her PhD at the Univ. of Washington in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and her MS at the University of Washington in Wildlife Science. Prior to graduate school, she worked for 7 years as a seabird biologist, primarily in Alaska, but also California and Antarctica.
Martin Dorn is a Fisheries Research Biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, in Seattle, USA. He holds a M.Sc. in Biomathematics and a Ph.D. in Fisheries from the University of Washington. His current research focuses on modeling the effect of predation and climate change on the population dynamics of marine resources. Martin leads the stock assessment team for walleye pollock in the Gulf of Alaska. He is presently Co-Chair of Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Plan Team and is an Affiliate Associate Professor at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Save the Date: The next seminar in our series is set for Wednesday, July 10th, 2019 (same time). Please share this announcement and the attached flyer with your colleagues.
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Presenter(s): Tim Schmit, Research Satellite Meteorologist NOAA NESDIS STAR at the University of Wisconsin
Seminar
Sponsor(s): Virtual Alaska Weather Symposium:. Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) and NOAA CPO RISA Program
Abstract: There have been many recent changes to better observe Alaska from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) perspective. The most significant change was on February 12, 2019 when GOES-17 became NOAA's operational West geostationary satellite. The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) has spectral bands covering the visible, near-infrared and infrared portions of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The ABI represents a major improvement from the legacy GOES imagers for many attributes, such as those relating to: spectral, spatial, temporal, radiometric, and image navigation/registration. An on-board cooling issue associated with the Loop Heat Pipe on GOES-17 causes degradation for certain periods of the year, at certain times, mostly at night. The affected spectral bands are those with wavelengths greater than 4 micrometers with effects that start with biasing, striping, banding, and ultimately complete saturation for the most affected bands. In order to mitigate the impacts of this issue, improvements to the calibration procedures are improving the image quality before and after saturation occurs. These improvements include a modification to the ABI timeline in the 10-min Full Disk flex mode, predictive calibration, and other changes. Once a spectral band is saturated, there is little that can be done to better calibrate the data. The current status of Level 2 or derived products, such as cloud heights or atmospheric motion vectors, from the GOES-17 ABI will also be covered.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Title: Rigorously Valuing the Role of US Coral Reefs in Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction
Presenter(s): Curt Storlazzi, PhD. Research Geologist. US Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program. Presenting remotely.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: The degradation of coastal habitats, particularly coral reefs, raises risks by increasing the exposure of coastal communities to flooding hazards. The protective services of these natural defenses are not assessed in the same rigorous economic terms as artificial defenses, such as seawalls, and therefore often are not considered in decision making. Here we combine engineering, ecologic, geospatial, social, and economic tools to provide a rigorous valuation of the coastal protection benefits of all populated U.S. coral reefs in the States of Hawaii and Florida, the Territories of Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. We follow risk-based valuation approaches to map flood zones at 10-square-meter resolution along all 3,100+ kilometers of U.S. reef-lined shorelines for different storm probabilities that account for the effect of coral reefs in reducing coastal flooding. We quantify the coastal flood risk reduction benefits provided by coral reefs using the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Bureau of Economic Analysis for return-interval storm events and in terms of their annual expected benefits, a measure of the annual protection provided by coral reefs. Based on these results, the annual value of flood risk reduction provided by U.S. coral reefs is more than 18,000 lives and $1.805 billion in 2010 U.S. dollars. These data provide stakeholders and decision makers with spatially explicit, rigorous valuation of how, where, and when U.S. coral reefs provide critical coastal storm flood reduction benefits. The overall goal is to ultimately reduce the risk to, and increase the resiliency of U.S. coastal communities.
Bio(s): Curt Storlazzi is the Chief Scientist of the USGS Coral Reef Project and leads a research team of 13 scientists that examines the geologic and oceanographic processes that affect the sustainability of US coral reefs and reef-lined coasts, authoring more than 140 scientific papers, reports, and book chapters on these topics. He received his BSc from the University of Delaware in 1996, his PhD from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2000, and has been a research geologist in the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program since 2003. His research focuses on the quantitative study of hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and geomorphology in coastal and marine environments across the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, and Indian Oceans. Curt is on the steering committee for the US Coral Reef Task Force and regularly contributes scientific review for the US Global Change Research Program, NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program, the National Park Service, the USFWS Landscape Change Cooperatives, and the USGS Climate Science Centers.
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Presenter(s): Dr. Kimberly Marshall, Biologist, NOAA/NMFS
Abstract: This study used NOAA Fisheries data on fishery disasters to analyze trends from 1989-2017. The cost of fishery disasters was found to be ~$1.4B. 255 disasters were observed with the greatest impacts being along the Pacific coast (53%). Statistically significant increases in disasters were observed for inland Pacific salmon and Native American communities. When the causes of disasters were investigated, it was found that 1) the top 20% of causes were El Nio, high ocean water temperatures, disease, drought, and flooding, suggesting climate extremes & climate change likely play a significant role; 2) conditions causing disasters are persisting; 3) hurricanes are persisting; 4) 36% of the causes are recent: changing climate, extreme weather event, habitat loss, poor freshwater quality, predation, unfavorable ocean conditions, and positive Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO); and 5) certain causes, e.g., urban development, dams/hydroelectric power, were cited during interviews with tribal members.
Bio(s): Kim is the Fishery Disasters Lead for NOAA Fisheries. She also served on the Restoration Planning Leadership Team for the NOAA Restoration Center developing habitat restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico to restore natural resources harmed from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and was instrumental in securing $8 million in RESTORE Act funding to implement a Gulf Conservation Corps to restore habitat while investing in local communities. Kim's doctoral research on the Trends in Fishery Disasters and Impacts of the Declines in Pacific Salmon on Native American Tribes was awarded the Dissertation Award for Greatest Impact on the Study of Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University. Kim loves the outdoors and lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.
Jessica Morten, Resource Protection Specialist, contractor to NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary & Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary through the Greater Farallones Association
Presenter(s): Jessica Morten, Resource Protection Specialist, contractor to NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary & Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary through the Greater Farallones Association
Seminar sponsor: NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Abstract: California's nutrient-rich coastal waters are home to several species of large whales, including gray whales and endangered blue, humpback, and fin whales. The state is also home to four major shipping ports - San Diego, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Oakland - that result in thousands of large container and tanker transits taking place within California national marine sanctuary waters. In the past decade, over 10 whale fatalities have been recorded along the California coast as a result of ship and whale collisions, and recent research suggests that many more of these ship strikes are going undetected each year. To address this global issue, learn more about how west coast national marine sanctuaries have been working with a number of partners to better understand the issue of ship strikes and slow vessels down to reduce harmful air emissions and protect endangered whales.
Title: 'Cows, Dirt, Smoke, Water, Human Settlements: A State of the Carbon Story' with two talks: 1. Urban Carbon 2. Gyami Shrestha: Cows, Dirt, Smoke, Water: A State of the Carbon Story' Seminar 16 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - June 11
Presenter(s): Kevin Gurney, Professor, School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University and Gyami Shrestha, Director, U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program and UCAR CPAESS
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha, & Tracy Gill.
Abstracts: Talk 1: Kevin Gurney will present an overview of the SOCCR2 chapter 4: Understanding Urban Carbon Fluxes and take a deeper dive into aspects of the urban carbon cycle related to quantification of fluxes, atmospheric monitoring, and urban-scale inverse modeling. Together, these elements are being conceived of as a potential greenhouse gas flux information system for cities. He will also provide a description of new and continuing efforts at the national and international scales focusing on the urban carbon cycle and how new monitoring and modeling efforts are attempting to meet stakeholder needs both domestically and globally.
Talk 2: What role do cows, dirt, smoke and water play in the carbon cycle? Through a biographic narrative, the speaker will explore this question, providing an overview of the related research needs and future outlook focused on carbon management, based on the decadal Second State of Carbon Cycle Report and other related scientific publications. This talk wraps up the Spring 2019 Joint U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program -NOAA webinar series From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle'.
Bio(s): Kevin Gurney: Kevin Gurney is an Atmospheric Scientist, Ecologist and Policy expert currently working in the areas of carbon cycle science, climate science, and climate science policy at Northern Arizona University where he is a Professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems. He has degrees from UC Berkeley, MIT, and Colorado State University. Gurney's current research involves simulation of the global carbon cycle using the inverse approach, linkages between terrestrial carbon exchange and climate variability, and deforestation and carbon/climate feedbacks. Most recently, he has worked on research characterizing fossil fuel CO2 emissions at the global (FFDAS), national (Vulcan) and urban (Hestia) scales. Using data mining and innovative algorithms, these greenhouse gas quantification efforts are being used by analysts, scientists, and governments and are a core component of the NASA-led Carbon Monitoring System. The urban work, in particular, is anchoring new efforts at NASA and the National Institute for Standards and Technology to develop urban-focussed carbon monitoring and modeling. Gurney is an IPCC lead author, an NSF CAREER award recipient, Sigma Xi Young Scientist recipient, a Fulbright scholar, and has published over 120 peer-reviewed scientific articles with multiple papers in Nature and Science and a book from MIT Press, Mending the Ozone Hole.
Dr. Gyami Shrestha, directs the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office activities for the Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group (CCIWG), one of the longest running U.S. interagency global change research partnerships. Recent accomplishments include a decadal assessment, the Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report, which she co-led as Lead Development Advisor and Manager with a 200+ multinational team, also serving as a lead editor, lead author and contributor on multiple chapters over a three-year period. Interfacing with scientists and funders, Gyami supports, conceptualizes, co-leads and executes carbon and climate change-focused community and interagency U.S. Government programs and activities, as part of her domestic and international portfolios to help catalyze coordinated scientific advances and strategies. Prior to joining the Program in 2011, she accumulated over 10 years of direct research, management and consulting experience in academia, NGOs and INGOs. She recruited and managed research proposal review panels for King Abdullah City for Science and Technology (KACST) via the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS). As Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Gyami contributed to research, writing and review panel recruitment to finalize the landmark America's Climate Choices Advancing the Science of Climate Change Report. Previously, Gyami led research on pyrolyzed/black carbon, carbon sequestration, grazing land management, surface coal mine land reclamation & restoration in Western U.S.. In Nepal, she conducted stakeholder analysis and decision-support tool development for rainwater harvesting, improved cookstoves and gender mainstreaming via participatory tech transfer and South Asian energy, water, and gender regional organizations' network building in collaboration with UNEP, ENERGIA and the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Gyami holds graduate degrees in Environmental Systems (incl. Air Quality and Health Training), Soil Science, Water Resources and Restoration Ecology, and has served on Advisory Boards of the University of California and the Nepalese Children's Education Fund. Gyami has just been inducted in the 2019-2020 Senior Executive Development Program of the American Asian Government Executives Network.
Presenter(s): Timothy G. Bromage, New York University College of Dentistry
Abstract: Given the importance of water to all life, it is astonishing that no systematic research has ever been undertaken on absolute element concentrations across the breadth of the chemical periodic table in any environmental water. Recently simultaneous-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (si-ICP-MS) has been developed to measure the full relevant inorganic mass spectrum, which includes 71 of 90 elements from lithium (3rd element) to uranium (92nd element) with as little as 1 mL per fluid sample, in seconds, and at relatively low cost. This universal capacity to fingerprint water far more cheaply and at higher sensitivities than conventional methods will enable any individual or state or federal agency to detect trends in their environment and to find solutions to predicaments before they become hardened into resilient complex systems.
Bio(s): Timothy G. Bromage directs NYU's Isotope Facility, employing currently the one of only six si-ICP-MS instruments in the US. Using his Max Planck Prize in Life Science, he developed the method to allow si-ICP-MS to quantify the complete relevant inorganic spectrum.
Stephanie Green, University of Alberta; Larry Crowder, Stanford University; Elliott Hazen, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center; Steven Bograd, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center; Michael Jacox, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center; and Natasha Hardy, University of Alberta
Presenter(s): The research team for this project consists of: Dr. Stephanie Green, University of Alberta Dr. Larry Crowder, Stanford University Dr. Elliott Hazen, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Dr. Steven Bograd, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Dr. Michael Jacox, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Dr. Natasha Hardy, University of Alberta
Abstract: Climate change is already driving marine organisms into cooler waters, which could have major implications for coastal communities and ocean resource managers. To help prepare for population shifts, several studies have projected the future abundance and distribution of various species, primarily based on predicted water temperature. A new research project supported by the Lenfest Ocean Program aims to build on these projections by accounting for a critical missing factor: predator-prey relationships. The research team"led by Stephanie Green of the University of Alberta and Larry Crowder of Stanford University"will develop a new modeling method and apply it to albacore tuna. The project aims to inform the ongoing renegotiation of the U.S.-Canada Albacore Treaty, which governs how the two nations share the catch of this important species. Download the fact sheet to learn more about the project
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Title: Lessons learned from the 2017-18 hurricane seasons and what lies ahead?
Presentation will be in Spanish
Presenter(s): Roberto Garcia, San Juan Puerto Rico Weather Forecast Office, NOAA's National Weather Service
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART). Point of contact is Shirley.Murillo@noaa.gov
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Presenter(s): William Satterthwaite, PhD., Fisheries Ecology Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s):NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract: I will talk about two ongoing projects falling under the umbrella of synchrony and thresholds for US West Coast salmon. I will first summarize a multi-year project documenting the existence of a weakening portfolio effect in Central Valley fall run Chinook salmon stock complex, the southernmost native population of this species and a major contributor to ocean fisheries. This heavily hatchery-subsidized stock complex is characterized by years of high abundance and fishing opportunity as well as years of critically low abundance such as a 2008-2009 "collapse" that closed all ocean salmon fisheries off California and much of Oregon and a 2018 overfished designation. I will review work to date on potential drivers of variation in returns to individual rivers, increasing synchrony among rivers, and the potential for hatchery practices to influence resilience in this system, with particular emphasis on the potential for phenological match-mismatch dynamics to create boom/bust dynamics and on the potential for straying to increase demographic synchrony and homogeneity. I will close the first part of the talk with discussion of plans to build on this work with a closed loop simulation or management strategy evaluation exploring the short- and long-term tradeoffs surrounding decisions to adaptively truck hatchery salmon in response to drought conditions. For the second part of the talk, I will shift to work in progress taking a broader look at the performance of salmon abundance forecasts along the U.S. West Coast, describing patterns of synchrony in forecast performance for Chinook and coho and what factors seem to explain shared trends. Synchrony is higher for the performance of coho forecasts than for Chinook, and geographic proximity appears to drive synchrony more than forecasting methodology, hatchery influence, or other stock characteristics considered. I will also describe work on select Chinook salmon stocks of high management priority searching for nonlinear and threshold relationships between forecast performance and environmental indicators. This exploratory work has revealed several promising relationships worthy of further study and consideration.
Bio(s): Will Satterthwaite is a research ecologist at NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Santa Cruz. He did his graduate work on the population ecology and life history of plants with Ingrid Parker at UC Santa Cruz. After brief stints in environmental consulting and community college teaching, he transitioned to the world of fish through a postdoc with Marc Mangel working on life history models for steelhead. He then began working with the Salmon Assessment Team at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center as a UCSC affiliate and then a federal employee, working primarily on the demography, life history, and ocean distribution of Chinook salmon. Lately he has been spending much of his time in service to the Pacific Fishery Management Council, entering his seventh year on the Scientific and Statistical Committee and recently joining the newly-formed Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup.
Title: Gotta Be Fresh: Benthic Habitat Mapping in the Great Lakes
Presenter(s): Will Sautter, Marine GIS Analyst with NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science in Silver Spring, MD. Presenting at NOAA Silver Spring, SSMC4, Rm 8150.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) has expanded it's habitat mapping expertise to the clear, cold and fresh waters of the Great Lakes. The team of scientists and surveyors have ventured up to Wisconsin and Michigan over the past three years with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab (GLERL) and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) to conduct several mapping missions on the R/V Storm for exploration and characterization of the lakebed. The NCCOS Marine Spatial Ecology Division has adapted the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) to these freshwater habitats by analyzing high resolution sidescan sonar, multibeam bathymetry, backscatter, topographic LiDAR, and hundreds of high definition, underwater drop camera videos to understand the changes in substrate, geoform, and biotic cover. NCCOS is using these surveys and other benthic mapping data to produce several spatial prioritization and BIOmapper tools which will be demonstrated during the talk. From finding lost shipwrecks to monitoring invasive mussel cover, these maps are excellent tools for planning and natural resource management for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and future marine protected areas in the Great Lakes.
Bio(s): Will Sautter is a marine GIS analyst under contract with CSS Inc., with the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science in Silver Spring, MD. Originally from Charleston, SC, he received a Bachelor of Science in Geology at Appalachian State University in North Carolina and is currently working on a Master's in Environmental Science and Policy from John's Hopkins University. He specializes in mapping the seafloor using multibeam sonars and underwater ground validation video data. He has conducted several surveys for habitat mapping in the Channel Islands, Gray's Reef, Flower Garden Banks, and the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuaries, but he is mostly excited at the opportunities to research and explore our federally protected waters.
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Presenter(s): Ariella Maron, Lion Advisors for Community and Environment
Seminar sponsor: OAR/CPO/RISA/CCRUN (Consortium on Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast)
Topic: The State of Local Government Climate Action in the U.S.: Lessons Learned, Emerging Trends, and Next Generation Inspiration
Abstract: Cities across North America have made ambitious commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and prepare their communities for the existing and potential impacts of climate change. In the United States alone, 240 communities joined the We Are Still In (WASI) campaign, showing the world that America is still committed to the climate guidelines set by the Paris agreement; 212 have signed on to Mayor's for 100% Clean Energy; almost 400 participate in Climate Mayors; and the list goes on. However, even with commitment to achieve ambitious climate action goals, progress towards achieving these goals is currently not as fast or deep as required to hold the increase in the global average temperature to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, beyond which the impacts of climate change could become both catastrophic and irreversible. City governments are unlikely to achieve their committed GHG reduction levels on their own, but both evidence and modeling suggests that they can absolutely do so by pursuing an expansive agenda that includes partnerships across multiple sectors and at multiple levels of policy, in addition to assertively applying their own powers and authorities.
During this seminar, Ariella Maron will provide an overview of local government climate action in the U.S., including trends and themes around climate commitments, plans, and participation in related initiatives. She will then focus on emerging ideas impacting next generation climate action planning; the growing gap between local governments' growing ambition and slow, incremental progress; and the need for new approaches moving forward. The seminar will also include an interactive discussion around best practice case studies, other sources of inspiration, and ideas for creative collaborations.
About the CCRUN Green Infrastructure, Climate, and Cities Seminar Series More than half of the world's population now lives in cities. This demographic shift creates a host of new opportunities, but also some new risks, especially given the challenges posed by climatic extremes. This timely seminar series focuses attention on these issues, and what decision makers, researchers, and practitioners are learning about how to address them. The focus of the CCRUN seminar series is on urban solutions to global problems associated with increasing temperature and sea level rise, precipitation variability, and greenhouse gas emissions. We are interested in the implications of such changes on the complex infrastructure of intensely developed landscapes, and on the health, well-being, and vulnerability of the people who live in them.
All the seminars are free, and held at 4:00 PM on the first Wednesday of every month at Drexel University in the Hill Conference Room, located in the LeBow Engineering Center. Refreshments will be provided. The sessions will be broadcast live via webcast, recorded, and archived on the CCRUN website. Space is limited, so registration is required. Please use the links to register! This seminar series is sponsored by the Consortium on Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast, a NOAA RISA team.
Rianna Burnham, PhD, Senior Researcher, Whale Research Lab, University of Victoria and Post Doctoral Research Scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Presenting from Victoria
Date & Time:
5 June 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
VIa webinar (see login below) or in SSMC4 - Large Conference Room - 8150, SSMC4 - Large Conference Room - 8150
Title: The presence of large whale species in Clayoquot Sound and its offshore waters
Presenter(s): Rianna Burnham, PhD, Senior Researcher, Whale Research Lab, University of Victoria and Post Doctoral Research Scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Presenting from Victoria.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Rianna will discuss the findings from two offshore ocean glider missions aiming to map the habitat use of large whale species in offshore waters. First we will look at the acoustic presence of species in passive acoustic recordings made by the gliders, and compare them to recordings from stationary units deployed in deep coastal and deep shelf break locations. Then, she will focus on the vocalizations of the fin whale. This species shows spatial and temporal separation in area use between spring and winter deployments in the study area on the west coast of Vancouver Island, indicated by the dominant call type heard. Finally she will look at methods of reconciling the habitat data collected by the glider and the whale presence data, which is collected on much broader spatial scales, in hopes to identify important habitat units for sensitive species.
Bio(s): Rianna Burnham is an acoustics ecologist, who uses acoustics as a tool for ecological study and understanding the life histories of marine species. She completed her graduate work with the Whale Lab at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on the foraging ecology and vocalisation behaviors of whale species. She was a lead researcher in the Whale Habitat and Listening Experiment (WHaLE) project, collaboration of project teams on the east and west coast of Canada, that used acoustic technologies to mitigate acoustic disturbance and ship strike threat. She has worked both in academia and the private sector.
Presenter(s): Renee Tatusko, National Weather Service, Alaska Region
Seminar
Sponsor(s): Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) and NOAA CPO RISA Program
Abstract: There have been many recent changes to better observe Alaska from the Geostationary Based on the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Regional Climate Center's (RCCs) concept and as a legacy of the 2007-2008 International Polar Year, the Arctic Regional Climate Center (ArcRCC) network has been established. The ArcRCC is a network of the Arctic national meteorological and ice services that is providing pan-Arctic seasonal temperature, precipitation, and sea ice products. The ArcRCC began a 2-year demonstration phase in May 2018. In support of the ArcRCC initiative, Pan-Arctic Regional Climate Outlook Forums (PARCOFs) occur every May (a face-to-face meeting) and October (virtually). These forums allow for the national meteorological and ice services to meet and prepare the seasonal products in consultation with different Arctic user groups. The PARCOFs produce seasonal summaries of the past season describing actual temperature, precipitation, and sea-ice details/trends; seasonal outlooks for the upcoming season for temperature, precipitation, and sea ice; and a Consensus Statement which reviews the trends in the historical monitoring data and explains the forecasts in a text format providing greater regional details, i.e., forecasted sea-ice freeze-up and break-up. This presentation will provide an overview of the ArcRCC and the latest information from the Third PARCOF held in Rovaniemi, Finland, May 8-9.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Title: North American Energy System Contributions to the Global Carbon Cycle: Will the cycle be unbroken?
Presenter(s): Peter J. Marcotullio, Professor of Geography, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Cities, Hunter College, City University of New York.
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha, & Tracy Gill.
Abstract: The North American energy system has undergone dramatic changes over the past 15 years. From a monotonic trend of increasing energy use based upon fossil fuel combustion since the early 1990s, the system headed into energy use declines starting around 2007. The latest trend has lasted through to 2016. The presentation will examine this decline, detailing from where and what sectors both energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decreases were experienced. The seminar then overviews the factors behind the declining trends. We end the discussion with a look at what the future might bring from a variety of different scenarios, asking whether current trends will continue.
Bio(s): Peter J. Marcotullio is Professor of Geography, Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), Director of the Institute for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College, Associate of the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) and faculty member in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Program at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is also Adjunct Professor of Urban Planning at Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation (GSAPP). Prior to 2006, Prof. Marcotullio was Lecturer (1999-2001) and Professor (2001-2006) of Urban Planning in the Urban Engineering Department, University of Tokyo and held several positions at the United Nations University, Institute for Advanced Studies, Japan (1997-2008). His research interests focus on urbanization, energy use and the environment. Professor Marcotullio is currently co-Editor-in-Chief of Urban Climate (Elsevier), Associate Editor of Sustainability Science, Springer, and on the Advisory Board of One Earth, Cell Press.
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Restoration Webinar Series The Restoration Webinar Series, hosted by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a venue for disseminating new approaches, best management practices and innovative restoration techniques to some of our nation's greatest restoration challenges. The series covers a broad spectrum of topics including: planning and implementing restoration projects; project monitoring and evaluation at multiple time scales; accounting for a changing climate in restoration; regional restoration planning and priority setting; and permitting.
Seminar
Title: Using Integrated Stream and Wetland Restoration Systems to Improve Habitat and Achieve Clean Water Objectives
Presenter(s): Erik Michelsen, Administrator of Anne Arundel County MD's Watershed Protection and Restoration Program.
Sponsor(s): US Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA. Contact Eric Tsakiris or Nina Garfield with questions.
Abstract: Anne Arundel County, MD, like many municipalities in the Chesapeake Bay region, has aggressive, regulatory clean water goals and has authorized hundreds of millions of dollars to achieve those aims. Rather than simply focusing on numeric attainment of its MS4 permit and Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) goals, the County has tried " where possible " to emulate the functions of historical, integrated stream and wetland systems throughout the jurisdiction to provide both water quality and habitat benefits in a dramatically manipulated landscape. This presentation will focus on a number of case studies, and discuss the evolution of the approach over time.
Bio(s): Erik Michelsen is currently the Administrator of Anne Arundel County's Watershed Protection and Restoration Program and is charged with managing its restoration effort to clean up the County's waterways and satisfy its Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) and Chesapeake Bay TMDL requirements.
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Presenter(s): Eleni Petrou, M.S., School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract: Forage fish are key trophic links in coastal ecosystems, transferring energy from lower to higher trophic levels. In the Pacific Northwest, herring are one of the most abundant forage fish species and are prey for a wide variety or organisms. Human inhabitants of the region have used herring as a food resource for millennia, and archaeological research has demonstrated that herring bones are among the most abundant fish remains unearthed from ancient village sites. Given the importance of herring to the coastal ecosystem and human livelihoods, there is considerable interest in sustainably managing the fisheries which target this species. However, management is complicated by limited knowledge of herring population structure and a lack of long-term temporal data on population diversity. In this talk, I will describe the mechanisms driving genetic differentiation between herring populations, using genomic data collected from wild spawning aggregations. I will also discuss how aDNA preserved in fish bones can be used to investigate the relative contributions of genetically distinct herring populations to food supplies over the last millennium.
Bio(s): Eleni Petrou was educated at the State University of New York at Buffalo (B.S. in Biological Sciences) and the University of Washington (M.S. in Fisheries Science). In 2013, she was a Fulbright Fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Eleni's research combines field and laboratory approaches to address evolutionary and ecological questions relevant to the conservation and management of marine and anadromous species.
Title: SmallScaleOA [ocean acidification], for Coral and Beyond!
Presenter(s): Katherine Leigh (Kat) Leigh, Marine Biologist, Leader of SmallScaleOA
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; seminar hosts are Jason Philabotte and Tracy Gill
Abstract: SmallScaleOA is a multi-entity, collaborative initiative to conduct proof-of-concept pilot projects that will demonstrate a viable approach for incentivizing resilient coastal communities and seafood industry. SmallScaleOA will create a circular data economy to incentivize traceable, transparent seafood; as well as inclusive, low-cost, coastal research on a hyper-localized scale. Using aquatic sensors, mobile phones, satellites, and IoT concepts, SmallScaleOA will exponentially decrease the cost of collecting coastal/ocean observations; increase the inclusivity and local relevance of scientific research; facilitate access to financial services, investment capital, and insurance coverage; and fill several data gaps in our knowledge of ocean changes like acidification, deoxygenation, and temperature rise. SmallScaleOA will collect continuous, observational data across entire coastal areas (not just one stationary point) as well as across multiple aquaculture sites, while simultaneously gathering fishery and aquaculture production and chain-of-custody data. SmallScaleOA will begin in Southeast Asia (a region where coverage is currently lacking), and expand to other regions over time. SmallScaleOA's interoperable blockchain technologies will connect dispersed fishers, farmers, businesses, academics, government agencies, NGOs, etc. to a data ecosystem, ensure the validity and accessibility of this data, and adequately reward these actors for their contributions all without requiring a central authority.
Bio(s): Katharine (Kat) Leigh is the Leader of SmallScaleOA. Kat has held positions in both the for-profit and non-profit sector with entities including The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, Cornell University, and Epic Software Systems. Her roles have spanned across project management and implementation, administration and marketing, scientific visioning, public data access strategizing, and community-based fisheries management. Although employed full-time, Kat dedicates much of her spare time towards launching her initiative, SmallScaleOA as well as leading her social venture, KomunikasIndonesia (KI). Ultimately, her goal is to combine economics, marine ecology/biology, and a dash of technology in order to incentivize sustainability in Indonesian small-scale fisheries. She has been a member of the Women's Aquatic Network (WAN) since 2017, having joined after networking with current members and participating in the organization's coastal clean-up event. Kat has a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Marine Biology from Cornell University. She also holds minors in Environment and Resource Economics and International Development.
Despite having already spent over 10 years advocating for sustainable seafood, food systems and waste disposal, Kat wants to further expand her knowledge and become a better problem-solver. Thus, she will be going to graduate school in the fall of 2019. Kat's love of Marine Ecology continues to transcend traditional academic and social boundaries, merging into the fields of International Development and Environmental Economics. Ultimately, by drawing from her broad educational background, she plans to dedicate her career towards sustainability, and alleviating marine resource inequalities. She aims to focus on the incentive structures within small-scale fisheries in Southeast Asia. By bridging chronic communication and data silos, she will promote equity, accessibility, practicality, and resiliency at the interface between government, business, institutions, research, and the general public.
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Abstract: Virginia Moriwake is a Deep Sea Animal Research Specialist at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii, Mnoa. Virginia will speak about the approach that her team has been taking to identify deep-sea coral and sponge taxa for the Pacific Islands Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide, and to subsequently annotate video footage to describe taxa recorded by NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in the Pacific Islands region.
Dr. Dan Cayan, CNAP, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD; Bryan Henry, Meteorologist, National Interagency Fire Center, Dr. Dan McEvoy, CNAP, Western Regional Climate Center
Title: California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System May Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar. These webinars provide the region's stakeholders and interested parties with timely information on current and developing drought conditions as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia. Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as wildfires, floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health.
Feature Topics, Speakers and Affiliations: Drought & Climate Update & Outlook, by Dr. Dan Cayan, Climate-Nevada Climate Applications Program (CNAP), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
Wildland Fire Potential Outlook, by Bryan Henry, Meteorologist, National Interagency Fire Center
Drought Indices & Wildfire: A Test Case for the CA-NV DEWS, by Dr. Dan McEvoy, Climate-Nevada Climate Applications Program (CNAP), Western Regional Climate Center
Abstract: The California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System (CA-NV DEWS) May 2019 Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar is part of a series of regular drought and climate outlook webinars designed to provide stakeholders and other interested parties in the region with timely information on current drought status and impacts, as well as a preview of current and developing climatic events (i.e. El Nio and La Nia). The webinar takes place at 11 a.m. PT, Tuesday May 28, 2019.
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Deborah Nicole Huntzinger, Associate Professor, Climate Science, School of Earth & Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, and Abhishek Chatterjee, Scientist, Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD, and NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, Greenbelt, MD
Date & Time:
28 May 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via webinar or in SSMC4 - Large Conference Room - 8150
Presenter(s): Deborah Nicole Huntzinger, Associate Professor, Climate Science, School of Earth & Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, Co-Author:Abhishek Chatterjee, Scientist, Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD, and NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, Greenbelt, MD. Both are SOCCR-2 Chapter 19 Contributing Authors
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha , & Tracy Gill
Abstract: Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, primarily due to fossil fuel emissions and land-use change, are expected to continue to drive changes in both climate and the terrestrial and ocean carbon cycles. Over the past two-to-three decades, there has been considerable effort to quantify terrestrial and oceanic system responses to environmental change, and project how these systems will interact with, and influence, future atmospheric CO2 concentrations and climate. In this presentation, we will summarize key findings related to projected changes to the North American carbon cycle, and the potential drivers and associated consequences of these changes, as reported in Chapter 19 of the Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR-2). The findings not only capture projections of emissions from fossil fuel and changes in land cover and land use, but also highlight the decline in future carbon uptake capacity of North American carbon reservoirs and soil carbon losses from the Northern high-latitudes. Such a discussion of future carbon cycle changes is new in SOCCR-2. It underlines the progress made since the release of the First State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR-1) in 2007 in identifying the vulnerability of key carbon pools and their co-evolution with changing climatic conditions. We will also discuss key knowledge gaps and outline a set of future research priorities, including both monitoring and modeling activities, that are necessary to improve projections of future changes to the North American carbon cycle and associated adaptation and resource-management decisions.
