PROJECTS

OVERVIEW: NERACOOS is the Northeastern “branch” or Regional Association of U.S. IOOS, a program of NOAA, and our primary directive–you could say it’s our main project– is fulfilling the goals set forth by IOOS. Learn more about IOOS here.

The ways in which we fulfill our and IOOS’s mission are driven by the needs our stakeholders communicate to us; using buoys, high frequency radar, gliders, tide stations, coastal monitoring stations, and models, NERACOOS provides support for ocean scientists to:

-Produce ocean observations and models: We launch and maintain equipment that can gather and transmit information about ocean conditions, and support models that increase our understanding of past and future weather events

-Integrate new and historic data/information: We provide people with tools that make it easy to access and visualize data of all kinds, from real-time ocean conditions to forecasts to historical trends

-Facilitate regional collaboration: We bring together other people and groups who are working on similar things to make all of our efforts better and more impactful

WHO’S INVOLVED: Get to know our Partners and System Operators

TIMELINE: 2010-2021; renewed in 2021 to fund through 2026

FUNDING PROVIDED BY: U.S. IOOS

(ISMN has its own website: www.sentinelmonitoring.org)

OVERVIEW: Climate change and other human stressors are altering the ecosystem at unprecedented rates. The Integrated Sentinel Monitoring Network was created to consolidate existing monitoring efforts, observe, and track changes, from the tiniest plants to the largest animals and the landscapes they inhabit, so that resource managers can understand the full picture before making decisions.  

WHO’S INVOLVED: More than 50 institutions! Visit the ISMN website for the full list

FUNDING PROVIDED BY: NERACOOS, Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON), Northeast Regional Ocean Council, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

TIMELINE: Original scoping 2013; funded in 2019; project ongoing

MORE: Visit the ISMN website 

OVERVIEW: The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) is a growing global initiative composed of regional networks of scientists, resource managers, and end-users working to integrate data from existing long-term programs to improve our understanding of changes and connections between marine biodiversity and ecosystem functions.

WHO’S INVOLVED: NOAA, MBON, University of Maine, Bigelow Institution of Oceanography, University of New Hampshire, St. Joseph’s College, GMRI, WHOI, and the New England Aquarium

FUNDING PROVIDED BY: NOAA/IOOS

TIMELINE: Gulf of Maine MBON was established in 2019, currently ongoing. 

PROJECT PAGE: https://marinebon.org/pages/gommbon/

OVERVIEW: Climate change, more frequent and powerful storms, and sea level rise all pose massive challenges to which coastal communities need to prepare and adapt. It’s essential that resource managers and city officials have access to forecasting models that can accurately predict the effects of changing conditions, whether it’s short-term flooding effects from a Nor’easter, or the longer-term effects of a rising sea on safe housing. The Coastal Ocean Model Testbed (COMT) is a national program working to unify the modeling efforts of federal and research communities to create the most comprehensive forecasting models possible. Through participation in the COMT program, we and our partners are working to merge two powerful forecasting models, one for river overflow and one for ocean inundation, to make a unified model that can more accurately predict storm effects on our coasts. 

WHO’S INVOLVED: UMass Dartmouth, University of New Hampshire, Gulf of Maine Research Institute

FUNDING PROVIDED BY: NOAA/IOOS

TIMELINE: Originally launched in 2005; revamped in 2016; project ongoing.

See the project outputs and learn more on the COMT page

OVERVIEW: PORTS is a nationally-available information system that measures and disseminates the oceanographic and meteorological data that mariners need to navigate safely. PORTS mitigates risk by integrating real-time environmental data and meteorological parameters with forecasts and other geospatial information, and tailoring the output to the needs of local communities.

WHO’S INVOLVED: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Mass Maritime Academy, Woods Hole Group, NOAA National Ocean Service, NERACOOS, U.S. Coast Guard, & U.S. Army Corp of Engineers

FUNDING PROVIDED BY: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

TIMELINE: Established nationally in 1991; NERACOOS project established 2016- ongoing 

Learn more about PORTS in Cape Cod and see NERACOOS project outputs on the PORTS project page

The NOAA PORTS site has a data portal and information about other national efforts. 

OVERVIEW: NERACOOS is also a sub-awardee on a number of collaborative efforts throughout the region. For these projects we serve a different roles, such as providing a hub for data, project management assistance, or access to other partners’ resources. Currently, we’re partnering on:

• MERHAB: HABON-NE, An Adaptive Observing Network for Real-Time, In Situ HAB Monitoring and Data Sharing Across New England
  • Project Lead: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
  • Primary Investigator (PI): Dr. Michael Brosnahan 
  • Funding: NOAA NCCOS
• Operationalizing Real-Time Telemetry Onboard Commercial Fishing Vessels in the Northeast
  • Project Lead: Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation
  • PIs: Erin Pelletier, Dr. James Manning
  • Funding: U.S. IOOS
• Assessment of the Observing Network to Identify Processes Relevant to the Predictability of the Coastal Ocean of the Northeast on Centennial Time Scales
  • Project Lead: University of Connecticut
  • PI: Dr. Samantha Siedlecki
  • Funding: NOAA