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October 5, 2016

Hurricane Matthew

** NEW BLOG: Read posts on Matthew from experts in the Southeast Region ** Hurricane Matthew, a category 3 hurricane at 8 AM ET October 7, moved up the southeast coast, eventually making landfall as a category 1 hurricane just north of Charleston, SC on Oct. 8. Maximum sustained winds were near 120 mph during … Continue reading "Hurricane Matthew"

August 31, 2016

Tropical Storm Hermine and Tropical Depression Eight Passing Over SECOORA Assets

Tropical Depression Eight and Tropical Storm Hermine are dousing the SECOORA region.Tropical Depression EightTropical Depression Eight is moving slowly away from the North Carolina coastline. According to the National Hurricane Center it is centered about 75 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras.SECOORA and US IOOS support marine weather buoys off of the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina. The weather sensors on the buoys captured the data of Tropical Depression Eight in real time.Pictured above is 1 week data plot from buoy ILM3. Monday August 29 and Tuesday August 30 is when the storm passed over the University of North Carolina Wilmington Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program buoys. Contact Lynn Leonard, UNCW, for more information. Or visit the CORMP page to explore more data.   For warnings and briefings visit the NWS Wilmington NC website.Tropical Storm Hermine Wednesday August 31, Tropical Depression Nine was upgraded to Tropical Storm Hermine (pronounced “her MEEN”). According to the NWS Tampa Bay Weather Forecast Office, the storm is forecast to gradually strengthen as it lifts northward then northeast, eventually making landfall across the eastern Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region on Thursday. The system is forecast to slowly intensify over the next ...

August 22, 2016

Dr. Bill Hogarth Honored with Top Fishery Conservation Award

Pictured is Dr. Bill Hogarth (right) with fellow SECOORA Members at the SECOORA 2015 Annual MeetingRecently retired Florida Institute of Oceanography Director Bill Hogarth was honored with the Carl R. Sullivan Fishery Conservation Award by the American Fisheries Society. Also known as the “Sully,” the award is one of the nation’s premier honors in fisheries conservation science.“No one deserves the ‘Sully’ more than Dr. Hogarth. As the past SECOORA Vice Chair, Dr. Hogarth provided valuable input on the importance of fisheries in ocean observing,” reflected SECOORA’s Executive Director Debra Hernandez. “His career has made a noteworthy impact on the fisheries community, including all the linked economic and ecosystem interests impacted by fisheries management.”The award recognizes a wide span of achievements in Dr. Hogarth’s 51-year-career in marine science, beginning with his research into threatened fish species; his roles as director of the National Marine Fisheries Service and chairman of the International Whaling Commission; and his service as the former dean of the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science and Director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography. During his career, Hogarth is credited with bringing greater international attention to preserving threatened fish species such as the Atlantic Blue Fin ...

August 11, 2016

Atlantic Hurricane Season Still Expected to be Strongest Since 2012

In its updated 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, NOAA calls for a higher likelihood of a near-normal or above-normal season, and decreases the chance of a below-normal season to only 15 percent, from the initial outlook issued in May. The season is still expected to be the most active since 2012.Forecasters now expect a 70-percent chance of 12–17 named storms, of which 5–8 are expected to become hurricanes, including 2–4 major hurricanes. The initial outlook called for 10–16 named storms, 4–8 hurricanes, and 1–4 major hurricanes. The seasonal averages are 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. Read the story on the NOAA website.

June 15, 2016

2016 Annual Meeting

We thank everyone who attended the SECOORA 2016 Annual Meeting at North Carolina State University! The three-day meeting focused on identifying opportunities for collaborations and highlighting SECOORA accomplishments. The conversation focused on big data and ecological interactions in the southeast (jump to meeting presentations).Thank you to Ruoying He and Jennifer Warrilow for hosting the meeting at North Carolina State University. Major OutcomesOver 60 participants worked together to identify ways to take the productive step toward strengthening SECOORA. Below are the major outcomes from the meeting. We are energized to work with volunteers to complete the tasks listed.Elect New Board MembersMitch Roffer (Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service, Inc.): Industry/Private Sector SeatRick DeVoe (SC Sea Grant Consortium): Public Agencies/ Non-Profit/ Other Sector SeatLisa Adams (Kennesaw State University): At Large Seat- GA SeatQuinton White (Jacksonville University): At Large Seat- FL SeatMichael Crosby (Mote): Sustaining Member SeatDesign targeted member benefit packages for different user groupsEstablish a SECOORA student fellowship with the assistance of an Ad Hoc CommitteeForm an Ad-Hoc Committee to help plan a fundraising campaign in conjunction with the a the SECOORA 10-Year Anniversary celebrationDevelop a new RCOOS Plan with the assistance of experts in the our regionUpdate the SECOORA Data Portal ...