Bio(s): Deborah Huntzinger is an Associate Professor of Climate Science at Northern Arizona University. Her expertise lies in modeling complex environmental systems, and the development of methods to evaluate and compare model estimates. Her work in sustainability and climate has included carbon cycling dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems, carbon sequestration in industrial waste byproducts, and groundwater modeling in a socially and ecologically important watershed. Much of Dr. Huntzinger's current research interests are in advancing the understanding of the land carbon cycle's interactions and feedbacks with Earth's changing climate. She was one of the core investigators in the North American Carbon Program (NACP) Regional Interim Synthesis Project and is the lead investigator of the NACP Multi-Scale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project (MsTMIP).
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Abstract: The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for June and the summer season. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Ellie Flaherty, University of Michigan; Kate Kirkpatrick, University of Michigan; Trey Snow, University of Michigan; and Julia Wondoleck, University of Michigan
Date & Time:
23 May 2019
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET
Location:
Webinar Wednesday, 3103 Mainway, Burlington, ON L7M 1A1, Canada
Presenter(s): Ellie Flaherty, University of Michigan; Kate Kirkpatrick, University of Michigan; Trey Snow, University of Michigan; and Julia Wondoleck, University of Michigan
Abstract: The Kachemak Bay watershed, located on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, encompasses several terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems that provide a range of benefits and services that are not easily quantified. This webinar highlights methods and findings from a Master's project - advised by Dr. Julia Wondolleck - that provides insights about current ecosystem services valued in Kachemak Bay using a socio-cultural, place-based, ecosystem services framework. In addition to hearing from the students, their partners at Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve will share how they hope to apply their findings, and offer ideas for others interested in working with a student team in the future. Master's projects are interdisciplinary capstone experiences that enable University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability master's students to develop solutions to pressing problems faced by real-world clients. To learn more, read the team's recent report and review the process for proposing an idea for a future project.
SPEAKER BIOS: Ellie Flaherty holds a Master of Science from the University of Michigan, School for Environment and Sustainability, with concentrations in Environmental Policy and Conservation Ecology. Ellie has experience in environmental compliance support, as well as policy and program analysis, and currently works as a Research Associate for the NEERS Science Collaborative (NSC) program at the University of Michigan's Water Center. Ellie's particular interests lie in marine and coastal management and collaborative resource management processes.
Kathryn Kirkpatrick holds a Master of Science in Conservation Ecology and Environmental Policy within the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) at the University of Michigan. She holds a particular interest in wetland restoration, fostered by various work experiences in ecological consulting, wetland banking, and independent research. Her master's project in evaluating human and environmental well-being in Alaskan watersheds helped develop an interest in environmental policy, leading to her current position as a student assistant in the Water Resources Division at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), formerly the MDEQ.
Trey Snow is a 2019 graduate from the School for Environment and Sustainability at University of Michigan where he received a Master's of Science in Environmental Policy and Planning. While at the University of Michigan, Trey was a teaching assistant for environmental policy and geospatial analysis courses. Following his bachelors in economics from Bucknell University in 2016, Trey spent time across the US from the Montana backcountry with the US Forest Service to an organic farm in New England. His work on this ecosystem service master's project highlights his interest in building connections between ecological monitoring and public policies and outreach.
Presenter(s): Scott Hamilton, PhD., Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract: Climate change has the potential to profoundly influence the structure and function of marine ecosystems. In the California Current Ecosystem, marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, and hypoxia are three stressors exacerbated by human activities. In my lab, we have focused on investigating the independent and interactive effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia on rockfish across multiple species and life stages, testing responses from the organismal to the molecular level. In this talk, I will describe recent results of experiments testing the independent effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia on behavior, physiology, and gene expression in juvenile rockfish, and results from experiments testing responses to static versus fluctuating environmental conditions that more realistically simulate upwelling-relaxation dynamics under climate change. Lastly, I will present results from studies of the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia on the reproductive process, embryo development, larval physiology, and gene expression in rockfish.
Bio(s): Scott Hamilton received his undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolution from Princeton University in 2000 and his PhD in Marine Ecology from UC Santa Barbara in 2007. He served as a postdoc and research scientist at UCSB from 2007-2010. In 2011, Scott started as an Assistant Professor of Ichthyology at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and San Jose State University and became an Associate Professor in 2016. His research program at MLML focuses on: (1) the effects of climate change stressors on fish and other nearshore organisms, (2) life history and demographic variability in fish populations, (3) the effects of fishing and spatial management (MPAs) on community structure and function, (4) the role of consumers in nutrient cycling in kelp forests, and (5) emerging issues in aquaculture. He has supervised over 50 undergraduate students, 42 Master's students at MLML, and served on 30 MS thesis committees and 3 PhD committees.
Sponsor(s): Join the NOAA Central Library and the Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) for the new NOAA Innovators Series! This series will be facilitated by Derek Parks, Technology Transfer Program Manager.
Presenter(s): David Schoenmaker, Software and Hardware Engineer, Stillwater Technologies LLC & Crane Johnson, Hydrologist, Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center [Moderator] Derek Parks.
Abstract: A new and innovative water level sensor was developed by the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center to help fill data gaps in Alaska's current water level sensing network. After successfully deploying these small low cost gages at over 40 locations, a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement was established with Stillwater Technologies to continue development and bring these gages to the retail market. The development of the iGage river water level sensor, technology transfer through the CRADA and subsequent improvements will be presented.
Bio(s): David Schoenmaker grew up in the Seattle area has spent his entire career in software and hardware development. In addition to working in software development for Microsoft he has experience in wireless, cellular and data communications. Outside of work he enjoys flying, amateur radio and continuing to learn.
Crane Johnson has been living and working in Alaska since 1995. As a registered Civil Engineer he has spent most of his career working on water resource projects that includes over a decade of water control and flood forecasting experience. Outside of work Crane enjoys to ski and hike Alaska's mountains.
Title: Recent Trends in Nutrient & Sediment Loading to Coastal Areas of the Conterminous US: Insights & Global Context
Presenter(s): Gretchen P. Oelsner, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Water Science Center, Albuquerque, NM
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Suzanne Bricker and Tracy Gill
Abstract: Coastal areas in the U.S. and worldwide have experienced massive population and land-use changes contributing to significant degradation of coastal ecosystems. Excess nutrient pollution causes coastal ecosystem degradation, and both regulatory and management efforts have targeted reducing nutrient and sediment loading to coastal rivers. Decadal trends in flow-normalized nutrient and sediment loads were determined for 95 monitoring locations on 88 U.S. coastal rivers, including tributaries of the Great Lakes, between 2002 and 2012 for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sediment. N and P loading from urban watersheds generally decreased between 2002 and 2012. In contrast, N and P trends in agricultural watersheds were variable indicating uneven progress in decreasing nutrient loading. Coherent decreases in N loading from agricultural watersheds occurred in the Lake Erie basin, but limited benefit is expected from these changes because P is the primary driver of degradation in the lake. Nutrient loading from undeveloped watersheds was low, but increased between 2002 and 2012, possibly indicating degradation of coastal watersheds that are minimally affected by human activities. Regional differences in trends were evident, with stable nutrient loads from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, but commonly decreasing N loads and increasing P loads in Chesapeake Bay. Compared to global rivers, coastal rivers of the conterminous U.S have somewhat lower TN yields and slightly higher TP yields, but similarities exist among land use, nutrient sources, and changes in nutrient loads. Despite widespread decreases in N loading in coastal watersheds, recent N:P ratios remained elevated compared to historic values in many areas. Additional progress in reducing N and P loading to U.S. coastal waters, particularly outside of urban areas, would benefit coastal ecosystems.
Bio(s): Gretchen completed her PhD in Hydrology at the University of Arizona in 2007. Her dissertation focused on nutrient cycling in the semi-arid Upper Rio Grande. Following her PhD, Gretchen did a post-doc with the EPA's Office of Research and Development's Western Ecology Division examining changes in water quality in lakes and streams affected by acid rain. In 2011, Gretchen joined the U.S. Geological Survey in the New Mexico Water Science Center and worked on many projects related to surface-water quality in New Mexico. In 2013, Gretchen began work with the USGS's National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project as part of the Surface Water Trends Team. Initially she worked to harmonize data from 600+ sources of water-quality data across the country and screen them for trend analysis. Once the trend analysis was complete, Gretchen started to work on projects to interpret the trend results including trends in nutrient and sediment loading in coastal streams (the focus of this presentation) and possible drivers of national salinity concentration trends.
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Abstract: A revolution in computing, modeling, software and big data is needed to advance U.S. weather prediction capabilities in the next decade. An estimated 1000 to 10000 times more computing is needed to advance prediction models to cloud-resolving, 1-3KM resolution global scales.However, existing models are not capable of exploiting future HPC systems with tens to hundreds of millions of processors. Models will need to be rewritten to use more efficient algorithms, incorporate parallelism at all levels, minimize inter-processor communications, and improve I/O efficiency. In addition, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to replace compute heavy calculations with fast, light-weight algorithms. AI and the rapidly growing field of Machine Learning (ML)has the potential to disrupt the way weather prediction and assimilation models are developed in the future.
In addition, the current prediction system is being overwhelmed with too much data. New strategies are needed to more effectively handle the ingest, processing, computation, and distribution of data within the prediction system. Emerging technologies such as 5G networks, cloud computing, ML, and edge computing can be used to support the processing, distribution, and dissemination of data, information, and insights to diverse end users.
This presentation will offer a critical and visionary assessment of key technologies and developments needed to advance U.S. operational weather prediction in the next decade. I will describe challenges in our prediction system today and highlight exploratory developments at GSD and other modeling centers to overcome these challenges.
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Abstract: Reef-building corals rely on a symbiosis with microscopic algae for much of their energetic needs. Rising ocean temperatures threaten this symbiosis and can cause it to break down in a process known as coral bleaching, which is one of the primary threats to the persistence of coral reef ecosystems globally. Corals are not helpless, however, as they are also excellent predators and if they can capture food to maintain their energy budgets while bleached they may have a greater chance for survival. Learn more how natural variation in food availability on reefs around the world and how this may influence coral resilience and recovery from bleaching events.
Title: Where does all the carbon go? Piecing together the North American carbon puzzle from a synthesis of top-down and bottom-up estimates. Seminar 13 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - June 11
Presenter(s): Rodrigo Vargas, University of Delaware. Presenting from Delaware.. Co-author: Daniel J. Hayes, University of Maine
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyamo Shrestha & Tracy Gill.
Abstract: Scientific information quantifying and characterizing regional-to-global scale carbon cycling is necessary for developing national and international policy on climate change impacts, mitigation and adaptation. In this presentation, we show how we can piece together the various components of the North American carbon budget from multiple constraints on continental-scale estimates of the major stocks and flows. Our analysis synthesizes bottom-up estimates of stock change over the past decade among carbon pools of the major land sectors (forests and wood products, agricultural soils, grasslands, wetlands, and arctic-boreal ecosystems) and lateral transfers along the terrestrial-aquatic system (inland waters, tidal wetlands, estuaries and the coastal ocean). Using a simple but comprehensive and consistent budget accounting framework, we reconcile the various bottom-up assessments into an overall estimate of net land-atmosphere exchange of carbon from North America's land and coastal ocean to the atmosphere, and compare this estimate with top-down estimates for the continent over the last decade.
Bio(s): Daniel Hayes is Assistant Professor in the School of Forest Resources and serves as Director of the Wheatland Geospatial Analysis Laboratory at the University of Maine. He teaches, does research and performs outreach in the use of remote sensing in forest inventory and ecosystem applications. Dan studies the role of climate change and disturbance in the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems, with a particular focus on Arctic and Boreal regions. He has contributed to various regional, continental and global carbon budget modeling and synthesis efforts and publishes on the methods and results of multi-disciplinary, ecosystem-scale scientific investigations. Prior to his appointment at the University of Maine, Dan was a post-doctoral fellow in the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a research scientist in the Climate Change Science Institute at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is currently involved in various collaborative efforts including the interagency North American Carbon Program (NACP), NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), DOE's Next Generation Ecosystem Experiment (NGEE-Arctic) and the NSF Permafrost Carbon Network.
Rodrigo Vargas is an Associate Professor at the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Delaware. He completed his PhD at the University of California-Riverside and a postdoc at the University of California-Berkeley. His research interests focus on how biophysical factors regulate greenhouse gas dynamics in terrestrial and coastal ecosystems. He studies soil-plant-atmosphere interactions to understand and quantify the response of ecosystems to management, extreme events, and global environmental change. His research spans from data mining and digital soil mapping, to remote sensing and micrometeorological measurements of greenhouse gas fluxes at multiple spatio-temporal scales and vegetation types. Dr. Vargas has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has received funding from NSF, NASA, USDA, DOD and several state and international organizations. He serves as an Associate Editor for Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences published by the American Geophysical Union. He is part of the science steering groups of the North American Carbon Program, North American Forestry Commission, Mexican Carbon Program, and AmeriFlux. He is a member of the committee on Science and the Arts in the Earth and Environmental Science cluster of the Franklin Institute, and a member of the U.S. National Committee for Soil Science of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
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Presenter(s): Mike Aslaksen, NOAA National Geodetic Survey, and Parks Camp, Tallahassee Weather Forecast Office, NOAA's National Weather Service
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART). Point of contact is Shirley.Murillo@noaa.gov
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Abstract: The Seattle Aquarium has been studying sea otter, Enhydra lutris, endocrinology for 25 years. We monitor the reproductive and stress related physiology of sea otters through non-invasively collected fecal samples to document sexual maturity, normal reproductive cycling, the adrenal stress response, and the effectiveness of chemical contraception. Sea otters are the only marine mammal without a blubber layer and must eat approximately 25% of their body weight to maintain body condition in the cold north pacific waters in which they live. They eat a lot and in turn they poop a lot making sampling their feces for physiological data relatively easy. The Seattle Aquarium was the first to successfully breed sea otters in captivity and to measure fecal steroid hormone metabolites, and remain one of the only labs to do so. Zoos and Aquariums from all over the world have sent us fecal samples to determine the reproductive physiology and status of their animals. We will take poop from any otter and have over 4000 archived sea otter fecal samples in our freezer. In addition to monitoring fecal steroid metabolites we also measure toxic chemicals such as pesticides, flame retardants, PCBs as well as microplastics in the sea otter diets and fecals. The purpose of this work is to understand the normal and abnormal endocrinology of captive sea otters and the associated events that preceded them to effectively manage the welfare of sea otters in human care.
Bio(s): Shawn Larson was educated at the University of California, Berkeley (BS in Biology of Natural Resources 1988), California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (MS Wildlife Biology in 1992) and University of Washington (PhD in School of Aquatic and Fisheries Biology 2003, with a focus on sea otter genetics and endocrinology). Shawn launched the Seattle Aquarium conservation research program in 1995. Her work spans a variety of areas"she leads conservation research projects in the Salish Sea, Hawai'i, and (soon!) Indonesia; oversees all water quality testing for the aquarium exhibits; and leads the wildlife rehabilitation program. Shawn's research is cross-disciplinary, including projects focused on marine mammal physiology, shark genetics, reef fish population biology and ecology, and orca population trends. She has published several scientific papers, book chapters on marine mammals, and a book on sea otter biology and conservation. More recently, Shawn has been involved in environmental monitoring of toxic pollutants and microplastics in the Salish Sea and elsewhere. In 2016, she also become a contracted Research Curator for the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor where she focuses on longterm datasets on Southern Resident killer whale sightings, the impact of whale watching vessels on the Southern Residents, and 20 years of orca calls from hydrophones.
Abstract: The Conformal-Cubic Atmospheric Model (CCAM) has been developed atCSIRO over a number of years. CCAM is formulated on the conformal-cubicgrid, and employs 2-time-level semi-Lagrangian semi-implicit numerics.The model is quite mature. It has mainly been used in dynamicaldownscaling studies of climate change, but is also used for specializednumerical weather prediction applications. CCAM employs reversiblestaggering for the wind components (McGregor, MWR, 2005), producinggood wave dispersion behavior and also good behaviour for the kineticenergy spectra. For treatment of non-hydrostatic flow, CCAM utilizesthe highly efficient equations of Miller and White (QJRMS, 1984).
Recently the CCAM code has been generalized to utilize the UniformJacobian (UJ) variation of the cubed-sphere grid. This grid is derivedfrom the conformal-cubic grid to provide equal area for every gridcell. Since the grid lines are no longer orthogonal, covariant andcontravariant velocity components are required. Apart from thecomplications of the velocity components, most of the CCAMsemi-Lagrangian approach may be used, including reversible staggeringof the contravariant velocity components to switch between values atcell centres and cell edges. The solver for the Helmholtz equation is alittle more complicated than for CCAM. A split-explicit version of CCAMhas also been developed, solving the primitive equations in flux form.
A major application of CCAM is for downscaling climate changesimulations of coupled atmosphere-ocean GCMs. The CSIRO downscalingstrategy utilizes forcing from the sea-ice and Sea Surface Temperatures(SSTs) provided by chosen GCMs. Because the GCMs may have somesignificant biases in their SSTs, the SSTs from each GCM are correctedfor their monthly biases in both mean value and variance, as calculatedfrom their 30-year present-day climatologies. The same monthly SSTcorrections are applied throughout the simulations from each GCM. Thetalk will include results from some recent CORDEX regional climatedownscaling simulations.
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Presenter(s): Chase Long, Data Policy Analyst, NOAA Office of the Chief Data Officer within the Office of the Chief Information Officer
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Hollis Jones (hollis.jones@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Ocean quahogs are a very long-lived species of bivalve, with a maximum lifespan exceeding 500 years. Growth signatures in their shells have been used to study the climate dating back thousands of years, yet relatively little is known about the growth rates or age at maturity of recent recruits. Given their economic importance as a commercially-fished species, collections of recent recruits were targeted for examination of age at maturity and growth rates in support of sustainable fishery management. Evidence suggests that growth rates are increasing along with warming ocean waters, and individuals appear to be reaching maturity at a younger age than previously understood.
About the speaker: Chase Long began to study molluscs upon moving to Virginia in 2014 after spending nearly six months hiking the Appalachian Trail earlier that year. His work at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science on the commercially important bivalve species of the Chesapeake Bay and the US east coast led to an interest in the policies behind sound fisheries management. While working toward filling data gaps in support of sustainable management of the ocean quahog fishery during his graduate studies, Chase applied to the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship program. Chase now works as a Knauss Fellow in the office of NOAA's first Chief Data Officer, Ed Kearns, on data policy in support of NOAA's mission of Science, Service, and Stewardship."
Abstract: The winter of 2018 had record breaking low sea ice extent. Sea ice arrived late due to warm southerly winds in November. More typical northerly winds in December and January advanced the ice, but strong, warm southerlies in February and March forced the ice to retreat once again. The cold pool (shelf region with bottom water < 2C) was the smallest on record. Ice extent in winter of 2019 was very similar to that of 2018. Thus, there have been two consecutive, record-breaking low ice years in the Bering Sea. The lack of ice impacted the ecosystem from the timing of the spring phytoplankton/ice-algal blooms to fish and marine mammal distributions.
About the speaker: Dr. Phyllis Stabeno is a physical oceanographer at the NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, Washington. Together with Dr. Janet Duffy-Anderson, she is co-leader of NOAA's Ecosystems and Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations. EcoFOCI is one of NOAA's only cross-line office programs and the second oldest fisheries-oceanography program in the agency. For the past 30 years, Dr. Stabeno has worked on physical oceanographic, climate and ecosystem projects focused on Alaska's marine ecosystem including the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and most recently, the Chukchi Sea. She is the lead investigator in maintaining a biophysical mooring array in the Bering Sea, including the M2 mooring, "Peggy" now deployed for the 25 year. She recently completed as a Principle Investigator for the North Pacific Research Board sponsored Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Plan (BSIERP) project and NSF Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST), which won a 2015 NOAA Gold Medal Award. And as of this week, she is a 2019 NOAA Distinguished Career Award recipient, nominated by OAR for key scientific achievements and superior leadership in conducting and communicating the EcoFOCI research, supporting US marine resources in Alaska. "
Observations indicate that the Indian landmass experienced significantsurface warming at a rate exceeding 0.6oC (100 years)-1, sincebeginning of the 20th century. Precipitation datasets reveal adecreasing trend in summer monsoon rains over the region by about 7%since 1950s, together with significant increases in the frequency andintensity of heavy precipitation (intensity > 100 mm day-1)occurrences that have adversely affected the regional hydro-climate. Weconducted numerical simulation experiments using the IITM Earth SystemModel (IITM ESM), which has been developed from the NCEP CFS-v2 climateforecast system, to understand the impact of climate change on theIndian summer monsoon. The IITM ESM is a radiatively balanced climatemodeling framework that has been developed at the Centre for ClimateChange Research (CCCR), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology(IITM), Pune for studying long-term climate variability and change, aswell as the Earth System response to human-induced climate change. The results from the present study point to the role of human-inducedclimate change on the declining trend of summer monsoon precipitationover the Indian subcontinent. In particular, the IITM-ESM simulationssuggest that the combined influence of anthropogenic aerosol forcingand global warming has likely suppressed organized summer monsoonconvection, weakened the monsoon circulation and in turn causeddecrease of precipitation over the region. The detailed physicalmechanisms of the Indian monsoon response to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) andanthropogenic aerosol forcing would be discussed during thepresentation. The present findings have implications for the role ofclimate change on the subseasonal-to-seasonal predictability of theIndian summer monsoon.
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Title: Scientific Community Engagement for Carbon Cycle Researchers Seminar 12 in the Series: From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle, the 2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2). We plan to host this series series on Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, 2/26-6/4.
Presenter(s): Dr. Libby Larson, Coordinator of the North American Carbon Program (or NACP), and Senior Support Scientist, NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha and Tracy Gill
Remote Access: We will use Adobe Connect.To join the session, go to https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/nosscienceseminars/, enter as "Guest", and please enter your first and last name. Users should use either IE or Edge on Windows or Safari if using a Mac. Audio will be available thru the computer only; no phone. Questions will be addressed in the chat window. This Webcast will be recorded, archived and made accessible in the near future. You can test your ability to use Adobe Connect at the following link: https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm Audio is over the computer, so adjust volume on your computer speakers or headset. Questions? Email Tracy Gill
Abstract: Scientific community engagement can help funding program managers and researchers alike in managing resources, facilitating collaboration, and fostering innovation and insight. NASA's Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Office at Goddard Space Flight Center has been serving this role for NASA programs such as Terrestrial Ecology and Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning, as well as supporting the broader community through the North American Carbon Program (NACP). This work has enabled much of the research that contributed to the success of the Second State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2).
Bio(s): Dr. Libby Larson started working for NASA as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in 2012. After her fellowship ended, she was hired by the NASA Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Office to continue her work in coordinating the North American Carbon Program, supporting the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) field campaign, and representing NASA in the US Global Change Research Program. In addition to serving on the Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group, she also co-chairs the Social Sciences Steering Committee. Dr. Larson is an urban ecologist by training and was a contributing author to the Built Environment, Urban Systems, and Cities chapter of the 2018 National Climate Assessment.
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Title: NOAA Hurricane Awareness Series: Use of Aircraft Reconnaissance Data in Tropical Cyclone Analysis and Forecasting
Presenter(s): Mike Brennan, NOAA's National Hurricane Center, and Jason Sippel, NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART). Point of contact is Shirley.Murillo@noaa.gov
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Presenter(s): Dr Chris Barnet, Senior Research Scientist, Science and Technology Corp. (STC): Senior Research Scientist, 10015 Old Columbia Road, Suite E-250, Columbia, MD 21046
Sponsor(s): JPSS Satellite History Seminar Series
Shortly after the Russian launch of Sputnik-1, the United States launched TIROS-1 on April 1, 1960 - the 1st of many satellites dedicated for meteorological applications. During the following decades there was a rapid development of sensors and algorithms to derive the atmospheric temperature and composition for the Earth and other planets in our solar system. This presentation will focus on the key developments of remote sounding " that is, the conversion of space-borne measurements to geophysical information such as cloud information, surface information, and profiles of temperature, moisture, ozone, and other trace gases. The presentation will also discuss the evolution in technology that has led to advanced microwave and infrared sensors such as the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) and the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) flown on Suomi-NPP and the JPSS series of satellites. The evolution of these sensors is critical for modern data assimilation and retrieval algorithms such as the NOAA-Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS).
This seminar is the 1st of a series of seminars celebrating the 60th anniversary of the launch of TIROS-N.
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Elisabeth Weisz Associate Scientist, Space Science and Engineering Center, Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Elisabeth Weisz Associate Scientist, Space Science and Engineering Center, Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sponsor(s): JPSS Science Seminar
Abstract: Synergistic use of high spatial resolution imager data with high spectral resolution infrared sounder data provides advantages in various applications over use of individual data sets alone. The VIIRS imaging instrument on the polar-orbiting S-NPP and JPSS satellite platforms has infrared window bands, but no carbon dioxide and water vapor absorption bands, which are essential for accurately deriving atmospheric variables. An overview of the imager and sounder (e.g., VIIRS and CrIS) radiance data fusion method to construct missing high spatial resolution radiances is presented. These fusion radiances can then be used to infer profile, cloud, and surface parameters using heritage retrieval algorithms. But rather than retrieving the aforementioned parameters from the fusion radiance data, it is also possible to perform product fusion, where high vertical resolution sounder temperature and humidity profile retrievals (or derived products such as lifted index) are constructed directly at imager high spatial resolution. Moreover, the retrieval products can be further enhanced with high temporal resolution when geostationary imager (ABI) data is combined with the polar-orbiting sounder (CrIS) data to benefit, for example, the study of moisture transport, cloud top change, and convective stability during severe weather development. Various case studies are presented with promising potential improvements in weather monitoring and forecasting applications from using the VIIRS/CrIS and ABI/CrIS fusion capabilities.
Abstract: Video and image data as sampling tools are now regularly used in the field of benthic ecology. However, their use is subject to a number of challenges, not least of which is the identification of taxa within the images without associated physical specimens. The challenge of applying traditional taxonomic keys to the identification of fauna from images has led to the development of personal, research group, or institution level reference image catalogues of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) or morphospecies. The lack of standardisation among these reference catalogues has led to problems with observer bias and the inability to combine datasets across research groups and geographical regions. In addition, the lack of a common reference standard is stifling efforts in the application of artificial intelligence to taxon identification. Using the North Atlantic deep sea as a case study, we propose a database structure to facilitate the standardisation of morphospecies image catalogues between research groups and support future use in multiple front-end applications. We also propose a framework for coordination of international efforts to develop reference guides for the identification of marine species from images. The proposed structure follows the Darwin Core standard to allow integration with both WoRMS and OBIS databases. We suggest a management framework where high-level taxonomic groups (e.g. Antipatharians, Pennatulaceans, Hexactinellids, Anthozoans) are curated by a regional team, consisting of both end users and taxonomic experts for that taxon and region. We identify a mechanism by which overall quality of data within a common reference guide could be raised over the next decade, through increased international coordination and cooperation. Finally, we discuss the role of a common reference standard in advancing marine ecology and supporting challenges in sustainable use of this ecosystem.
Title: China's Underwater Cultural Heritage in the South China Sea: Nanhai #1, A Window on the Maritime Silk Road
Presenter(s): Hans Van Tilburg of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Sponsor(s): NOAA National MPA Center; MPA News, a service of OCTO; EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe); OpenChannels, a service of OCTO
Abstract: Underwater Cultural Heritage can inform us about past events and seafaring cultures in powerful ways. China's ambitious Nanhai #1 excavation project has achieved a new milestone in the recovery of underwater cultural heritage artifacts. The discovery of a 900-year old Song dynasty merchant vessel initiated the removal of the adjacent seafloor along with the intact wreck, allowing for meticulous "in situ" excavation under environmentally controlled conditions within a specially-built lab. The wealth of porcelains and trade goods found with the vessel demonstrates the extensive and vibrant past of the Maritime Silk Road, and archaeologists are only now reaching the lower levels of the vessel's cargo holds. The project is also relevant to today's resource and management issues in the South China Sea.
Bio(s): Hans Van Tilburg completed a geography major at the University of California Berkeley (BA 1985), Masters degree with East Carolina University's Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology program (MA 1995), and ran a graduate program in maritime archaeology at the University of Hawai'i while completing his degree in Asian and Pacific maritime history (PhD 2002). He has taught numerous university courses in world history and maritime history, published numerous articles and several books, and served as principal investigator for maritime archaeology projects throughout the Pacific Islands region. Hans has been an expert consultant for UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage program, as well as co-instructor for UNESCO's Underwater Cultural Heritage Foundation courses. He has served as program chair and co-chair for the Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage (APCONF 2014-2020) series. He is currently the maritime heritage coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Marine Sanctuaries in the Pacific Islands region, and the unit diving supervisor for NOAA's National Ocean Service in Hawai'i.
Presenter(s): Debora Iglesias-Rodriguez, Ph.D. , Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract: The activities of seven and a half billion humans are changing the properties of the oceans affecting many marine organisms. Phytoplankton are amongst the first to display alterations in their physiology and their adaptation to a warmer and more corrosive environment as ocean acidification, pollution and warming continue. I will discuss results from a study examining an unprecedented bloom of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi along the California coast during the NE Pacific warm anomaly of 2014"2015. Specifically, a warming anomaly of up to +5 C, appears to be responsible for changes in species composition and changes in ecosystem structure in the California Current. Following a large harmful algal bloom event, a coccolithophore bloom with cell densities of up to ~6 x106 cells L-1 was observed within the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC) in early summer of 2015, causing prominent changes in ocean color that were also detected by satellite-based remote sensing. We speculate that the rare cooccurrence of warm water, high water column stability, and an extensive preceding diatom bloom during the anomaly contributed to the development of this bloom. I will also present some ongoing work on other stressors that are impacting the NE Pacific in the context of climate change.
Bio(s): Debora Iglesias-Rodriguez is a biological oceanographer with a broad interest in mechanisms controlling diversity and function in marine biota. She has a B.Sc. in Biology & Biochemistry (Univ. Santiago de Compostela (Spain). After her PhD (1996) on carbon utilization in phytoplankton (Swansea Univ., U.K.), she was awarded a NERC Fellowship to study genetic diversity in coccolithophores (Bristol Univ., U.K.), and a NASA Fellowship to model their distribution using satellite data (Rutgers Univ., USA). Until December 2012, she ran a research group at the National Oceanography Centre (Southampton, U.K.), focusing on marine bioluminescence and the effect of ocean acidification on marine plankton. She has contributed to several white papers on OA, was a keynote speaker on ocean acidification at the 2011 IPCC workshop on OA, and in 2009, one of her papers published in Science was identified by Thomson Reuters as fast breaking paper and at the top 0.01 most cited papers in Geoscience. She was an advisor of the U.K. Government on climate change impacts on marine ecosystems (UK parliamentary papers on ocean acidification, advice to Sir John Beddington, U.K. Government Chief Scientific Advisor). At UCSB she continues to work on carbon biogeochemistry and ocean problems caused by humans including ocean acidification and warming, but she has expanded her work to include other stressors such as oil impacts on phytoplankton dynamics and health and effect of ash deposition on productivity following more frequent and intense fires in California over the past decade.
The 2017-2027 Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space identifies six Science & Applications Topic, two of which are Extending & Improving Weather and Air Quality Forecasts and Reducing Climate Uncertainty & Informing Societal Response. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been developing the Panchromatic imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (PanFTS) to address different atmospheric measurements related to these two applications. PanFTS is envisioned as a hosted payload on a geostationary (GEO) communication satellite. This offers the access to GEO with a fee, vs the costs associated with a dedicated launch vehicle and spacecraft. In parallel, the NOAA Satellite Observing System Architecture Study (NSOSA) report calls for a small number of GEO hosted instruments. Similar to CrIS, PanFTS is a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS). CrIS is a point mapping spectrometer. It has three different spectral bands of 3 x 3 photo detectors, mapping 9 ground pixels simultaneously. PanFTS is an imaging spectrometer. It has 1 - 3 imaging cameras, mapping 0.3 - 1 million ground pixels simultaneously. The several orders of improved observation throughput is enabled by the high speed cameras and the matching high speed onboard data processing electronics. PanFTS successfully completed a NASA Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program (ESTO IIP) task in 2011. An engineering model (EM) was built. PanFTS - EM spanned 0.29 - 16 um wavelength, and it could achieve a spectral resolution DeltaR = 0.05 cm-1. PanFTS - EM performances were characterized in a thermal vacuum chamber at 110K, and the results were independently reviewed. However, PanFTS - EM occupied a ~1.5 m3 volume. We propose to miniaturize PanFTS (uPanFTS) into a ~6 - 12 U volume using a 2-color camera technology. This camera technology has been developed by the DOD sponsors over the last two decades, and it is currently deployed in the fields.
