[SCCOOS] SCCOOS News and Events
news at sccoos.org
news at sccoos.org
Wed Aug 23 17:09:46 PDT 2006
SCCOOS News - August 2006
In This Issue
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCCOOS News:
* SCCOOS participation at the California and the World Ocean '06
Conference
* SCCOOS Senior Advisory Committee to hold inaugural meeting
* HF Radar installation at Point Fermin
* SCCOOS meets with representatives of the LA and Long Beach maritime
community
* SCCOOS participates in Urban Watershed Summit
* SCCOOS and CeNCOOS meet with Coastal Conservancy on COCMP
* Huntington Beach 06 demonstration program on track
* Forum held on the San Diego County Integrated Regional Water Management
Plan
* SCCOOS participates in Regional IOOS Catalog Workshop
* New station added to San Clemente Island
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(New Feature!) News from the SCCOOS Region:
* Anticipated opening of channel linking Bolsa Chica wetlands to ocean
* Permit approved for Encina desalination facility
* LA Regional Water Quality Control Board continues consideration of
stricter water discharge limits
* Report shows San Diego beaches are shrinking
* Economics of beach tourism studied in Carlsbad
* Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach develop joint air quality plan
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(New Feature!) State and National Ocean Observing News:
* Update on California's new Ocean Sciences Applications (OSA) program
* Status of federal budget process
* Meetings on National Ocean Research Priorities plan being held at CWO
'06 and Scripps Institution of Oceanography
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meetings and Conferences:
* 30th International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE 2006)
* California and the World Ocean '06 - Implementing California's Vision
for Ocean and Coastal Protection
* Oceans 2006 - Revolutionizing Marine Science and Technology
* 2nd CASQA Conference and Exposition
* 53rd Annual Eastern Pacific Ocean Conference (EPOC)
* 2006 American Shore and Beach Preservation Association Fall Conference
* Ocean Optics XVIII
* EPA National Beach Conference
* The Annual Conference of the American Water Resources Association
* Restore America's Estuaries' 3rd National Conference and Expo on Coastal
Estuarine Habitat Restoration
* American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting
* Coastal Sediments 2007
* TMDL 2007
* Coastal Zone '07 Brewing Local Solutions to Your Coastal Issues
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCCOOS News
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCCOOS participation at the California and the World Ocean '06 Conference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCCOOS is a co-sponsor of the CWO '06 conference and will be providing
numerous presentations, posters, and a SCCOOS and CeNCOOS joint exhibit,
highlighting the existing capabilities of California's ocean observing
systems. A draft program schedule is now available for the upcoming CWO '06,
to be held in Long Beach on 17-20 September 2006. A session on California's
Ocean Observatories will provide an overview of various observing and
monitoring programs underway in California. Online registration and
conference updates can be found on the CWO '06 web site.
SCCOOS-related oral presentations:
http://www.sccoos.org/cwoSept06.html
All conference draft sessions:
http://resources.ca.gov/ocean/cwo06/concurrent_sessions1.htm#World
CWO '06 web site:
http://resources.ca.gov/ocean/cwo06
SCCOOS Senior Advisory Committee to hold inaugural meeting
----------------------------------------------------------
Members of the SCCOOS Senior Advisory Committee will gather for its
inaugural meeting during the CWO '06 Conference in Long Beach next month.
Established by the Board of Governors at its annual meeting, the Senior
Advisory Committee is currently comprised of eighteen representatives of
regional, state and federal agencies, user groups, and industry. The
committee will provide guidance and comments to SCCOOS operations,
participate in strategic planning, and serve as an outside source of
information and reference to link SCCOOS with the broad stakeholder
interests, priorities, and knowledge within the region. The willingness of
these agencies and organizations to participate on the committee is
testament to the level of engagement, interest in collaboration, and
commitment to development of the ocean observing system for Southern
California.
List of current committee members:
http://sccoos.org/as-org-members.html
HF Radar installation at Point Fermin
-------------------------------------
SCCOOS participants at USC and SCCOOS staff have been working with the USCG
on the deployment of a surface current mapping system at Point Fermin in
support of the Huntington Beach experiment (HB06). Provision of
communications to this location has proved challenging, and DSL was finally
installed earlier this month. The Point Fermin site is in the final stages
of configuration and should be operational by the end of August 2006. This
site joins the growing list of installed radars including the recent
installations on Catalina and San Clemente Islands.
