National Ocean Service

About: National Ocean Service is a government organization based out in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Algal bloom & Population. The organization has 500 authors who have published 643 publications receiving 46096 citations.

A Fast Response Capability within NOAA/NOS/CO-OPS

Abstract: Duuring a maritime emergency, such as an oil spill, it is important to develop an effective response based on sound scientific observations and expertise in order to protect the lives, commerce and environment in the affected area. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Ocean Service's (NOS) Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), with support from the Emergency Response Division within the Office of Response and Restoration (a.k.a. NOAA Hazmat), has been developing a fast response capability to satisfy this objective. The Quick Response Estuarine Buoy (QREB) has specifically been developed as a rapid-deployment system for the collection of oceanographic and meteorological information at a targeted location in an effort to ensure safe, efficient and environmentally- sound navigation while supporting the environmental needs of Hazmat's response. The QREB is intended to be a self-contained, small moored system that can be easily deployed in coastal waters by a small size vessel. The buoy has a meteorological package and an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) mounted below its hull. The real time data are communicated through both an IP modem and a GOES satellite antenna for durations up to 30 days. The buoy was deployed during the NOAA Safe Seas 2006 (SS2006) exercise in the Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries. Real-time environmental data from the QREB near the site of a simulated oil spill were made available to the Scientific Support Team (SST), Hazmat, the National Weather Service (NWS) and other emergency responders at the Incident Command Post to provide guidance in managing the simulated situation and were also incorporated into the local weather forecasts and used to truth Hazmat's General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) forecasts. Although the Safe Seas drill proved successful, it is evident that improvements are still required for the QREB to become fully operational in response to a real event. Upon successful testing, the QREB will not only be available for event response, but will also be primarily used to collect current velocity data in key navigational areas of the United States in support of the mission of the National Current Observational Program (NCOP) within CO-OPS.

A framework for the laboratory testing of Eulerian current measuring devices

Abstract: THE DEVELOPMENT of testing techniques and procedures required to understand the performance of devices used to measure water currents has proven to be one of the most difficult and challenging tasks that the oceanographic community faces. It has long been recognized that some type of controllable relative water motion was a necessary element in the process of determining the accuracy of a current meter. A widely accepted solution is the towing tank where a current meter fastened to a moving carriage is moved through "still" water. A simple measurement of carriage speed over the ground compared to the current meter's flow measurement gives an indication of the accuracy of the device. Although this approach satisfied many, a sense that this technique was not sufficient spawned a few short-lived attempts at simulating time-varying flow conditions and developing deterministic models (transfer functions) for the response of inertial transducers. In addition, mathematical modeling of the motion of buoy moorings was attempted by a variety of investigators. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the response of a current meter to the complex time-varying ocean environment became a major issue within the oceanographic community. It was clear that this information could not be obtained by simple steady-flow tow tank testing and that either dynamic controllable techniques must be developed or our ability to characterize the measurement environment must be improved.

Applications of SABRE to research and management

Abstract: In this paper, we highlight the major results from the SABRE programme and applications to research and management. In particular, SABRE provided new scientific insights into the fisheries oceanography of the estuarine-dependent fishes of the South Atlantic Bight. Although we concentrated our efforts on Atlantic menhaden, we also gained insights on the coupling of physics to biology in the early life history of a number of marine fishes. Larval transport from spawning sites to and through barrier island inlets is now better understood. Analysis of menhaden population dynamics suggests survival in the late larval/early juvenile stage is particularly important to population growth. This phase of the life history appears likely to present a bottleneck to recruitment for Atlantic menhaden. We also made a number of technological breakthroughs which are already being applied elsewhere in research and assessments including the Continuous, Underway Egg Sampler (CUFES), enzyme-based approaches to evaluating condition of individual larvae and various physical and biological modelling innovations. Our experiences establishing and managing the SABRE research team also provide insights into one model for promoting multidisciplinary research in fisheries oceanography. Throughout SABRE, we have sought an open exchange of information and insights from a wide variety of researchers and environmental managers. We hope the synthesis provided here continues that dialogue.