Bio(s):
Mr. Yen-Hung (James) Wu is an optical system engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has worked on a variety of NASA and non-NASA projects, ranging from a cubsat imager to a deep UV spectrometer on the Mars 2020 Rover to a laser metrology for the NuSTAR x-ray space telescope. He has been working with the team to develop PanFTS since its conception in 2007. Currently, he is leading two JPL internally funded strategic R&D tasks to 1). miniaturize the front end PanFTS instrument hardware suitable for the future solar system and planetary exploration missions, and 2). advance the PanFTS back end data interface / real-time processing to the operational science quality. POC: Stacy Bunin, stacy.bunin@noaa.gov
Yizhen Li, Computational Ecologist, CSS Inc., Under Contract to NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science - NCCOS, HAB Forecasting Branch. Presenting at NOAA Silver Spring
Date & Time:
9 May 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
SSMC4 - Large Conference Room - 8150 or via webinar (see access below), SSMC4 - Large Conference Room - 8150
Title: An update to the Gulf of Maine Harmful Algal Bloom (Alexandrium catenella) Forecast System
Presenter(s): Yizhen Li, Computational Ecologist, CSS Inc., Under Contract to NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), HAB Forecasting Branch. Presenting at NOAA Silver Spring, SSMC4, Rm 8150.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: The repetitive Alexandrium catenella bloom causes extensive shellfish closure in New England coastal states each spring and summer. An interesting part of its life cycle is the dormant cyst stage to overwinter, the abundance of which has been found to be crucial to the bloom severity for the upcoming season. Improved understanding of the Alexandrium dynamics enables a quasi-operational forecast system transitioning to operations. Here we briefly introduce the research background of the bloom in the Gulf of Maine, followed by an update on the numerical modeling system. We will present the NCCOS efforts in the cyst cruise, the latest water mass characteristic in the Gulf of Maine, and the architecture of the coupled physical-biological modeling system, and coordinated effort to collaborate with other line offices to transition the system into operations.
Bio(s): Yizhen Li is an oceanographer at NCCOS HAB Forecasting branch, and an adjunct scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Yizhen got his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University, and was a postdoctoral scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution during 2014-2016. His research interests include: ocean circulation dynamics, mesoscale eddies, ocean data assimilation, coupled physical-biological interactions (HAB, specifically). He is leading the project to transition Gulf of Maine HAB forecast system into operations, and engaged in research of HAB related questions in other areas. Working closely with Dr. Richard Stumpf, his recent research focuses on utilizing satellite images and in-situ observations to study the upper ocean processes associated with Karenia brevis bloom in southwest Florida.
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Presenter(s): Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
Presenter(s): Yvonne deReynier, Senior Resource Management Specialist, NMFS West Coast Region
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: NOAA Fisheries and its partners have been reporting on the status of our marine ecosystems for decades, but only in recent years have we adopted the goal of providing ecosystem status reports for each of the U.S. large marine ecosystems. If these reports are to provide useful information to natural resource managers and stakeholders, they must be shared with and evaluated in public policymaking processes. Our nation's premier fisheries law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provides a ready forum for testing and improving the utility of ecosystem status reports through the fishery management council process. Developing, delivering, reviewing, and revising ecosystem status reports for use in fisheries management requires advance process planning and ongoing coordination between NOAA and the fishery management councils. This presentation will discuss how we have meshed the Pacific Fishery Management Council process with the California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach to educate West Coast stakeholders about our ecosystem, and to help scientists and managers educate each other about what makes a useful ecosystem status report.
Bio(s): Yvonne deReynier is a Senior Resource Management Specialist with NOAA Fisheries' West Coast Region, focusing on ecosystem-based management and climate change planning. She chairs the Pacific Fishery Management Council's Ecosystem Workgroup and her work addresses cross-mandate policy development and implementation for our variable marine ecosystems.
Title: The Future of the Raja Ampat Coral Reef Ecosystem
Presenter(s): Dr.Phillip Dustan, Department of Biology, College of Charleston, SC. Presenting at NOAA in Silver Spring, SSMC4, Room 9153.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Tracy Gill and Rick Schwabacher
Abstract: The reefs of Raja Ampat in the heart of the Coral Triangle are the epicenter of global biodiversity. Their equatorial location provides a refuge from tropical cyclones while being supplied by tropical Pacific Ocean water as part of the Indonesian Throughflow that joins the Pacific and Indian Oceans. However, ecotourism, principally sport diving, has become a booming economic engine that is flooding the area with people. In the past 50 years science has revealed that the very adaptations that enable coral reefs to flourish make them vulnerable to human activity, principally through overfishing, nutrification, and physical damage. The exponential growth of the tourism is already generating destructive ecological effects which are nested within the impacts of ocean warming, acidification, and commercial and artisanal overfishing. Raja Ampat's reefs are of the highest priority for conservation as witnessed by the strong presence of major non-profits including (WWF, TNC, CI) but without a concerted effort to reduce local stressors, coral diseases, algal overgrowth, crown-of-thorns infestations, and physical destruction will quickly decimate live coral cover initiating a cascade to ecological ruin. We have the knowledge, but can we muster the political will and courage to recognize, organize, and implement an initiative to sustain the richest reefs on Earth?
Bio(s): Dr. Phillip Dustan, Professor of Biology, College of Charleston, is a marine ecologist specializing in the ecology, vitality, and conservation of coral reefs. Much of his work has centered on detecting change in reef communities to assess coral reef vitality and human influences. Phil began his reef studies in Discovery Bay, Jamaica in the early 1970's which expanded to include the Florida Keys, Bahamas, the wider Caribbean, Pacific, Indian Oceans, and Java Sea. He worked closely with Captain Jacques Yves Cousteau and the Cousteau Society between 1974-2000, testified to the US Senate Subcommittee on Oceans in support of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. More recently was part of the scientific team for the Emmy and Peabody Award winning documentary Chasing Coral by ExposureLabs. Dr. Dustan was a founding Principal Investigator on the USEPA Florida Keys Coral Reef/Hardbottom Monitoring Project, pioneered remote sensing techniques for coral reef change and collaborated on developing coral molecular stress markers. Recently, Phil has begun retrospective studies of reefs in Jamaica, Belize, and Florida; places he worked as a young scientist that have all changed almost beyond recognition, having lost between 50% and 95% of their living coral cover (http://biospherefoundation.org/project/coral-reef-change/). This has sparked collaboration with TreestoSeas.org to involve more people in reef conservation through the concept of Diving with a Purpose. People get involved with reef conservation through clean-up dives and other projects that connect them personally to the reef, triggering them to become ardent conservationists. Just like politics, all conservation really begins with local people and their local actions.
Multimedia credits (television, video, film, web): TEDx Charleston on saving coral reefs, October, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwENBNrfKj4 Chasing Coral 2017, Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. https://www.chasingcoral.com/ Vanishing Coral, Earth Focus Episode 72, 2017. The personal story of scientists and naturalists working with local communities to protect coral reefs. First aired on KCET TV 11 April 2017. https://www.kcet.org/shows/earth-focus/episodes/vanishing-coral Coral Reef Bleaching in Bali, NW Bali, Indonesia a video showing ecological change 2015 to 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxOfLTnPSUo Caribbean Coral Reefs Through Time 1972 to 2013 http://biospherefoundation.org/project/coral-reef-change/ Coral Reefs Canaries of the Sea, 2003. Glick, P. Reston, VA: National Wildlife Federation. Mysteries of the Hidden Deep, 1976. Science Advisor to Undersea World of Jacques Yves Cousteau, Episode 34. Filmed in Belize, Jamaica, and Mexico.
Title: Using Biodiversity Indicators to Meet Marine Conservation Objectives
Presenter(s): Dr Abigail McQuatters-Gollop, Lecturer in Marine Conservation, University of Plymouth. Presenting remotely
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Indicators are effective tools for summarising and communicating key aspects of ecosystem state and have a long record of use in marine pollution and fisheries management. The application of biodiversity indicators to assess the status of species, habitats, and functional diversity in marine conservation and policy, however, is still developing and multiple indicator roles and features are emerging. Links between biodiversity indicators and the pressures affecting them are frequently unclear as links can be obscured by environmental change, data limitations, food web dynamics, or the cumulative effects of multiple pressures. In practice, the application of biodiversity indicators to meet marine conservation policy and management demands is developing rapidly in the management realm, with a lag before academic publication detailing indicator development. Making best use of biodiversity indicators depends on sharing and synthesising cutting-edge knowledge and experience. Using lessons learned from the application of biodiversity indicators in policy and management from around the globe, we define the concept of biodiversity indicators', explore barriers to their use and potential solutions, and outline strategies for their effective communication to decision-makers.
Bio(s): Abigail McQuatters-Gollop is a plankton ecologist and lecturer in marine conservation at University of Plymouth. She is a NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellow and Defra Senior Policy Fellow and is leading the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive for pelagic habitats (plankton) for the UK and OSPAR (Northern Europe). Abigail's research focuses on marine ecological responses to anthropogenic and climate change and the subsequent integration of results into the policy process. A key area of interest lies in the separation of climate responses in the plankton from those due to anthropogenic disturbances, and the linking of biodiversity state changes to manageable human pressures. Abigail also sits on the British Ecological Society Brexit Policy Working Group and has recently received a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Invited Fellowship to work on policy impact generation in Japan. Personal website: www.planktonpolicy.org, Twitter: @anaturalstate.
Title: Great Lakes Water Tension in the 21st Century
Presenter(s): Peter Annin, Author and Director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, contact Nicole Rice, nicole.rice@noaa.gov or Mary Ogdahl, ogdahlm@umich.edu
Abstract: Water diversion controversies continue to make news across the Great Lakes region. From Waukesha, Wisconsin, to the Foxconn factory south of Milwaukee, and the massive century-old water diversion in Chicago, the Great Lakes region continues to struggle with how best to keep Great Lakes water inside the Great Lakes watershed. In recent years, Southeast Wisconsin has emerged as the frontline in the Great Lakes water diversion debate. But the State of Michigan continues to play an influential role in regional water management decisions"as it has for decades. Last Fall Peter Annin published a major revision of his award-winning book, The Great Lakes Water Wars, to coincide with the 10th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Compact. The book includes chapters about all of the water diversion hotspots mentioned above, as well as many others. His talk will help cut through the confusion surrounding the Great Lakes water diversion debate and put Great Lakes water tensions in a regional, continental and global context.
Bio(s): Peter Annin is the director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation and the author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, the definitive work on the Great Lakes water diversion controversy. Before coming to Northland College in 2015, Peter served as a reporter at Newsweek, the associate director of the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources, and the managing director of the University of Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative. He continues to report on the Great Lakes water diversion issue and published the second edition of the Great Lakes Water Wars in the fall of 2018.
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The summary assessment metric (SAM) method is applied to an array ofprimary assessment metrics (PAMs) for the deterministic forecasts ofsome leading numerical weather prediction (NWP) centers for the years2015-2017. The PAMs include anomaly correlation, RMSE, and absolutemean error (i.e., the absolute value of bias) for different forecasttimes, vertical levels, geographic domains, and variables. SAMsindicate that in terms of forecast skill ECMWF is better than NCEP,which is better than but approximately the same as UKMO. The use ofSAMs allows a number of interesting features of the evolution offorecast skill to be observed. All centers improve over the three yearperiod. NCEP short-term forecast skill substantially increases duringthe period. Quantitatively, the effect of the 2016 May 11 NCEP upgradeto the 4D-ensemble variational (4DEnVar) system is the largest SAMimpact during the study period. However, the observed impacts arewithin the context of slowly improving forecast skill for operationglobal NWP as compared to earlier years. Clearly the systems laggingECMWF can improve, and there is evidence from SAMs in addition to the4DEnVar example that improvements in forecast and data assimilationsystems are still leading to forecast skill improvements.
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Presenter(s): Rob Miller, HawkEye 360; USG Account Manager
Sponsor(s): Tim Battista, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, NOAA National Ocean Service
Abstract: HE360 operates a first of its kind commercial constellation of satellites that detect and geolocate radio-frequency signals. Should a ship turn off its VMS or AIS transponder, HE360 can monitor for other RF emissions, such as navigation radar, to locate the "dark" vessel. Automated geo-processing tools also return novel insights and actionable results faster, reducing analytic burden while advancing the mission.
Bio(s): Rob Miller leads US government programs at HE360. Before joining the company, he served 15 years in the federal government, having worked on Capitol Hill, in The White House, and in the Intelligence Community.
Lori Bruhwiler, Physical Scientist, NOAA/OAR/ESRL, Global Monitoring Division and John Miller, Physical Scientist, NOAA/OAR/ESRL, Global Monitoring Division
Date & Time:
7 May 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via Webinar (see login below) or for NOAA Silver Spring folks, SSMC4, Room 8150
Title: An Overview of Global Carbon Cycle: Where are the Gaps in our Understanding? Seminar 11 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Presenter(s): Lori Bruhwiler, Physical Scientist, NOAA/OAR/ESRL, Global Monitoring Division and John MIller, Physical Scientist, NOAA/OAR/ESRL, Global Monitoring Division.
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased from a preindustrial abundance of 280 ppm to over 400 ppm, an increase of 43%. Methane has increased from a preindustrial abundance about 700 ppb to more than 1,850 ppb, an increase of over 2.5 times. The current understanding of the sources and sinks of atmospheric carbon supports a dominant role for human activities, especially fossil fuel combustion, in the rapid rise of atmospheric carbon. As of 2017, the anthropogenic radiative forcing was 3.1 W/m2, with CO2 accounting for 2 W/m2, and CH4 accounting for 0.5 W/m2. Global fossil fuel emissions of CO2 increased at a rate of about 4% per year until 2013, when the rate of increase abruptly declined. Emissions were flat in 2015 and 2016, but increased again in 2017 by an estimated 2.0%. About half of anthropogenic CO2 is taken up by lands and oceans, and this keeps atmospheric concentrations much lower than they wold otherwise be. The magnitude of future land and ocean carbon sinks is uncertain because the responses of the carbon cycle to future changes in climate are uncertain. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2013) estimated that to have a 66% chance of limiting the warming to less than 2C since 1861"1880 will require cumulative emissions from all anthropogenic sources to stay below about 1,000 Pg C, meaning that only 221 Pg C equivalent can be emitted from 2017 forward. Current annual global CO2 emissions are approximately 10 Pg C per year, so this limit could be reached in as little as 20 years.
Bio(s): Lori Bruhwiler is a physical scientist at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Global Monitoring Division in Boulder, Colorado. Her research interests include understanding past and future budgets of CO2 , CH4 and other greenhouse gases using atmospheric transport models and data assimilation techniques. Lori has spent her entire career so far at NOAA, beginning with her postdoctoral thesis on stratospheric chemistry at the NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory (now ESRL CSD). She went on to the NOAA Geophysical Research Laboratory where she worked with models of stratospheric chemistry and dynamics, before joining the GMD Carbon Cycle Group. Lori earned her undergraduate degrees in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin, and her PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
John Miller: John works as a carbon cycle scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory. His research focuses on the emission and absorption of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere at regional and global scales. He uses both modeling of measurements of CO2 and CH4 and their stable and radioisotopes to better understand the processes responsible for their source and sink variations. His specific interests are in fossil fuelcombustion emissions of carbon dioxide at the national and global scales, the relationship between the Amazon forest and greenhouse gas emission and absorption and how these impact global climate.
John received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Colorado in 1999, was a National Research Council post-doctoral fellow at NOAA from 2000-2002 and has been a research scientist at NOAA since then. He has been an author on 110 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles. He has also been a contributing author for the World Meteorological Organization quadrennial assessment of ozone depletion, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report and other international reports. Recently, John served as a lead author of the Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2), an interagency U.S. government-led decadal assessment of carbon cycle science across North America.
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Presenter(s): Steven Roberts, Ph.D., School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract: It is increasingly evident that environmental perturbations can have impacts on marine invertebrates beyond acute exposure periods. In some instances this might manifest as an adult phenotype that is associated with an early-life stage exposure event. There is also the case where parental environmental exposures can influence offspring phenotype. The processes involved in these intergenerational carryover effects can be diverse in nature, and can be related to physiological compromise in adults that results in negative effects linked to poor quality gametes or insufficient maternal resource allocation. However, in some cases an environmental perturbation experienced by parents might result in a positive effect in offspring, such as improved performance upon secondary exposure to the condition experienced by the parents. Results from recent experiments looking at intergenerational carryover effects in oysters (Ostrea and Crassostrea) and geoduck clams will be presented. Specific environmental conditions examined include temperature, diet, and seawater pH. In addition, preliminary data will be discussed in terms of a role for DNA methylation as a mechanisms for environmental memory within and across generations.
Bio(s): Steven Roberts is the Kenneth K. Chew Endowed Associate Professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Dr. Roberts received his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Notre Dame in 2002. His main research interest is the physiological response of aquatic species to environmental change with a particular focus on environmental epigenetics, reproductive biology, and aquaculture.
Presenter(s): D. Masters, Spire Global, Inc, United States Co-authors V. Nguyen (Spire Global, Inc, US), T. Yuasa (Spire Global Singapore PTE Ltd), O. Nogus-Correig (Spire Global UK Ltd), L. Tan (Spire Global Singapore PTE Ltd), S. Esterhuizen (Spire Global Luxembourg S.a.r.l.), P. Jales (Spire Global UK Ltd), T. Duly (Spire Global, Inc, US), V. Irisov (Spire Global, Inc US), J. Cappaert (Spire Global UK Ltd), J. Spark (Spire Global UK Ltd)
Sponsor(s): LSA Science Seminar Series
Audio: +1 314-925-1794 PIN: 186 986#
Abstract: Spire Global, Inc. operates a large and rapidly growing constellation of CubeSats performing GNSS-based science and Earth observation. In a few short years, Spire has grown from a modest CubeSat kickstarter campaign to a paradigm-shifting provider of satellite data to NOAA, NASA, and other customers of Earth observations. Spire specializes in using science-quality observations of GNSS signals (e.g., GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, etc.) to derive valuable information about the Earth environment. Currently, these observations include radio occultations to profile the neutral atmosphere with high accuracy and vertical resolution for applications such as NWP assimilation and climate monitoring, as well as ionosphere slant total electron content and scintillation indices for space weather applications. Currently, the Spire constellation consists of 76, 3U CubeSats, with many of these satellites performing GNSS science and with plans to grow the GNSS-enabled constellation to over 100 satellites.
Beginning in 2018, Spire began an accelerated effort to add the capability to perform GNSS bistatic radar (reflectometry or GNSS-R) for Earth surface observations targeting a variety of applications, including soil moisture, wetlands and flood inundation mapping, sea surface roughness and winds, and sea ice characterization. This effort has two parallel paths: 1) build dedicated GNSS-R CubeSats to perform operational scatterometry (akin to the NASA CYGNSS mission), with the first satellites to be launched later in 2019, and 2) already harnessing existing orbiting Spire satellites used for radio occultation to additionally perform grazing angle GNSS-R measurements and to test the concept of phase-delay altimetry.
This presentation will introduce the Spire constellation of CubeSats for GNSS-enabled Earth observation and will focus on the unique experience of adapting the current constellation of radio occultation satellites to perform new and potentially valuable GNSS-R Earth observations. We will introduce the concept of phase-delay altimetry and its potential to estimate surface heights on the order of 10 cm using observations of coherent GNSS signals reflected from various Earth surfaces. We will summarize the agile steps Spire took to collect these observations on-orbit within just a couple of months of conceptualization, as well as the initial inversion technique to estimate surface reflector heights with high precision. We will show some promising initial results of estimating sea surface height and sea ice draft using this technique and discuss plans for further investigation and calibration/validation activities. Finally, we will discuss Spire's potential to rapidly proceed with these measurements from research to operations and to make them available as a new set of Earth observations. Screen reader support enabled.
Bio(s): Dr. Dallas Masters has been active in the field of remote sensing since helping to develop the first all-composite satellite, FORTE, at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1995, followed by a doctorate in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado in 2004. Dr. Masters joined Spire Global, Inc. in January of 2018, to lead the development of a GNSS passive bistatic radar mission based on Spire's existing GNSS science receiver and 3U CubeSat bus. He recently merged the existing GNSS radio occultation and bistatic radar remote sensing programs and now directs Spire's single GNSS science program. His teams develop all aspects of Spire's GNSS payload instruments and science processing systems for various applications ranging from atmospheric profiling and ionosphere monitoring via radio occultation to ocean wind and soil moisture mapping via passive bistatic radar. Prior to joining Spire, Dr. Masters was involved in a number of NASA remote sensing and Earth science projects, first at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, and later at the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics at the University of Colorado. Dr. Masters has worked in many areas of satellite remote sensing, with emphasis on the science and applications of GNSS bistatic radar and both conventional and SAR altimetry. He has participated in a number of NASA science teams, including the Ocean Surface Topography Science Team, Sea Level Change Team, CYGNSS Science Team, and the SWOT Science Definition Team.
Abstract: Extreme heat is detrimental to human health and well-being, and recent reports from the National Climate Assessment, IPCC, and the Lancet Countdown demonstrate that this problem is only getting worse as the climate system warms. While many communities across the US and the globe are working to mitigate the health risks of extreme heat, there is not a consolidated place to look for resources, to collaborate, and to learn from one another. In response to this challenge, NOAA and CDC came together to launch NIHHIS " the National Integrated Heat Health Information System. NIHHIS works to understand how decision-makers in many disciplines are working to manage heat-health risk, and to improve and integrate the information available for this purpose. As part of this effort, NIHHIS runs workshops around the country to understand and document what information is needed by decision-makers, and we use a tool called a decision calendar to do so. In this presentation, I will explain how we recently applied this tool in a workshop in the Northeast to understand heat health decision-making, and where we plan to go with our findings next.
About the CCRUN Green Infrastructure, Climate, and Cities Seminar Series More than half of the world's population now lives in cities. This demographic shift creates a host of new opportunities, but also some new risks, especially given the challenges posed by climatic extremes. This timely seminar series focuses attention on these issues, and what decision makers, researchers, and practitioners are learning about how to address them.
The focus of the CCRUN seminar series is on urban solutions to global problems associated with increasing temperature and sea level rise, precipitation variability, and greenhouse gas emissions. We are interested in the implications of such changes on the complex infrastructure of intensely developed landscapes, and on the health, well-being, and vulnerability of the people who live in them.
All the seminars are free, and held at 4:00 PM on the first Wednesday of every month at Drexel University in the Hill Conference Room, located in the LeBow Engineering Center. Refreshments will be provided. The sessions will be broadcast live via webcast, recorded, and archived on the CCRUN website.
Space is limited, so registration is required. Please use the links to register!
Title: Global carbon budget accounting following the State of the Carbon Cycle Report: The Regional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes study (RECCAP-2) Seminar 10 in the Series: From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle, the 2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2). We plan to host this series series on Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, 2/26-5/28.
Presenter(s): Ben Poulter, Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract and
Bio(s): TBD
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Title: NOAA Hurricane Awareness Series: Lessons learned from the 2017-18 hurricane seasons
Presenter(s): Ken Graham, Director, NOAA's National Hurricane Center, and Tom Johnstone, Tallahassee Weather Forecast Office, NOAA's National Weather Service
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART). Point of contact is Shirley.Murillo@noaa.gov
Abstract: The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite -- 2 (ICESat-2) observatory was launched on 15 September 2018 to measure ice sheet and glacier elevation change, sea ice freeboard, and enable the determination of the heights of Earth's forests. ICESat-2 current orbit inclination allows data collection between 88 degrees north latitude and 88 degrees south latitude from nominally 500km elevation above Earth's surface. ICESat-2's laser altimeter, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimetry System (ATLAS) uses green (532 nm) laser light and single-photon sensitive detection to measure elevation along each of its six beams ten thousand times per second. In this presentation, I describe the major components of the observatory and the ATLAS instrument. I summarize the first six months of on orbit data collection and present the status of the observatory and the ATLAS instrument. I'll present on the status of the lower-level data products including the Level-2A data product (ATL03), which provides the geodetic location (i.e. the latitude, longitude and elevation) of the ground bounce point of photons detected by ATLAS. The ATL03 data product is the primary product used for higher-level (Level 3A) surface-specific data products such as glacier and ice sheet elevation, sea ice freeboard, vegetation canopy height, ocean surface topography, and inland water body elevation. This presentation will also present the plans for future data collection, the geolocation uncertainty of the ATL03 global geolocated photon data product, the status of data product availability, and plans for data reprocessing.
Bio(s): Tom Neumann is a cryospheric scientist who focuses on the development of ICESat-2, the next-generation laser altimeter scheduled for launch in 2018. His research includes both theoretical and experimental studies of the chemical, physical, and thermodynamic properties of polar snow and ice. He has been involved extensively in field work on the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, leading four expeditions and participating in five others between the two poles. Recent work has involved studies of snow chemistry on the East Antarctic plateau and calibrating ICESat altimetry data using ground-based GPS surveys in Antarctica. Tom joined NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in October 2008. Prior to that, he was an assistant professor in the Geology Department at the University of Vermont. He remains an Affiliate Assistant Professor in Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. He earned a B.A. in geophysical science from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Washington.
Abstract: The Aleutian Bering Sea Initiative (ABSI) began as one of a network of 22 Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) launched by the U.S. Department of Interior in 2010 and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Though the USFWS has reduced financial and administrative support for LCCs nationally, the agency remains committed to large-scale collaborative conservation and along with staff from NOAA and four other federal agencies continues to serve on ABSI's Steering Committee--providing guidance on projects and science priorities. In 2018, ABSI partnered with the Alaska Conservation Foundation (ACF) to maintain staff support for the LCC. The ABSI Coordinator (Aaron Poe) originally an employee with the USFWS, now works for ACF where he continues to serve the Steering Committee which operates under its original charter and remains focused on priorities established by the partnership in 2013. Aaron will share an update on our latest efforts which continue be non-regulatory and policy neutral--focusing instead on finding collaborative science and solutions that connect scientists, managers, tribes and communities.
Presenter(s): Dr. Michael Dennis, National Geodetic Survey
Description: Fate of the U.S. Survey Foot after 2022: A Conversation with NGS Since 1959, the U.S. has used two types of feet, the international foot and the U.S. survey foot. They differ by only 0.01 foot per mile, but having both in use creates problems with real costs.This webinar discusses the history of the foot, the importance of standards, and shows how NGS can help move the U.S. to a single foot definition in 2022.
Technical Rating of webinar: Beginner: No prior knowledge of the topic is necessary.
Abstract: Since 1959, the U.S. has used two types of feet, the international foot and the U.S. survey foot. They differ by only 0.01 foot per mile, but having both in use creates problems with real costs.This webinar discusses the history of the foot, the importance of standards, and shows how NGS can help move the U.S. to a single foot definition in 2022.
National Geodetic Survey webinars are usually held on the second Thursday of the month, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Visit the National Geodetic Survey's Webinar Series Web-site to register, sign up to receive monthly webinar notices, and learn more: http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/web/science_edu/webinar_series/ Since 1959, the U.S. has used two types of feet, the international foot and the U.S. survey foot. They differ by only 0.01 foot per mile, but having both in use creates problems with real costs.This webinar discusses the history of the foot, the importance of standards, and shows how NGS can help move the U.S. to a single foot definition in 2022.
Presenter(s): Michael Metzger, PhD., Pacific Northwest Research Institute
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract: Cancer is normally an evolutionary dead-end"neoplastic cells that arise and evolve within an organism either regress or they kill their host, and the death of the host marks the death of the cancer lineage. However, in some cases, neoplastic cells develop the ability to spread from individual to individual, turning from conventional cancers into clonal contagious cancer lineages. The natural transmission of cancer cells has been observed in two mammals (Tasmanian devils and dogs), and we have found that a leukemia-like disease in soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria) is due to the horizontal spread of a clonal cancer lineage. We also analyzed mussels (Mytilus trossulus), cockles (Cerastoderma edule), and carpet shell clams (Polititapes aureus) and found that the neoplasias in all three of these species are due to independent transmissible cancer lineages. These results show that this type of cancer transmission is far more widespread than previously believed, especially in the marine environment.
Bio(s): Michael Metzger earned a master's degree in epidemiology and a PhD in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Washington. He completed a short postdoctoral fellowship in basic science at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Stephan Goff's lab at Columbia University " where he first identified transmissible cancer in clams. He joined the Pacific Northwest Research Institute as an assistant investigator in 2018, and he is an affiliate faculty member of the University of Washington's Department of Genome Sciences.
RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS (REVIEW) Metzger MJ, Goff SP. A Sixth Modality of Infectious Disease: Contagious Cancer from Devils to Clams and Beyond. PLoS pathogens. 2016; 12(10):e1005904.
Metzger MJ, Villalba A, Carballal MJ, Iglesias D, Sherry J, Reinisch C, Muttray AF, Baldwin SA, Goff SP. Widespread transmission of independent cancer lineages within multiple bivalve species. Nature. 2016; 534(7609):705-9.
Metzger MJ, Reinisch C, Sherry J, Goff SP. Horizontal transmission of clonal cancer cells causes leukemia in soft-shell clams. Cell. 2015; 161(2):255-63.
Description: Fate of the U.S. Survey Foot after 2022: A Conversation with NGSApril 25, 2019, 2 pm, Eastern Time
Dr. Michael Dennis, National Geodetic Survey
Since 1959, the U.S. has used two types of feet, the international foot and the U.S. survey foot. They differ by only 0.01 foot per mile, but having both in use creates problems with real costs.This webinar discusses the history of the foot, the importance of standards, and shows how NGS can help move the U.S. to a single foot definition in 2022.
Technical Rating of webinar: Beginner: No prior knowledge of the topic is necessary.
Description: OneNOAA Science Seminar Series
Presenter(s): Dr. Michael Dennis, National Geodetic Survey
Abstract: Since 1959, the U.S. has used two types of feet, the international foot and the U.S. survey foot. They differ by only 0.01 foot per mile, but having both in use creates problems with real costs.This webinar discusses the history of the foot, the importance of standards, and shows how NGS can help move the U.S. to a single foot definition in 2022.
National Geodetic Survey webinars are usually held on the second Thursday of the month, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Visit the National Geodetic Survey's Webinar Series Web-site to register, sign up to receive monthly webinar notices, and learn more: http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/web/science_edu/webinar_series/ Since 1959, the U.S. has used two types of feet, the international foot and the U.S. survey foot. They differ by only 0.01 foot per mile, but having both in use creates problems with real costs.This webinar discusses the history of the foot, the importance of standards, and shows how NGS can help move the U.S. to a single foot definition in 2022.
Title: Oyster Futures: Testing a Consensus-driven Process
Presenter(s): Elizabeth North, Associate Professor and Michael Wilberg, Professor, both with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Remote Access: We will use Adobe Connect.To join the
Abstract: After decades of conflict over the oyster in Maryland, stakeholders in the oyster resource came to consensus through the science-based, facilitated Consensus Solutions process which was tested in the OysterFutures research program. This talk summarizes the process, the science, and the stakeholders' efforts that led to their sweeping and meaningful package of recommendations for oyster management in the Choptank region.
Bio(s): Elizabeth North is a fisheries oceanographer and Associate Professor at Horn Point Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Her research focuses on the transport and ecology of fish and shellfish larvae, fisheries recruitment variability, estuarine physical oceanography, and oil droplet fate and transport. She is the lead developer of the Lagrangian TRANSport model (LTRANS), an open source 3D particle tracking model. For more information on Dr. North's research programs, please visit https://www.umces.edu/elizabeth-north.
