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FALL 2005
Welcome to the first edition of the GoMOOS Report. We are excited to bring you the latest news and updates on coastal and ocean observations, information products and activities that we’ve been working on. We would appreciate hearing your thoughts and suggestions on any of the topics below, so please send us an email at info@gomoos.org. |
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Member Institutions Atlantic Pilotage Authority |
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RSS (Real Simple Syndication): A new data access tool for hourly buoy data! GoMOOS is continually improving information delivery and access. Prompted by a request from the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, GoMOOS implemented a RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed for real time buoy data. Using RSS, users won't have to go to the GoMOOS website for the latest data; the new data will come to them! The GoMOOS RSS feed allows users to automatically receive the latest updates on ocean and weather conditions from the GoMOOS and NDBC buoys as well as C-MAN stations in the Gulf of Maine. The RSS feed also allows web developers to integrate real time GoMOOS buoy data into their website: this has already been done by the Camden Surf Club. To learn more about the GoMOOS RSS feed visit www.gomoos.org and click
on the blue RSS button in the left menu. Fall Buoy Turn-around Completed The Physical Oceanography Group (PhOG, Director Dr. Neal Pettigrew) of the University of Maine and the R/V Argo Maine completed the 2005 fall buoy deployments on October 22nd. The PhOG team and the ship’s crew had to operate within narrow windows of acceptable weather and were able to complete the full array turn around in less than a month. GoMOOS is grateful to the seagoing personnel from PhOG, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, and the R/V Argo Maine crew for this great work. We also appreciate the logistical and shore-side support provided by additional PhOG personnel and the GoMOOS IT staff as they activated and tested the new deployments. The team can highlight several new technologies, additional instruments and improvements that were implemented during the fall turn around. Buoys C, B, and A were converted from analog cell phone service to digital service, which will allow Internet connections to those buoys. All buoys will continue to use GOES satellite as a backup data supply system to the phone system. In addition to the standard optics packages on buoys M, I, E, and B, Buoy A was also equipped with a FLNTUS sensor at 3m measuring chlorophyll and turbidity for the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA). Buoys N, I, and C will be testing a Gill sonic anemometer in addition to the standard RM Young wind sensor; buoys M, E, and F will be testing a Vaisala sonic anemometer along with the RM Young. All buoys have a redesigned barometric pressure porting system designed to reduce the problems that were seen last winter due to icing and high winds. Additional automated data quality control (QC) checking procedures will be implemented this fall for all data measurements. QC checks will be expanded from range checks to include additional QC checks (integrity, gradient, persistence). Metadata records have been expanded in the data files to include additional information such as sampling information, sensor calibrations, and expanded site details. For the latest data from our fresh array, go
to the GoMOOS buoy
page Interoperability = GoMODP & OOS Tech Think of a system for data interoperability as a thruway that connects many sets of data and allows users to reach those data sets quickly and easily. GoMOOS is helping to enable community-based data interoperability by working at the regional and national levels to build the capacity to share and merge multiple and disparate data sources over the web. GoMODP (Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership) is an independent organization that currently consists of 22 members with representation from governmental and non-governmental organizations. Each member maintains long-term programs that collect environmental data in the Gulf of Maine. GoMOOS is a founding member and the host of the Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership. It recently hosted a metadata workshop for data managers from the partnership. The workshop was supported by the FGDC (Federal Geographic Data Committee) and NOAA’s Coastal Services Center (CSC). Participants in the workshop learned about the basics of metadata (information about data), the standard format that FGDC uses, and got an overview of the various national and international clearinghouses for metadata. They also began developing metadata records for their organization’s data at the workshop. The work of GoMODP represents a significant step towards the development of institutional commitment and the technical expertise needed to support a truly interoperable data partnership in the Gulf of Maine and beyond. On the national level GoMOOS, CEO Philip Bogden organized the 3rd annual OOS Tech conference. OOS Tech (Ocean Observing System Technology) started three years ago in Portland, Maine as a casual forum to exchange information, experiences and best practices between technical experts from GoMOOS and other ocean observing efforts. In the last two years OOS Tech has grown to become a national event with attendees from around the country, representing governmental agencies, academic institutions, non-profit organizations and the private sector. The theme for OOS Tech 2005 was web services for interoperable ocean sciences. To learn more about the metadata workshop, go
to www.gomoos.org and
click on the Ocean Data Partnership link in the special projects section.
