Caribbean Regional Association for Coastal Ocean Observing

(CaRA/CarICOOS)

2009 Regional Coordination Workshop

Seattle, WA

August 25, 2009

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Part 1: Project Status Report

Support to the Caribbean Regional Association for Integrated Coastal Ocean Observing

(05/01/2008 – 04/30/2011)

Implementation of the Caribbean Regional Integrated Coastal Ocean Observing System

(08/01/2008-07/31/2011)

Project InvestigatorsJulio M. Morell, Jorge E. Corredor, Aurelio Mercado,

Jorge E. Capella, Luis Aponte, Miguel Canals – UPRM Roy A. Watlington, Naseer Idrissi – UVI

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Project Status Report: Project Schedule and Milestones

• Enhancing proactive participation and diversity within the Governance Structure and strengthening the Regional Association.

• Continued revision and refinement of CaRA’s draft business plan.

• Continued and expanded exchange with stakeholders to provide for further development of CaRA’s needs assessment.

• Continued refinement and prioritization of CaRA’s observing system design and ensure interoperability of data and information products.

• Enhancement of stakeholder recognition and trust through rapid development of appropriate, effective avenues of access to useful integrated data products that meet expressed CaRA stakeholder needs.

• Emplace and maintain core coastal observing assets for near real time observations of coastal circulation, waves, winds and water quality in Atlantic and Caribbean coastal zonal bands.

• Implement an operational modeling program that will generate coastal wind, wave and circulation forecasts providing an integrative regional context to observational data and generate improved storm surge driven coastal inundation maps and surface tidal elevation products.

• Develop regionally focused coastal water quality products derived from remotely sensed data and validated using in situ observations.

• Maximize usefulness and availability of the above data streams by implementing DMAC standards and procedures assuring data availability to the IOOS community.

• Assure usefulness to all stakeholder sectors by implementing a tailored product design and delivery strategies.

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Keys to Success

o Sustained stakeholder engagement through web page presence, press interviews & releases, workshops and meetings (sector focused in particular), one-on-one visits, new observing assets/data products o Intern Program (sustained development of regional expertise)o Visiting expert program (technology transfer)o Strategic Alliances and Leveraging

Buoy program – University of Maine Modeling:

ADCIRC Circulation – PennState ADCIRC/inundation – PR DNRE Renaissance Institute & UNC ROMS/HYCOM – RSMAS SWAN (UniNorte) UPRM Alliance for Coastal Modeling

Surface currents CODAR program: DHS-funded “National Center for Secure and Resilient Maritime Commerce and Coastal Environments” (CSR)

Water Quality Partnerships with remote sensing specialists: NOAA CoastWatch, European Space Agency, USFNOAA Atlantic Test Bed for CO2 monitoring

Coastal Weather ICON/CREWS PR Seismic Network Coastal weather mesonet – WeatherFlow

o Liaisons for needs assessment (NWS, PR Sea Grant Program, USGS, USCG, DNRE)

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Potential Challenges

Challenges:

1. Institutional (UPRM, UVI) – cumbersome purchasing, contractual & accounting procedures

2. Maintaining stakeholder interest with few unique data streams

3. Lack of understanding by public of graphical products (ie: NWS GF)

Resolving challenges:

1. Under consultation with CaRA Board

2. Increased observing system products

3. Outreach & Education, sustained product improvement

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 

Water Quality x x  x x  x

Marine Operations x x   x x  x

Coastal Hazards  x      x  x  

Current Status: Product Examples

• “one-stop-shopping” for government, commercial & recreational stakeholders on ocean and weather conditions

• Existing data streams (NOAA, USGS, Navy)• Real-time Buoy data• Real-time Meteo• Model data• Imagery

• storm-driven coastal inundation products for local government for emergency management & planning (PR State Emergency Management Agency)

• Coastal weather data & products to NWS-San Juan for improved forecasting capability

• Outreach to stakeholder groups to assure appropriate product use

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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 1 buoy 2 CSR  1 CW