Mike Wilberg is a fisheries science Professor at Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Solomons, MD. He has been at CBL since 2006 working on understanding population dynamics and management of a range of fish and shellfish species including oysters, blue crabs, American eel, paddlefish, and summer flounder. Before that he completed his Ph.D. and post doc at Michigan State University on improving and testing stock assessment approaches and evaluating management strategies for yellow perch in Lake Michigan. He completed an M.S. in Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin " Stevens Point and a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University. Dr. Wilberg's research interests include population dynamics, stock assessment, quantitative fisheries, management strategy evaluation, and fisheries management. For more information on Dr. Wilberg's research, please visit http://wilberglab.cbl.umces.edu.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more.
Abstract: Major progress has been made in recent experimental studies of how noise affects the behavior and physiology of marine mammals. Several major recent and ongoing studies off California involving military sonar have obtained direct measurements of exposure, responses, and consequences. New results, implications for science and policy, and new ideas and methods will be discussed.
Bio(s): Dr. Brandon Southall lead NOAA's Ocean Acoustics Program (NMFS; ST) a decade ago and has subsequently conducted extensive research on the effects of noise on marine mammals. He is a senior scientist at Southall Environmental Associates and a research associate with the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has lead several major research programs on the behavioral responses of marine mammals and recently lead a major synthesis and review of how noise affects hearing for all marine mammal species.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more.
Abstract: Snow avalanches are the most deadly natural hazard on National Forest land, killing around 25-30 people in the U.S. each year, with 3-4 of those fatalities occurring in Alaska. Avalanches also pose a serious threat to transportation infrastructure across the state, including vital highways and railroads. Several avalanche forecasting centers work throughout the winter to help keep Alaskans safe by issuing backcountry avalanche forecasts and performing avalanche control work. Weather is one of three main contributors to avalanche hazard and a successful avalanche forecasting center relies heavily on accurate and timely weather observations and forecasts. This presentation will discuss ways in which various NWS offices provide support to avalanche forecasting operations and highlights how the NWS Anchorage office has engaged its core partners while providing vital support during significant avalanche events across Southcentral Alaska. Additionally, this presentation will discuss new and up and coming technology, including testing of a coupled weather and snow cover model to simulate snowpack and avalanche conditions throughout several mountain ranges in Southcentral Alaska.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Presenter(s): Jeannette Sutton, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of Kentucky & Erica Kuligowski, PhD, Research Social Scientist, Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Abstract: How do risk communicators design and deliver effective alerts and warnings in 360 characters or less? In this presentation, we will offer evidence-based guidance on strategies to communicate with populations over short messaging channels such as Wireless Emergency Alerts and Twitter. We will offer a set of messaging templates that identify key design features to positively affect message attention and behavioral intent under imminent threat.
Bio(s): Jeannette Sutton, PhD, is an expert in alerts and warnings for short messaging platforms. She has conducted research across a range of natural, technological, and human induced hazards and serves on advisory boards for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the United States Geological Survey, and the Department of Homeland Security. She is funded by the National Science Foundation and is an Associate Professor of Communication and Director of the Risk and Disaster Communication Center at the University of Kentucky.
Erica Kuligowski, PhD, is a research social scientist in the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology with 16 years of experience studying human behavior in disasters. She has received Department of Commerce Gold and Bronze Medals for her social science contributions to the federal investigations of the 2001 World Trade Center disaster, the 2003 Rhode Island Nightclub Fire, and the 2011 Joplin, MO tornado. Dr. Kuligowski has expertise in decision-making and response behavior under imminent threat, emergency communications, and evacuation modeling.
Paul Miller, Service Coordination Hydrologist and Climate Focal Point, NOAA's Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, and Heather Patno, Hydraulic Engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation Upper Colorado Region and Glen Canyon Dam Operator. Presenting remotely.
Date & Time:
24 April 2019
9:00 am - 10:00 am ET
Location:
Webinar only; see webinar registration info below.
Title: Extreme Drought and Colorado River Water Supply
Presenter(s): Paul Miller, Service Coordination Hydrologist and Climate Focal Point, NOAA's Colorado Basin River Forecast Center , and Heather Patno, Hydraulic Engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation Upper Colorado Region and Glen Canyon Dam Operator
Sponsor(s): This webinar series is a collaboration of NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), NOAA's Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC), NOAA's National Weather Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, state climatologists, universities and other drought experts.
The webinar will be recorded and made available on drought.gov. For additional information, please contact Elizabeth.Weight@noaa.gov, with NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System
Abstract: The 2018 exceptional drought in the Colorado River Basin was followed by heavy 2018-2019 winter snowpack. What does one winter of good snowfall among many years of dry conditions and exceptional drought mean? This webinar focuses on how the drought affects current basin conditions, the water supply forecast, and critical reservoir operations, including Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
Abstract: Each year the National Weather Service provides a breakup outlook for Alaska rivers. This winter stands out as unusual with both temperature and precipitation anomalies observed throughout the state. This year we are partnering with UAF to present a brief overview of current conditions and provide a climate outlook and the flooding potential for the 2019 spring break-up season.
Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Maureen I. McCarthy, PhD, Tahoe and Great Basin Program Director, Project Director, Water for the Seasons, University of Nevada-Reno; presenting remotely
Date & Time:
23 April 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via Webinar (see login below) or for NOAA Silver Spring folks, SSMC4, Room 8150
Title: Indigenous Practices Contribute to Carbon Management and Climate Adaptation Seminar 9 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28.
Presenter(s): Maureen I. McCarthy, PhD, Tahoe and Great Basin Program Director, Project Director, Water for the Seasons, University of Nevada-Reno
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: This webinar will discuss key findings from the Tribal Lands Chapter of the SOCCR2 Report. Insight into carbon cycling on Indigenous lands in North America can be gained through the complementary lenses of native wisdom and western science. Many North American Indigenous communities maintain traditional practices that inherently affect carbon stocks and fluxes. These practices include sustainable management of forests, agriculture, and natural resources. The lack of direct measurements of carbon stocks and fluxes on tribal lands requires that carbon cycle impacts associated with traditional practices be considered in comparison with non-tribal practices on similar land types, as data do not yet exist for creating tribal land carbon budgets. Comparing and contrasting carbon cycling impacts resulting from traditional practices on tribal lands with Eurocentric-based land-use practices on (and off) tribal lands could prove beneficial in developing more effective carbon management programs for both tribal and non-tribal lands.
Bio(s): Maureen I. McCarthy, PhD, is Director of the Tahoe & Great Basin Research at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). She is also a faculty member in the Graduate Program in Hydrologic Sciences, and Research Faculty member at the Desert Research Institute. Her portfolio includes large, multi-institutional, transdisciplinary research programs focused on climate resiliency, water sustainability, natural resource management, and multi-hazard early warning. McCarthy is Project Director for the Water for the Seasons Project, a multi-institution research project focused on climate adaptation and water sustainability in snow-fed arid land river systems, and the Native Waters on Arid Lands Project, a research-extension partnership with 1862 and 1994 Land-Grant Institutions, tribal communities, and research institutions, focused on enhancing the climate resiliency of Native American agriculture. Before moving to UNR, McCarthy directed WMD research, intelligence, and treaty compliance programs in Washington, DC for the Departments of Homeland Security, Energy and Defense. Immediately following 9/11, she served as Senior Advisor in the Executive Office of the President. She was a Lady Davis Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, and holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Colorado and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Boston College.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Abstract: The National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Climate Forecast System (CFS) version 2 is one of the first operational coupled atmosphere-ocean models that provide sea ice predictions with a dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice component. The predicted sea ice from CFS, however, contains large errors in seasonal cycle as well as interannual variations due to unrealistic model physics and use of erroneous sea ice initial conditions. An experimental forecast system (CFSpp) was developed based on CFS at the NCEP Climate Prediction Center (CPC) with improved model physics and improved sea ice initial conditions from University of Washington Pan-arctic Ice/Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System (PIOMAS). CPC started providing seasonal sea ice prediction in 2015. The CFSpp has been recently further upgraded to CFSm5 with a newer ocean component (MOM5) and an in-house CPC Sea ice Initialization System (CSIS). In this talk, we present an overview of the development of the CPC experimental sea ice forecast system, prediction products, and an evaluation of the predictions. The following aspects will be discussed: (1) Challenges in sea ice forecasts from NCEP operational CFS; (2) CPC experimental sea ice prediction system; (3) CPC sea ice initialization system; (4) Forecast performance assessment; and (5) Forecast products. An assessment of the forecast for the record-low Bering Sea sea ice extent in 2018 spring and the sea ice advancement in Bering Sea in 2018-2019 winter will also be presented.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Presenter(s): Rick Thoman, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP)
Sponsor(s): Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) and National Weather Service POC: Tina Buxbaum (tmbuxbaum@alaska.edu, 907-474-7812) and Richard Thoman (rthoman@alaska.edu)
Abstract: The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for May and the summer season. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
Presenter(s): William Templin, PhD., Division of Commercial Fisheries, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract: Capping the northern extent of the Pacific Ocean, the state of Alaska is situated at the heart of the natural range of the six most abundant species of Pacific salmon. With a relatively extreme environment and limited access to agriculture and industry, salmon are likewise situated at the heart of the culture and concerns of Alaskans. So much so, that local control of the resource drove the push for statehood, and public ownership and perpetuation of the resource are enshrined in the state constitution. Relative to other salmon-producing regions, Alaska enjoys some unique advantages (e.g., single-entity management and intact habitat) while also facing a matching set of difficulties (e.g., scale of the landscape and limited access). In this context, the mechanisms for decision-making, allocation, and management of the resource were developed around two main responsibilities 1) to the extent possible providing all residents access to salmon for economic, subsistence, cultural and/or recreational uses and 2) to the extent possible maintaining the production of salmon from natural systems for future generations. Based on these responsibilities, salmon management in Alaska is achieved by managing salmon usage with the intent to achieve escapement goals for future production, setting escapement goals to achieve continued harvestable surpluses and dividing the surpluses among users in an open and flexible process that can be influenced by stakeholders. While there are myriad ways that the context changes across the state (applications, users, gear types, species, etc.) the mission remains the same, ultimately providing a robust and responsive management system.
Bio(s): William "Bill" Templin is currently the Chief Fishery Scientist for Salmon at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries. He received his B.S. in Biology at Wheaton College in Illinois after which he worked in biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago. In 1990, with his wife and newborn son, he drove across country to Juneau to pursue a master's degree in Fisheries Science at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. In Juneau, he worked with Drs. Jeremy Collie and Terry Quinn II to develop a run reconstruction model for pink salmon in Prince William Sound to assess the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. As a biologist who was pretty good at math, in 1994 he was hired on a whim into the ADF&G Gene Conservation Laboratory by Drs. Lisa and Jim Seeb. The team was investigating the use of genetic information for management of Pacific salmon and marine fish and shellfish, so he was involved with the analysis of genetic data for the purposes of delineating stock structure and developing mixed stock analysis applications for commercially important aquatic species. When Jim and Lisa moved to the University of Washington in 2007, Bill was hired as the Principal Geneticist, in charge of the ADF&G genetics program, providing review and advice to staff, and representing the department in national and international venues. Three years ago, he left that position to take on the new challenges of his current job overseeing the division's statewide salmon research and stock assessment programs and helping ensure that research is well integrated with fisheries management.
Presenter(s): Katherine Wilson, Electronic Technologies Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Hollis Jones (hollis.jones@noaa.gov)
Abstract: More than 800 species of fish produce sound related to spawning, aggression, and/or disturbance. These sounds can be used to monitor the presence and activity of many of these fishes to understand their ecology and may be a means to estimate abundance. I will discuss the passive acoustic monitoring and localization studies that I have used to study the temporal and spatial dynamics of spawning aggregations of Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) and red hind (E. guttatus) in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. Additionally, these localizations were used to measure the source levels, which are required to determine communication ranges and develop methods for estimating abundance, of the sounds produced by these species as well as black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) and yellowfin grouper (M. venenosa).
About the speaker: Katherine Wilson recently completed her doctorate degree at Scripps Institution of Oceanography where she studied applied ocean science and used passive acoustics to study the ecology of grouper in the Cayman Islands. Prior to this, she received B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Portland and Clemson University, respectively, and worked as a communications engineer for Bonneville Power Administration for 3 years. In addition to her diverse background in bioacoustics, intelligent systems, and network security, she comes from a commercial fishing family and has worked as a deckhand fishing for Chinook salmon and albacore tuna on the F/V Jo El.
Presenter(s): Katharine Egan, Ocean Exploration Fellow with the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Hollis Jones (hollis.jones@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCE) are deep, diverse reefs, yet little is known about their spatial extent and location. For MCEs on the Puerto Rican shelf, the predominant reef-building corals are Orbicellids, which are listed as Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. The goals of this study were to predict suitable habitat for Orbicellid coral species, identify how abiotic environmental factors constrain potential Orbicellid habitat, and identify areas of unexplored coral reef. The resulting spatial predictions will provide insight into habitat characterization of Orbicellids and provide direction for future MCE exploration efforts.
About the speaker: Katharine Egan recently graduated from the University of the Virgin Islands with an M.Sc. in Marine and Environmental Science where her thesis was focused on predicting coral distributions. Prior to the Knauss Fellowship, she worked as a GIS Analyst for the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science in Beaufort, NC providing project support for predicting ESA-listed corals, the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, and the assessment of hurricane impacts to coral reefs in Puerto Rico. Katharine has also completed an internship with NASA related to disaster prevention and has received funding to prevent marine debris through outreach in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Title: How Long does Anthropogenic CO2 stay in the Atmosphere?
Presenter(s): Dr. Stephen Schwartz, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Sponsor(s): Scientific Colloquium Committee
Sponsor(s): Pete Colarco " Code 614 " Phone (301) 614-6382 Coffee and tea served at 3:00, For current Scientific Colloquium information, visit http://scicolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov
Abstract: Knowledge of the adjustment time of anthropogenic CO2, the e-folding time by which excess CO2 (above preindustrial) would decrease in the absence of anthropogenic emissions, is central to understanding the influence of anthropogenic CO2 on climate change and to prospective control of CO2 emissions to reach desired targets. Estimates of this adjustment time from current carbon-cycle models range from about 100 years to over 700 years. This talk examines the CO2 budget by a top-down, observationally based approach. Major stocks and fluxes are quantified. The net flux from the atmosphere and the ocean mixed layer, which are in near equilibrium, to the deep ocean and terrestrial biosphere is found to be proportional to the excess CO2 in these compartments over the Anthropocene. Theseobservations, together with knowledge of the underlying physical and chemical processes, are used to develop a simple, transparent model that describes the transport of CO2 between major compartments -- the atmosphere, the mixed-layer ocean, the deep ocean, and the terrestrial biosphere. This model compares well with observed atmospheric CO2 from 1750 to the present. The adjustment time of excess CO2, evaluated by multiple means including the 1/e decay time and the negative inverse of the fractional annual transfer rate of excess CO2 into the terrestrial biosphere and the deep ocean, is found to be 54 10 years. Such a short adjustment time, if correct, would mean that the atmospheric amount of CO2 would respond quickly and strongly to emission changes. For example, atmospheric CO2 could be immediately stabilized at its present value by decreasing anthropogenic emissions by about 50%.
Bio(s): Stephen E. Schwartz is a senior scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory. His current research interest centers on the influence of energy related emissions on climate, with a focus on the role of atmospheric aerosols. Schwartz is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Geophysical Union, and is recipient of the 2003 Haagen-Smit Award for an "outstanding paper" published in the journal Atmospheric Environment. In 2010 he received an Outstanding Leadership Award from the U.S. Department of Energy. In his research at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Schwartz developed methods to describe the rate of reactions in clouds that lead to production of acid rain. Schwartz's research exerted a major influence on the drafting of the acid deposition section of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. More recently, Schwartz has been focusing on microscopic and submicroscopic aerosol particles, which influence a variety of atmospheric processes, from precipitation to climate change. Schwartz's research has been quite influential. In 2001 he was one of some 350 scientists worldwide to be designated a "highly cited researcher" in geophysics by Thomson-ISI (then the Institute for Scientific Information). Schwartz received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Harvard University, in 1963, and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1968. After postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge, England, Schwartz joined the Chemistry Department at Stony Brook University. He joined Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1975.
Presenter(s): Colleen Keller, Senior Analyst, Metron, Inc.
Sponsor(s): NOAA Central Library
Abstract: Metron is developing a mobile App to crowdsource observation data from boaters in the coastal marine environment. The effort was funded under a NOAA Phase II SBIR. The data collected will be made available to all App users for real-time condition monitoring, and will also be provided to NOAA to inform and vet forecasts.
Bio(s): Colleen Keller is an operations research analyst with expertise in US Navy systems, tactics, and procedures. She is also Metron's spokesperson for the application of Bayesian analysis to search and rescue operations. Ms. Keller wrote the winning SBIR proposal for this App based on another App she conceived and developed to support search and rescue operations. She is a private pilot and aircraft owner/mechanic, and air races and flies aerobatics as hobbies.
Title: Saving endangered species: large-scale management experiments addressing the loss of a large mammal from the continental USA
Presenter(s): Dr. Robert Serrouya, Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Unit, University of Alberta. Presenting remotely.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Adaptive management is a powerful means of learning about complex ecosystems, but is rarely used for recovering endangered species. Here, we demonstrate how it can benefit woodland caribou, which became the first large mammal extirpated from the contiguous United States in recent history. The continental scale of forest alteration and extended time needed for forest recovery means that relying only on habitat protection and restoration will likely fail. Therefore, population management is also needed as an emergency measure to avoid further extirpation. Reductions of predators and overabundant prey, translocations, and creating safe havens have been applied in a design covering >90,000 km2. Combinations of treatments that increased multiple vital rates produced the highest population growth. Moreover, the degree of ecosystem alteration did not influence this pattern. By coordinating recovery involving scientists, governments, and First Nations, treatments were applied across vast scales to benefit this iconic species.
Bio(s): Dr. Serrouya's main research focus has been to test recovery options for caribou and other species by implementing broad-scale adaptive management experiments. He has worked as a large mammal ecologist in Alberta and British Columbia for 20 years. He specializes on broad-scale processes, particularly how forestry and energy extraction affect trophic interactions within ecosystems that until recently, had little early"seral vegetation. How this shift in vegetation, from old forests to shrubs, affects the abundance and interactions among herbivores and carnivores is one of his main research interests. He currently works on boreal and mountain ecotypes of woodland caribou, and focuses on how the changing dynamics of other herbivores (moose and deer) and carnivores (bears, wolves, and cougars) affect the survival of caribou.
Title: State of Carbon in Soils and Agriculture: Linking North American Science to Global Efforts Seminar 8 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Presenter(s): Nancy Cavallaro, National Program Leader, Soils Water & Global Change Programs, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: The Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report, SOCCR2, is primarily focused on North America but it is within a global context. Within terrestrial systems, soil plays a key part in carbon balance, and this is particularly important in managed systems such as those linked to agricultural production and food. The largest reservoir of stable carbon storage (carbon sequestration) on agricultural lands is the carbon in soils. Carbon uptake from plant systems (including the plants that supply food to livestock) requires good growth of plants, and that depends on the health, nutrient status and resilience of the soils. Most crop and livestock production systems overall have small net greenhouse gas emissions, but some have a considerable carbon footprint, while others that are particularly well-managed and productive systems have a net carbon uptake. Thus, although agriculture accounts for about 9-10% of total North American GHG emissions, and this sector accounts for closer to 20% worldwide, there is an opportunity to increase the net uptake of carbon from the atmosphere by better and more judicious land management and land use. Livestock systems, particularly beef production systems, tend to emit methane and account for more than a third of the emissions of this potent carbon-containing greenhouse gas. In both crop and livestock production, a promising way to sequester carbon and turn net emissions to net uptake is via the soils. This webinar will discuss major findings of the soils and agriculture chapters of SOCCR2, as well as some relevant parts of the chapters on grasslands and aquatic systems. It will also present some linkages between North American agriculture and soil carbon science and global efforts in these areas.
Bio(s): Dr. Nancy Cavallaro has served as a National Program Leader at USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture since 2001, managing research, extension, and education programs in soils, watersheds and water quality, carbon and climate change, and environmental aspects of agricultural and forestry production systems. She is also the current Co-Chair of US Global Change Research Program's (USGCRP) Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group, and also served for 4 years as co-chair of the Land Use and Land Cover Change Interagency Working Group. In addition to her work on the SOCCR2 report, she was part of the core writing team for the USGCRP's decadal strategic plan (2012-2021) and contributed to the 2003 strategic plan of the USGCRP's Climate Change Science Program. She is the US representative to the Integrated Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. Prior to starting at USDA, she worked primarily in academia as a researcher, professor, and sometime extension specialist at several diverse locations: Cornell University, the Colegio de Postgraduados in Mexico, and the University of Puerto Rico, with short-term appointments at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in New Hampshire (Army Corp of Engineers), and Texas Tech University.
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Dan Satterfield, Chief Meteorologist, WBOC-TV - Salisbury, MD
Sponsor(s): JPSS Science Seminar
Abstract: Images are the most powerful form of communication, and in an age of fake news, science needs to use them widely to communicate science about our changing planet. The new satellite era opens up a wide range of possibilities to do just that. Satellite images have become a vital part of the WBOC broadcast. WBOC-TV 16 began broadcasting on July 15, 1954 in Salisbury, Md. The television station has become known to the community as "Delmarva's News Leader." WBOC is an affiliate of CBS and a member of the Associated Press. WBOC is a regional news source. We make a commitment every day by way of resources, air time and experience to do the best job we can covering issues that affect the entire Delmarva Peninsula. In Maryland, the station reaches Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, Dorchester, Talbot, Caroline and Queen Anne's counties. In Delaware, it reaches Sussex and Kent counties. In Virginia, it reaches Accomack County. These 10 counties are with just under 500,000 viewers, not including those who visit area beaches during the summer.
Presenter(s): Dr. Isaac Moradi, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center - University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
To schedule a meeting with Dr. Moradi during his visit, please contact Lei Shi at Lei.Shi@noaa.gov, 828-350-2005.
Abstract: Water vapor is the most dominant greenhouse gas and plays a critical role in the climate by regulating the Earth's radiation budget and hydrological cycle. A comprehensive dataset is required to describe the temporal and spatial distribution of water vapor, evaluate the performance of climate and weather prediction models in terms of simulating tropospheric humidity, and understand the role of water vapor and its feedback in the climate system. Satellite microwave and radiosonde measurements are two main sources of tropospheric humidity. However, both datasets are subject to errors and uncertainties. This talk focuses on our knowledge of these errors and uncertainties as well as some applications of such observations, as follows:
The quality of operational radiosonde data were investigated for different sensor types. It was found that the use of a variety of sensors over the globe introduces temporal and spatial errors in the data. Furthermore, it was shown that the daytime radiation dry bias, which is one of the most important errors in radiosonde data, depends on both sensor type and radiosonde launch time.
Radiometric errors in satellite data were investigated using both intercomparison of coincident observations as well as validation versus high-quality radiosonde and Global Positioning System Radio Occultation (GPS-RO) data. Overall, the absolute accuracy of the microwave satellite data cannot still be validated due to the lack of reference measurements.
In addition, a novel technique for correcting geolocation errors in microwave satellite data was developed based on the difference between ascending and descending observations along the coastlines. Using this method, several important errors including timing errors and sensor mounting errors were found in some of the microwave instruments.
Finally, since satellite data are indirect measurements, a method was developed to transform satellite radiances from different water vapor channels to layer averaged humidity. The technique is very fast because radiative transfer calculations are only required to determine the empirical coefficients. This technique was then used to evaluate the diurnal variation of tropospheric humidity in the tropical region.
This research was funded by NOAA Environmental Data Record Program and JPSS Programs.
Bio(s): Dr. Isaac Moradi received his MSc. in Meteorology from University of Tehran, his first PhD in Climatology and Environmental Planning from Kwarizmi University of Tehran and his second PhD in Radio and Space Science from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. Before joining University of Maryland, he worked at University of Tehran, Ministry of Energy, and Lulea University of Technology, Sweden. Since joining ESSIC, University of Maryland in 2010, he has been working on satellite data calibration, radiative transfer modeling, product retrieval, data assimilation and OSSEs. He has been working at NASA GMAO since 2015 where his work is focused on satellite data assimilation, OSSE and radiative transfer modeling. Before joining GMAO, he worked at NOAA Joint Center Center for Satellite Data Assimilation, as well as NOAA STAR. Dr. Moradi is currently representing ESSIC in the UMD Senate, and also is an editor of Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.
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Christine Angelini, Assistant Professor in Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida; Stuart Findlay, Aquatic Ecologist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Jennifer Raulin, Manager, Chesapeake Bay-Maryland National Estuarine Research Reserve; Denise Sanger, Research Coordinator, ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve; Eric Sparks, Assistant Extension Professor, Mississippi State University
Presenter(s): Christine Angelini, Assistant Professor in Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida Stuart Findlay, Aquatic Ecologist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Jennifer Raulin, Manager, Chesapeake Bay-Maryland National Estuarine Research Reserve
Denise Sanger, Research Coordinator, ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve
Eric Sparks, Assistant Extension Professor, Mississippi State University
Abstract: Living, or soft, shoreline stabilization techniques include a set of strategies for maintaining shoreline stability while also providing ecosystem services. A living shoreline enhances features of the natural environment to preserve shoreline integrity -- slowing erosion and absorbing wave energy -- while also promoting ecological benefits such as increasing habitat diversity, reducing water pollution via captured runoff, and providing pathways for wetland migration.
Members of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) and partners, in part supported by Science Collaborative resources, have been studying how different shoreline techniques perform in different coastal locations from Mississippi to New York, and also developing tools to increase their use.
This webinar will: a) facilitate a candid panel discussion of the lessons learned, management implications and next steps related to a series of applied research projects focused on better understanding the benefits of living shorelines; and b) give audience members the opportunity to engage and ask questions about opportunities and challenges surrounding living shorelines.
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract:
Many years ago, Dr. Richard Dick Beamish (Canadian Department Fish and Oceans) had the audacious idea of sending an international scientific research team to international waters in the Gulf of Alaska in late winter to study the ecology of salmon. This area and time were thought to regulate year class strength of salmon, but no directed sampling had been done to support or dismiss this idea. Through Herculean effort and relentless tenacity, Dick finally managed to get this privately-funded expedition off the ground in late winter 2019, which has become the signature event for the International Year of the Salmon. Laurie Weitkamp was fortunate to be invited as one of 21 scientists representing U.S., Canada, Russia, Japan, and South Korea on the International Gulf of Alaska Expedition. The team spent 30 days (mid February to mid March) on the Russian Research Vessel Professor Kaganovskiy documenting salmon and their winter habitat across nearly 700,000 km2 in the Gulf of Alaska. The scientific team consisted of physical and biological oceanographers, chemists, and fish and invertebrate biologists, allowing measurement of everything from ocean physics to salmon genetics. This talk will describe the initial findings from the expedition (with many more to come once 1,000s of collected samples are analyzed), and the unique experience of spending a month on a Russian research vessel.
Bio(s): Laurie Weitkamp has been a Salmon Biologist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center since 1992, moving from Montlake to the Newport Research Station in 2004. She has been involved in the scientific basis for West Coast coho salmon listing and recovery under ESA for over two decades. Her research focuses on the ecology of salmon in estuarine and marine environments, primarily the distribution of juvenile and adult salmon in estuarine and marine waters, and the factors that influence growth and survival, including recent anomalous conditions. Laurie has recently branched out to explore the little-studied estuarine and marine ecology of anadromous lamprey. Laurie serves on a variety of technical committees, including the Coho Technical Committee of the Pacific Salmon Commission. Laurie received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Washington.
Presenter(s): Tim Blackford, National Geodetic Survey
The NGS Coastal Mapping Program produces the national shoreline and other critical data used to update the NOAA nautical charts. The data is also used by coastal resource managers and others for GIS analysis, coastal modeling, and as the baseline for defining U.S. territorial limits. This webinar will provide an overview of how the NGS Remote Sensing Division collects, processes, and delivers shoreline mapping data and products.
Intermediate Technical Content Rating: Some prior knowledge is helpful.
Location: Webinar access
Abstract: The NGS Coastal Mapping Program produces the national shoreline and other critical data used to update the NOAA nautical charts. The data is also used by coastal resource managers and others for GIS analysis, coastal modeling, and as the baseline for defining U.S. territorial limits. This webinar will provide an overview of how the NGS Remote Sensing Division collects, processes, and delivers shoreline mapping data and products.
Title: The effects of temperature on species distributions and community composition: Implications for Marine Protected Area (MPA) management
Presenter(s): Malin Pinsky, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University
Sponsor(s): NOAA National MPA Center; MPA News, a service of OCTO; EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe); OpenChannels, a service of OCTO
Abstract: Recent research has shown that the geographic distributions of marine species are changing - and will continue to change - as climate change leads to geographic shifts in their preferred thermal habitats. Furthermore, as a result of these changing geographic distributions, ecological communities are being reorganized. These changes are already posing challenges for managing living marine resources, and these challenges are likely to grow as marine organisms continue to shift ranges, including across national, state, and other political boundaries. This presentation will provide an overview of relevant research (conducted off the coasts of the US and Canada) and discuss implications for Marine Protected Area management.
Bio(s): Malin Pinsky is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers University, where he leads a research group studying the ecological and evolutionary impacts of climate change in the ocean. Among other activities, he developed the OceanAdapt website to document shifting ocean animals in North America. He has published more than 50 articles in Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and other journals; has been named a rising star in ecology; and has received early career awards and fellowships from the National Academy Sciences, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the American Society of Naturalists, and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. His research has received coverage in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, and other media. He has a Ph.D. from Stanford University, an A.B. from Williams College, and grew up near the coast of Maine.
Shana Jones, J.D., Associate Public Service Faculty, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia, and Director, Georgia Sea Grant Law Program; Jason Evans, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Studies, Stetson University; and Thomas Ruppert, J.D., Coastal Planning Specialist, Florida Sea Grant College Program
Date & Time:
11 April 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Via Webinar or in SSMC4 - Large Conference Room - 8150, for NOAA Silver Spring folks
Title: Adaptation, Law, and Infrastructure Planning in the Southeast: Roads Forward, Backward, or Somewhere In-Between?
Presenter(s): - Shana Jones, J.D., Associate Public Service Faculty, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia, and Director, Georgia Sea Grant Law Program - Jason Evans, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Studies, Stetson University - Thomas Ruppert, J.D., Coastal Planning Specialist, Florida Sea Grant College Program
Abstract: Coastal communities are increasingly becoming aware of the risks to local infrastructure because of increased flooding, more extreme storm surges, and sea-level rise. As local governments are responsible for the lion's share of land use decision-making and infrastructure development in the United States, local governments in the coastal zone will play a key role in climate adaptation. Local governments already face hard questions about whether to build new infrastructure to adapt, continue maintaining existing infrastructure under increasingly adverse conditions, or, particularly in the instance of roads, whether to abandon them. Using roads and stormwater infrastructure as examples, this presentation distills findings from a research project funded by NOAA's Office of Coastal Management, North Carolina Sea Grant, South Carolina Sea Grant, Georgia Sea Grant, and Florida Sea Grant (Project No. FY2014-2018: NA14OAR4170084). We will discuss: How tort law both furthers and inhibits resilience planning and climate adaptation efforts, using four South Atlantic states, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, as case studies; Whether FEMA's HAZUS is the appropriate tool for local government adaptation planning; and Lessons learned and opportunities for future planning directions, both at the local and state levels.
Bio(s): Shana Jones, J.D., manages the Planning & Environmental Services Unit at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia and Directs the Georgia Sea Grant Program. Her primary research and outreach focus involves coastal flooding issues and adaptation planning. Ms. Jones' experience includes developing robust legal and policy guidance for local governments related to environmental, land use, and utility-related issues. She also directs an annual Environmental Policy Academy for the Georgia House and Senate Natural Resource Committees. Prior to joining the University of Georgia, Ms. Jones was the Director of the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic at William & Mary Law School, which she founded in 2012. She has authored several law review articles and co-authored The Case for Grassroots Collaboration: Social Capital and Ecosystem Restoration at the Local Level. She contributes annually to the law treatise, Waters and Water Rights.
