Mappers Look to Chart World's Ocean Floor by 2030
to tap research missions as well as explorers searching for sunken wrecks together with data pulled from ships, fishing boats and commercial companies.The project, which has an estimated cost of $3 billion, will leave waters closer to shore to national research bodies. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is separately supporting the initiative.One potential problem such exploratory research could face would be from rising geopolitical tensions in sensitive waters around the world including the South China Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea."By being open in our data sharing
Meet LT Laura Dwyer: NOAA Officer, Navy Oceanographer
operation of unmanned underwater vehicles and post-mission analysis in expeditionary mine countermeasure companies (ExMCM Co) and mine counter measures (MCM) operations worldwide," she said.Except, she's not a Navy officer.In May 2018 Dwyer was promoted to lieutenant, is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps Officer serving with the NAVOCEANMIWCEN, an operational Navy command.Her assignment underscores the long, close relationship that NOAA and Naval Oceanography have enjoyed. They both forecast weather and ocean conditions - NOAA for the U.S.; the Navy for Navy assets
NOAA Honors Fugro
Fugro’s global ocean mapping efforts have earned the company a formal commendation from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The recognition came during a recent industry briefing with Fugro and NOAA about The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, a global initiative to map the world’s oceans by the year 2030.Given that more than 80 percent of the world’s oceans remains unexplored and unmapped, NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Craig McLean, underscored the importance of the role of the commercial sector in
Deep Ocean Exploration is the 21st Century ‘Space Race’
international competition in which teams are challenged to develop underwater robots, sensors and camera technologies that will map the seafloor at a very high resolution and bring back images from the ocean so we all have an opportunity to see what is out there. As part of this, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is providing a $1 million bonus prize for the development of pioneering technology – and underwater “smart sniffer” that can detect an underwater biological or chemical signal and autonomously track it to its source.The teams involved in this modern-day
Real-time Oceanographic Equipment Installed at Port Everglades
Real-time tides, currents, water levels and other metrological information at Broward County’s Port Everglades is now readily available to the public thanks to an advanced sensor device developed and installed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).“Boaters and commercial mariners will be able to make safer choices based on the data from this equipment because it gives real-time information and forecasts,” said Port Everglades Deputy Port Director Glenn Wiltshire. “Before this equipment went into service, mariners had to rely on data for Lake Worth in
El Nino Signal is Weakening in the Pacific
La Nina conditions - characterised as unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean - to neutral or even slightly El Nino-leaning conditions by March. Since then, however, the oceanic and atmospheric signals pointing to a possible El Nino have all weakened. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) last week downgraded the probability of El Nino conditions being present in the fourth quarter of 2017, to just 36 percent. That is down from 53 percent at the time of its March forecast. The agency’s central prediction is now that conditions will be neutral in
US Coast Guard Shipwreck Found – 100 Years Later
Admiral Todd Sokalzuk, the commander of the 11th Coast Guard District. “The men and women who crew our newest cutters are inspired by the exploits of great ships and courageous crews like the McCulloch. I extend the Coast Guard’s heartfelt thanks to our partners in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for helping us locate this important piece of our heritage and assisting us in preserving its legacy.” At the time of its construction, McCulloch was the largest cutter built at a cost of nearly $200,000. The ship was equipped with a steam engine and three masts
NOAA Hydrographic Survey Spending in Question
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) needs to improve its strategy for analyzing costs and expanding private sector involvement in collecting hydrographic data, says a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). As one of its many duties, NOAA is tasked with collecting hydrographic data. This data, which is used in helping to create critical nautical charts, is either collected using NOAA’s own fleet of four survey vessels, or acquired through the private sector. Asked by Congress to review NOAA’s hydrographic data collection efforts
EdgeTech Delivers Multi Phase Echo Sounder to UNH CCOM
at coverage rate that is at least twice that of a conventional multi-beam echo sounder and is an order of magnitude faster than using a single beam echo sounder. The Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center (CCOM/JHC) has a close affiliation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and will utilize the EdgeTech 6205 for research and education dedicated to their missions of hydrographic science and ocean mapping. The 6205 will be utilized in The Fundamentals of Ocean Mapping course this fall and deployed in other research activities at the Center
Deepwater Atlantic Habitats Study Commissioned
Carolina and Georgia. The study, entitled “Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II: Continued Atlantic Research and Exploration in Deepwater Ecosystems with Focus on Coral, Canyon and Seep Communities,” is being funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The program focus is on hard substrate habitats, with some work related to soft bottoms and within the water column also included. Approximately 18 days of ship time
Hurricane Season to be Busier than Predicted
Atlantic hurricane season could see more activity than originally anticipated, as forecasters now say an above-normal season is likely. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has updated its 2017 hurricane season outlook, as forecasters are now predicting a higher likelihood of an above-normal season with increased predictions for the number of named storms and major hurricanes. The season has the potential to be extremely active, and could be the most active since 2010. Forecasters now say there is a 60-percent chance of an above-normal season (compared to the
NOAA Backs Marine Debris Removal/Research
Nearly $2.2 million in fiscal year 2017 funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program will support 15 new marine debris removal and research projects. Four groups received a total of $935,156 for research to advance understanding of how microplastics interact with seafood species. Projects awarded through this grant competition will improve our understanding of the ecological risks associated with marine debris as well as the fate and transport of marine debris in nearshore, coastal environments. Arizona State University ($195,837)
Machines Infused with AI that Fly, Swarm and Dive
high resolution mapping of a 500 square km2 area at a 2,000 meter depth in less than 16 hours. Teams moving on to the finals face mapping missions at 4,000 meter depths only 10 months later. On top of this, some teams are opting to compete to develop an underwater smart sniffer - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bonus Prize to autonomously trace a chemical or biological signal to its source. The technological approaches vary. There is typically a heavy Artificial Intelligence (AI) component in the overall solutions to allow for deep ocean decision making and undersea
Ocean Discovery XPRIZE Testing Altered
Environment team. “We are very excited to begin Round 1 testing and, for the first time, see all the semifinalists demonstrate their innovative and diverse technological approaches to rapidly mapping the ocean floor.” The timing of the initial test for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) $1 million Bonus Prize is also currently under review. For this Bonus Prize, teams will need to demonstrate that their technology can ”sniff out” a specified object in the ocean by tracing a biological and chemical signal to its source. &ldquo
NOAA Awards $9.3 Mln for Aquaculture Research
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced 32 research grants totaling $9.3 million for projects around the U.S. to further develop the nation’s marine and coastal aquaculture industry. “This country, with its abundant coastline, should not have to import billions of pounds of seafood each year,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “These grants will promote aquaculture projects that will help us reduce our trade deficit in this key industry.” The grants were awarded through two competitions – Integrated Projects to
Weather Disasters Cost US $306 Bln in 2017 -NOAA
Weather and climate-related disasters cost the United States a record $306 billion in 2017, the third-warmest year on record, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Monday. The report from the federal agency underscores the economic risks of climate change, even as President Donald Trump's administration casts doubts on the causes of it and has started withdrawing the U.S. from a global pact to combat it. NOAA said western wildfires and hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma contributed to making 2017 the costliest year on record. The previous record was
NOAA Boots Up Its New Supercomputers
U.S. weather models are about to become more accurate and efficient thanks to faster supercomputers and more storage. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the two Dell systems added to its IBMs and Crays at data centers in Reston, Va., and Orlando, Fla. elevate its combined weather and climate supercomputing system to among the 30 fastest in the world, with the ability to now process 8 quadrillion calculations per second. “NOAA’s supercomputers play a vital role in monitoring numerous weather events from blizzards to hurricanes,” said