Additional information about the site:
http://sccoos.ucsd.edu/SoCal/SiteData.cfm?siteID=S18_SCPF
SCCOOS meets with representatives of the LA and Long Beach maritime
community
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Marine Exchange of Southern California hosted a meeting on 1 August 2006
at its office in San Pedro for SCCOOS representatives Dr. Burt Jones and
Stephanie Peck and representatives of the Marine Exchange, Coast Guard, and
LA and Long Beach harbor pilot services. Presentations about SCCOOS were
provided to the group, including information about the final stage of
installation for the Point Fermin site located a short distance from the
Marine Exchange. Ideas were exchanged about data products that SCCOOS could
develop and make available to assist these agencies in their work, including
search and rescue and vessel traffic aids. Dr. Jones and Ms. Peck were given
a tour of the facility that offered a fascinating view of the historical and
technological development of the Marine Exchange and vessel traffic service
for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The Marine Exchange, a
non-profit trade organization, serves the Southern California maritime
industry and waterfront business community including port authorities,
harbor pilot organizations, steamship companies, and boat operators. The
Marine Exchange is also often consulted as a first source for maritime
information during search and rescue operations.
Marine Exchange of Southern California web site:
http://www.mxsocal.org/
SCCOOS participates in Urban Watershed Summit
---------------------------------------------
SCCOOS staff attended the Urban Watershed Summit II held in South Gate on 20
July 2006, sponsored by Heal the Bay, the City of Los Angeles, the County of
Los Angeles, Southern California Edison, and the Water Replenishment
District of Southern California. The meeting brought together elected
officials, scientists, environmental and community organizations to discuss
urban watershed management challenges and opportunities in the Los Angeles
region. SCCOOS Board Member and Director of UCLA's Institute of the
Environment Mary Nichols served as a speaker on a panel on successful urban
watershed management. The event provided an opportunity for SCCOOS to engage
with potential partners and end users including Heal the Bay and coastal
cities.
For full summary, presentations and program agenda:
http://www.healthebay.org/news/2006/08_14_uwswrapup
SCCOOS and CeNCOOS meet with Coastal Conservancy on COCMP
---------------------------------------------------------
SCCOOS and CeNCOOS Executive Committee members and staff met with State
Coastal Conservancy representatives on 7 June 2006 at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography to discuss the status of the Coastal Ocean Currents Monitoring
Program (COCMP), explore opportunities to collaborate in program
implementation, review the current Safe Seas and Huntington Beach
demonstrations, consider products and applications, and discuss future
program enhancements. The meeting provided an opportunity to highlight the
progress being made with COCMP, advanced the relationships of these key
partners, and fostered a better understanding of state expectations and
regional implementation challenges. Coastal Conservancy representatives were
given a tour of the facilities responsible for field and data operations,
including demonstrations of the real-time data displays for sensors
distributed throughout Southern California.
Huntington Beach 06 demonstration program on track
--------------------------------------------------
During the last week in June 2006, HB06 moorings were deployed by USGS using
the RV Nerissa. Two SCCOOS moorings will be deployed in early September, and
work is on schedule for the intensive nearshore observations to be conducted
in September and October. Stay tuned for the release of an interactive data
page highlighting the various data products in development for the project.
Information about the Huntington Beach project (pdf):
http://www.sccoos.org/docs/SCCOOS-SanPedro.pdf
Forum held on the San Diego County Integrated Regional Water Management plan
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The County of San Diego and San Diego County Water Authority conducted the
Clean Water Summit on 30 June 2006 to present the region's plan for
integrated water management and discuss priority issues related to water
quality, water supply, and watershed protection. SCCOOS staff member
Stephanie Peck participated in the forum, which provided an opportunity to
interact with San Diego County staff and elected officials and the San Diego
Regional Water Quality Control Board. The County of San Diego is a regional
partner in providing data for posting on the SCCOOS web site.