Jason Evans is Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Studies and Faculty Director for the Institute of Water and Environmental Resilience at Stetson University in DeLand, FL. Trained as a landscape and systems ecologist, most of Dr. Evans's recent research has focused on climate change adaptation within coastal communities, with a particular focus on sea-level rise. Through support provided by NOAA Sea Grant programs, over the past several years he has conducted flood vulnerability assessments for numerous local governments in the southeast United States: Monroe County, the Village of Islamorada, and Satellite Beach, FL; Tybee Island and St. Marys, GA; Hyde County, NC; and Beaufort, SC. Dr. Evans also serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Environmental Management, a leading international publication within the fields of environmental science, engineering, and planning.
Thomas Ruppert, Esq., coastal planning specialist at the Florida Sea Grant College Program, is a licensed attorney developing legal and policy analysis for local governments on aspects of adaptive planning for sea-level rise, community resilience, and associated long-term challenges and opportunities for Florida's coastal communities. Areas of expertise include federal and state property rights law, beach and coastal policy in Florida, flood insurance, Florida's Coastal Construction Control Line program, planning law, and coastal and marine permitting programs. He has worked with over a dozen partners to organize and host legal workshops on coastal issues and flood insurance around the state. Mr. Ruppert is currently involved with several initiatives within Florida communities planning for sea-level rise and maintains a website of original resources at www.flseagrant.org/climatechange/coastalplanning/.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
Presenter(s): Tony Marshak, Research Associate, NMFS Office of Science and Technology
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Implementing ecosystem-based fisheries management requires a comprehensive examination of fisheries ecosystem components. Determining the relative prominence among these components is warranted given the many issues facing marine ecosystems. This presentation will provide an overview of the characterization of U.S. marine fishery ecosystems by compiling a multidisciplinary view of coupled socioecological system (SES) indicators for each ecosystem. These characterizations can be applied toward understanding the interdependence of foundational human and natural properties as applied toward determining successful Living Marine Resource (LMR) management strategies, and in determining system-level thresholds. In this presentation, Tony Marshak will emphasize cross-regional comparisons among SES indicators, with specific examples from temperate, subtropical, and tropical U.S. fisheries ecosystems.
Bio(s): Tony Marshak is a Research Associate with ECS Federal, LLC in support of NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology's Marine Ecosystems Division. He co-leads the NOAA Fisheries habitat science program and additionally collaborates with NOAA Fisheries Senior Ecosytem Scientist on EBFM-related investigations. His research interests include fisheries ecology, the effects of climate change on reef fishes, the influences of habitat complexity on marine communities, and more recently investigations into marine socio-ecological systems. Tony received a BS from Texas A&M University, a MS from the University of Puerto Rico, and a PhD from the University of South Alabama, and was a Knauss Fellow in the NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology in 2014.
Abstract: National marine sanctuaries are special places that support many human uses simultaneously, like fishing, recreation, and commercial shipping. At the same time, sanctuary habitats support thriving animal communities made up of some species that can move great distances, and some that remain relatively stationary. Like all marine environments, sanctuaries experience a variety of seasonal conditions and weather each year, like wind-driven upwelling and storms. Each of these sanctuary elements have one thing in common: they produce sound. It is rarely the case that researchers can visually observe all, or even some of these things, and so we need additional tools to "see" beneath the waves to better understand and protect sanctuaries. Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has been a hot spot for passive acoustic monitoring for years, and in this webinar we'll explore various ways in which the Channel Islands sanctuary and partners are characterizing the sanctuary soundscape, what we've been able to learn so far, and what we are still seeking to understand.
Abstract: Ophiuroids, commonly known as brittle stars, are a speciose member of the benthic community in the Southern Ocean. Additionally, many of these species are thought to possess a circumpolar distribution throughout the region. This talk will present findings from two phylogeographic studies on the species Astrotoma agassizii and Ophionotus victoraie, comparing how their geographic structure relates to traditionally held beliefs of benthic community dispersal abilities within and around the Southern Ocean. These studies utilized a combination of traditional mitochondrial markers and analyses, along with reduced representation genomic techniques, specifically RADseq, to uncover fine scale geographic structure and the first case of genetic connectivity across the Antarctic Polar Front in a benthic invertebrate.
Title: The Social Implications of Pervasive Carbon Seminar 7 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Presenter(s): Dr. Elizabeth L Malone, Independent Researcher
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: People's needs and wants are the starting point for social scientific investigation of how carbon is embedded in the conditions and in which they find themselves and the technologies they use. From energy sources to land management and from urban hardscapes to rural landscapes, carbon is emitted, conserved, or captured as people work, travel, eat, and perform other everyday activities and as human institutions and economic systems form and operate. Research that starts with such social configurations complements studies that examine changes in the carbon cycle, identify points of emissions, and quantify the technical potential of reducing them. People-centered research into the social embeddedness of carbon involves a wide range of scientific areas and a commitment to involvement by stakeholders. Such research leads to findings that will deepen knowledge about how social systems both persist and change and people's multiple roles within those systems. Results can indicate pathways by which carbon emissions can be reduced and carbon sequestration increased.
Bio(s): Dr. Elizabeth L. Malone focuses on policy-relevant sociological research in global change issues, integrating disparate worldviews, data sources, and scientific approaches. She coordinated, drafted, and provided the science text for the National Intelligence Assessment on Climate Change in 2008 and was the technical lead for six regional reports for the National Intelligence Council (2009), summarizing climate change projections, impacts projections, and adaptive capacity. Malone was an author and review editor for the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment. She helped develop structured methods for analyzing vulnerabilities to climate change. She edited, with Steve Rayner, Human Choice and Climate Change (4 vols. 1998), which assesses social science research relevant to global climate change. Malone holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Maryland-College Park. Her book Debating Climate Change (2009) uses both discourse analysis and social network analysis to explore bases for agreement in the arguments used in the global climate change debate.
Neil S Banas, Dept of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland and Affiliate Assistant Professo, School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle
Date & Time:
8 April 2019
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET
Location:
PMEL, Oceanographer Room (#2104), 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98103 or https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/891851101
Presenter(s): Neil S Banas, Dept of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland and Affiliate Assistant Professo, School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle,
Sponsor(s): This special seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Visit the EcoFOCI webpage for more information, http://www.ecofoci.noaa.gov/.
Abstract: Marine foraging hotspots are usually conceived of, or defined as, sources of energy and nutrients to surrounding waters. This study considers whether Arctic foraging hotspots for top predators are indeed sites of net production--and thus standing in contrast to the Arctic system as a whole--or whether they are net sinks at lower trophic levels, sites that collect plankton productivity from other oceans and deliver it in concentrated form to top predators.
The Coltrane (Copepod Life history Traits and Adaptation to New Environments) model provides a mathematical framework for layering multiple levels of mesozooplankton biology on top of oceanographic models. It resolves 1) individual life history (strategy traits controlling growth, development, and size, diagnosed from a broad review of lab studies); 2) population dynamics (the time-dependent energy balance between growth, egg production, and predation mortality); and 3) community assembly (the envelope of viable trait combinations under particular annual cycles of prey and temperature). Advective pathways in the Atlantic and Pacific Arctic were mapped using the BIOMAS and SINMOD oceanographic models, and Coltrane is being used to map the energy budget of Calanus populations along these pathways.
Results in the Pacific Arctic suggest that the yield of Calanus to predators in the Chukchi Sea is dependent primarily on Bering Sea phytoplankton blooms, although this complex interdependence could change as ice retreats and phytoplankton phenology shifts. Similar model results in Disko Bay, West Greenland are reinforced by a statistical analysis revealing intense predation by bowhead whales on overwintering Calanus: an unexpected trophic link from mesozooplankton to a top predator. Both lines of evidence suggest that Disko Bay is, like the Arctic Ocean as a whole, a net sink for plankton. However, completing this picture and fully testing this hypothesis will require solving difficult problems of scale in both the biology and the hydrodynamics.
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
The PPTX file is over 1 GB. The PDF is about 50MB and omits all animations.
Abstract:
As part of the EUMETSAT-NOAA Initial Joint Polar System EUMETSAT operates today three EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) Metop satellites. The last satellite, Metop-C, was only launched in November 2018, whereas the first satellite, Metop-A, has now been in orbit for more than 12 years. Whilst Metop-A is now slowly drifting out its nominal orbit is still allows EUMETSAT to operate three satellites in the morning orbit until 2021, providing unique opportunities for deriving multi-satellite data and assessing their impact on global NWP. The second back-bone of the EUMETSAT meteorological satellite fleet is the Meteosat Second Generation system, today a constellation of four geostationary satellites. These satellites provide full-disc service over the European/African/Atlantic region, rapid scan data over Europe and full disk coverage over the Indian Ocean. Both of the aforementioned systems will be continued with next generation satellites through the EPS-Second Generation (EPS-SG) and Meteosat Third Generation Programmes. Both systems consist of six satellites, EPS-SG by three sets of two platforms for imaging, sounding and microwave observations, MTG by four imaging platforms including lightning observations and two sounding platforms. In addition to the meteorological satellite systems EUMETSAT operates and provides data services for oceanography and marine meteorology through the Jason altimetry missions and the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites, with the latter also providing observations for SST and ocean colour. The EUMETSAT data and products services, which also include reprocessing activities supporting climate services, are provided through a distributed network including Satellite Application Facilities. This presentation will give an overview of these satellite systems, their products and current impact on various application areas.
Bio(s): Dr. Kenneth Holmlund is the Chief Scientist at EUMETSAT.
Join us in the NOAA Central Library for a presentation on the Request for Proposals on the FIS/ET/CSP FY2020.
Description: The Fisheries Information System (FIS), Electronic Technologies (ET), and Catch Share Program (CSP) are collectively making available (subject to appropriations) up to $5.5 million of FY2020 funding to support projects in Regional Offices, Science Centers, Headquarters Offices, FIN programs, and State partners through the Interstate Commissions. While all proposed projects should focus on fishery-dependent data, the programs supporting this request for proposals (RFP) have developed the following areas of interest:
Quality Management and Continuous Improvement;
Data Improvements, Modernization, and Integration;
Electronic Reporting and Electronic Monitoring; and
Fisheries Information Network Development.
But what do those focus areas really mean? How do you make sure your proposal is in scope and of high quality? This presentation will go through the different focus areas as well as the details of what makes a good proposal, while also providing an opportunity for potential principal investigators to ask questions.
Bio(s): Lisa Peterson will be giving this presentation, she is the Fisheries Information System program coordinator.
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Presenter(s): Michael Phelps, Ph.D., Department of Pathology, University of Washington
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract: The rapidly advancing clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) genome-editing field has opened a new world of possibilities to study the biology and ecology of organisms of all taxonomic groups. It has the potential to significantly enhance fundamental research in the environmental sciences while also providing a tool to improve species conservation. Unfortunately, controversial genome editing approaches have overshadowed many important applications of the technology that could directly impact aquaculture and fisheries research. These applications include powerful new genomic technologies and methods of interrogating the function of critical genes important in aquatic ecology and physiology. Advances in genome editing technology are also paving the way for enhanced monitoring of species abundance, pathogen detection and even improving the fitness of wild and cultured organisms. These newly acquired capabilities however, carry with them an inherent responsibility to safeguard against unintended or malicious misuse. Understanding the positive and negative features of CRISPR technology is critical to navigating this transformative period in biology, to help guide the future of the environmental sciences in the new genome-editing era.
Bio(s): Michael Phelps is an Instructor at the University of Washington where he is developing CRISPR genome-editing technologies to address a wide range of questions in basic biology and the environmental sciences. He is particularly interested in applying new genome editing approaches to address important questions underlying fish physiology, genomics and conservation biology. Michael has a bachelor's degree in cellular and marine biology from Western Washington University, a PhD in environmental science and fish physiology from the University of Rhode Island with Postdoctoral experience in stem cell biology and genome-editing technology from the University of Washington.
Xiaolei Zou - Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland
Date & Time:
4 April 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
Abstract: The Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC-2) has more powerful GPS receiver antennas, a twice higher sampling rate of 100 Hz, and a three times smaller inclination of 24o than those of COSMIC-1. COSMIC-2 will, therefore, provide an unprecedented ample number of radio occultation (RO) data in the tropics. Assimilation of RO data in the tropics is challenging due to unique features such as large horizontal gradients of refractivity, spherical asymmetry, and impact multipath in the moist tropical lower troposphere. In this talk, I'll first show occurrences of multipath in the tropical lower troposphere using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Global Forecast System analysis as input to a 2D raytracing operator for COSMIC ROs in March and April 2017. An up to 600-m lift in the impact parameter is observed for simulated RO rays in the presence of a strong horizontal gradient of refractivity over 250-km distances from the perigee, rendering the simulation bending angles multivalued functions of impact parameter. An impact multipath quality control (QC) procedure is developed to effectively identify the multipath simulations. Second, the accuracy and precision of a two-dimensional (2D) limited-ray-path raytracing operator is tested against the 2D raytracing operator that simulates global ray paths. Finally, bending angle data assimilation in the tropical lower troposphere is done using the 2D limited-ray-path raytracing operator and a one-dimensional (1D) Abel transform operator. The impact multipath QC is incorporated to eliminate occurrences of impact multipath in bending angle simulations. The fractional differences in bending angle simulations between the limited-path-length raytracing operators and the original 2D raytracing operator have zero bias, and their standard deviations are more than three times smaller than those between the 1D Abel transform operator and the 2D raytracing operator. The highest accuracy and precision are achieved for the 2D limited-ray-path raytracing operator if the ray path is confined within 400 km. Use of the physically based impact multipath QC is shown to improve COSMIC data assimilation and forecast results using either the 1D Abel transform or the 2D limited-ray-path observation operators of bending angle in the tropical lower troposphere.
Bio(s): Dr. Xiaolei Zou received a PhD in Meteorology is a research professor at ESSIC at University of Maryland.
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Kathleen Ernst, PhD, Environment and Climate scientist, NOAA RESTORE Science Program, NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, Stennis Space Center, MS
Title: Identifying climate service production constraints to adaptation decision-making in Sweden
Presenter(s): Kathleen Ernst, PhD, Environment and Climate scientist, NOAA RESTORE Science Program, NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) I Stennis Space Center, MS
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Audio is over the computer, so adjust volume on your computer speakers or headsets. Questions? Email tracy.gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Climate change adaptation efforts continue to increase as the impacts of climate change increase, intensify, and become more apparent. However, many adaptation efforts fail to result in adaptation actions. This inaction has been linked to several constraining factors including a lack of actionable information for adaptation decision making processes. We wonder if climate service producers face constraints as they try to create and deliver actionable information for adaptation decision-making efforts? This paper draws on semi-structured interviews and participant-observations across climate service production environments in Sweden to answer our research question and finds that climate service producers engage in research, coordination, and communication to varying degrees and experience constraints related to the production and dissemination of actionable information and stakeholder engagement, as well as funding, professional, and institutional constraints. Some constraints are experienced differently by climate service producers depending on their specific role, institutional affiliation, agency, and experience. Additionally, some climate service production constraints create or exacerbate additional constraints for adaptation decision-making stakeholders. Therefore, climate service production constraints limit the effectiveness of climate services, and overcoming them would help make progress towards more adaptation implementation in specific contexts. However, for adaptation actions to be widespread, the production and dissemination of climate services must be met with additional support and guidance for adaptation efforts beyond the provision of actionable information.
Bio(s): Dr. Ernst holds a Ph.D. in environment and climate sciences and an M.S. in geography with a minor in environmental policy from the University of Tennessee, as well as a Bachelor's in geography and sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on resilience and adaptation planning in urban, energy, and water systems and on public lands. Specifically, she studies the creation and use of information for adaptation and resilience decision-making, evaluates the types of adaptation and resilience actions that are taken, and studies ways to identify and act upon opportunities that create co-benefits and synergies across sectors rather than negative consequences or tradeoffs. Kathleen has conducted research at the Urban Dynamics and Climate Change Sciences Institutes at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; at the Stockholm Environment Institute in Stockholm, Sweden; and most recently in Norrkping, Sweden as a U.S. Department of State Fulbright Scholar.
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Presenter(s): Mr. Saleem Chapman (Deputy Director of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia) and Mr. Daniel Bader (Program Manager, CCRUN RISA and Columbia University)
Sponsor(s): OAR / CPO / RISA Program
Abstract: The Beat the Heat Initiative: A Case Study in Equitable, Community-Driven Climate Resilience Planning (Saleem Chapman).
While climate change affects everyone, not everyone is affected equally. People of color and lower-income populations experience increased exposure and sensitivity to climate risk. As local governments prepare for future impacts, an opportunity exists to address the root causes of inequalities in climate risk while creating greater resilience in overburden communities. This presentation examines the experience of the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability in implementing a community-driven, equity-focused planning process to address heat vulnerability in the Hunting Park neighborhood.
New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) report (Daniel Bader)
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), and advisory body helping the City of New York with their climate resiliency planning. Established in 2008, the NPCC has pushed new boundaries of urban climate science, enabling New York City to set an example for all cities of how science-stakeholder partnerships can achieve science-based responses to climate change challenges. The NPCC's latest work was published in March 2019. This presentation will cover the report's later findings and and their implications for New York City and other cities seeking to identify and mitigate the impacts of a changing climate.
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Title: Carbon Cycle of North America and Research Needs for Enhancing CO2 Removal Seminar 6 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Presenter(s): Richard A. Birdsey, Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Research Center
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: The second State of the Carbon Cycle of North America Report (SOCCR-2) includes an overview of the North American carbon budget and future projections, the consequences of changes to the carbon budget, details of the carbon budget in major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems(including coastal ocean waters), information about anthropogenic drivers, and implications for policy and carbon management. SOCCR-2 includes new focus areas such as soil carbon, arctic and boreal ecosystems, tribal lands, and greater emphasis on aquatic systems and the role of societal drivers and decision making on the carbon cycle. SOCCR-2 provides information to support science-based management decisions and policies that include climate change mitigation and adaptation in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Findings indicate that North America is a net emitter of carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere, and that natural sinks offset about 43% of emitted carbon dioxide. Forests, soils, grasslands, wetlands, and coastal oceans comprise the largest carbon sinks. Another report from the National Academy of Sciences was released at the same time, titled Negative emissions technologies and reliable sequestration: a research agenda. With SOCCR-2 providing a baseline about carbon sinks over the last decade, the current role of land ecosystems in removing CO2 from the atmosphere is highlighted, along with research needs to facilitate the important role of negative emissions in reducing greenhouse gases sufficiently to limit climate warming to 2 degrees C or less by the end of this century. Afforestation, improved land management, and bioenergy crops are technologically ready for deployment at large scales to achieve reductions of about 10 PgCO2 per year globally. However, research needs to achieve this involve: how to reduce barriers to deployment and achieve full participation by landowners; new approaches to reduce impacts on biodiversity, water, and other land values; better understanding of induced impacts such as changes in timber markets; and improved monitoring and accounting approaches.
Bio(s): Dr. Birdsey is a specialist in quantitative methods for large-scale forest inventories and has pioneered development of methods to estimate national carbon budgets for forest lands from forest inventory data. He recently retired from the U.S. Forest Service as a Distinguished Scientist and was the Program Manager for global change research in the Northern Research Station. He was a lead author of 2 Special Reports for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. He was a lead author of the first North American State of the Carbon Cycle report and is currently a member of the science team guiding the second report. He has contributed to several assessments of climate change in the U.S. He served three years as Chair of the U.S. Government Carbon Cycle Science Steering Group. He has published extensively on forest management and strategies to increase carbon sequestration, and facilitated the development of decision-support tools for policy and management. He was recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a major contributor to creating a new agricultural commodity " carbon. Dr. Birdsey is a member of a team of scientists developing and implementing the North American Carbon Program, an international effort to improve quantification and understand causes of carbon exchange between land, atmosphere, and oceans. In recent years he has been actively working with Mexico and Canada to improve monitoring, verification, and reporting to support climate change mitigation with an emphasis on Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and promoting sustainable forest management (REDD+) and improving forest management in the three countries. He is currently working with the Forest Service National Forest System to implement carbon assessments for all of the U.S. National Forests.
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Title: Expanding Watershed Management and Restorations with Coastal and Marine Scientific Research
Presenter(s): Dr. William Hernndez, NOAA Center for Earth System Science and Remote Sensing Technologies (CESSRST), City College New York, NY. Presenting at NOAA in Silver Spring.
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 2, 10-11am EDT, 2019
Co-authors: Roy A. Armstrong-2, Suhey Ortiz-Rosa-2, Erick F. Geiger-3,4, C. Mark Eakin-3, Robert A. Warner-5, and Roberto Viqueira-6 2. University of Puerto Rico Mayagez Marine Science Department. 3. NOAA/NESDIS/STAR Coral Reef Watch, College Park, MD., 4. UMD-CICS, 5. NOAA/NOS/NCCOS, Silver Spring, MD. 6. Protectores de Cuencas Inc.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: In this presentation we highlight some examples of the integration of scientific research by NOAA, Academia, and local Non-Profit Organizations (NGO) to support current watershed management activities. This scientific research is mainly focused on the use of remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) and making the data accessible to the managers. We also present the use of ocean color data and the development of data portals to provide easier access to managers to this information, and the use of drones for aquatic research. Additional collaborations include participation in proposals to address new threats, like Sargassum accumulations and sea level rise. Examples and results from this work will be presented.
Bio(s): Dr. Hernndez is currently appointed as a Post-Doctoral Researcher for the NOAA CREST City College City University of New York. He has more than 12 years of experience in the analysis and processing of remotely sensed data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). His education consists of a Bachelor's degree in Biology, a Master's degree in Environmental Science (Water Resources) and a Ph.D. in Marine Sciences (Biological Oceanography) from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. His doctoral dissertation was entitled: Benthic Habitat Mapping and Bio-Optical Characterization La Parguera Marine Reserve using Passive and Active Remote Sensing Data. He has worked in multiple industries including academia, government and private sector, performing duties as an environmental consultant, research scientist, fish and wildlife biologist in government agencies dedicated to conservation, and developer of information systems technology in environmental science and infrastructure management. Dr. Hernndez is currently a collaborator of the NOAA NESDIS STAR Coral Reef Watch Ocean Color Projects and the US Coral Reef Task Force Guanica watershed management. He has also been collecting bio-optical and water quality data in La Parguera and the Gunica area for the past 8 years.
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Come join us in the Library for a presentation either in person or via webinar!
Presenter(s): William F. Precht, Director Marine & Coastal Programs, Dial Cordy and Associates, Inc., Miami FL
Abstract: Following a major coral bleaching event in the late summer of 2014, we documented the impact of an extremely high-prevalence outbreak of white-plague disease (a.k.a. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease) at 14 sites off southeastern Florida. The first signs of active disease were observed near Virginia Key, Florida, in late September 2014. After four years the disease has spread the length of the Florida Reef Tract from Key West in the south to Martin County in the north. The disease outbreak has affected at least 17 coral species. Eusmilia fastigiata, Meandrina meandrites, and Dichocoenia stokesi were the most heavily impacted coral species and were reduced to <3% of their initial population densities in Miami-Dade County. Several other coral species, including Colpophyllia natans, Pseudodiploria strigosa, Diploria labyrinthiformis, and Orbicella annularis were reduced to <25% of their initial densities. Similar observations by other researchers have been made throughout Florida. Importantly, there appears to be a strong phylogenetic preference to disease susceptibility and mortality patterns observed regionally, however, to-date a putative pathogen has not been isolated. The high prevalence of disease, the number of susceptible species, its transmissibility, and the high mortality of corals affected suggests this disease outbreak is arguably one of the most lethal ever recorded on a contemporary coral reef system. Recent reports of continued spread through other regions of the Caribbean (Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Yucatan of Mexico, the USVI, and St. Maarten) is troubling indeed and may portend continued decline to a reef system already at risk.
Bio(s): Since completing his graduate degree from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Bill has specialized in the assessment, monitoring, restoration, and rehabilitation of various coastal resources, especially coral reef, seagrass, and mangrove systems. His contributions to the professional and academic ecological sciences community are nationally and internationally recognized, particularly in regard to historical ecology and the application of ecological principals to coastal restoration. Bill's work draws upon significant, state-of-the-art research experience in field studies and theoretical analysis. From 2002-2008 he served as the Chief Scientist responsible for the long-term monitoring of the reefs in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. He was also NOAA's Program Manager of the Damage Assessment, Restoration and Resource Protection Program for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary from 2008-2012. He has been the Director of Marine and Coastal Programs for Dial Cordy and Assoc. since 2012. He is based in Miami, FL.
Presenter(s): Cathleem Vestfals, PhD., Post-Doctoral Fellow, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
ABSTRACT
Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) are two ecologically important species in the Arctic marine ecosystem, yet little is known about their life history in the Pacific Arctic. In particular, information about their spawning locations and early life stages is extremely limited. To address some of these critical knowledge gaps and to better understand the early life histories of these species, we described the spatial and temporal distributions of their early life stages (ELS, preflexion larvae to late juveniles) in the Chukchi and western Beaufort seas based on ichthyoplankton surveys conducted in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2013, and examined how their distributions varied in response to environmental factors. Using the particle-tracking tool TRACMASS, individual-based, biophysical transport models were developed to examine the growth and transport of their ELS from hypothesized spawning and hatching locations in the northern Bering and Chukchi seas. These models build on a recently developed Pan-Arctic ocean circulation model (PAROMS), field observations from the Arctic Ecosystem Integrated Survey (Arctic Eis), and laboratory studies on temperature-dependent growth of both species. Results presented here provide new insights into how environmental variability influences the distribution and abundance of Arctic cod and saffron cod ELS, and advances our understanding of the habitats occupied by these key forage species during their first few months of life. In addition, this research helps to improve our understanding of how the growth and dispersal of these species may be impacted by variable climate forcing.
BIO Dr. Cathleen Vestfals is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Alaska Fairbanks' College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. She is interested in research that investigates how environmental variables influence the distribution and abundance of marine fishes, with the ultimate goal of informing fisheries and ecosystem models and improving management strategies. Cathleen attended the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., where she received her B.Sc. in Biology, with a specialization in Marine Biology. After graduating, she participated in several oceanographic research cruises along Line P, where she conducted bacterial and primary productivity experiments with scientists from UBC and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Cathleen worked for several years as a North Pacific groundfish observer in Alaska collecting fisheries management data for NOAA aboard commercial fishing vessels. In 2009, she obtained her Masters Degree in Marine Resource Management and a graduate certificate in Fisheries Management from Oregon State University working with Drs. David Sampson, Lorenzo Ciannelli, and Waldo Wakefield to characterize canary rockfish habitat factors off the Washington and Oregon coasts. She obtained her Ph.D. in Oceanography in 2015 from OSU, working with Drs. Lorenzo Ciannelli and Janet Duffy-Anderson to examine the effects of environmental variability on slope-spawning flatfish in the eastern Bering Sea. In her post-doc position with Dr. Franz Mueter, Cathleen is developing the first individual-based models for Arctic cod and saffron cod in the Pacific Arctic in an effort to identify their spawning locations and to help understand how climate variability affects the growth and dispersal of their early life stages.
Title: Unmanned Systems (UxS): Transforming How We Study and Manage the Marine Environment
Presenter(s): John McDonough, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
Sponsor(s): NOAA National MPA Center; MPA News, a service of OCTO; EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe); OpenChannels, a service of OCTO
Abstract: Unmanned Systems (UxS) are transforming how we study and manage the marine environment. This presentation will provide an overview of unmanned aerial systems, unmanned surface vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles, buoyancy gliders, and remotely operated vehicles. Emphasis will be placed on their contributions to establishing and managing marine protected areas.
Bio(s): John McDonough joined NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) in January 2017 to develop a framework and process to identify, develop, test, evaluate and transition advanced technologies that support the NOAA mission and are compatible with OMAO's operational mission. This includes unmanned technologies that meet multiple NOAA mission requirements and could be transitioned to become a core OMAO provided capability.
Before joining OMAO John served as the Deputy Director of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research where he planned and executed collaborative ocean exploration campaigns with federal agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions and industry both nationally and internationally. He has worked extensively with OMAO throughout his career and has been engaged in several NOAA ship conversions, most notably the conversion of the USN Capable to NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
Among his many duties he has served as a member of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program Senior Management Council; served as the NOAA representative on the Executive Committee of the Interagency Extended Continental Shelf Mapping Task Force; established an ongoing partnership between NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the US Geological Survey to conduct baseline characterizations of previously unknown marine areas in the Gulf of Mexico and Mid-Atlantic Bight; and in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries and NOAA's National Ocean Service helped establish the NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Open House and for lunchtime talks at Gateway to NOAA! For more information on NOAA's Open House or Heritage Week events, directions, parking and inclement weather please visit https://www.noaa.gov. Point of contact is gatewaytonoaa@noaa.gov.
Remote Access: No remote access available
Abstract: Learn about the future of NOAA rip current forecasting and observations from one of NOAA's oceanographer and rip current experts
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Open House and for lunchtime talks at Gateway to NOAA! For more information on NOAA's Open House or Heritage Week events, directions, parking and inclement weather please visit https://www.noaa.gov. Point of contact is gatewaytonoaa@noaa.gov
Remote Access: No remote access available
Abstract: NOAA planes snap photographs of our coast after storms and hurricanes, but learn how a combination of satellites in the sky and small marks in the ground help us align these amazing photos. NOAA's National Geodetic Survey has supported mapping in the United States since 1807, learn more about our story.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Join the NOAA Central Library for GOES-East Meets West: Earth in High Definition on March 27th at 12PM ET.
Presenter(s): Pam Sullivan, GOES-R System Program Director
Abstract: An overview of the GOES-R Program including recent status and results from the first two years of orbital operations from our newest geostationary satellites.
Bio(s): Pam Sullivan is the System Program Director for the GOES-R Series Program, overseeing the development, acquisition, integration, installation, and acceptance of major system elements (spacecraft, instruments, launch services and ground systems) for the GOES-R Series satellites. Before joining NOAA in May 2018, she managed the GOES-R Flight Project for NASA. Sullivan has broad space flight development experience that includes serving as the Deputy Project Manager for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Project, Program Manager for the National Polar Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Visible/Infrared Imager/Sounder System (VIIRS), and Manager of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Integrated Science Instrument Module, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera, and GOES-IM Imager and Sounder instruments.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Title: Recovery of North Atlantic Right Whales Constrained by Human-caused Mortality Rescheduled from 2/7/19
Presenter(s):
Dr Peter Corkeron, Leader, Large Whale Team, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Woods Hole MA. Presenting remotely from Woods Hole.
Sponsor(s):
NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract:
North Atlantic right whales (NARW), Eubalaena glacialis, were nearly exterminated by historical whaling. Their abundance slowly increased up until 2010, to a maximum of fewer than 500 whales, and since then they have been in decline. We assessed the extent to which the relatively slow increase demonstrated by NARW was intrinsic, and how much could be due to anthropogenic impacts. In order to do so, we first compared calf counts of three populations of Southern right whales (SRW), E. australis, with that of NARW, over the period 1992"2016. By this index, the annual rate of increase of NARW was approximately one-third of that of SRW. Next we constructed a population projection model for female NARW, using the highest annual survival estimates available from recent mark"resight analysis, and assuming a four-year calving interval. The model results indicated an intrinsic rate of increase of 4% per year, approximately twice that observed, and that adult female mortality is the main factor influencing this rate. Necropsy records demonstrate that anthropogenic mortality is the primary cause of known mortality of NARW. Anthropogenic mortality and morbidity has limited the recovery of NARW, and baseline conditions prior to their recent decline were already jeopardizing NARW recovery.