June 4, 2015

2015 Annual Meeting Summary

The SECOORA 2015 Annual Meeting held in Jacksonville Florida was a great success! Entering the last year of the IOOS five-year grant, the two-day meeting held May 19 and 20, 2015 focused on summarizing SECOORA’s past accomplishments and future plans. Click here to access presentations and meeting agendas. The meeting was live tweeted under the hashtag #SECOORA15AnnualMeeting. Thank you to the US IOOS Program Office and meeting participants who contributed to this feed. Day 1: May 19 - Board and Members Meeting Board Meeting The first day kicked off with the SECOORA Board meeting. The Board listened to a few guest presentations as well as voted to approve funding to hire a contractor for strategic planning. SECOORA is in the process of transitioning to a new Data Management and Communications (DMAC) contractor. Axiom Data Science, Inc. will be providing DMAC services moving forward. Rob Bochenek, Axiom Data Science, Inc., explained Axiom Data Science is an informatics and software development firm focused on developing scalable solutions which can be leveraged across a variety of users. Rob demonstrated to the Board the planned and potential capabilities Axiom will bring to improve SECOORA DMAC. Pictured above, left to right, are Rob Bochenek (Information Architect, CEO, ...

April 16, 2015

UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science adds Helicopter to Research Resources

On April 13, 2015 the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School added a commercial helicopter (Airbus Helicopter H125) to its research fleet. The helicopter observation platform (HOP) is equipped with advanced technology for studying critical physical, chemical and biological processes near the Earth’s surface. With the capability to hover just above the surface, HOP is ideal for conducting different types of remote sensing observations, such as airborne sea-surface measurements. Fully fueled and with both pilot and co-pilot on board, the HOP can carry a scientific payload of up to about 1,000 lbs internally (about 3,000 lbs externally) and fly for nearly 4 hours without refueling at an airspeed of 65 knots, which is ideal for in-situ observations. The airborne research laboratory is a unique tool that will fill critical gaps in chemical and biological observations of the environment. Read more here. --- SECOORA funds Dr. Nick Shay (UM Rosenstiel School) to support four WERA radar arrays along the coast of Miami, Florida.  High frequency (HF) radar systems measure the speed and direction of ocean surface currents in near real-time. Ocean surface currents are fundamental for spill response and search and rescue operations. UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is a member ...

March 3, 2015

SECOORA 2014 Annual Report

This report marks SECOORA’s second Annual Report in which we highlight how our collective efforts are impacting the southeast region. As you read the report, please note the information you find valuable and send us your feedback.  Please click the image below to read our Annual Report. 

February 10, 2015

SECOORA at 2015 Charleston STEM Festival

Saturday February 7, 2015, SECOORA was an exhibitor at the 2nd annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Festival at Brittlebank Park, in Charleston, SC. It is estimated the festival attracted over 7,500 attendees. SECOORA teamed with our member organization, South Carolina Sea Grant Extension Program, to demonstrate the importance of coastal ocean observing in the Southeast to a wide range of users. Children, teens, and families learned about the basic functions of buoys and a variety of sensors. Visitors explored Caro-COOPS real-time buoy data off the coast of South Carolina in our data portal.           SECOORA would like to thank Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (GCOOS-RA) and the University of South Florida College of Marine Science for providing sensors, a miniature buoy replica and other material for the festival.  Images Credit: SECOORA

January 16, 2015

RCOOS Manager Elected Chair of MTS OOS Committee

Congratulations Vembu Subramanian, SECOORA Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System Manager, for being elected Chair of MTS Ocean Observing Systems Committee. The Ocean Observing System Committee mission is to provide the ocean community with a unique collaborative environment for exchanging information and advancing knowledge to further the state-of-the-art and technology, as well as to foster the global dissemination of knowledge in this field of endeavor.  Learn more: https://www.mtsociety.org/communities/procommittees/observingsystems.aspx