Summit agenda and presentation:
http://www.projectcleanwater.org/html/cws_2006.html
SCCOOS participates in Regional IOOS Catalog Workshop
-----------------------------------------------------
SCCOOS was one of several Regional Association representatives that took
part in the Regional IOOS Catalog Workshop on 19-20 June 2006 in Woods Hole,
Massachusetts. Participants, including SCCOOS staff member Lisa Hazard,
discussed dataset content for IOOS-relevant platform and sensor information
and the catalog implementation process and roles. Efforts will focus on
streamlining the process with a minimum level of standardization. The
Regional Associations will be the primary points of contact for subregional
activities.
Workshop materials are available here:
http://sccoos.ucsd.edu/docs/CatalogWorkshop02806.pdf
New Station Added to San Clemente Island
----------------------------------------
In June 2006, SCCOOS connected an additional station to its surface current
mapping system at San Clemente Island. Staff from SCCOOS worked with the
High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN) to upgrade
a link and configure a wireless extension on the island to the new station.
Reliable communications are essential for transport of data on real-time
surface currents and meteorological conditions. The deployment of this site
allows for the mapping of currents off shore from San Pedro to La Jolla.
Read the full article here:
http://hpwren.ucsd.edu/news/20060810
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
News from the SCCOOS Region
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anticipated opening of channel linking Bolsa Chica wetlands to ocean
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For the first time in more than a century, seawater will flow into the
former oil-drilling land that is now the 880-acre Bolsa Chica wetlands when
the tidal inlet is opened on 24 August 2006. The last sand dam separating
Bolsa Chica from the ocean will be dug out allowing rising ocean tides to
meet the inlet. The inlet will allow ocean tides to flush a 367-acre basin
twice a day, restoring habitat for fish species, birds and plants. Numerous
government agencies and environmental and community organizations have been
involved with the 30-year Bolsa Chica wetlands restoration project. State
bonds provided funds for the project, but most of the restoration costs were
paid by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as part of a mitigation plan
for the impacts of port expansion. While the project was designed with no
connections to existing flood channels, water quality monitoring will be
conducted by organizations such as the Surfrider Foundation to check for
contamination that may be flushed out into the surf from the inlet.
Read more about the Bolsa Chica wetlands:
http://www.fws.gov/bolsachica
Permit approved for Encina desalination facility
------------------------------------------------
The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board approved a permit on 16
August 2006 for a proposed ocean water desalination plant on the grounds of
the Encina Power Station in Carlsbad. The plant would process 100 million
gallons a day of seawater, supplied by water used by the power station to
cool generators, to produce 50 million gallons of drinking water. Issues
debated during the review process include salt concentration in the water
discharged back into the ocean and resulting impacts on marine organisms,
and other potential harm to fish and marine life through impingement and
entrainment. The Carlsbad City Council approved the project application in
June. Action by the regional board was the final local regulatory step
before the project is submitted to the California Coastal Commission.
Desalination has become a major environmental challenge facing the state.
Many water officials regard desalination as an important and viable water
supply source, and various local authorities in California increasingly are
exploring the technology to reduce reliance on imported water and augment
local supply. The economic, energy and environmental costs of desalination,
particularly associated with coastal facilities, continue to be highly
contested issues in the debate.
Article about the Board's action:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060817/news_1mi17desal.html
More about seawater desalination in California:
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/desalrpt/dsynops.html
LA Regional Water Quality Control Board continues consideration of stricter
water discharge limits
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board postponed action at its
July meeting on modifications to waste discharge requirements for the
county's municipal storm water discharge permit. The regional board was to
have met a federal consent decree deadline of 15 July 2006 to impose more
stringent enforcement on cities and the county if they fail to meet new
discharge limits and protect the region's beaches from beach closures
resulting from bacterial contamination in urban runoff. Proponents regard
the new discharge standards as essential to protecting the public health of
millions of beach visitors. Local governments are challenging the
effectiveness and cost of the clean up measures. The regional board
continued the matter until September to allow additional time to consider
all the public comments received.