Bio(s):
Dr Peter Corkeron has led the large whale research program at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center since 2011. The primary focus of this program is to assess the status as well as the anthropogenic and ecological drivers affecting North Atlantic right whales. Peter's work also includes assessing the effects of noise on large whales, developing new technology to enhance our understanding of whales' behavior and ecology, and applying these technologies to improve conservation outcomes for whales. He serves on the editorial boards of Marine Ecology Progress Series and Tourism in Marine Environments, and is a member of the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) Cetacean Specialist Group. Dr Corkeron's PhD on the ecology of inshore dolphins in the waters off Brisbane, Queensland, was the first PhD on the biology of living cetaceans awarded by an Australian university.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Open House and for lunchtime talks at Gateway to NOAA! Point of contact is gatewaytonoaa@noaa.gov
Remote Access: No remote access available
Abstract: NOAA's newest geostationary weather satellite constellation scans Earth's entire Western Hemisphere and the Pacific Ocean from Guam all the way to the west coast of Africa every 15 minutes. GOES-East and GOES-West provide timely, accurate data for weather forecasting and environmental monitoring like never before.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Title: All about Carbon: An Overview of the State of Carbon Cycle Report Seminar 5 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Presenter(s): Melanie Mayes, Senior Staff Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Rising carbon dioxide (CO2) has decreased seawater pH at long-term observing stations around the world, driving ocean acidification that has already affected some marine species and altered fundamental ecosystem processes. Further effects are likely. While atmospheric CO2 rises at approximately the same rate all over the globe, its non-climate effects on land vary depending on climate and dominant species. In terrestrial ecosystems, rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations are expected to increase plant photosynthesis, growth, and water-use efficiency, though these effects are reduced when nutrients, drought or other factors limit plant growth. Rising CO2 would likely change carbon storage and influence terrestrial hydrology and biogeochemical cycling, but concomitant effects on vegetation composition and nutrient feedbacks are challenging to predict, making decadal forecasts uncertain. Consequences of rising atmospheric CO2 are expected to include difficult-to-predict changes in the ecosystem services that terrestrial and ocean systems provide to humans. Continued persistence of uptake of carbon by the land and ocean is uncertain. Climate and environmental change create complex feedbacks to the carbon cycle and it is not clear how feedbacks modulate future effects of rising CO2 on carbon sinks. These are several mechanisms that could reduce future sink capacity.
Bio(s): Dr. Melanie Mayes is a Senior Staff Scientist and Team Leader with the Environmental Sciences Division and the Climate Change Science Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. She holds Joint Faculty Appointments with the Departments of Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science, and Earth & Planetary Sciences at the University of Tennessee. She is interested in diverse research at the intersection of water, soil minerals, solute chemistry, and biological cycling, and she designs experiments to build better models to represent natural processes. Her current research involves improving the representation of terrestrial carbon cycling processes in Earth system and process models, developing techniques to incorporate metagenomic information into nutrient cycling models, and investigating technologies to reduce mercury loading and methylmercury generation in surface and ground water systems
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Presenter(s): Dr. Keith Seitter, Executive Director, American Meteorological Society
Abstract: The Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) celebrates its 100th year of publication as the AMS celebrates its centennial. As it moves into its second century, BAMS will take on a new character with new features and functionality, making it a very different kind of publication from today. This presentation will preview some of the exciting new elements of the new BAMS.
About the speaker: Dr. Keith Seitter has been the executive director of the AMS since 2004, after serving in other leadership roles in AMS since 1991. Prior to joining the staff at AMS, he was on the faculty in the meteorology program at UMass-Lowell.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Presenter(s): Dr. Cheng-Zhi Zou, NOAA/NESDIS/Center for Satellite Applications and Research
Sponsor(s): ESSIC Seminar Series, crosslisted with the STAR Science Seminar Series
Abstract: Global warming theory predicts increasing surface and tropospheric temperatures and decreasing stratospheric temperatures when anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and other greenhouse gases increase. Satellite-borne sensors are the only means available for providing global temperature observations in the atmosphere for climate trend monitoring and verifying the global warming theory. During the past two decades, scientists have been developing atmospheric temperature climate data records (CDRs) using satellite observations from the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU), Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit- A (AMSU-A), and Stratospheric Sounding Unit (SSU) onboard NOAA/NASA/MetOp historical and currently operational polar-orbiting satellites. These CDRs allow scientists to study the size, significance, and causes of the global atmospheric temperature trends and variability, to evaluate climate model performance, to assess the consistency between observed surface and tropospheric temperature changes, and to investigate the impact of ozone depletion and recovery on the stratospheric temperature changes. Overall, atmospheric temperature CDRs provided improved understanding on the anthropogenic impact on climate change.
Changes in diurnal sampling over time and calibration drift have been the main sources of uncertainties in the satellite measured temperature trends. We have recently examined observations from the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) that has been flying onboard the NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) environmental satellite since late 2011. The SNPP satellite has a stable afternoon orbit that has close to the same local observation time as NASA's Aqua satellite that has been carrying the heritage microwave sounder, the AMSU-A, from 2002 until the present. The similar overpass timing naturally removes most of their diurnal differences. Direct comparison of temperature anomalies between the two instruments shows little or no relative calibration drift for most channels. Our results suggest that both ATMS and AMSU-A instruments have achieved absolute stability in the measured atmospheric temperatures within 0.04 Kelvin per decade.
The high radiometric stability in the SNPP/ATMS and Aqua/AMSU-A observations could have broad implication and impact on the climate trend observations from the microwave sounders as well as other instruments. It provides an opportunity for using these instruments as references to calibrate and recalibrate other observations and help resolve debates on observed differences in the climate trends. In this talk, we review the status of the currently available atmospheric temperature CDRs in climate change detection and present detailed analyses of the radiometric stability in the SNPP/ATMS and Aqua/AMSU-A observations. We discuss why and how these instrument observations could be used as references for improving the accuracy of CDRs in climate change monitoring. We present examples in using these reference observations to recalibrate microwave sounders onboard other satellites and provide a perspective on future applications of such a concept.
About the speaker: Cheng-Zhi Zou is a Physical Scientist at the NOAA/Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) located in College Park, Maryland. Dr. Zou received his PhD from the University of Oklahoma in 1995 and worked in NOAA/STAR since 1997. He has been mainly engaged in measuring long-term changes in the atmospheric temperatures using satellite observations and evaluation of data products for climate change studies from different sources including those from satellite retrievals, climate reanalyses, and climate model simulations. He has developed a set of atmospheric temperature climate data records capable of detecting climate trends from the lower troposphere to the upper stratosphere during the satellite era. He conducted satellite retrievals to derive climate products such as polar winds. He also collaborated with colleagues on using mesoscale models to simulate and analyze a variety of atmospheric clouds and costal wave phenomena observed by satellites. He has published over 50 articles in AMS, AGU, and other leading journals including Nature, Science, and PNAS. He has received Department of Commerce Silver Medal Award and NOAA Administrator's Award for advancement of satellite calibration and development of atmospheric temperature climate data records. He is a referred reviewer for many journals in the atmospheric science field.
Seminar POC: Dr. John Yang ESSIC Seminar Coordinator University of Maryland 5825 University Research Court, College Park, MD 20740-3823 Email: jxyang@umd.edu Tel: 301-405-2819 Fax:301-405-8468
Presenter(s): Clifford Mass, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
ABSTRACT
This talk reviews the extraordinary advances in high-resolution numerical prediction over the region during the past 30 years. It will describe how the combination of higher resolution, better models, increasing observational data over the Pacific, and major advances in data assimilation have led to the ability to predict skillfully the complex meteorology of the region. Recently, the development of high-resolution ensembles has begun to drive capabilities for skillful probabilistic prediction.
Bio(s): Cliff Mass went to Cornell University for his undergraduate education where he majored in physics and worked with Astronomer Carl Sagan on a model of the Martian atmosphere. Cliff earned his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington in 1978 where he worked with climatologist Stephen Schneider on the influence of volcanic eruptions, solar variations, and CO2 on climate. He later joined the faculty of the Meteorology department at the University of Maryland from 1978-1981. He returned to the UW in 1981 becoming an assistant professor in the Atmospheric Sciences department.
During the next few decades, Cliff and his students have published over 70 papers on west coast weather phenomena including orographic precipitation, coastal surges, the Catalina Eddy, the Puget Sound convergence zone, onshore pushes, downslope windstorms, and various local gap winds. His group has written numerous papers on storm and frontal structure and evolution across the U.S., including the application of high-resolution modeling. Numerical simulation has been a key tool for his group, which now runs the most extensive local high-resolution prediction system in the United States.
Now a full professor at the UW, he is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, has been an editor of a number of meteorological journals, is a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, and has served as a member of a number of National Academy committees. Cliff has been involved in several other initiatives, including the acquisition of coastal radar on the Washington coast, improving the infrastructure of the National Weather Service, the use of smartphone pressure observations for weather prediction, and the improvement of K-12 math education. He is the author of the 2008 book The Weather of the Pacific Northwest and broadcasts a weekly weather information segment on KPLU, a local public radio station.
Presenter(s): Knauss Fellow Marla Valentine, International Fisheries Science Specialist, Office of Science and Technology, NMFS, NOAA
Sponsor(s): Knauss Fellows Seminar Series and NOAA Central Library. POC: Knauss Fellow Christine Hirt (christine.hirt@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Sponges can have powerful effects on ecosystem processes in shallow, tropical marine ecosystems and are an integral component of the bentho-pelagic cycle of nutrients via filtering of dissolved and particulate organic matter from the water column. This research sought to experimentally establish the baseline effects of Florida Keys sponges and their complex microbiomes, at ecologically relevant biomass levels, on various shallow water ecosystem processes and functions. My work makes clear the implications of a reduction in the natural density and diversity of sponges in terms of significant alterations to the ecosystem's natural biogeochemical cycles and bentho-pelagic linkages.
About the speaker: Marla Valentine graduated from Louisiana State University in 2013 with a Master of Science degree in Oceanography that centered on deep-sea benthic ecology using ROVs and AUVs following the Deepwater Horizon Incident. Marla defended her doctorate at Old Dominion University in 2018 focusing on biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in coastal marine ecosystems, specifically in the Florida Keys. Between degrees, Marla worked for several marine research labs from Alabama to Delaware to Alaska studying sharks alligators and finfish fisheries, acoustic and satellite telemetry, and aquatic invasive species.
Presenter(s): David Kimmel Ph.D., Research Oceanographer, NOAA Fisheries. Seattle, WA.
Sponsor(s): This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Visit the EcoFOCI webpage for more information, http://www.ecofoci.noaa.gov/.
Title: Carbon Cycling in North America's Land"Ocean Aquatic Continuum Seminar 4 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Presenter(s): Ray Najjar, Professor of Oceanography, Dep't of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science Penn State University. Presenting remotely.
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: While the land and ocean have long been recognized to be important components of the global carbon cycle, the aquatic continuum that connects land and ocean has often been overlooked. Here we present a synthesis of carbon cycle research in North America that spans a continuum that includes terrestrial wetlands, inland waters (streams, rivers, and lakes), tidal wetlands, estuaries, and the coastal ocean. This synthesis is based on four chapters in the Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2). Emphasis is placed on exchange with the atmosphere, burial, and lateral transfers. Terrestrial wetlands, tidal wetlands, and the coastal ocean are estimated to be sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide totaling 352 teragrams (Tg) C per year, while inland waters and estuaries are estimated to be sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide totaling 257 Tg C per year. All aquatic systems bury carbon, totaling an estimated 282 Tg C per year. 507 Tg C per year is transferred laterally to inland waters, assuming a steady-state balance. Lateral transfers from rivers to estuaries, from estuaries to the coastal ocean, and from the coastal ocean to the open ocean all exceed 100 Tg C per year. The synthesis of aquatic carbon cycle research from SOCCR2 establishes the importance of aquatic systems to the North American carbon cycle and identifies numerous areas requiring further research.
Bio(s): Raymond Najjar is a Professor of Oceanography in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at The Pennsylvania State University, where he has been on the faculty since 1993. He earned his Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at Princeton University and was a post-doctoral fellow at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. At Penn State, he has taught numerous courses in oceanography and atmospheric science. Dr. Najjar has conducted research on a variety of topics in hydrology, oceanography, and climate science, with current focal areas of research being carbon cycling in coastal waters and the impacts of climate change on estuaries. He has co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed studies with support from a variety of federal and state agencies.
OneNOAA Science Seminar Series
Sponsor EMC seminar
Presenter(s): Peter Bechtold, ECMWF
Title: We share the same goals and difficulties: putting you through recent and current IFS developments
Date,Time, Room: Tuesday 19 Mar at noon in NCWCP Rm 2155
Contact: Jack Kain
Presenter(s): Xiwu Jerry Zhan, Physical Scientist NOAA NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research
Abstract
Soil moisture controls land surface water and energy partitioning through impacting evapotranspiration that is one of the main energy sources for the atmospheric dynamics. Soil moisture is thus consequently critical for NOAA's numerical weather, climate and hydrological prediction operations. NOAA and other national and international space agencies have made significant investment to acquire near real time soil moisture observations from space since decades ago. This presentation will introduce why satellite soil moisture observations is important to NOAA operations, how soil moisture data products are generated from these satellite observations, and how these data products could be assimilated into NOAA numerical weather and water prediction models in order to improve NOAA weather and water predictions. Progresses and issues in these research and application areas will be discussed.
Dr. Brice Semmens, Associate Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego; Director, California Cooperative Fisheries Investigations, or CalCOFI
Title: An Ocean of Data: 70 Years of Ocean Ecosystem Observing In the California Current
Presenter(s): Dr. Brice Semmens, Associate Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego; Director, California Cooperative Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI)
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) Science Seminar and NOAA/NOS Office of National Marine Sanctuaries; POCs for this seminar are Steve.Gittings@noaa.gov and Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: The California Cooperative Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) has collected critical marine resource data off the coast of California since 1949. First formed to study the sardine population collapse, the program continues today, informing management of fisheries and the living marine environment, especially in the face of changing ocean conditions.
Please join Dr. Brice Semmens, Director of CalCOFI, at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, for a discussion of the history and future potential of this advanced coastal ecological monitoring program. Dr. Semmens will highlight the variety of data products and tools CalCOFI provides for ocean management along the California coast.
If time permits, Dr. Semmens will switch oceans to discuss the Grouper Moon Project, a long-term collaborative program aimed at understanding and managing fish spawning aggregations in the Caribbean.
Bio(s): Dr. Semmens is a fisheries ecologist and conservation biologist. His research focuses on biological conservation and resource management with an emphasis on fisheries population dynamics, spatial ecology, and ultimately, assessment in the context of resource management. He participates in a diverse set of fisheries programs, including field-based research on endangered reef fish in the Caribbean, fisheries oceanography along the California coast, and fisheries modeling and stock assessment methods and techniques.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information.
Presenter(s): Allan Hicks, PhD., Quantitative Scientist, International Pacific Halibut Commission
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
ABSTRACT
Different models are used for different purposes which span a continuum along three general categories: broad conceptual understanding, strategic planning, and tactical decision making. Uncertainty and variability are addressed in different ways depending on the purpose of the model. Using examples of strategic and tactical models from the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), the incorporation of uncertainty and variability, classified in four categories, is compared and contrasted. The stock assessment, a tactical model for short-term decision-making, has the purpose of providing predictions of the historical, current, and short-term status of the Pacific halibut stock. The operating model of the Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) process, a strategic model, is to simulate potential scenarios of the Pacific halibut stock for use in the evaluation of management procedures against short, medium, and long-term policy goals. These two models incorporate data uncertainty in a similar way to condition the model, but treat it differently in projections. They both address model uncertainty through the use of multiple models in an ensemble approach. The long-term, strategic operating model incorporates population uncertainty directly through future variability and multiple hypotheses about the system, and the MSE approach can directly include implementation variability. Results from both of these models are presented in a consistent manner to IPHC Commissioners in the form of a decision table showing performance metrics (the risk of something bad happening) for various management options, and the performance metrics are related to objectives, which may differ for tactical and strategic decision making. Although these two models incorporate uncertainty in different ways, they are part of a continuum of models and are similar in many ways. Communicating the purpose of a model to managers is important so that the model is used appropriately for decision-making.
Bio(s): Allan Hicks has been focusing on Management Strategy Evaluation at the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) since 2016. Before working at IPHC, he was a Fishery Research Biologist at the NWFSC for 7 years conducting assessments of many different groundfish. He received his Ph.D. in fisheries from the School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, his M.S. in statistics from the University of Idaho, and his B.S. in fisheries from Humboldt State University.
Brian Baird, Ocean and Coastal Policy Advisor; Samantha Murray, Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Mark Carr, University of California Santa Cruz; Charles Wahle, NOAA's National MPA Center
Title: Sustaining MPA Benefits In a Changing Ocean: A Call To Action from the US Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee
Presenter(s): Brian Baird, Ocean and Coastal Policy Advisor, and former MPAFAC Chair; Samantha Murray, Executive Director of Scripps Institution's Marine Biodiversity and Conservation Program, and the MPAFAC Lead on the MPA Benefits charge; Mark Carr, Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology, UC Santa Cruz, and the MPAFAC Team Lead for Ecosystem Resilience; Charlie Wahle, Senior Scientist in NOAA's MPA Center, and the Designated Federal Officer for the MPAFAC
Sponsor(s): NOAA National MPA Center; MPA News, a service of OCTO; EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe); OpenChannels, a service of OCTO
Abstract: The Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee (MPAFAC) provides recommendations to the US Departments of Commerce (NOAA) and Interior on ways to ensure the effective design, establishment and adaptive management of the nation's MPAs. Created in 2003 and reauthorized by the White House in 2017, the Committee comprises 20 members representing diverse sectors and interests in ocean matters. In 2018, the Committee was directed to document examples of the ecological, economic and cultural benefits provided by federal and other MPAs around the country, and to recommend specific actions that should be undertaken by MPA agencies to sustain those benefits in the face of rapidly changing ocean conditions and uses. After a thorough investigation, the MPAFAC found extensive, and sometimes surprising, examples of benefits from existing MPAs, including: ecological resilience; coastal storm protection; revenue from ocean tourism and recreation; cultural and historical education; diverse public engagement in ocean conservation; and capacity-building for local ocean decision-makers. The Committee also provided specific recommendations for sustaining MPA benefits, including a unanimous call to "Fully support, fund, maintain, evaluate and adaptively manage the nation's MPAs ...". In this webinar, three of the Committee's leaders, and the NOAA liaison, will provide an overview of the Committee's findings and recommendations and will discuss their implications for MPAs in the US and elsewhere.
Bio(s): Brian Baird is an Ocean and Coastal Policy Advisor. He chaired the MPA Federal Advisory Committee and serves as President of the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation. He previously directed the Ocean and Coastal Program at The Bay Institute (TBI) in San Francisco and served for 18 years as the Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy under California Governors Brown, Schwarzenegger, Davis, and Wilson.
Brian was the chief writer of California Governor Pete Wilson's 1997 ocean management strategy and for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2004 ocean action plan. He helped create and staff the West Coast Governors' Alliance (now West Coast Ocean Partnership), advised the California Ocean Protection Council, and served on the California Coastal Commission and other state and national boards, commissions, and ocean advisory committees.
From 2007 to 2008 Brian chaired the national Coastal States Organization. He was later appointed by the White House to serve as an advisor to the National Ocean Council after nomination by the Governors of California, Oregon, and Washington. He created the international conference - California and the World Ocean " held in 1997, 2002, 2006, and 2010. Brian received formal recognition of his ocean protection work from the California State Legislature and the California Congressional Delegation in 2011.
Samantha Murray is faculty at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she is also the Executive Director of an interdisciplinary Master's Program in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. She has nearly two decades of experience in conservation and has directed ocean and water programs at Ocean Conservancy, the Audubon Society and Oregon Environmental Council. Samantha also founded an ocean policy consulting business, where she works with clients on issues related to water quality, ocean acidification, habitat protection and climate change. Samantha played a key role in the design and implementation of California's network of marine protected areas, which now covers 16 percent of state waters.
Samantha has spoken at conferences around the world about ocean conservation best practices and holds a J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School, where she was awarded a Certificate in Natural Resources and Environmental Law. Samantha is committed to diversity, inclusion and more equitable impacts of public policy.
Dr. Mark Carr is a Professor of marine ecology in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research focuses on the ecology of coastal marine fishes and coastal marine ecosystems and informs a variety of topics in marine conservation and fisheries management. His research includes the design and evaluation of marine protected areas (MPAs). For eight years, Mark served as Co-chair of the Science Advisory Team to California's Marine Life Protection Act, which culminated in the establishment of a state-wide network of marine protected areas. He is now involved in the design and implementation of the monitoring and evaluation program of California's MPA network. He is a founding principal investigator with the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO).
Dr. Charles Wahle serves as the Senior Scientist for NOAA's National MPA Center and as the Designated Federal Officer for the MPAFAC. A coral reef ecologist with over four thousand hours underwater conducting research, Charlie's work at NOAA now focuses on bringing sound science into the design, creation and adaptive management of the nation's MPAs. He has also led science and policy programs in the National Marine Sanctuary Program and the Natl. Estuarine Research Reserve System, and has played key roles in the creation of the MPA Executive Order, NOAA's coral reef conservation program, and the US National Ocean Policy of 2010. Charlie is an elected Fellow of AAAS and has received three Bronze Medals, NOAA's highest civilian award, for his work in ocean conservation.
Title: Atmospheric methane: where did you come from, where did you go?
Presenter(s): Alexander J. Turner, Atmospheric Chemist, Miller Postdoctoral Fellow. UC Berkeley. Presenting remotely.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: Atmospheric methane plays a major role in controlling climate and its atmospheric burden has more than doubled since 1850, yet contemporary methane trends (1982-2017) have defied explanation. Methane concentrations stabilized in the early 2000s and began increasing again in 2007. Neither the stabilization nor the recent growth are well understood, as evidenced by multiple competing hypotheses in the literature over the past 2 years. Explanations for the increases and stabilization have invoked changes in tropical wetlands, livestock, fossil fuels, biomass burning, and the methane sink. This talk will address three main questions: 1) "What do we know about sources, sinks, and underlying processes driving observed trends in atmospheric methane?", 2) "How will global methane respond to changes in anthropogenic emissions?", and 3) "What future observations could help resolve changes in the methane budget?"
This talk will draw on results from a recent open-access paper: Turner*, Frankenberg*, & Kort*, PNAS (2019). The paper is available on the PNAS website or at: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1814297116.
Bio(s): Alex Turner is a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley working with Ron Cohen and Inez Fung. He works on a variety of topics related to atmospheric chemistry, the carbon cycle, inverse modeling, and remote sensing. Broadly, his research focuses on understanding how carbon cycles through the various reservoirs in the earth system (e.g., the atmosphere, ocean, and biosphere). He completed his PhD in atmospheric chemistry in 2017 at Harvard where he worked with Daniel Jacob and his BS in mechanical engineering in 2012 at CU Boulder where he worked with Daven Henze. He was supported by a NOAA Hollings Scholarship and a DOE CSGF fellowship during his undergraduate and graduate work, respectively.
Presenter(s): Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s):
Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
Presenter(s): Libby Logerwell, Research Fishery Biologist, Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s): NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Accessibility: This presentation will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel.
Abstract: The Arctic Council is a high level intergovernmental forum to provide a means for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants. Ecosystem Based Management, a.k.a the Ecosystem Approach to Management (EA), was adopted as an overarching principle and approach by Arctic Council Ministers in 2004 as part of the Arctic Marine Strategic Plan. The PAME Working Group of the Arctic Council established in 2007 an EA Expert Group (EA-EG) to better focus its work on EA within its mandate for the protection of the Arctic marine environment. The members of the EA-EG collectively contribute to the integration of EA implementation into the overall work of the Arctic Council. The EA-EG also provides a mechanism to facilitate the exchange and review of information and experiences gained to support the development of a common and coordinated approach to the implementation of the EA by Arctic states. To this end, the EA-EG has recently produced the Guidelines for Implementing an Ecosystem Approach to Management of Arctic Marine Ecosystems. In this presentation Dr. Logerwell will describe how the EG developed the Guidelines and discuss the main conclusions and recommendations.
Bio(s): Libby Logerwell is a Research Fishery Biologist in the Recruitment Processes Program at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the co-chair of the Arctic Council PAME Joint Ecosystem Approach Expert Group. Her research interests include fisheries oceanography, fish early life history, Arctic benthic communities and ecosystem based management. Libby received a BS from Stanford University and PhD from the University of California Irvine, and was a post-doc at NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center and then the University of Washington before joining the AFSC in 2001.
Title: Improving Communication of Coastal Flood Warnings to Alaska Communities
Presenter(s): Ed Plumb, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, NOAA's National Weather Service
Sponsor(s): Virtual Alaska Weather Symposium, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) and National Weather Service POC: Rick Thoman, National Weather Service and Tina Buxbaum (tmbuxbaum@alaska.edu, 907-474-7812)
Abstract: Coastal flooding and erosion from strong storms pose a significant threat to many Alaska communities. The National Weather Service (NWS) is collaborating with state, regional, local, and tribal organizations to improve impact-based decision support to communities before and during coastal storms. The NWS is also in the process of improving warning messages to rural Alaska in order to effectively communicate threat level, convey risk from storm surge, forecaster confidence, and potential impacts of incoming storms. The NWS is working to incorporate local terminology and place names, traditional knowledge of storm impacts, and storm observations into coastal flood warnings for communities. In order to accomplish this, the NWS is engaging in various workshops, meetings, and performing community visits to interact directly with residents and gain a better understanding of threats to their community. This presentation will highlight recent success the NWS has had in improving two-way communication and warnings to western Alaska communities during coastal flood events.
STAR Science Seminars with SOCD / NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group
Presenter(s): Dr. Sheekela Baker-Yeboah - University of Maryland, ESSIC & CICS
Sponsor(s):
SOCD / NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group The NOCCG is a NOAA organization founded in 2011 by Dr. Paul DiGiacomo, Chief of the Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division at NOAA/NESDIS/STAR. The purpose of the NOCCG is to keep members up to date about developments in the field of satellite ocean color and connect ocean color science development with users and applications. We have representatives from all the NOAA line offices, including National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Ocean Service, National Weather Service and from several levels of the National Environmental and Satellite Data and Information Service (where Paul is housed). Dr. Cara Wilson of South East Fisheries Science Center is our current chair. We meet bi-weekly on Wednesday afternoons, 3 PM Eastern Time in room 3555 at the National Center for Weather and Climate Prediction building in College Park, MD with teleconferencing and Webex for out of town members and guests. We host a guest speaker, usually about once a month.
Abstract:
Using the strong correlation between altimeter and in situ pressure sensor-equipped inverted echo sounder (PIES) data, an analysis is done using current altimeter data in conjunction with Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Ocean Color and Sea Surface Temperature data to gain further insight into the physical and biological implications of mesoscale eddies associated with rings off of South Africa. A comparison is done with the California Current system, another major upwelling regime in the World Ocean, to assess the the relationship of slope eddies in upwelling regions to open ocean eddy signatures.
Bio(s):
Dr. Sheekela Baker-Yeboah is a Physical Oceanographer/Research Scientist at the University of Maryland (ESSIC & CICS), currently doing research and product development using Ocean Color, Altimetry, and Sea Surface Temperature data in collaboration with Paul DiGiacomo of Satellite, Oceanography and Climate Division (SOCD) and previously held the position of Satellite Team Lead at NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI in collaboration with the University of Maryland. She received her Ph. D. in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island then Post Doctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her professional appointments include Research Scientist at MIT, a visiting Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute of Massachusetts, and visiting Professor at Lesley University of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her background experiences include training in Remote Sensing Oceanographer (satellite data processing and analysis using SAR, AVHRR SST, Altimeter SSH, Ocean Color/SeaWifs), as well as seagoing, teaching, modeling, and laboratory experience. She has worked with in situ oceanographic data (with training in statistics, ship CTD, oxygen titration, ADCP and XBT data, data analysis, training in and consulting on field research techniques for Pressure Inverted Echo Sounders, and recently Ocean Color in situ data. Dr. Baker-Yeboah has ongoing collaborations (1) with the SOCD Altimeter Sea Surface Height Laboratory, (2) as Co-PI on NSF Arctic Data Center Project, and (3) international collaborations (France, South Africa, Germany, Russia, and the US) on the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAMOC) program in the South Atlantic.
Presenter(s): Qiong Yang Ph.D., Research Scientist, University of Washington Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean, Seattle, WA.
Sponsor(s): This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Visit the EcoFOCI webpage for more information, http://www.ecofoci.noaa.gov/.
Presented by: Sean Hardison, Integrated Statistics/ Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch, NEFSC, NMFS, NOAA
Sponsor(s):
NEFSC Resource Evaluation and Assessment Division, Ecosystem Dynamics and assessment branch. POC: scott.large@noaa.gov
Abstract: Reporting on the status and trends of marine ecosystems plays an important role in providing contextual ecosystem information to fisheries managers working at the species or stock level. However, busy fisheries managers may be less inclined to absorb and incorporate ecosystem information into decision making if links to management objectives are not made clear. In the Northeast US, we have addressed these challenges through the development of State of the Ecosystem (SOE) reports. These documents are relatively short, and are focused on providing concise descriptions of ecosystem processes in relation to established management objectives. In this seminar, I will describe the role of State of the Ecosystem reporting in the Northeast US, present highlights from this year's document, and outline the open-source software methods that we have relied upon to make SOE reporting efficient but rigorous.
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Abstract: Technology has become an integral part of environmental education, however purchasing or producing technology can be very cost-prohibitive. As part of a NERRS Science Collaborative Science Transfer grant, the Delaware, Guana Tolomato Matanzas, and Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserves (the clients) partnered with the University of Delaware Introduction to Software Engineering course (the consultants). As part of their coursework, students produced educational computer games that promote interactive, free-choice learning opportunities. Learn more about the process that led to the final educational games that are being installed in the three centers, including the ups and downs of working with students.
Bio(s): Maggie Pletta is the current Education Coordinator at the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR) where she is tasked with managing and leading K-12 fieldtrips and outreach, public programs, family events, and teacher professional development workshops. Prior to her position at DNERR she held positions at the National Park Service, NASA, Educational Non-Profits, and DNREC's Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program. Her professional areas of interest include teaching people about estuaries and climate change, as well as reconnecting children with nature, and making science fun for all ages.
OneNOAA Science Seminar Series Seminar 3 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Presenter(s): Grant Domke, Research Scientist & group leader, USDA Forest Service, Timber Products Output and Carbon Estimation and Report, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program; and Randy Kolka, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station;
Co-Authors include: Chris Williams, Land surface hydrologist and Terrestrial ecosystem ecologist, Associate Professor of Geography, Adjunct Associate Professor of Biology, Clark University; and Carl Trettin, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station
Today's seminar includes two presentations: 12:05-12:30: Recent Trends, Drivers, & Projections of Carbon Cycle Processes in Forests of North America by Grant Domke (USDA Forest Service) and Chris Williams (Clark University) 12:35-12:55 New Estimates of Terrestrial Wetland Soil Stocks and Fluxes, by Randy Kolka, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station & Carl Trettin, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract for first presentation: Forest ecosystems are the largest terrestrial carbon sink on earth and their management has been recognized as a relatively cost-effective strategy for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. In North America, forests, including urban forests, woodlands and the products obtained from them, play a major role in the carbon cycle. In this presentation we examine recent trends, drivers, and projections of U.S. and North American carbon cycle processes, stocks, and flows in the context of interactions with global scale budgets and climate change impacts in managed and unmanaged forest ecosystems. We will also highlight carbon management science and tools for informing decisions and opportunities for improving carbon measurements, observations, and projections in forests.
Abstract for second presentation: Because carbon (C) density of terrestrial wetlands is much greater than that of upland ecosystems, consideration of C stocks and fluxes along with associated changes resulting from management or land-use change are of particular importance at local, regional and global scales. Through new analyses of recent available data bases and literature, C stocks, net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and methane (CH4) fluxes were estimated for North American (US, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico) terrestrial wetlands. North America contains approximately 2.2 million km2 of terrestrial wetlands (approximately 37% of the global wetland area) with an ecosystem C pool of approximately 161 Pg (approximately 36% of global wetland C stock). Canada has the greatest area of terrestrial wetlands (52%), followed by the US (47%), Mexico (1%) and Puerto Rico. Likewise, Canada has the largest C stocks, NEE, and CH4 fluxes (80%, 51%, and 57%, respectfully) followed by the US (19%, 43%, and 39%, respectfully) and Mexico (1%, 7%, and 4%, respectfully). Forested wetlands comprise 55% of the total terrestrial wetland area, with the vast majority occurring in Canada. Organic-soil wetlands comprise 58% of the total terrestrial wetland area and contain 80% of the C stock. Overall, North American terrestrial wetlands currently are a CO2 sink (i.e., negative NEE) of approximately 126 Tg of C per year. However, North American terrestrial wetlands are a natural source of CH4, with mineral-soil wetlands emitting 56% and non-forested wetlands emitting 55% of the estimated total of 45 Tg CH4 "C per year.
