- About MARCOOS
- Principal Investigators
- Data
- Products
- Links
The Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (MACOORA) is one of eleven regional associations in the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). IOOS is a coordinated network of people and technology that work together to generate and disseminate continuous data on our coastal waters, Great Lakes, and oceans. IOOS is our nation’s ocean contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems, an international effort designed to monitor Earth and transmit observations globally. The goal of IOOS is to expand and improve our ability to collect, deliver, and use ocean information—providing information in the right format at the right time to scientists, managers, businesses, governments, and the public.(Referenced from http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/visions/ioos/)
About MARCOOS
MARCOOS, the Mid-Atlantic Region Coastal Observing System, is the operational arm of MACOORA. MARCOOS deploys and operates the Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System, a complex array of hardware—gliders, radar, buoys—and software—models and data bases. (click here to see a video of glider release). MARCOOS products support priority regional themes that include maritime safety and natural resource decision-making. They also provide critical input to efforts on coastal inundation and on water quality.
The Mid-Atlantic observing system:
- Links existing regional coastal weather networks to evolving regional forecasting capabilities to provide an improved ensemble of weather forecasts
- Operates the existing Mid-Atlantic HF Radar Network and leveraging Coast Guard drifters that are linked to statistical and dynamical models to providean ensemble of regional nowcasts and forecasts of 2-D surface currents
- Operates the existing satellite receivers and leverages the Navy investment in a regional glider capability linked to the dynamical models in order to provide an ensemble of 3-D circulation, temperature and salinity nowcasts and forecasts.
The outcome is the generation and dissemination of real-time data, nowcasts and forecasts of the ocean extending from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. It is a joint effort, comprising 30 Principal Investigators from 20 academic, governmental and private institutions across the region.
1. Collaborations with Regional Weather Forecast Offices for NOAA WRF forecasts
2. Privately-operated coastal weather network to resolve mesoscale coastal wind fields
3. Satellite (temp and color) data acquisition systems linked to a national university network
4. Mid-Atlantic HF Radar Consortium operating 26 sites providing currents & nearshore waves
5. Mid-Atlantic Glider Consortium operating a growing fleet providing subsurface hydrography
6. Coast Guard Search and Rescue drifters for validation and assimilation into ocean models
7. Experienced data management team to link the data, models and products
8. Short-term statistical forecast model of surface currents for Search And Rescue.
9. Ensemble of three different ocean forecasting models with different assimilation schemes
10. Experienced coastal observatory web site development and maintenance team
11. Education & Outreach professionals to access education resources and evaluation expertise
12. Existing economic study groups to assess the impact of regional data and model products
Atmospheric forecasting groups including Weatherflow, Rutgers, SUNY & UMassD will partner with the region’s five National WeatherService (NWS) Regional Centers to produce an ensemble of high resolution weather forecasts tofeed the PSE&G Alert Criteria.
The Mid-Atlantic High Frequency Radar Consortium (9 university operators, Weatherflow, CIT, NOAA, NASA & USCG) will operate the existing nested high frequency (HF) radar network (over 30 sites) to produce real-time surface current maps extending across the region and into its bays, sounds and harbors.
UConn and SAIC will produce and enhance the statistical Short Term Prediction System (STPS) forecasts for input to the USCG Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS) and be applicable regionwide.
Rutgers, Stevens & UMassD will produce regional ocean forecasts driven by the ensemble of wind forecasts and ultimately assimilating surface currents. The forecasts will enhance SAROPS, foster transition of operational modeling to NOS, and provide boundary conditions vital for regional and sub-regional inundation models. Rutgers’ ongoing 5 year Office of Naval Research Multi University Research Initiative (ONR MURI) effort on data assimilative modeling in the full Mid-Atlantic Bight will feedback advanced data assimilation methods using RCOOS.
Learn more about MARCOOS - Visit http://www.marcoos.us/index.htm
For an introduction to MARCOOS, a powerpoint presentation, click here
To learn more about the conceptual design of Marcoos, click here (pdf)
For a regional fact sheet, click here (pdf)
To read the MARCOOS proposal, visit http://www.marcoos.us/index.htm
Principal Invesigators
A principal investigator (PI) is the lead scientist for a particular well-defined science (or other academic) project, such as ocean observing campaigns or laboratory study. The PI is the person who takes direct responsibility for completion of a funded project, directing the research and reporting directly to the funding agency. For small projects (which might involve 1-5 people) the PI is typically the person who conceived of the investigation, but for larger projects (such as the construction of scientific observatories) the PI may be selected by a team to obtain the best strategic advantage for the project.