More about the Santa Monica Bay Beaches Bacteria Dry Weather TMDL
(the implementation program for new discharge requirements):
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb4/html/programs/stormwater/lams4-20060728reopener.html
LA Times article about the issue:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-runoff15jul15,1,3419398.story
Report shows San Diego beaches are shrinking
--------------------------------------------
A consulting firm reported to SANDAG's Shoreline Preservation Working group
at its meeting on 6 July 2006 that area beaches are shrinking and are nearly
as narrow as in 2001, when they were widened by the Regional Beach Sand
Project. The firm has monitored beach widths since SANDAG's 2001 project, a
$17.5 million, four-month effort that transferred 2 million cubic yards of
sand onto twelve beaches from Oceanside to Imperial Beach. Local officials
are considering support of another regional sand project and exploring ways
to fund beach replenishment. Two coastal cities in San Diego County,
Encinitas and Solana Beach, have taken action already by designating a
percentage of their transient occupancy tax, or TOT, to pay for sand
replenishment.
SANDAG report:
http://www.sandag.cog.ca.us/uploads/meetingid/meetingid_1457_5572.pdf
Economics of beach tourism studied in Carlsbad
----------------------------------------------
A recent study found that spending associated with visits to Carlsbad's six
miles of beaches totaled more than $26 million during the summer of 2005.
The study, commissioned by the city of Carlsbad, was conducted in June
through August 2005, during which time approximately 600,000 people visited
Carlsbad beaches. Typical visitor spending was $66 per day, $44 of which was
spent daily at local businesses. The total spending generated revenue of
$1.2 million in hotel taxes and $94,000 in sales taxes. While other studies
have examined beach tourism in the state, the city was interested in a
Carlsbad-specific study. Similar studies have been done for other coastal
California cities, including Encinitas, San Clemente, and Ventura.
San Diego Union-Tribune article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20060628-9999-1mc28survey.html
The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Carlsbad's Beaches(pdf):
http://www.ci.carlsbad.ca.us/pdfdoc.html?pid=493
Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach develop joint air quality plan
------------------------------------------------------------------
The ports of LA and Long Beach have introduced a joint air quality plan, and
in doing so, have taken an unprecedented action and initiated an historic
cooperative relationship. With the participation of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board, and South Coast Air
Quality Management District, the two ports have developed a far-reaching
plan to reduce by 50 percent the air pollution from port-related ships,
trains, trucks, terminal equipment and harbor craft in the next five years.
To support the comprehensive plan, the Port of Los Angeles has committed
$177 million and Long Beach $181 million to implement the anti-pollution
measures. The plan reflects a new effort by the ports to address mutual air
quality problems together.
Article from the LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ports4jul04,1,6639837.story?coll=la-headlines-california
The San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan:
http://www.polb.com/environment/environmental_documents.asp
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
State and National Ocean Observing News
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update on California's new Ocean Sciences Applications (OSA) program
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Development of the state OSA program is proceeding with staff proposed to be
in place later this year. The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) at
its meeting 8 June 2006 approved the creation of the OSA program, a state
program within the State Coastal Conservancy, to conduct ocean observing
advocacy, development and implementation. OSA's charge will be to ensure
that existing and new observing systems address the state's ocean and
coastal management priorities, benefit a broad suite of users, and are
sustained over time. The OSA will work closely with the OPC and Ocean
Science Trust in developing monitoring programs and future potential
bond-funded programs utilizing ocean observing technologies and
infrastructure. The $21 million surface current monitoring program, Coastal
Ocean Currents Monitoring Program (COCMP), with awards to SCCOOS and
CeNCOOS, will be part of the OSA portfolio.
More information about OSA:
http://resources.ca.gov/copc/4-20-06_meeting/0604_OPC_Book/0604COPC08_MEMO_CA_Ocean_Observing_Systems_Plan.pdf
Status of federal budget process
--------------------------------
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved on 13 July 2006 the Commerce,
Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee bill for fiscal year 2007. The
bill includes $4.43 billion for NOAA--$536 million over last year's level,
$753 million above the budget request, and $1.055 billion more than the
amount recommended in the House bill. The Subcommittee's recommendations
included $60 million to jump start the national Integrated Ocean Observation
System (IOOS) program and $31 million for Statewide ocean observing systems.
The Subcommittee directs NOAA to develop a competitive, peer review process
for awarding regional ocean observing systems grants in FY 2008. SCCOOS
anticipates its funding from NOAA in FY07 to be $1.5M.
