[SCCOOS] SCCOOS News and Events

Fri Mar 24 16:29:51 PST 2006

 News - Spring 2006
News & Updates

23 MARCH 2006 - Seventeen U.S. Senators have demonstrated their support
for the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and regional ocean
observing systems in a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science. The Subcommittee is
considering $138 million in funding for the national and regional ocean
observing programs in FY 2007. The letter can be accessed as a pdf here:

http://www.sccoos.org/docs/OO-FundingLtr.pdf

22 MARCH 2006 - Potentially toxic Pseudo-nitzschia bloom was found off
of Scripps Pier on 13 and 16 March 2006. Phytoplankton samples from
Scripps Pier showed high numbers of the potentially toxic marine diatom
Pseudo-nitzschia australis.  SCCOOS researchers observed cell numbers of
7.0 x 104 cells l- Pseudo-nitzschia australis.  The researchers do not
yet have assay results for the toxin domoic acid (DA), which is
associated with this species. However, one sea lion with possible domoic
acid poisoning was rescued in Encinitas on 18 March 2006 from the
Seaworld rescue team. On 9 March 2006, a toxic Pseudo-nitzschia bloom
was reported from San Pedro Channel in Los Angeles, with associated
poisoning of 18 sea lions (Schnetzer & Caron, USC). Toxic levels for
California are ~ 5  x 104 cells l-1 Pseudo-nitzschia australis,  the
concentration at which mussels and fish reach average toxin levels
considered unfit for human consumption (Silver, unpubl. data). 
the report as a pdf from:

http://www.sccoos.org/docs/Pseudo-nitzschia-rpt.pdf

23 MARCH 2006 - The California Ocean Protection Council concluded
workshops on the OPC's Draft Five-Year Strategic Plan (online at
http://resources.ca.gov/copc/strategic_plan.html). Written comments
on the draft must be submitted by 29 March 2006. Instructions to submit
comments are here:
(http://resources.ca.gov/copc/comment_instructions.html). The OPC is
seeking public feedback on the mission and role of the Ocean Protection
Council as described in Sections I and II, as well as on the potential 
goals, objectives, and actions that have been identified in Section III.

9 MARCH 2006 - The National Federation of Regional Associations (NFRA)
conducted its Spring Meeting on March 9-10, 2006 at the CORE offices in
Washington, D.C.  Representatives of the eleven regional ocean observing
systems considered numerous items including Ocean.US draft certification
criteria, status of IOOS and DMAC, legislative and funding updates, and
NFRA business matters. Presentations were given by NOAA, Coastal
Services Center, US GOOS, Ocean.US, several regional associations, and
others. SCCOOS staffmember Stephanie Peck attended the meeting. Minutes
of the meeting are not yet available, but the agenda can be accessed
as a pdf from:  

http://sccoos.ucsd.edu/docs/Agenda-9March2006.pdf

28 FEBRUARY 2006 - The California Ocean Protection Council invites
applications for the position of Executive Policy Officer for the
California Ocean Protection Council (OPC). The Executive Policy Officer
of the California OPC will report to the Council Chair and will be the
primary policy analyst for the OPC. The Executive Policy Officer assumes
the lead role for strategic planning and implementation of the OPC's
policies, initiatives, and programs as well as coordination among all
State entities associated with the purview. To view the job announcement
as a pdf on the OPC website, go here:

http://resources.ca.gov/copc/docs/OPC_Executive_Policy_Officer_Job_Announcement.pdf

13-14 FEBRUARY 2006 - The SCCOOS Board of Governors conducted a
planning meeting at UCLA. The Board considered and took action on
organizational bylaws (available at
http://sccoos.ucsd.edu/docs/BYLAWS_final.pdf), a Senior Advisory
Committee, a Strategic Business Plan outline, coordination of external
communications, working group reports, updates from SCCOOS programs and
state and federal agencies, and strategic planning. As part of approving
the bylaws, the Board of Governors established a Senior Advisory
Committee (SAC) to provide a more formal means for engaging external
expertise and providing advice and guidance to the Board. The group of
senior advisors will provide guidance and comments to existing SCCOOS
operations, participate in strategic planning efforts, communicate and
serve as a source of information and reference. The SAC will be invited
to share perspectives, mission objectives, regional priorities, and
design ideas for the ocean observing system to foster cohesion of
stakeholder needs and promote a unified system at both the regional and
national levels. Fourteen organizations have favorably responded to
serve in this advisory role including representatives from California
Oil Spill Prevention and Response, California Seagrant, Central Bight
Water Quality Working Group, NOAA, Orange County Dept. of Health, State
Coastal Commission, State Coastal Conservancy, State Water Resources
Control Board, Tijuana NERR, U.S. Geological Survey, USC Seagrant, USN
METOC, LA/Long Beach Marine Exchange, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A terms of reference will be drafted in the coming months, and planning
for a meeting of the SAC is underway.

A dedicated page has been created for this meeting on the SCCOOS web
site (http://sccoos.ucsd.edu/sccoos-meetings.html).
Meeting minutes and presentations are currently being collected and will
be posted at http://sccoos.ucsd.edu/sccoos-meetings.html as they
are made available.

6 FEBRUARY 2006 - The Ocean Observatories Initiative is included as a
new start in the President's FY07 budget, with a total of $309.5M over
the life of the program. The MRE-FC budget can be accessed as a pdf at:
http://www.sccoos.org/docs/MRE-FC-Budgets.pdf

1 FEBRUARY 2006 - In late January of 2006, a potential harmful algal
bloom (HAB) was visible in La Jolla and Del Mar coastal waters. The
Scripps Pier Chlorophyll Program and Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)
researchers have produced a brief report on  this  bloom. The report
is available as a pdf online 
(http://www.sccoos.org/docs/DinoflagellateBloomRpt.pdf).  Chlorophyll 
and HAB data will soon be available at the SCCOOS web site.