Recipient Institution: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Principal Investigators (PIs):
Dr. Scott Glenn, MARCOOS Director, 71 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: (732) 932-6555 x506, Fax: (732) 932-8578, Email: glenn@marine.rutgers.edu
Dr. William Boicourt, MARCOOS Co-Director, University of Maryland Horn Point Laboratory, P.O. Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613
Partnership PI’s
A. Allen (USCG) |
|||
L. Atkinson (ODU) |
|||
A. Blumberg (SIT) |
|||
W. Boicourt (UMaryland) |
|||
W. Brown (UMass) |
|||
M. Bruno (SIT) |
|||
J. Kohut (Rutgers) |
|||
B. Lipphardt (UDel) |
|||
J. Moisan (NASA) |
|||
J. O’Donnell (UConn) |
|||
O. Schofield (Rutgers) |
|||
H. Seim (UNC) |
|||
J. Titlow (Weatherflow) |
|||
D. Ullman (URI) |
|||
J. Wilkin (Rutgers) |
|||
R. Wilson (SUNY Stony Brook) |
|||
W. Wittman (PSE&G) |
|||
N. Vorona (CIT) |
|||
A. Voros (Columbia U) |
|||
Other Collaborators |
|
||
Dave Chapman (UDel) |
|||
Avijit Gongopadhyay (Umass) |
|||
Thomas Herrington (Stevens) |
|||
Dan Holloway (URI) |
|||
Eoin Howlett (ASA) |
|||
Dennis King (UMaryland) |
|||
Anthony MacDonald (Monmouth) |
|||
Janice McDonnell (Rutgers) |
|||
Matt Oliver (UDel) |
|||
Proposal Support |
|
||
Courtney Kohut |
|||
NOAA Partnerships |
|
||
NWS Regional Offices: |
|
||
A.Siebers, NWS Wakefield, VA |
|||
M.Wyllie, NWS Upton, NY |
|||
R.Thompson, NWS Taunton, MA |
|||
S.Zubrick, NWS |
|||
G.Szatkowski, NWS Mt. Holly, NJ |
|||
A. Cope, NWS Mt. Holly, NJ |
|||
Rex Hervey, NDBC |
|||
Darren Wright, PORTS Program Manager |
|||
Sub-Regional Groups :
Data
Data (such as wind or temperature) can be accessed from the observing system sites. For a complete list, click on the Links button.
from PORTS
North Chesapeake Bay
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/index.shtml?port=cn
Real time summary
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/arnssummary.shtml?port=cn
Chesapeake Bay south
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/index.shtml?port=cs
Chesapeake Bay Operational Forecast System (CBOFS)
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/cbofs/cbofs.html
Delaware River and Bay
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/index.shtml?port=db
Make your own custom page
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/myports/
Chesapeake Bay
Intereractive portal: http://cbos.org/Home/chesapeake-bay-map/
For Dissolved oxygen, water temperature, salinity, PH, visit the Maryland Dept. Natural resource monitoring systems
For databases only, see http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/
Virginia
Users of the VECOS website can currently view three types of water quality data; interpolated images of surface water quality generated by the Dataflow (Underway) program, graphs of shallow water quality data from fixed stations that has gone through quality assurance protocols, and real time data from the last 7 days at available stations. Users can download quality assured data from both Dataflow cruises and fixed continuous monitoring stations but are not be able to download real time data from the stations where it is available. All monitoring is organized by Chesapeake Bay Program segments, which are derived from the salinity regime of the area. For instance the main stem of the York River is represented by two segments; the York Polyhaline (YRKPH) and York Mesohaline (YEKMH). Descriptions for each segment can be found to the left of the page as at the second tier/level of the site (the Segment Page). For information on the different monitoring efforts and the equipment used by this program as well as the Data Disclaimer for the data available for download, refer to the “Resources” tab on the Main Page. http://www2.vims.edu/vecos/Content.aspx?param=16
Go To http://chsd.vims.edu/realtime/ for real time data on Water Turbidity, Average Wind Speed, Water Temperature, Air Temperature, Maximum Wave Height, Water Current Speed, Dissolved Oxygen, Peak Period, Mean Water Depth,Peak Direction, Mean Wave Period, Chlorophyll (Fluorescence), Significant Wave Height,Maximum Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Water Salinity, Water pH
Tide Data can be found at: http://www.worldtidesandcurrents.com/baywatch.htm?svr=www
Located on the Atlantic Ocean near the town of Duck, North Carolina, The Field Research Facility (FRF) is an internationally recognized coastal observatory. Instruments at the facility constantly record the changing waves, winds, tides, and currents. Central to the facility is a 560m(1840 ft) long pier and specialized vehicles. http://www.frf.usace.army.mil/
Data from Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory
Data from the observatory are downloaded from the shore lab every twenty minutes: 5, 25 & 45 minutes after the hour. They are processed to provide burst averaged statistics, with the most current data presented on the MVCO home page. Summary files of the meteorological and oceanographic data are provided in the MetDat_s and OcnDat_s files, respectively. Historical burst averaged data can be retrieved via a web interface (JGOFS format) or anonymous ftp (mvcodata.whoi.edu).