Meteorological 1 buoy 3 WF  

Chemical2 buoy,

CRP 1 CRP  

Biological

1 CW 2 ESA,

USF

Geological          

Code: CW = NOAA CoastWatch, ESA = European Space Agency, USF = U. of South Florida, CSR = DHS CODAR Project, CRP = NOAA Coral Reef Program

Map 1a: Existing Observing Assets

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Map 1b: Leveraged Assets

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Current Status: In Water Assets• CarICOOS Data Buoy A

Current Status: In Water Assets

• NOAA MAPCO2 Buoy– NOAA PMEL, NOAA CRP– CariCOOS

Current Status: On Land Assets

Current Status: On Land Assets• CSR – CODAR HF Radar • Equipment on loan from:

– Rutgers COOL– TAMU

Current Status: Modeling and DMAC subsystems

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

Atmospheric  WRF WRF   

Circulation  HYCOM/ROMS ADCIRC   

Inundation  ADCIRC   ADCIRC  

Wave  SWAN  SWAN  

Hydrological      x

Sediment transport      x

Water Quality/Ecosystem x

Fisheries x

DMAC Complete In-progress Not at all

RA Website that serves data x

DIF - working to ensure interoperability x

Regional Data Portal x

Coastal Currents ADCIRC (J. Capella-CaRA, Dave Hill,- Penn State)

• PR DNER contracted CaRA – UPRM

Alliance for Coastal Modeling to perform

Coastal Zone inundation modeling using

ADCIRC, SWAN and COULWAVE.

• Coastal Winds

• WRF J. Gonzales-CaRA/UPRM, S.

Strippling NHC

• Coastal Waves

• SWAN ( C. Anselmi, CaRA-UPRM, J. C.

Ortiz –UniNorte)

CURRENT STATUS - MODELING ASSETS (NOWCASTS AND FORECAST)

• storm surge-inundation ADCIRC

• (J. Gonzalez, CaRA-UPRM, A. Mercado-

UPRM, B. Blanton-Renaissance Institute ),

collaboration DRNA

• offshore currents (HYCOM/ROMS)

L. Cherubin-RSMAS, N. Idrissi-UVI),

IAS/NCOM (D. Ko-NRL)

MODELING ASSETS (cont.)

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 

Water Quality x x x  X x x 

Marine Operations x x  x x x x x 

Coastal Hazards 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

Physical4 buoys 8 HF

Radar2 ship & 2 glider SST 

Meteorological 2 buoys

6 hardened

meteo  

Chemical 3 WQM MAPCO2

2 ship10 inshore

sta.CDOM,

turbidity 

Biological 3 WQM  Chl a

Geological    

Shoreline erosion

profiles    

Future Plans: Observations

Future Plan: Modeling and DMAC

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Modeling* Region-wide Sub-region Not at all

Atmospheric  WRF  WRF  

Circulation   HYCOM/ROMS   ADCIRC HYCOM/ROMS

 

Inundation    PADCIRC SWAN BOUSSINESQUE

 

Wave  SWAN  SWAN  

Hydrologic  TBI  TBI  

Sediment transport  USACE CMS  USACE CMS  

Water quality/ecosystem

Fisheries HYCOM/ROMS

DMAC Yes In-progress No

RA Website that serves dataX

(caricoos.org)

DIF - working to ensure interoperability X

Regional Data PortalX

(dm1.caricoos.org)

CariCOOS Future Plans

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Funding Scenario

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Funding Scenarios $3 million $1 million

ModelingReduce: infrastructure support

InfrastructureHardwarePersonnel

Observing

CODARGlider transects

Reduce:s

hip operations

Coastal weather

CODAR Glider transects

Further reduce:s

hip operations

Coastal weather

Personnel

Reduce:B

uoys

DMAC and Product Development

RA Management and Outreach

Reduce:Personnel

Further reduce:PersonnelOutreach activities