NOAA EXPANDS COASTAL STORM INLAND FLOODING PREDICTION TOOL -
Enhancements Bring Valuable Assistance to New England Emergency Managers

NOAA's Coastal Services Center and National Weather Service, working in
partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers and Sea Island Software, Inc., have developed an
enhanced inland flooding forecast component to HURREVAC, a computer
program used by government emergency managers. These updates will
address the growing threat of damages due to flooding caused by coastal
storms and will allow emergency management personnel throughout New
England to quickly compare flood inundation maps with forecasts of
rainfall and river levels. Full Story here:

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2006/s2584.htm

Conferences, Workshops & Meetings

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ORION Design & Implementation Workshop 

The Orion Design & Implementation Workshop will be held 
27-30 March 2006 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The workshop will present 
to the ocean research community the conceptual design of the global, 
regional and coastal ocean research observatory network to be 
implemented under the ORION Program. The conceptual design is being 
developed based on an extensive effort by ORION's Project Office and 
scientific, technical and engineering advisory committees, using the 
ideas submitted in the Request for Assistance Proposals and previous 
workshop reports. Participants will engage in intensive 
component/scale (global, regional and coastal) and cross-scale 
thematic breakout group discussions to evaluate the conceptual 
design and its implementation. Program and registration information 
is available here:

http://www.orionprogram.org/di_workshop.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ocean Research Priorities Plan Workshop

NSTC Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST) is 
holding a public workshop, Guiding National Ocean Research 
Investment: Public Workshop on the Ocean Research Priorities Plan, 
on 18-20 April 2006 in Denver, Colorado, to
provide an opportunity for ocean science communities to interact and
provide guidance on the development of the Ocean Research Priorities
Plan(ORPP) (http://ocean.ceq.gov/about/sup_jsost_prioritiesplan.html).
The workshop will focus on key aspects of the ORPP. Seven thematic areas
were developed from societal needs: quality of life, human health,
natural hazards, living and non-living resources, ecosystem health, the
ocean's roles in climate variability and change, and marine
transportation and security. Cross-cutting topics were also developed
including basic understanding, observations and technology, ocean
education, and multi-sector partnerships. The workshop will provide a
forum for participants to address common research needs and provide
input on the establishment of national ocean research priorities. Tables
will be available in the workshop reception area for the display of
limited quantities of printed promotional materials. More information is
available here: 

http://ocean.ceq.gov/about/jsost_workshop/welcome.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CalCoast Sacramento Forum 2006

A conference on The Coast and California's Watersheds: Investing in our 
Natural Infrastructure will be held 19-20 April 2006 in Sacramento. 
The conference is sponsored by CalCoast, The Southern California 
Wetlands Recovery Project & the California Watershed Network. The first 
day of the conference will feature two panels of state legislators and
representatives from state agencies and organizations involved in 
coastal and watershed issues and an evening legislative reception.
Participants will meet with legislators on the second day. Program and
registration information is available here:

http://www.coastalconference.org/sac_2006/index.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ocean Protection Council Meeting

The California Ocean Protection Council will hold its next meeting on 
19-20 April 2006 in Sacramento.  Information about the meeting is 
available on the OPC web site here:

http://resources.ca.gov/copc/meetings.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern California Marine Monitoring Conference IV:

Registration is now available for the Southern California Marine 
Monitoring Conference IV to be held 24-25 April 2006 at the 
Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Co-hosts for this event are 
USC's Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, SCCOOS and
Catalina Conservancy Divers. 

invitation (pdf): http://www.sccoos.org/docs/MMC-Invite.pdf
online registration: http://www.sccoos.org/sccoos-meetings24Apr06.html

Note: Online registration will be open until 16 April 2006. Late
registration will be permitted on an as available basis the day of the
event at a cost of $50.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
30th International CCE Conference

The 30th International Conference on Coastal Engineering will be held 
at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego in San Diego, California,
3-8 September 2006. Coastal engineers from around the world will meet 
to discuss coastal engineering related research, design and case 
studies. Papers and case studies will be presented on coastal 
oceanography and meteorology, coastal sediment process, coastal 
hazards and flood risk management, coastal environment, coastal 
structures, ports and harbors, shore protection and sustainable
coastal development. The abstract and conference registration deadline
is 1 April 2006. 

conference web site: http://www.icce2006.com
conference bulletin (pdf): http://www.icce2006.com/ConferenceBulletin.pdf

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SCOAR Conference

The UNOLS Scientific Committee for Oceanographic
Aircraft Research (SCOAR) is hosting a conference 24-25 May 2006 on
the use of airborne platforms in oceanographic and marine meteorological
research, to held at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. More
information on the meeting can be accessed at:

http://www.sccoos.org/news-UNOLS-24May06.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CWO '06

The California and the World Ocean '06 Conference will be
held 17-20 September 2006 in Long Beach, California. This international
conference is organized by the California Resources Agency, the
California Environmental Protection Agency, and the State Coastal
Conservancy. The California Ocean Protection Council will open this
conference with a new vision for action to protect and manage ocean and
coastal resources. The conference will emphasize the need for states and
countries to move from planning for future action to taking action, the
connection between land and sea, and actions from our watersheds to the
deep ocean waters off the coast. The conference will focus on evaluating
achievements since the release of the U.S. Ocean Commission report and
on the necessary steps for moving forward. Abstracts for an oral/poster
presentation or a complete topical session are due 14 April 2006. More
information is available at the conference web site:

http://resources.ca.gov/ocean/cwo06  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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/unsub
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://siomail.ucsd.edu/pipermail/sccoos/attachments/20060324/9ba7f809/attachment-0001.htm