Bio(s): Grant Domke is a research scientist and group leader for Timber Products Output and Carbon science and reporting in the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program within the USDA Forest Service. Domke studies how carbon is cycled through forest ecosystems and harvested wood products in the U.S. using strategic-level forest inventory data and auxiliary information. He and his team are responsible for compiling estimates of greenhouse gas emissions and removals in forests each year as part of the U.S.' commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Domke has served as a lead author on several national and international reports including the recently released Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report and the Fourth National Climate Assessment as well as the forthcoming 2019 Refinement to the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. For additional information on Domke's work visit: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/people/gmdomke.
Randy Kolke holds a B.S. degree in Soil Science from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and MS and PhD degrees in Soil Science from the University of Minnesota. Following the completion of his PhD in 1996, he was a post-doctoral Research Soil Scientist with the USDA Forest Service's Southern Research Station on the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. In 1998 he became an Assistant Professor of Forest Hydrology and Watershed Management in the Department of Forestry at the University of Kentucky. In 2002, he became Team Leader and Research Soil Scientist with the USDA Forest Service's Northern Research Station in Grand Rapids, MN. In this position, he currently leads a team of scientists, graduate students and post-docs conducting research on the cycling of water, carbon, nutrients, and mercury at the plot to watershed scale in urban, agricultural, forested, wetland and aquatic ecosystems across the globe. He is an adjunct faculty member at 6 universities and has published over 200 scientific articles in his career.
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Grant Domke, USDA Forest Service; Chris Williams, Clark University;Randy Kolka, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station; and Carl Trettin, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station
Title: Recent Trends, Drivers & Projections of Carbon Cycle Processes in Forests of North America Seminar 3 in the Series, From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle, the 2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2) We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Today's seminar includes two presentations: 12:05-12:30: Recent Trends, Drivers, & Projections of Carbon Cycle Processes in Forests of North America
Presenter(s): Grant Domke, USDA Forest Service and Chris Williams, Clark University
12:35-12:55 New Estimates of Terrestrial Wetland Soil Stocks and Fluxes
Presenter(s): Randy Kolka, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station & Carl Trettin, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract for first presentation: Forest ecosystems are the largest terrestrial carbon sink on earth and their management has been recognized as a relatively cost-effective strategy for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. In North America, forests, including urban forests, woodlands and the products obtained from them, play a major role in the carbon cycle. In this presentation we examine recent trends, drivers, and projections of U.S. and North American carbon cycle processes, stocks, and flows in the context of interactions with global scale budgets and climate change impacts in managed and unmanaged forest ecosystems. We will also highlight carbon management science and tools for informing decisions and opportunities for improving carbon measurements, observations, and projections in forests.
Abstract for first presentation: TBD
About the Speakers presenting first: Grant Domke is a research scientist and group leader for Timber Products Output and Carbon Estimation and Report in the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program within the USDA Forest Service. Domke studies how carbon is cycled through forest ecosystems and harvested wood products in the U.S. using strategic-level forest inventory data and auxiliary information. He and his team are responsible for compiling estimates of greenhouse gas emissions and removals in forests each year as part of the U.S.' commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Domke has served as a lead author on several national and international reports including the recently released Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report and the Fourth National Climate Assessment as well as the forthcoming 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. For additional information on Domke's work visit: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/people/gmdomke
Abstract: The lunchtime seminar is an opportunity to strengthen relationships between EMC and field operations via the Analyze, Forecast and Support Office (AFSO). AFSO supports the field by collecting proposed requirements, working the requests through established governance and developing policies to support evolving NWS field operations.
The presentation will begin with an overview of NWS governance which supports the collection and validation of field requirements and how the cyclical process of validation and innovation requires our organizations to build relationships and work together to support the life and property mission.
The discussion will then show needs collected from the field regarding mesoscale analysis which is largely represented by URMA (UnRestricted Mesoscale Analysis). One particularly important focus area is on the challenges of terrain variation effects and related improvements to the National Blend of Models (NBM).
The seminar will conclude with an open discussion period where ideas can be exchanged with the desire to strengthen communications through future dialogs.
NGS will establish the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 (SPCS2022) as part of modernizing the National Spatial Reference System. NGS invited written comments on the draft SPCS2022 policy and procedures. In this webinar, we will share the feedback it received on SPCS2022 and the final SPCS2022 Policy and Procedures.
Intermediate Technical Content Rating: Some prior knowledge is helpful.
Location: Webinar access
Description: OneNOAA Science Seminar Series
Presenter(s): Michael Dennis, National Geodetic Survey
Michael Dennis is a geodesist at NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) where he performs research and assists in developing products and services to define, maintain, and provide access to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). He is also a Professional Engineer and Surveyor with private sector experience, including ownership of a consulting and surveying firm.
Abstract: NGS will establish the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 (SPCS2022) as part of modernizing the National Spatial Reference System. NGS invited written comments on the draft SPCS2022 policy and procedures. In this webinar, we will share the feedback it received on SPCS2022 and the final SPCS2022 Policy and Procedures.
Presenter(s): Richard MKcBride, Branch Chief & Supervisory, Research Fishery Biologist, NOAA/NMFS/NEFSC/, Population Biology Branch
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract:
Some species spawn and feed in separate areas, during different seasons, by storing energy and drawing on it later for reproduction (i.e. capital breeding). Other species spawn using energy acquired locally, throughout a prolonged spawning season, allocating energy directly to reproduction (i.e. income breeding). Capital breeders tend to ovulate all at once and are more common at boreal latitudes where productivity varies seasonally. Income breeding allows small fish to overcome allometric constraints on egg production and respond to current conditions; ceasing egg production when food is in short supply and resuming quickly when conditions improve. Poor-feeding environments can lead to delayed maturation, skipped spawning, shorter spawning season or fewer eggs produced per event. Variations in feeding environments have been significantly correlated with recruitment variability in some cases, when measured at the correct scale for the breeding type. These findings have implications for temporal and spatial sampling designs, and for interpreting fishery and ecosystem assessments.
Bio(s): Rich McBride is a Supervisory Research Fishery Biologist at NOAA Fisheries, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts (http://nefsc.noaa.gov/staff/mcbride.html ). He leads a branch that builds reliable datasets for stock and ecosystem assessments (http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/femad/pbio/). His research synthesizes the components of an organism's life history " their age, size, reproduction,mortality, trophic and habitat dynamics " to better understand their population dynamics and their functional role in the ecosystem. He received his B.S. in Biology from Eckerd College (Florida), an M.S. in Marine Science from Stony Brook University (New York), and a Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolution from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He has published >70 papers in peer-review journals and is currently on the editorial boards of the journals Fishery Bulletin' and Bulletin of Marine Science.'
Abstract: A leading focus of ocean acidification outreach has involved issue identification- education the public and decision makers on the scale of the problem facing the ocean. The message of what can be done has been less well told. In this webinar, the speakers will share their motivation for and experiences with developing and education video on local actions and solution to address ocean acidification. Using a series of stories of citizen science-based monitoring, industry innovation, and the search for local mitigation solutions, they will share experiences of Oregonian's rolling up their sleeves to act locally against a global challenge. Surprises and lessons learned will also be related, particularly in the context of a fast moving ocean acidification and hypoxia policy landscape.
Presenter(s): Chris Barnet (STC) with Co-Authors: Thomas S. Pagano, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab., Sid Boukabara (STAR), Kevin Garrett (STAR), Kayo Ide (Univ. Maryland), Erin Jones (IMSG), Yingtao Ma (IMSG), Nadia Smith (STC), Rebekah Esmaili (STC)
Sponsor(s): STAR Science Seminar Series
Audio: USA participants: 866-832-9297 Passcode: 6070416
Abstract: Advanced hyperspectral sounders such as the Advanced Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Interferometric Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (IASI) and the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) all invested heavily in providing high signal-to-noise measurements in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral region (defined here as from 3.8 to 5 microns).
The use of this spectral region is complicated by the need to handle solar radiation that is both reflected from the surface and also excites molecules in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere into non-equilibrium emission. The AIRS Science Team demonstrated how to properly use the SWIR to derive high-quality temperature, moisture, and trace gases with the launch of Aqua/AIRS in 2002. The NOAA-Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) operationally deployed the AIRS algorithm for the Metop-A/IASI, S-NPP/CrIS, Metop-B/IASI, and the NOAA-20/CrIS instruments since 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2018, respectively.
This presentation will focus on the lessons learned from the NUCAPS experience and discuss the advantages, and disadvantages, of using SWIR channels. The high sensitivity (at higher operating temperatures) and uniformity of detector arrays could enable lower cost and more compact concepts to be deployed in low-Earth and geostationary orbits. This has led to the following question: could the SWIR channels replace the long-wave channels currently used within numerical weather prediction? This presentation will conclude with a discussion of an experiment to help answer that question.
Bio(s): Chris Barnet's early career was a random walk kind of process which allowed him to be involved with many interesting topics that required finding a practical solution to the problem of the day. He started as a welder at Fermilab - an accelerator for protons - and that led to working with waveguides, superconductors, holography, radio telescopes, quasi-stellar objects, array processors, observing and modeling of the outer planets, and finally Earth remote sounding. This mixture of engineering and science may be the reason why he is now interested in finding ways to transition new algorithm concepts into operational applications.
Steve Gray, Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center; Rick Thoman, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy; Jeremy Littell, Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center; Tom Hennessy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Presenter(s): Steve Gray, Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center; Rick Thoman, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy; Jeremy Littell, Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center; Tom Hennessy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Sponsor(s): ACCAP
Abstract: The 4th National Climate Assessment (NCA), released Nov 23rd, 2018, summarizes the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. A team of more than 300 experts guided by a Federal Steering Committee (composed of representatives from each of USGCRP's 13 member agencies) produced the report, which was extensively reviewed by the public and experts, including federal agencies and a panel of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report is divided into regions and sectors. This presentation will explore the NCA process and key takeaway points with a focus on Alaska, including observed and projected climate changes on human heath and community well being, as well as coastal and marine impacts.
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Title: Rising Carbon Dioxide's Effects on Land and Ocean Seminar 2 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Presenter(s):
Sarah Cooley, Director, Ocean Acidification Program at Ocean Conservancy. Presenting remotely. Co-Author: David Moore, Associate Professor, University of Arizona
Sponsor(s):
U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), & Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract:
Rising carbon dioxide (CO2) has decreased seawater pH at long-term observing stations around the world, driving ocean acidification that has already affected some marine species and altered fundamental ecosystem processes. Further effects are likely. While atmospheric CO2 rises at approximately the same rate all over the globe, its non-climate effects on land vary depending on climate and dominant species. In terrestrial ecosystems, rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations are expected to increase plant photosynthesis, growth, and water-use efficiency, though these effects are reduced when nutrients, drought or other factors limit plant growth. Rising CO2 would likely change carbon storage and influence terrestrial hydrology and biogeochemical cycling, but concomitant effects on vegetation composition and nutrient feedbacks are challenging to predict, making decadal forecasts uncertain. Consequences of rising atmospheric CO2 are expected to include difficult-to-predict changes in the ecosystem services that terrestrial and ocean systems provide to humans. Continued persistence of uptake of carbon by the land and ocean is uncertain. Climate and environmental change create complex feedbacks to the carbon cycle and it is not clear how feedbacks modulate future effects of rising CO2 on carbon sinks. These are several mechanisms that could reduce future sink capacity.
Bio(s): Sarah Cooley is the Director of the Ocean Acidification Program at Ocean Conservancy, in Washington DC. Prior to 2014, she was a researcher and postdoctoral investigator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), as well as the ocean acidification scientist in the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Program Project Office.Sarah's guiding interests include ocean carbon cycling, science communication, and incorporating accurate ocean science knowledge into policy. In her position at Ocean Conservancy, Sarah works to educate and engage decision-makers and stakeholders from every political perspective at regional to international levels on ocean acidification, identifying ways that different groups can take concrete, stepwise action on the issue. In her work, Sarah combines science synthesis, strategic communications, political strategy and advocacy, and public advocacy. https://oceanconservancy.org/people/sarah-cooley/
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Join the NOAA Central Library for a presentation on Computer Vision for Conservation on March 5th at 12PM ET.
Presenter(s): Christin Khan, NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, READ division, Protected Species Branch
Abstract: Motivated by recent developments in image recognition, we hosted a data science challenge on the crowdsourcing platform Kaggle to automate the identification of endangered North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis).The winning solution automatically identified individual whales with 87% accuracy with a series of convolutional neural networks to identify the region of interest on an image, rotate, crop, and create standardized photographs of uniform size and orientation and then identify the correct individual whale from these passport-like photographs. Recent advances in deep learning coupled with this fully automated workflow have yielded impressive results and have the potential to revolutionize traditional methods for the collection of data on the abundance and distribution of wild populations.
Bio(s): Christin Khan is a Fishery Biologist in the Protected Species Branch at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole. She is an aerial survey observer of the North Atlantic Right Whale Sighting Survey which conducts aerial surveys to monitor right whale abundance and distribution from New Jersey to Canada. When not in the air, Christin also works on right whale social behavior, automated image recognition, right whale outreach signs, the Right Whale Sighting Advisory System, interactive Google map, and the Whale Alert app.
Presenter(s): Galen Scott, National Geodetic Survey
This webinar provides an overview of the 2018 GPSonBM campaign and how these new observations improved GEOID18. We will also look ahead to the 2019 GPSonBM campaign, review the new priority list, and discuss the many different ways that sharing GPSonBM data will improve NGS models and tools.
Description:
Galen Scott is a program analyst in NGS' Geosciences Research Division. He is the project lead for GEOID18 and the project to collect GPS data to support the development of the transformation tools for NAPGD2022. This Webinar will be recorded and made accessible approximately one week after the presentation.
Abstract:
This webinar provides an overview of the 2018 GPSonBM campaign and how these new observations improved GEOID18. We will also look ahead to the 2019 GPSonBM campaign, review the new priority list, and discuss the many different ways that sharing GPSonBM data will improve NGS models and tools.Intermediate Technical Content Rating: Some prior knowledge is helpful. To subscribe for future NGS webinar notifications, visit: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USNOAANOS/subscriber/new?topic_id=USNOAANOS_71
Presenter(s): Sharon Melin, PhD., Wildlife Research Biologist, NOAA/NMFS/AFSC/, Marine Mammal Laboratory, CA Current Ecosystem Program
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
ABSTRACT
California sea lions are resident large marine predators of the California Current ecosystem. Recently, the California Current has shown unusual variability that has disrupted the prey communities that sea lions rely on, leading to unprecedented numbers of pups dying, retarded growth of surviving pups, poor survival of juveniles, and unusual behaviors of females. This seminar will summarize how extreme environmental events like the Blob and El Nio combined with gradual changes in ocean conditions and forage fish communities have halted the exponential growth of the California sea lion population by impacting its most vulnerable age group and discuss what it means for management issues along the West Coast.
Bio(s):
Sharon Melin is a wildlife biologist with MML's California Current Ecosystem Program. Her professional interests focus on research that promotes the understanding of factors influencing the growth of animal populations as they recover from historical exploitation. Her current research focuses on demography and foraging ecology of California sea lions and northern fur seals in California and the factors that influence trends in the populations such as El Nio, climate change, disease, contaminants, and inter- and intra-specific competition for resources.
Sharon received a B.S. in zoology and a M.S. in wildlife science at the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in conservation biology at the University of Minnesota. She has been part of the California Current Ecosystem Program since 1984.
Conference Room # 2552-2553, NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD, NCWCP - Large Conf Rm - 2552-2553
Abstract: Multi-temporal imagery from a single geostationary (GEO) satellite such as NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) are routinely used to derive Atmospheric Motion Vectors (AMVs) that represent winds in the atmosphere. The AMV method generally assumes that the cloud or moisture feature being tracked is undergoing horizontal motion that is observed by the displacement of the feature in a sequence of images. Observations from a single vantage point provide no geometric information about the height of an AMV in the atmosphere; therefore, AMV heights are generally assigned using IR temperatures and an a priori model atmosphere. Such height assignments can have large uncertainties and are error prone in the presence of multiple cloud layers. Multi-angle, multi-satellite stereo imaging is a powerful tool for observing atmospheric dynamics in three dimensions. When a tracked feature is viewed from multiple vantage points, additional information in the form of geometric parallax enables accurate determination of feature height and even the possibility of measuring vertical motion. This talk describes our work in this area using LEO-GEO combinations under NASA sponsorship and GEO-GEO combinations under NOAA sponsorship, and includes results combining imagery from the GOES-R satellites paired with each other and paired with imagery from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. The advanced Image Navigation and Registration (INR) of GOES-R is the key to very accurate coupled retrievals of wind velocities and wind heights. We show that adding GOES-R improves AMV measurements from a single LEO (e.g., MISR), for which separating in-track cloud motion and height-induced parallax is difficult. Our methods are generally applicable to all LEO-GEO, LEO-LEO, and GEO-GEO combinations, including combinations with GOES, Meteosat, Himawari, MODIS, VIIRS, and others, and requires no synchronization between observing systems. Wind retrievals using these methods should play an important role in addressing the 2017 Earth Science Decadal Survey objectives to observe 3D atmospheric dynamics as well as for improving NOAA operational capabilities with existing and future assets.
Bio(s):
Dr. Carr is the founder and CEO of Carr Astronautics, a science and technology firm working in the NASA, NOAA, and international space arenas, with an emphasis on atmospheric remote sensing. Dr. Carr functions as both a scientist and a senior executive and strives to spend at least 50% of his time as a scientific leader on the programs within his company's business portfolio. Dr. Carr enjoys building mathematical models of complex systems and finding innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to complex problems. Dr. Carr earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Maryland in 1989. Dr. Carr founded his company in 1991 to help design the European Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) weather satellite, during which he resided in France for five years with his family. After returning to the U.S., he became a leader in the development of the GOES-NOP and GOES-R weather satellite systems. Dr. Carr is a Co-Investigator on the NASA TEMPO mission, which is a hosted payload for remote sensing of the atmosphere from geostationary orbit. TEMPO will retrieve trace gas concentrations for O3, NO2, H2CO, SO2, and C2H2O2 species, hourly across Greater North America, at fine spatial resolution, to enable the study of the sources, sinks, and propagation of atmospheric pollutants. Dr. Carr is the lead investigator on two 3D Winds projects, one funded by NASA and the other by NOAA, exploiting observations from multiple satellites to resolve cloud-motion winds in 3D.
Join the NOAA Central Library for a webinar only presentation on the "Assessment of Conservation Needs for the Regional Sea Turtle Hotspot Isla Arena-Celestun: Critical Aggregation Habitat for Sea Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean" on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 12-1PM EST.
Presenter(s): Eduardo Cuevas, Researcher at the Universidad Autnoma del Carmen, Campeche, Mxico.
Abstract:
Kemp's ridley, loggerhead, green, and hawksbill sea turtles are all found in the waters off of the northwestern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. These species are migratory and use the waters of many countries, including the United States of America. This presentation will show the areas used by these species, outline the threats to their conservation, and emphasize the actions needed to address sea turtle recovery in the Yucatan. Efforts to address conservation issues of the Yucatan are important to NMFS sea turtle conservation programs and successful recovery of the species.
Bio(s): Eduardo Cuevas has worked studying ecological and reproductive aspects of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean for almost 20 years. He leads the Laboratory of Spatial and Movement Ecology at his University, and they are just closing a project on satellite telemetry for 4 sea turtle species in the Gulf of Mexico, assessing their ecological vulnerability and elaborating a Response Plan in case of oil spills. He is Country Co-Coordinator for WIDECAST in Mexico, member of the MTSG and Co-Vicechair in the Atlantic and Caribbean for the MTSG/SSC/IUCN.
(MTSG = Marine Turtle Specialist Group; WIDECAST is the Wider Sea Turtle Conservation Network; SSC = Species Survival Commission; IUCN = International Union for the Conservation of Nature)
Huan Meng, NESDIS/Center for Satellite Applications and Research and Wes Adkins, NWS/Juneau, Alaska Weather Forecast Office
Host: Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy
Abstract: An over land snowfall rate (SFR) product has been produced operationally at NOAA/NESDIS since 2012. The product utilizes measurements from passive microwave sensors aboard eight polar-orbiting satellites managed by NOAA, NASA, EUMETSAT, and DMSP. The SFR algorithm consists of a statistical snowfall detection component and a 1DVAR-based physical snowfall rate estimation component. The product has been validated against gauge observations and radar snowfall rate estimates. NASA SPoRT has also made it available in AWIPS and provides the product to some NWS WFOs at near real-time. This seminar will include a description of the SFR product, algorithm validation, and its assessment at the Juneau and Anchorage WFOs.
Presenter(s): Dr. Chuanmin Hu - University of South Florida College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
Sponsor(s): STAR Science Seminars with SOCD / NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group
SOCD / NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group The NOCCG is a NOAA organization founded in 2011 by Dr. Paul DiGiacomo, Chief of the Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division at NOAA/NESDIS/STAR. The purpose of the NOCCG is to keep members up to date about developments in the field of satellite ocean color and connect ocean color science development with users and applications. We have representatives from all the NOAA line offices, including National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Ocean Service, National Weather Service and from several levels of the National Environmental and Satellite Data and Information Service (where Paul is housed). Dr. Cara Wilson of South East Fisheries Science Center is our current chair. We meet bi-weekly on Wednesday afternoons, 3 PM Eastern Time in room 3555 at the National Center for Weather and Climate Prediction building in College Park, MD with teleconferencing and Webex for out of town members and guests. We host a guest speaker, usually about once a month.
Abstract:
To be provided.
Bio(s):
Chuanmin Hu received a BS degree in physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1989 and a PhD degree in physics (environmental optics) from the University of Miami (Florida, USA) in 1997. He is currently a professor of optical oceanography at the University of South Florida (USA), who also directs the Optical Oceanography Lab[HC1] . He uses laboratory, field, and remote sensing techniques to study marine algal blooms (harmful and non-harmful, macroalgae and microalgae), oil spills, coastal and inland water quality, and global changes. His expertise is in the development of remote sensing algorithms and data products as well as application of these data products to address earth science questions. He has authored and co-authored >250 refereed articles, many of which have been highlighted on journal covers and by AGU and NASA. His research has led to the establishment of a Virtual Antenna System to generate and distribute customized data products in near real-time, from which unique coastal observing systems have been developed to address specific monitoring and research needs. These include a Virtual Buoy System (VBS[HC2] ) to monitor coastal and estuarine water quality, an Integrated Redtide Information System (IRIS[HC3] ) to provide near real-time information on harmful algal blooms, and a Sargassum Watch System (SaWS[HC4] ) to combine remote sensing and numerical modeling to track macroalgae. Between 2009 and 2014 he served as a topical editor on ocean optics and ocean color remote sensing at Applied Optics, and between 2015 and 2017 he served as a chief editor at Remote Sensing of Environment.
Join the NOAA Central Library and the Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) for the NOAA Innovators Series! This series will be facilitated by Derek Parks, Technology Transfer Program Manager.
Abstract: In an effort to improve hatchery production of Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) seed for aquaculture and restoration, NOAA's Milford Laboratory has isolated and evaluated a naturally-occurring beneficial bacterial isolate, probiotic strain OY15 (Vibrio alginolyticus) from the digestive glands of adult Eastern oysters. This probiotic strain has demonstrated significant protective effects against a shellfish larval pathogen B183 (Vibrio corallyliticus) in experimental larval trials and can improve survival by 20-35%. Advancing these efforts to develop natural methods to prevent disease in commercial oyster aquaculture facilities has led NOAA's Milford Laboratory to partner with public and private companies through Material Transfer Agreements (MTA) and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA) to commercialize probiotic bacterial strain OY15 for use as an economic and stable feed supplement to prevent bacteriosis and improve survival of all life-stages of the Eastern oyster.
Bio(s): In 1980, Diane Kapareiko graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Bridgeport. After participating in a cooperative internship semester at the NOAA Fisheries Milford Laboratory to complete her degree requirements, Diane was hired as a Biological Laboratory Technician in Microbiology. She has recently completed 35 years in federal service at NOAA's Milford laboratory. Diane has been the principle investigator for researching and developing probiotics for oysters, beneficial bacterial strains which can prevent bacterial disease and improve hatchery production of Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) seed for aquaculture and restoration. In 2016, Diane Kapareiko, Dorothy Jeffress and Gary Wikfors of the Aquaculture Sustainability Branch at the Milford Laboratory, were awarded the Department of Commerce Group Silver Medal for Scientific and Engineering Achievement for this probiotic research as well as negotiating a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement for commercialization.
Title: From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle Assessment
The video and PDFs of the presentations can be accessed here.
Seminar 1 in the Series, "From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle (SOCCR2) Seminar Series". We plan to host seminars in this series on most Tuesdays, 12-1pm ET, Feb. 26 - May 28
Presenter(s): - James Butler, Director, NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Earth System Research Laboratory, Global Monitoring Division. Presenting from Boulder, Colorado - Gyami Shrestha, Director, U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office, presenting at NOAA SIlver Spring. Co-authors: Nancy Cavallaro, USDA NIFA National Program Leader and Zhiliang Zhu, USGS, Chief, Biologic Carbon Sequestration Program
12:05pm-12:30pm ET, Part 1: Carbon Cycle Science across NOAA: Discussing the 'Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group"(CCIWG) and SOCCR2 science and societal relevance to NOAA's mission, by James Butler 12:30-12:55pm ET, Part 2: From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle Assessment' by Gyami Shrestha
Sponsor(s): U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office/UCAR and NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinators are Gyami Shrestha (gshrestha@usgcrp.gov), Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Remote Access: We will use Adobe Connect.To join the session, go to https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/nosscienceseminars/, enter as "Guest", and please enter your first and last name. Users should use either IE or Edge on Windows or Safari if using a Mac. Audio will be available thru the computer only; no phone. Questions will be addressed in the chat window. This Webcast will be recorded, archived and made accessible in the near future. You can test your ability to use Adobe Connect at the following link: https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm Audio is over the computer, so adjust volume on your computer speakers or headsets. Questions? Email tracy.gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: What was the fate and impact of carbon in atmospheric, aquatic and terrestrial systems across North America over the last decade? How is it projected to grow and impact future climate change, given current scenarios and how can we harness current scientific and socio-economic advances in our knowledge of the carbon cycle at the intersection of human dimensions to better manage it in order to reduce future climate change risks? The just released Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (#SOCCR2, 2018) tells you all about it. SOCCR2 is a Sustained Assessment series special product of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, spanning 4 sections, 19 chapters and 7 appendices across 878 pages, developed by a 200+ member international team who produced over 6 formal drafts reviewed over 6 times, including by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the general public before final review and released by the 13 agencies of the USGCRP the same day as the 4th National Climate Assessment. To kick-off this special One NOAA SOCCR2 Seminar Series From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle Assessment', this talk will provide an overview of the multiyear, multi-step, interagency assessment formulation and development process. A snapshot of the many scientifically significant and societally relevant key findings, as a preview of the upcoming SOCCR2 OneNOAA Seminar talks the following Tuesdays (12-1 pm ET, Feb 26-May 28) will also be provided. This talk will also focus on potential carbon management strategies along with trade-offs and co-benefits of certain actions, to showcase the carbon cycle science-derived climate change actions and solutions that decades of the interdisciplinary research has rendered possible. SOCCR2 can be downloaded here.
Bio(s): Jim Butler is Director of Global Monitoring at NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA/ESRL) in Boulder, Colorado, where he has conducted research on climate forcing and ozone depletion for over 30 years. In his current capacity, Dr. Butler oversees the nation's continuing measurements of atmospheric constituents that affect the world's climate, including greenhouse and ozone-depleting gases, aerosols, and surface radiation. Dr. Butler's published works address the distribution and cycling of gases in the atmosphere, their production and consumption by the ocean, their exchange across the air-sea interface, their distribution in polar snow, and methods for their analysis. He is a regular contributor to international documents on stratospheric ozone depletion, atmospheric chemistry, and global warming.
Dr. Gyami Shrestha, directs the US Carbon Cycle Science Program Office activities for the Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group (CCIWG), such as the Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2) which she just completed as Lead Development Advisor & Manager with a 200+ multinational team, as a lead editor, lead author & contributor on multiple chapters (See carbon2018.globalchange.gov). Interfacing with scientists & funders, Gyami supports, conceptualizes, leads & co-leads, community & interagency US Government programs & activities around carbon & climate change. Her domestic & international portfolio helps to catalyze coordinated scientific advances in the context of US Government priorities in collaboration with the CCIWG, UCAR, USGCRP, White House & community. Prior to joining the Program in 2011, she acquired a decade of research, management & consulting experience in NGOs/INGOs, academia & consulting. Previously, Gyami recruited & managed research proposal review panels for King Abdullah City for Science & Technology (KACST) via the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) & completed degrees in Environmental Systems (incl. Air Quality & Health Training Certificate) & Soil Science & Water Resources with Restoration Ecology Certificate. As Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the US National Academy of Sciences, Gyami contributed to research, writing & review panel recruitment to finalize the landmark America's Climate Choices Advancing the Science of Climate Change Report. Prior research includes terrestrial carbon with a focus on pyrolized/black carbon, carbon sequestration, land reclamation & restoration; stakeholder analysis & decision-support tool development for rainwater harvesting, improved cookstoves & gender mainstreaming via participatory tech transfer in rural Nepal and South Asian network building. She also served on Advisory Boards of the University of California & the Nepalese Children's Education Fund. Bio link at https://www.carboncyclescience.us/Gyami-Shrestha
Dave Jones, Founder & CEO StormCenter Communications, Inc Abstract
StormCenter has been working as a JPSS funded task order under the JPSS Fire & Smoke and River, Ice and Flooding initiatives to see how more data can be accessed and delivered into various decision-making environments. GeoCollaborate, now a federal government SBIR Phase III technology, enables data to be accessed and shared in real-time across any device or platform. The concept behind GeoCollaborate is simple: allow anyone to author the content of a lead web map, share that content, and collaborate with others in real time on follower web maps. GeoCollaborate is available on the cloud as a hosted web map and a data sharing and collaborative service. The web maps can be hosted on StormCenter's GeoCollaborate servers or on any customer web server.
Dave will discuss how GeoCollaborate has been used in the Fire & Smoke and River, Ice and Flooding initiatives and share ideas as to how it can be applied in recent use cases presented last month. Dave will reference some of the valuable information presented by Evan Ellicott in his January webinar and provide input on possible pathways forward to get more critical information in front of decision makers. Dave will also discuss evolving Operational Readiness Levels (ORLs), a trusted data sourcing initiative that has been adopted by DHS and the utility industry to enable decision makers to rapidly assess the trustworthiness of datasets. This approach can help introduce more JPSS initiative data to the decision making environments.
Brad Pettinger, Commercial Fisherman & PFMC Council Member, Pacific Fishery Management Council
Sponsor(s):
NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract: The relationship between the West Coast fishing industry and the fisheries scientific community has historically been a contentious one. This tumultuous relationship over the last 30+ years is explored through an industry perspective on the groundfish fishery's boom, bust and rebirth. Pettinger gives his take on what went wrong, what went right and why the fishery's promising future is more fragile than we might think.
Bio(s): Brad Pettinger has participated in the West Coast commercial fishing industry for more than 50 years as a crewman, skipper and a vessel owner. During that time he has trolled for salmon and albacore tuna, trapped Dungeness crab and trawled for pink shrimp and groundfish off of the three West Coast states.
He has also served on numerous fishing industry committees and commissions during his career and worked 15 years as the director of the Oregon Trawl Commission (OTC), departing that position in June 2018. In his time at the OTC, Pettinger worked collaboratively in the Pacific Fishery Management Council process to improve the management of West Coast groundfish fisheries. Under his leadership at the OTC, all three of Oregon trawl fisheries were certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as well-managed and sustainable fisheries.