Meetings on National Ocean Research Priorities plan being held at CWO '06
and Scripps Institution of Oceanography
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The National Science and Technology Council Joint Subcommittee on Ocean
Science and Technology (JSOST) is developing Charting the Course for Ocean
Science in the United States: Research Priorities for the Next Decade, a
draft document called for in the U.S. Ocean Action Plan that outlines
national ocean research priorities for the United States for the next ten
years. The draft document is scheduled to be released for public comment
late this summer. Public briefings, town hall meetings, and panels on the
national ocean research priorities will be held during the next few months
in a number of cities and at several conferences across the country,
including CWO '06 in Long Beach and Scripps Institution of Oceanography in
La Jolla in September. Members of the research community, industry groups,
ocean educators, government representatives, NGOs, and interested
individuals are invited to attend.
Developing list of public briefings and meetings with venue details:
http://ocean.ceq.gov/about/sup_jsost_orpp_outreach.html
Meeting announcement for the Scripps event:
http://ocean.ceq.gov/about/docs/JSOST_SoCalifornia.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Events
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
30th International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE 2006)
3-8 September 2006 o San Diego, CA
Sponsored by the ICCE 2006 Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and the Coasts,
Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute (COPRI) of the American Society of Civil
Engineers.
http://www.ICCE2006.com
California and the World Ocean '06 - Implementing California's Vision for
Ocean and Coastal Protection
17-20 September 2006 - Long Beach, CA
http://resources.ca.gov/ocean/cwo06
Oceans 2006 - Revolutionizing Marine Science and Technology
18-22 September 2006 - Boston, MA
Sponsored by IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society and The Marine Technology
Society
http://www.oceans2006.org
2nd CASQA Conference and Exposition
25-27 September 2006 - Sacramento, CA
The focus of this year's program will be: Stormwater, Treatment, Operations,
Research, and Management.
http://www.casqa.org/announcements.php.
53rd Annual Eastern Pacific Ocean Conference (EPOC)
27-30 September 2006 - Timberline Lodge, OR
http://damp.coas.oregonstate.edu/epoc2006
2006 American Shore and Beach Preservation Association Fall Conference
9-11 October 2006 - Long Branch, NJ
http://www.asbpa.org/conferences/conf_06_fall.htm
Ocean Optics XVIII
9-13 October 2006 - Montreal, Canada
http://oceanopticsconference.org/home
EPA National Beach Conference
11-13 October 2006 - Niagara Falls, NY
http://www.tetratech-ffx.com/beach_conf2006
The Annual Conference of the American Water Resources Association
6-9 November 2006 - Baltimore, MD
http://www.awra.org/meetings/Baltimore2006/index.html
Restore America's Estuaries' 3rd National Conference and Expo on Coastal
Estuarine Habitat Restoration
9-13 December 2006 - New Orleans, LA
http://www.estuaries.org/?id=4
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting
11-15 December 2006 - San Francisco, CA
Abstracts for the upcoming AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco are due 7
September 2006. SCCOOS PI's and participants are encouraged to consider
submission of an abstract. Some relevant sessions are listed here, although
there are many others more discipline specific that can be viewed here.
Abstract submission guidelines can be found here. If you are not an AGU
member, you will need a sponsor to submit as first author. Please contact
Carolyn Keen at cskeen at ucsd.edu if you need assistance with this.
http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm06
Coastal Sediments 2007
13-17 May 2007 - New Orleans, LA
http://www.asce.org/conferences/cs07
TMDL 2007
24 -27 June 2007 - Bellevue, Washington
http://www.wef.org/ConferencesTraining/Conferences/SpecialtyConference/TMDL2007.htm
Coastal Zone '07 Brewing Local Solutions to Your Coastal Issues
22-26 July 2007 - Portland, OR
Abstracts for presentations and panel, poster and training sessions are due
7 October 2006.
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cz/index.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This newsletter is published by the Southern California Coastal Ocean
Observing System. Submit your news stories by email to news at sccoos.org
to be included in this mailing. If you have received this mailing in
error, you can unsubscribe at http://www.sccoos.org/unsubscribe.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://siomail.ucsd.edu/pipermail/sccoos/attachments/20060823/2b332710/attachment-0001.htm
More information about the SCCOOS
mailing list