To learn more about OOS Tech go to the OOS
Tech 2005 page. Enhancing Education with Ocean Observations Ocean observing activities around the country are providing unprecedented access to vast amounts real-time and historical ocean and weather information. This new source information is recognized to have enormous educational potential. A collaborative effort between UNH’s Coastal Ocean Observing Center and GoMOOS is helping educators realize the educational promise of ocean observing systems. Earlier this year, these two organizations co-hosted the 2nd annual Ocean Observing Educator Institute. This year’s theme was “Seasons in the Sea: Understanding Change in the Gulf of Maine Through Buoys, Boats, and Satellites”. Amy Holt-Cline is the education and outreach coordinator for the UNH program and led the 5-day institute. Twenty educators from 7 states were selected to attend this year’s institute, which included lectures and discussion time with marine scientists, a “hands-on” oceanographic cruise, and activities with lab equipment and software used to collect and analyze data. The week culminated with the participants developing and presenting activities to incorporate ocean observing information into their classrooms. Are these workshops making a difference? The following excerpt from the comments of Bill Andrake, a participant of the institute and 7th grade science teacher at Swampscott Middle School in Massachusetts, illustrates how his students’ educational experience is being enhanced by teaching with ocean observing information. “…. as we were analyzing our plankton data from our Mysis cruises, we saw a huge increase in the population density of our plankters only 21 hours after a trip the previous day (copepods, amphipods, with a few crab megalops larvae). We naturally asked why? Many of the students suggested getting wind, wave, and current information from GoMOOS in order to help come up with a possible explanation for the change in the plankton population. We did see an increase in the wind speed along with wave height which may have kicked up the algae in the bay (in combination with low tide) and may have allowed us to scoop up more amphipods and deeper (nocturnal) copepods. It’s neat to see that my students are viewing the GoMOOS site as a tool to help understand the connection between the life and the physical environment in the bay.” For more information about the educators institute please visit the education section of the UNH’s Coastal Ocean Observing Center’s website at www.cooa.unh.edu GoMOOS Hosts ACT Planning Sessions GoMOOS in its role as a partner in the Alliance for Coastal Technologies (“ACT”) hosted ACT’s annual three day planning meeting for partners and stakeholders in Portland, Maine on July 13 -15. This annual event is designed to assure that ACT continues to serve a valuable role in sensor development for marine observations. Highlights of the meeting included updates on Euro-ACT activities by Dr. Jacques LeGrand (IFREMER); NOAA program updates by Dr. Jeff Payne and Jim Boyd of the Coastal Services Center; and an ACT Technology Evaluation Program Review by Dr. Mario Tamburri. Working together, the partners and stakeholders also developed a list of subjects for future workshops that focus on the needs of the observing community. Just a few of the exciting topics include: sensor interoperability, wireless technologies, genetic probes, biological sensor platforms, and others. In addition, the team agreed to develop a proto-type workshop that targeted training directly to operational users in the field. The first topic for this kind of workshop will focus on dissolved oxygen sensors in December of 2005. GoMOOS also recently hosted an ACT Workshop focused on Current Meters, which ran from October 26th to the 28th in Portland. This workshop brought together scientists, industry specialists, manufacturers and coastal managers to review the latest current meter technologies and to make recommendations to ACT for further efforts to evaluate and share information on current meter use for researchers and coastal managers. Further information on GoMOOS/ACT activities go
to www.gomoos.org
and click on Alliance For Coastal Technologies. This will give you
access to information on both local and national events as well as
access to workshop reports, ACT newsletters, and more. GoMOOS is happy to announce the addition of two new members to its team! Charlie Spies joined GoMOOS in late June as its Chief Operating Officer. Charlie will be replacing Josie Quintrell who operated in that capacity on a part time basis and, we are delighted to say, is still working with us as a consultant. Charlie brings a broad professional background that spans commercial finance, business management, economic development, and environmental consulting. Prior to joining GoMOOS, Charlie served as the CEO of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds prior to that as CEO for the Finance Authority of Maine (“FAME”). Ellen Winchester will be joining the GoMOOS information technology team on November 17th as a project manager and programmer. Ellen brings excellent programming and leadership skills from her position as Informatics Group Leader at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Ellen is known for her ability to work effectively with researchers and end users to produce effective web-based interfaces. She will be using these skills to help GoMOOS deliver timely products to its growing user base.GoMOOS Hosts USM Graduate Students GoMOOS and the Department of Computer Science at the University of Southern Maine are partnering to provide further learning opportunities for USM Masters level graduate students and to enhance the GoMOOS Northern Shrimp mapping tool. Starting in October, Chance Yohman, Aaron Lewis, and Joseph Duchesneau began spending time in GoMOOS offices with the task of enhancing the software that is used to update the “shrimp tool” (http://www.gomoos.org/shrimp/). This software accesses large datasets from distributed data systems. It will be enhanced to strengthen the ability to regularly serve these data to GoMOOS with an improved user interface. Working under USM Associate Professor Bruce MacLeod, with guidance from Dr. Philip Bogden of GoMOOS and our IT Team, the three graduate students will gain real world experience with distributed web services as well as material for their respective thesis development. Philip noted that, “This partnership is a chance for GoMOOS to work with USM as a key member of the community and to benefit our users through an improved mapping tool for a very important commercial species in the Gulf of Maine” Data Highlight: October Nor'easter Not long after the fall buoy turn around was completed, the Gulf of Maine was visited by two low pressure systems. The second system was a powerful "nor'easter" that was fed by hurricane Wilma. The following graphs come from the GoMOOS graphing and download application and show data collected by GoMOOS buoy B during the storms. The first graphs illustrates the dramatic drop in atmospheric pressure as the storms pass by the buoy. The second graph displays the high wind gusts and resulting wave heights from the storms. You can create these graphs and others by visiting the GoMOOS graphing and download tool.
December 13, 2005 - Gulf of Maine Ocean Data partnership Annual Meeting, Portsmouth, NH March 26, 2006 - GoMOOS Board of Directors Meeting, Portland, ME Please send comments and suggestions to: GoMOOS Phone (207) 773-0423 |
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