Alaska Ocean Observing System

2009 Regional Coordination Workshop

Seattle, WA

August 25, 2009

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Part 1: Project Status ReportAlaska Regional Coastal and Ocean

Observing System and Regional Association

Project Investigators:Ms. Molly McCammon

Dr. Mark JohnsonDr. Carl Schoch

Project Duration:FY 07: 1 year, Aug 07-08, $750k

FY 08-10: 3 years, just began year 2; $1 m each year

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Project Status Report: RCOOS Schedule & Milestones

Data and Information System•Long-term office space, high-speed internet connectivity and access to significant data storage at UAF’s supercomputing center • DMAC users identified including: oil & gas, insurance companies, agencies, researchers • DMAC structure designed & implemented & real time data acquired & displayed•Custom pages developed , satellite data services • Provide data management services for other programs (e.g., NPRB, NSSI, ARCOD)

Prince William Sound Observing System• NDBC buoy upgrades• Weather station & mooring deployments• WRF, SWAN & ROMS model domain development for PWS•Data assimilation for PWS ROMS model• NPZ model domain development for PWS• PWS OSE – field experiment complete; data analysis now underway

Education and Outreach Program• Stakeholder focus groups & workshops• Implement successful COSEE Alaska

Develop and test prototype Harbornet• Station designed & built at Seward Harbor• Real-time field testing underway

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Project Status Report: RA Schedule & Milestones

Stakeholders, partnerships, user needs• Refine user needs assessments• Formalize stakeholder councils • Develop partnerships

Governance and administration• Adopted new MOA, now updating w/procedures• Finalize committee structure

Business and operations plans• Develop plans for AOOS implementation – waiting more guidance• Individual plan components in place: data mgmt, E&O, RA mgmt, obs, models

Plan for & implement RCOOS: Alaska Statewide and 3 regions• Workshops• Collaboration w/other funding entities

Data management and communications subsystem• DMAC Committee, national DMAC activities •Data support for PWS Field Experiment • Pursue additional support: federal & industry data groups

Education, outreach and public awareness• Website & print materials• Materials for PWS FE• Implement successful COSEE Alaska

Collaborations• Many

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Project Status Report: RCOOS Accomplishments

Overall• Statewide recognition of AOOS• Support of federal and state agencies• Significant player in other ocean observing planning initiatives

Data Management System• System developed compliant with national standards & protocols • AOOS data plan viewed as model regional plan• Serves as regional data portal: provides statewide data and information products• Provides data management services to NPRB & other programs: AMIS• Provided data support for PWS FE

PWS Observing System• Observing system components deployed• WRF, SWAN, ROMS & NPZ models completed and running• Models & data assimilation tested during Sound Predictions 2009: major field experiment July 2009• AOOS DMAC tested for ingesting & serving up data• USCG, NOAA Hazmat, & Alyeska used AOOS data during FE to test their models• Products: web-based drifter trajectory tool from JPL; Google-Earth products

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Project Status Report: RA Accomplishments

Stakeholders, partnerships, user needs• Recognized as significant player in all stakeholder/partnership activities• AK Climate Change Strategy Initiative; Federal Climate Change Roundtable, NOAA regional collaboration team, etc.

Governance and administration• Adopted new MOA• State, federal & research partnerships actively engaged; now adding private sector

Business and operations plans• MTS Journal article submitted describing a model for incorporating scientific, stakeholder, & social & economic concerns into setting priorities for 3 year plan

Plan for & implement RCOOS: Alaska Statewide and 3 regions• Arctic Collaboration Workshop w/industry & agencies• PWS Field Experiment

Data management and communications subsystem•Data support for PWS Field Experiment • AMIS: support from NPRB

Education, outreach and public awareness• Website & print materials• Materials for PWS FE• Implement successful COSEE Alaska

Collaborations• PWS Field Experiment - numerous

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Keys to Success

Development of AOOS Data and Information Management System• Developed data management plan w/assistance of national IOOS DMAC team &

AOOS DMAC Committee – recognized at natl level as model regional initiative fully compliant w/natl IOOS standards; recognized at state level as THE marine data system for AK

• Support from federal agencies & regional science entities – all on AOOS board• Active participation in and support from NOAA Regional Collaboration Team• AK is one region for most federal agencies; one university system

PWS Field Experiment• Partnerships are essential: no 1 entity can do this alone• Scale is tractable

Statewide Collaborations• NOAA Regional Collaboration Team• Potential for IOOS RA, Sea Grant, RISA, CZM, Cooperative Institutes• Climate change: issue bringing initiatives together