Pettinger currently owns a vessel that participates in the West Coast trawl groundfish catch share program off the coast of northern California and southern Oregon.
Presenter(s): Brigitte Roth Tran, Federal Reserve Board
Join us at the NOAA Central Library, SSMC#3, 2nd Floor and via webinar
Abstract:
Despite predictions that extreme weather events will increase in frequency and severity due to climate change, little is known about the uncertainty that local economies face because of extreme weather events like hurricanes. This paper investigates the uncertainty of hurricanes through the lens of financial markets. Hurricanes can form suddenly and their evolving paths create substantial landfall uncertainty over several days. After landfall, there remains uncertainty about the actual impact on firms located in the disaster region. We combine firm establishment-level data with novel hurricane forecast and damage data to examine market responses to both impact and landfall uncertainty. We find evidence for impact uncertainty in option and stock prices. In the days following landfall, options for firms exposed to the landfall region exhibit large increases in implied volatilities. In the months following landfall, the underlying stocks have negatively skewed returns. Using the probability distribution of hurricane forecasts as a measure of landfall uncertainty, we show that a reduction in landfall uncertainty leads to impact uncertainty being more strongly reflected in prices, consistent with investors being attentive to hurricane forecasts.
Accessibility: *This presentation will be recorded and available on our YouTube Channel. If you would like to request an ASL interpreter in person or via webcam for an upcoming webinar, please apply through the NOAA Workplace Management Office's Sign Language Interpreting Services Program.
Phil Karp, Principal Knowledge Management Officer with the World Bank's Social/Urban/Rural Development and Resilience Global Practice, presenting remotely
Date & Time:
14 February 2019
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm ET
Location:
SSMC4, Room 9153 or via webinar, see login info below.
Title: The Art of Knowledge Exchange " Lessons from World Bank Experience and Applications for Marine Conservation
Presenter(s): Phil Karp, Principal Knowledge Management Officer with the World Bank's Social/Urban/Rural Development and Resilience Global Practice, presenting remotely.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program; point of contact is Robin.Garcia@noaa.gov Please visit the Coral Collaboration site for slides from past meetings and to submit updates and/or ideas for a future talk.
Abstract: The Art of Knowledge Exchange " Lessons from World Bank Experience and Applications for Marine Conservation: Knowledge exchange, or peer-to-peer learning, is a powerful way to share, replicate and scale up practical solutions to challenges and to transform ideas into action. But the challenge remains as to how best to design and execute knowledge exchange to achieve intended results, and how to integrate it as part of larger change processes. Drawing on lessons from its extensive involvement in knowledge exchange, the World Bank has developed a systematic framework and guide to help practitioners to play a more effective role as knowledge providers, brokers, or recipients. At the core of the framework is a 5-step process which can be easily mastered and applied to: connect various actors to new information; catalyze innovative thinking; accelerate decision making; overcome bottlenecks to action; enhance skills to replicate and scale up solutions; and measure results.The webinar will present the framework, introducing the range of knowledge exchange instruments and activities that are available and how these can be blended and sequenced to achieve desired outcomes. This will be followed by a discussion of how this approach can be applied in the realm of marine ecosystem conservation, drawing on several examples. The presentation will also look at the impact and implications of new communications modalities, such as social media, and of new actors, most notably citizen scientists.
Abstract: Environmental DNA (eDNA), or DNA present in an environmental sample, is emerging as a powerful tool to detect species present in an ecosystem without having to actually capture and identify individual organisms. Fish, invertebrates, and other animals shed DNA, through fragments of tissue and reproductive and waste products, into the environment in which they live. We will present initial results from a pilot environmental eDNA monitoring program being developed and tested at several National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) sites in New England and Oregon. Sampling is conducted in coordination with traditional monitoring programs to validate species identification and detection limits.
This webinar is an opportunity for the research team to engage reserves that are considering eDNA monitoring, and compare notes with other researchers and natural resource managers that are using eDNA approaches.
Bio(s):
Dr. Alison Watts conducts research on water resources at the University of New Hampshire. Bree Yednock, Jason Goldstein, Chris Peter and others from South Slough, Wells and Great Bay NERRs guide the application of this project within each of their Reserves. Seminar POC for questions: dwight.trueblood@noaa.gov or nsoberal@umich.edu
Abstract: Technology has become an integral part of environmental education, however purchasing or producing technology can be very cost-prohibitive. As part of a NERRS Science Collaborative Science Transfer grant, the Delaware, Guana Tolomato Matanzas, and Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserves (the clients) partnered with the University of Delaware Introduction to Software Engineering course (the consultants). As part of their coursework, students produced educational computer games that promote interactive, free-choice learning opportunities. Learn more about the process that led to the final educational games that are being installed in the three centers, including the ups and downs of working with students.
Bio(s): Maggie Pletta is the current Education Coordinator at the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR) where she is tasked with managing and leading K-12 fieldtrips and outreach, public programs, family events, and teacher professional development workshops. Prior to her position at DNERR she held positions at the National Park Service, NASA, Educational Non-Profits, and DNREC's Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program. Her professional areas of interest include teaching people about estuaries and climate change, as well as reconnecting children with nature, and making science fun for all ages.
Stock assessments of Alaskan groundfish conducted by NOAA rely on bottom trawl surveys to estimate abundance trends and demographic structure of fish populations. Trawl surveys are limited to areas where trawling is possible, excluding rocky high relief areas, which are the preferred habitat of important fish species such as rockfishes. This untrawlable habitat (UH) constitutes a substantial portion of the Gulf of Alaska Shelf (~ 20 %) and thus presents unique challenges for the assessment of rockfishes.
Survey abundance estimates are derived by applying density at trawl stations to depth and geographic area-stratified survey grounds, including the UH. Annual changes in availability of rockfish to the survey can result in substantial bias and increased uncertainty in population estimates. A new UH survey time series carried out alongside the existing AFSC bottom trawl survey would greatly reduce these concerns.
AFSC is currently in the development stages for starting a new UH survey. Non-extractive survey methods using cameras and acoustics have been trialed by AFSC scientists in Alaska over the past decade. This potential new survey effort represents an opportunity to start an important time series. The survey design will have to address considerations such survey catchability and selectivity, uncertainty in estimates, and determining the required infrastructure to sustain the survey effort into the future.
Survey methods will be based on innovative technologies that are constantly evolving, such as automated image analysis, camera technology, and development of automated vehicles (e.g. AUV's), as opposed to stationary methods of traditional trawl surveys.
A new time series can also establish new collaborations among NOAA Science Centers and among fisheries scientists and stakeholders. Developing a survey that incorporates fishing vessels as survey platforms and where survey activities make use of standard fishing practices can give stakeholders a direct role in the survey and assessment process.
Bio(s):
Kresimir Williams has worked at the Alaska Fisheries Science center since 2003. Over the years, his work included a variety of marine fisheries survey-related research topics, including trawl selectivity, fish behavior responses to survey gear, and developing efficient, technologically advanced survey methodology. More recently, Kresimir's work has center on quantitative use of image-based data, including application of stereo-camera technology and automated image processing to marine fisheries surveys. Future work will focus on implementing a camera based untrawlable habitat survey in Alaska, as well as continued research into the application of camera and acoustic instruments for fisheries surveys.
Sara Hutto, Ocean Climate Program Coordinator for NOAA Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and Susan Guiteras, Supervisory Wildlife Biologist with Dept. of Interior US Fish and Wildlife Service
Abstract: Climate impacts are already being felt at coastal and marine protected areas, and some managers are moving beyond conducting vulnerability assessment to implementing climate adaptation actions to address climate stressors. These actions range from relatively small-scale efforts (e.g., restoring native oysters that protect shorelines) to major restoration and adaptation projects (e.g., returning tidal flow in wetlands and restoring natural barrier island geomorphology to increase resiliency to storm events). Speakers will present case studies from the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge.
Bio(s): Sara Hutto is the Ocean Climate Program Coordinator for Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary where she developed and is implementing the Sanctuary Climate Adaptation Plan, primarily focusing on resilient coasts. Sara provides training for marine protected area managers around the country to undertake climate-smart adaptation planning, and has developed adaptation tools for international audiences. Sara's background is in rocky intertidal ecology, and she holds a Master of Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Susan Guiteras is the Supervisory Wildlife Biologist of the Coastal Delaware National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and has been with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 19 years. She coordinates the biology programs at Bombay Hook and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuges in Delaware. Over the past several years, she has been coordinating the monitoring program associated with the tidal marsh restoration project at Prime Hook NWR that she will be highlighting today.
Abstract: The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is the first sensor of its kind, and this technological advancement now allows continuous operational monitoring of lightning on time and space scales never before available. This has led to a golden age of lightning observations, which will spur more rapid progress toward synthesis of these observations with other meteorological datasets and forecasting tools. This study documents the first nine months of GLM observations, illustrating that the GLM captures similar spatial patterns of lightning occurrence to many previous studies. The present study shows that GLM flashes are less common over the oceans, but that the oceanic flashes are larger, brighter, and last longer than flashes over land. The GLM characteristics also help diagnose and document data quality artifacts that diminish in time with tuning of the instrument and filters. The GLM presents profound possibilities, with countless new applications anticipated over the coming decades. The baseline values reported herein aim to guide the early development and application of the GLM observations.
Bio(s):
Dr. Scott Rudlosky is a NOAA/NESDIS physical scientist in the Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) Cooperative Research Program (CoRP). He is co-located with the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS) in College Park, Maryland. Scott is the NESDIS Subject Matter Expert on lightning and science lead for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). He originally joined CICS as a Research Associate in January 2011 following completion of his M.S. (2007) and Ph.D. (2011) in Meteorology at Florida State University. He obtained his B.S. (2004) in Geography with a specialization in Atmospheric Science from Ohio State University.
Abstract: The Global HydroEstimator (GHE) precipitation estimates constitute a critical source of low-latency operational data that feed the Flash Flood Guidance system (FFGS), which supports forecasters in 64 countries (currently) by providing to them products relevant to assessments for flash flood occurrence in an operational environment. The system integrates and quality controls data from a variety of remote and on-site sensors to support forecaster products. The talk will discuss the processing of precipitation data and provide information on validation of precipitation estimates from diverse regions.
Bio(s): Konstantine P. Georgakakos, M.S. and Sc.D. (MIT 1980, 1982). Director of HRC and Adjunct Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, and at Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Iowa. Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2016), Fellow of the AMS (2006).
Abstract: Aerosol is one of the most important climate change drivers from anthropogenic activities. The often overlooked stratospheric aerosols and their interaction with climate remain unclear and of large uncertainties. In this presentation I am going to introduce the most recent work I am involved to study the composition, transport and physical properties of the stratospheric aerosols with focus on background particles and smoke.
The background stratospheric aerosol increases since preindustrial and therefore contributes to the human-induced climate change. Constrained by satellites and in-situ measurements, we suggest that the stratospheric background aerosol budget has increased by 77% since year 1850. The estimated radiative forcing of the background stratospheric aerosols is about -0.07 Wm-2, which is as large as 20% of the total aerosol radiative forcing of the entire atmosphere [Yu et al., 2016]. Our study reports that the radiative forcing from background stratospheric aerosol of anthropogenic origin, has not been widely considered as a significant influence on the climate system.
We also investigate the transport pathways of the stratospheric aerosols. Yu et al. [2017] demonstrates that the abundant anthropogenic aerosol precursor emissions from Asia coupled with rapid vertical transport associated with monsoon convection leads to significant particle formation in the upper troposphere within the monsoon anticyclone. These particles subsequently spread throughout the entire Northern Hemispheric (NH) lower stratosphere and contribute significantly (15%) to the NH stratospheric column aerosol surface area on an annual basis. This contribution is comparable to that from the sum of small volcanic eruptions in the period between 2000 and 2015.
Our most recent study suggests that organics particles injected from large wildfires may also contribute to the stratospheric aerosol budget. Using solar occultation instrument (SAGEIII) on board of international space station and satellite-borne instruments (MLS and CALIOP), we, for the first time tracked the entire lifecycle of the stratospheric smoke for over 8 months. The observations from the space clearly show that the smoke rose from 12km to 23 km in 2 months. In the meantime, combined the space measurements with the aerosol-climate model we are able to quantify the physical-chemical properties of the smoke particles in the stratosphere including the size evolution, lifetime, and the chemical reaction rate with ozone. My research suggests that this "natural experiment" (pyroCb smoke) confirms previous hypothesis on "nuclear winter": the smoke from regional nuclear exchange can have long-lasting global impacts.
Mandy Karnauskas, Ecosystem Science Lead, Southeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s):
NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract:
Red tide is a phenomenon that occurs in the Gulf of Mexico due to blooms of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis and the toxic brevetoxins produced by this organism can have severe impacts on ecosystems. The Southeast Fisheries Science Center and Gulf of Mexico Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Program have being working to understand the impacts of red tides on federal fishery stocks and account for these impacts in the stock assessment and management process in the Gulf. A series of stakeholder workshops in 2018 revealed multi-faceted impacts of red tide blooms on fishing communities and highlighted the severity of the ongoing red tide event, which has persisted since late 2017. A collaborative response was developed with the purpose of documenting the impacts of the current bloom, understanding the bloom ecology, and learning how to best predict and respond to future events. I will discuss the evolution of red tide research in the Southeast region, from incorporating environmental information into single species frameworks, to managing for red tide in the context of ecosystem-based management.
Bio(s):
Mandy Karnauskas is a fisheries biologist and serves as the Ecosystem Science Lead for the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center. She is a member of the Gulf of Mexico Integrated Ecosystem Assessment team and the U.S. Focal Point for the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem Project. Her research interests include fisheries oceanography, developing indicators of ecosystem status, and collaborating on interdisciplinary approaches to support ecosystem-based management. Mandy served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Haiti, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a Ph.D. in marine biology and fisheries from the University of Miami.
Sarah Gaichas, Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sponsor(s):
NMFS Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Seminar Series (EBM/EBFM) and NOAA Central Library. POC: EBFM/EBM Environmental Science Coordinator, Peg Brady (peg.brady@noaa.gov)
Abstract:
Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
In this seminar, I will provide the current development of the global NWP system on Numerical Prediction Division of Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA-NPD). JMA-NPD is operating the Global Spectrum Model (GSM) for the short- and medium-range forecast, a global ensemble prediction system for medium-range forecast (using initial perturbations with SV method and LETKF) and a global data assimilation system (4D-Var). I will introduce the overview of these system, the development from 2017 and JMA future plans. https://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/seminars/abstract.2019/Kinami.html
You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 (872) 240-3311 Access Code: 417-603-629
Abstract:
The climate of the North Atlantic is influenced by the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) as it transports heat from the South Atlantic toward the subpolar North Atlantic. This study investigates the reasons for the observed correlations between the AMOC and sea level in the subtropical North Atlantic, focusing on coastal sea level. Specifically, the present study adds a novel element to the existing canon in that it reports on the correlation between the AMOC transport measured at 26.5N and the Mediterranean Sea level. During the seminar, we will explore whether both the AMOC and sea level are driven by the same processes, and/or whether the AMOC can provide a forcing that affects sea level. We will also investigate the relationship between the AMOC-modulated large-scale heat divergence and sea level along both the western and eastern boundaries of the subtropical North Atlantic.
Presenter(s): Will White, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University
Sponsor(s): NWFSC Jam Seminars; For additional information about the NWFSC Monster Seminar JAM series, please contact Vicky.Krikelas@noaa.gov.
Abstract:
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are an increasingly common conservation and management tool worldwide. Typically, managers expect that after fishing ceases inside an MPA, previously fished populations will steadily increase in abundance as they return to unfished levels. Hence adaptive management typically involves examining the ratio of fish density after:before MPA implementation or inside:outside MPAs. However, the expectation of a steady, positive increase in population density inside MPAs is complicated by two factors: A) the expected increase depends on the level of fishing pre-MPA, which is usually unknown, and B) high variability in larval recruitment to populations in MPAs, both over time (pulses and droughts) and over space (hotspots and coldspots) makes post-MPA trajectories variable. I use examples from southern and central California MPAs to show how we can use dynamic and statistical models to address these problems. First, I show how we can use dynamic models to estimate the pre-MPA fishing rate and make short-term forecasts for population trajectories. Then, in a more data-limited case, I show how statistical models reveal the strong influence of larval recruitment variability on overall fish abundance inside MPAs, but how MPA effects are still revealed by population size structure. Together these approaches can help guide short-term management decisions in an uncertain and highly variable coastal environment.
BIO
Will White studied at Davidson College, NC (BS in Biology, 2000) before earning his PhD at the University of California Santa Barbara (2007). His dissertation combined field observations and theoretical investigations on the population dynamics of coral reef fishes. He was then a postdoc at the University of California Davis (2007-2010), where spent most of his time working on spatial population models to guide the statewide marine protected area planning process underway in California during 2006-2012. This work eventually led to a role on the Science Advisory Team for that process during 2009-2011.
In 2010, White took a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he continued research on marine protected areas and began to work on the management and conservation of eastern oysters and other North Carolina fisheries. In 2017, he had the opportunity to return to the west coast as Assistant Professor of Nearshore Fisheries Oceanography at the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State.
White's research links statistical and dynamic models to empirical datasets, often seeking to detect subtle patterns in noisy data. His research topics have spanned pelagic larval dispersal and mortality, stock discrimination using otolith chemistry, behavioral ecology, stochastic population dynamics, and state-space modeling. His expert testimony has been used in cases argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, and has informed multiple fishery management processes in California. This research is funded by the National Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sea Grant, and various state fishery management agencies.
Abstract: The demand for climate information that can guide climate risk management and adaptation is growing rapidly. Scientists, decision makers, and funders are considering how to design programs and projects that provide climate information to decision makers and ones that apply climate information to improve risk management and adaptation. Funders want to quantify the improvements that result in order to justify investments in providing climate information for decision-making. However, evidence regarding how effectively different approaches to providing and applying climate information improve outcomes, and therefore what socio-economic benefits they produce, is still limited. Evidence of benefits should guide the design of programs and projects.
Dr. Malgosia Madajewicz will discuss the approaches and methods used to determine the socio-economic benefits produced by climate information and the issues that complicate the task. She will present ongoing research that is assessing the value of climate information in two different contexts. She will discuss the agenda for research that can improve our understanding of effective approaches to providing and applying climate information. Dr. Meri Davlasheridze will present a paper titled The effects of adaptation measures on hurricane-induced property losses: Which FEMA investments have the highest returns? which provides an example of an indirect approach to assessing the potential value of climate information. The following is the abstract of the paper:
This paper evaluates the relative effectiveness of FEMA expenditures on hurricane-induced property losses. We find that spending on FEMA ex-ante mitigation and planning projects leads to greater reductions in property losses than spending on ex-post adaptation programs " specifically, a one percent increase in annual spending on ex-ante risk reduction and warning projects reduces damages by 0.21 percent while a one percent increase in ex-post recovery and clean-up spending reduces damages by 0.12. Although both types of program spending are effective, we find the marginal return from spending on programs that target long-term mitigation and risk management to be almost twice that of spending on ex-post recovery programs. With the predicted increases in the frequency and severity of North Atlantic hurricanes in the future, our findings suggest there are important potential gains that could be realized from the further diversification of FEMA spending across project categories.
Title: Art of the Deep: Painting in tandem with oceanographic research
Presenter(s): Artist Lily Simonson
Sponsor(s): NOAA Central Library, SSMC3, 2nd Floor. Point of contact is Amanda.Netburn@noaa.gov
Abstract:
Artist Lily Simonson collaborates with researchers at remote field sites to create larger-than-life paintings of extraordinary organisms and extreme environments. Simonson will discuss the significance of her ongoing interdisciplinary collaborations with oceanographers, having sailed as an artist at sea on six different oceanographic expeditions and deploying twice to Antarctica. Enveloping viewers in dramatic, atmospheric scenes, her paintings engage diverse audiences with current oceanographic discoveries.
Bio(s):
Lily Simonson has sailed as the artist-in-residence aboard the E/V Nautilus and R/Vs Melville and Atlantis. As the recipient of the National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists & Writers Award, Lily Simonson scuba-dived daily under the ice-covered McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. Her current solo exhibition Lily Simonson: Painting the Deep will be on view at the Harvard Museum of Natural History until June 30, 2019 and her work has appeared in a range of media outlets, including Interview Magazine, MTV, Atlas Obscura, Pacific Standard, the Los Angeles Times, and LA Weekly. Visit the NOAA Central Library's Brown Bag Page for upcoming and archived events!
Jay Standring, Branch Head, Professional and Technical, ProTech Services Branch, NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office, Strategic Sourcing Acquisition Division
Date & Time:
6 February 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Location:
NOAA Central Library, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Jay Standring, Branch Head, Professional and Technical (ProTech) Services Branch, NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office, Strategic Sourcing Acquisition Division
Located outside Silver Spring? Please register for the webinar https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6443712479685659651 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Participants can use their telephone OR computer mic & speakers (VoIP).
Abstract:
This presentation will provide the status of the ProTech Domain acquisitions and program.
Bio(s):
Jay Standring joined NOAA as the Professional and Technical Services Branch Head in November, 2016. His previous civil service career was with the Department of Defense (Navy and Marine Corps).
Accessibility: If you would like to request an ASL interpreter in person or via webcam for an upcoming webinar, please apply through NOAA Workplace Management Office's Sign Language Interpreting Services Program.
Title: Mapping Cetacean Sounds in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean with a Wave-Glider
Presenter(s): Lis Bittencourt, Master of Sciences and PhD Oceanography student, Rio de Janeiro State University. Presenting remotely.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Remote Access:
We will use Adobe Connect.To join the session, go to https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/nosscienceseminars/, enter as "Guest", and please enter your first and last name. Users should use either IE or Edge on Windows or Safari if using a Mac. Audio will be available thru the computer only; no phone. Questions will be addressed in the chat window. This Webcast will be recorded, archived and made accessible in the near future. You can test your ability to use Adobe Connect at the following link: https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htmAudio is over the computer, so adjust volume on your computer speakers or headsets. Questions? Email tracy.gill@noaa.gov
Abstract:
Passive acoustic monitoring techniques provide a useful alternative to visual surveys for monitoring of marine mammals, since they are less affected by adverse weather conditions. An autonomous unmanned Wave Glider, equipped with a towed hydrophone and recording system was used to collect acoustic data in the Brazilian offshore waters of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Although high-frequency detections occurred at all hours of the day, the majority occurred during dark hours. Low-frequency detections were not evenly spread through all hours of the day, with the majority of them occurring during dark hours. Encounters composed by high-frequency sounds were separated into seven different groups, probably different species. One of the encounters presented whistles that were previously recorded in the Rio de Janeiro Coast for Steno bredanensis (Rough-toothed dolphin). All of the low-frequency encounters were composed of a type of Balaenoptera brydei (Bryde's whale) call. This type of data collection is unprecedented for the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean and highlighted the use of the sampled area by delphinids on different days and different times of the day, including the dark hours.
Bio(s):
Lis Bittencourt started studying Oceanography in Rio de Janeiro State University in 2008, joining MAQUA lab and getting involved into cetacean research in 2009. Marine bioacoustics has been her major research interest since then, participating in several studies focused on underwater noise pollution, delphinid whistles characterization and passive acoustic monitoring in oceanic environments.
Abstract: Shipwrecks and other submerged properties tell stories of the past, and some of those stories are about WWII in the Pacific. The Hawaiian Islands were very different during the war period, a plantation territory suddenly witness to the initial attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent years of intensive combat training both on land and sea. The events of this critical period have left a legacy of sites that act as windows on history, a heritage landscape to be shared in the present.
Jim Uphoff, Fish Habitat and Ecosystem Assessment Program Chief, Fishing and Boating Services, Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Presenting remotely from Oxford Maryland
Title: Does organic matter matter to feeding success of yellow perch larvae in Chesapeake Bay subestuaries?
Presenter(s): Jim Uphoff, Fish Habitat and Ecosystem Assessment Program Chief, Fishing and Boating Services, Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Presenting remotely from Oxford Maryland. Co-authors include: Margaret McGinty, Carrie Hoover, Alexis Park, and Marek Topolski.
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Ocean Service Science Seminar; coordinator is Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov
Abstract: We examined whether development negatively influenced watershed organic matter (OM) dynamics, altering zooplankton available for first-feeding Yellow Perch larvae in Chesapeake Bay subestuaries. Successful first-feeding is an important influence on year-class success of fishes. Urbanization may negatively impact quantity of OM by diminishing marshes and forests that provide OM and disconnecting natural OM transport. During 2010-2016, feeding success (ranked from 0 to 4) and diet composition (presence of copepods, cladocerans, or other) of 6-9 mm TL larvae (first-feeding) were measured and compared with proportion of samples without OM (OM0) in eight subestuaries with rural to early suburban watershed development. Amount of organic matter present was negatively influenced by development and this relationship was described by a non-linear power function depicted OM0 increasing towards 1.0 (OM completely absent) at a decreasing rate with development. Dome shaped quadratic relationships described how mean fullness rank of early larvae changed with OM0. Presence of copepods also had a significant dome-shaped relationship with OM0 and mean fullness rank was positively and linearly related to presence of copepods, but not remaining food items. Copepods represented a much larger food item. Dome-shaped relationships with feeding variables suggested there might be too much OM (acting as a prey refuge), too little (not enough to support zooplankton), and an optimum amount for first feeding yellow perch larvae. Subestuaries with too little OM were exclusively suburban. Wetlands appeared to be an important source of OM. Absence of OM was linearly and inversely related to wetlands and wetlands were negatively related (inverse power function) to development.
Bio(s): Jim Uphoff is a native Marylander who received his B.S. from University of Maryland, in 1976. He started with MD DNR in 1978. He has sampled and analyzed most everything that moves in Chesapeake Bay and some things that don't. He is the Fish Habitat and Ecosystem Assessment Program Chief.
Jordan Goodrich, CNAP-RISA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego; Amanda Sheffield, NOAA-NIDIS; Julie Vano, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Date & Time:
28 January 2019
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm ET
Location:
Webinar Only (see access information below), NOAA - HQ - Science Seminar Series
Note: This webinar may be cancelled, depending on ongoing government shutdown.
Presenter(s): Jordan Goodrich, CNAP-RISA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego; Amanda Sheffield, NOAA-NIDIS; Julie Vano, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Seminar sponsor: National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), NOAA Climate Program Office
Abstract These webinars provide the region's stakeholders and interested parties with timely information on current and developing drought conditions as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia. Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as wildfires, floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health.
The agenda for this month's webinar (There will be a Q&A session following the presentations):
Drought & Climate Update Jordan Goodrich | CNAP, SIO/UC San Diego
Drought & Climate Outlook Amanda Sheffield | NOAA/NIDIS
Ways to Make Attribution Studies more relevant to the Water Management Community: Lessons from Oroville Dam & Hurricane Harvey Julie Vano | National Center for Atmospheric Research
Presenter(s): Evan Ellicott, Associate Research Professor, Department of Geographical Sciences University of Maryland
Abstract: Timely and accurate data is needed for both research and operations to develop improved models for wildfire prediction and near-real time situational awareness. Spaceborne assets play a strategic role in providing synoptic and timely data for wildfire monitoring and modeling. The focus of the Proving Ground and Risk Reduction (PGRR) program is identifying, educating, and supporting the user community, soliciting feedback, and simultaneously improving products and access. The goal of this project is to focus on wildland fire community and the use of remotely sensed data and products, in particular the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) active fire (AF) products. This is achieved through user engagement, meeting with regional coordination leaders, both in the U.S. and internationally, to train the trainers.
This PGRR AF project supports wildland fire fighting operations, leveraging existing relationships with the National Weather Service (NWS), the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and their regional centers, and our international partners. Attention was given to the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), which has seen dramatic impacts from fire recently (e.g. California) while concurrently emphasizing high latitude regions such as Alaska, which must monitor and manage vast areas with little information on the ground. In this presentation, we begin with an overview of our experience with the PGRR program over the past five years and share lessons learned. We then cover our efforts during the 2018 fire season. This review will discuss capacity building in Southern Africa, the NOAA-funded Visiting Scientist Program (VSP) and associated visits to Geographical Area Coordination Centers (GACCs), and VIIRS active fire product evaluation.
The PGRR VIIRS AF project, much like this session, focuses on aiding decision-making and situational awareness through a circular process of outreach and feedback. The PGRR project started over 5 years ago and has seen, anecdotally, the user knowledge and application of remotely sensed geospatial information for wildland fire applications increase during this time. We believe this program has been successful in achieving some of our goals, but additional work is needed in the international realm and as new satellites come on line.
Abstract: Since 1998, NERRS has provided competitive funding to generate usable knowledge for coastal and estuarine management. The program's evolution"and the insights from those participating in it"can teach us much about what usable knowledge looks like on the ground and the ways to make it through collaboration. In this webinar, James Arnott will recap his research based on examining 120 past NERRS funded projects and interviewing 40 of their participants. The practical lessons derived from this work suggest that teams of researchers and users working together in collaboration might consider a series of seemingly simple"but often difficult to answer questions"in the process of their work. Questions like: Who are the users? What is use? How do you report on use? What strategies lead to use? What are the benefits of usable knowledge? The history of NERRS research accomplishments demonstrates how many and varied answers to these questions emerge and the importance of taking into account careful consideration of that diversity in planning future projects and programs.
Bio(s):
James Arnott is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan and Associate Director of the Aspen Global Change Institute. James has worked closely with the NERR System during the completion of his doctoral thesis on topics related to science funding, the use of science, and climate change adaptation. In 2011, James was awarded the McCloy Fellowship in Environmental Policy and in 2009 James received a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Principia College. Seminar POC for questions: dwight.trueblood@noaa.gov or nsoberal@umich.edu
Sponsor(s): Virtual Alaska Weather Symposium, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) and National Weather Service POC: Rick Thoman, National Weather Service and Tina Buxbaum (tmbuxbaum@alaska.edu, 907-474-7812)
Abstract:
Coastal flooding and erosion from strong storms pose a significant threat to many Alaska communities. The National Weather Service (NWS) is collaborating with state, regional, local, and tribal organizations to improve impact-based decision support to communities before and during coastal storms. The NWS is also in the process of improving warning messages to rural Alaska in order to effectively communicate threat level, convey risk from storm surge, forecaster confidence, and potential impacts of incoming storms. The NWS is working to incorporate local terminology and place names, traditional knowledge of storm impacts, and storm observations into coastal flood warnings for communities. In order to accomplish this, the NWS is engaging in various workshops, meetings, and performing community visits to interact directly with residents and gain a better understanding of threats to their community. This presentation will highlight recent success the NWS has had in improving two-way communication and warnings to western Alaska communities during coastal flood events. Available in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks
Abstract: Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. However, it can be difficult to change management systems accustomed to evaluating a constrained set of objectives, often on a species-by-species basis. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. IEA was adapted to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions by the US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council's EAFM framework uses risk assessment as a first step to prioritize combinations of managed species, fleets, and ecosystem interactions for consideration. Second, a conceptual model is developed identifying key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery. Third, quantitative modeling addressing Council-specified questions and based on interactions identified in the conceptual model is applied to evaluate alternative management strategies that best balance management objectives. As strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or another priority identified in risk assessment can be addressed. The Council completed an initial EAFM risk assessment in 2017. First, the Council identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. All objectives/risk elements were evaluated with ecosystem indicators using risk assessment criteria developed by the Council. In 2018, the Council identified summer flounder as a high risk fishery and is now finalizing an EAFM conceptual model. Annual ecosystem reporting updates ecosystem indicators and the risk assessment. The Council's rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from positive collaboration between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.
Bio(s): Dr. Sarah Gaichas has been a Research Fishery Biologist with the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA since September 2011. She is a member of the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, has been active in ecosystem reporting and management strategy evaluation for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. Sarah's primary research is on integrated ecosystem assessment, management strategy evaluation, and ecosystem modeling. Her duties include developing, testing, and using ecosystem data, indicators, and models in natural resource management, and simulation testing management strategies (including analytical tools) that address the needs of diverse ecosystem users. Sarah previously worked at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA from 1997-2011 as an observer program analyst, a stock assessment scientist, and an ecosystem modeler. Sarah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science in 2006, her M.S from the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1997, and her B.A. in English Literature from Swarthmore College in 1991.