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Challenges

Potential and/or real challenges• Geographic scale of AK & lack of existing infrastructure– 4 LMEs• Priorities can be determined, but implementation depends on $$$$• Who are our users? How do we get “market” feedback from them?• Uncertainty of funding = instability in attracting & keeping skilled workers • Agencies and other users facing own budget problems – difficult to get funding

support for AOOS• Power & telecommunication issues exacerbated by remoteness & harsh

weather: e.g., HF radar• Much historical data needs rescue & mining• Additional funding opportunities are available, but don’t have staff or resources

to pursue

Resolving challenges• Need longer term funding protocol, including leverage & access to other funds• Partnerships are essential, but difficult to maintain over long term• Create AMIS so that it works so well people want to give us their data• Provide federal support for “data rescue and mining”• Technological (remote power and telecommunications) – funding for R&D

Current Status: Products

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Products

Level OneMinimal processing

Level TwoValue-added

RT DataModel

Outputs SatelliteRT

DataDecision Support Maps

Time Series

Ecosystem/Climate Trends X X   X X X X   X

Water Quality    

Marine Operations X X   X X X X   X

Coastal Hazards   X   X   X   X   X   X   X

Current Status: Product Examples

• Provide 1 stop shop for regional coastal & ocean data• Provide nowcasts and forecasts of ocean conditions for

third party applications including fishery management, oil spill response & search and rescue

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Current Status: Observations

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Variables/ Platforms

Fixed- in water, multi-purpose

Fixed- in water single purpose

Fixed – on land Transects

Remote Sensing

Physical X (5) X (4) X (6)  

Meteorological X (8)  

Chemical  

Biological X (3) X (6)  

Geological        

Current Status: Modeling and DMAC subsystems

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Modeling* Region-wide** Sub-region Not at all

Atmospheric   X  

Circulation     X  

Inundation      

Wave     X  

Hydrological      

Sediment transport      

Water Quality/Ecosystem X

Fisheries

DMAC Complete In-progress Not at all

RA Website that serves data X

DIF - working to ensure interoperability X

Regional Data Portal x

* See guidelines for definitions **Regionwide = entire RA

Map 1a: Existing Observing Assets• Directions - Use a Google earth background of your region, please provide a map of your

existing system using the legend provided by the sample map of SCCOOS - Consistent backgrounds and legends will enable the development of the final report. If possible, add your RA logo to the lower right side. Below is a sample map from SCCOOS.

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Nested ROMS Model for PWS Field Experiment

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1-km3-km9-km

(PI: Yi Chao)

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(PI: Yi Chao)

Tracking the Observed Drifter Trajectories

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There are five types of drifters at four different depths:Surface, 1-m, 10-m, 40-m

(PI: Yi Chao)

Interactive Web-based Drifter Trajectory Toolusing the hourly ROMS current forecast

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Option I: Track individual

drifters

Option II: Track a cluster of

drifters

(PI: Yi Chao)(Jointly funded by

CeNCOOS & AOOS)

Interactive Web-based Drifter Trajectory Toolusing the ensemble ROMS forecast

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A drifter is released and tracked with an ensemble of 12+ ROMS forecasts. The trajectory forecast error can be estimated; for this particular drifter release, the error is 8-km for a 48-hour forecast.

(PI: Yi Chao)(Jointly funded by

CeNCOOS & AOOS)

Part 2: Looking Forward:

Future Plans

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Products

Level One Level Two

RT DataModel

Outputs SatelliteRT

DataDecision Support Maps

Time Series

Ecosystem/Climate Trends X X   X X X X   X

Water Quality    

Marine Operations X X   X X X X   X

Coastal Hazards   X  X   X   X   X   X   X

Future Plans: Major Products

•

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Variables/ Platforms

Fixed- in water, multi-purpose

Fixed- in water single purpose

Fixed – on land Transects

Remote Sensing

Physical 10 3 6 6  4

Meteorological 18  

Chemical 5  

Biological 5 6  

Geological      4    

Future Plans: Observations

Future Plan: Modeling and DMAC

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Modeling* Region-wide Sub-region Not at all

Atmospheric     X  

Circulation     X  

Inundation     X  

Wave     X  

Hydrologic     X  

Sediment transport     ?  

Water quality/ecosystem X

Fisheries ?

DMAC Yes In-progress No

RA Website that serves data X

DIF - working to ensure interoperability X

Regional Data Portal X

Future Plans: Map

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Instruction: Using Google earth as a background and the same legend as before - provide a general idea of the location of your proposed observing assets.

See Sample map from SCCOOS

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Funding Scenario

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Funding Scenarios $3 million $1 million

Modeling

$600k: only in PWS & CI for GOA, some in Arctic, none in Bering Sea or SE Alaska No modeling

Observing

$1.2 m:only in CI & PWS, some in Arctic, not in Bering Sea or SE, 1 HFR

A few key obs in PWS - $300k

DMAC and Product Development

$700-800k: maintain regional portal, satellite data processing

About $500k effort is minimum to keep data portal & website going

RA Management and Outreach

$400k: maintenance level staffing

Reduced to 1 person staff - $200k; no collaboration initiatives