Products
MODELS
Atmospheric Data Integration & Gridded Diagnostic Product.
Lead: Jay Titlow, WeatherFlow.
Working Group Members: Andrew Voros, Eoin Howlett, Al Cope, Scott Glenn
WeatherFlow is working with several regional NWS offices, including Mt. Holly NJ and Wakefield VA, to assimilate their mesoscale model output. The impetus is to collect all models being run within the MARCOOS domain. Statistical verification can then be performed on an ongoing basis to determine the best method of creating a region-wide gridded wind diagnostic and prognostic set of fields. This would allow a model-to-model verification system to be established that would serve not as a competition, but to establish the roots of an ensemble approach, creating the optimum input wind product that matches the regional nature of meteorological events such as hurricanes and nor'easters.
Since regional mesoscale models tend to yield their best results as weather systems migrate through the geographical "center" of a domain, it is hypothesized that a final product may blend the various models by weighing the degree of influence by any one model as a function of a system location as it traverses through the MARCOOS domain. For example, if a tropical system is moving south to north through the domain, it may be
that initially the domains centered within southern portions of the MARCOOS footprint wield a greater influence within a composite gridded product. Then, as the system advances, the southern domains fade while those in the north take on a greater influence.
This approach is untested but by simply assimilating as many models as possible, the components may fall into place to develop creative, more certain solutions. Observations used to verify these models include NWS, WeatherFlow, C-MAN and various MACOORA member existing infrastructures. These additional non–NOAA observations are critical to the verification process because they are a) a truly independent data source, b) located in meteorologically challenging areas, and c) littoral in nature. WeatherFlow continues to participate in regular monthly conference calls, work sessions, and interfacing with NWS meteorologists and other MARCOOS members to create optimum strategies on coastal atmospheric behavior affecting oceanic processes.
HOPS
The MARCOOS/HOPS Real-Time Forecast has been operational now (May, 2009) for two months starting March 9, 2009. The operational forecasting system was built on the feature-oriented initialization scheme developed by Gangopadhyay et al. (1997) for the Gulf Stream Meander and Ring (GSMR) region and that by Gangopadhyay et al (2003) for the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank (GOMGB) region. The deep water feature
model set for GSMR has been melded with shallow water feature model set in the GOMGB region and further supplemented with the Levitus climatology as the background in a multi-scale objective analysis framework. The initialization field is dynamically adjusted with wind-forcing and used in a SST-assimilative forecast model using the methodology described by Brown et al (2007).
The model is forced by atmospheric fields (surface momentum flux, surface heat flux, surface water flux and shortwave radiation) from the Global Forecast System (GFS) at ½ degree resolution, which provides 7-day forecast fields.
The forecast system is presently assimilating 3-day composite SST from the Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory and similar AVHRR passes processed by the MARCOOS group at University of Delaware/College of Marine and Earth Studies. The week-long forecasts are issued generally by Wednesday morning; Monday zero-hour is a typical model initialization state, with SST assimilation carried out on Monday afternoon and Tuesday noontime.
The forecast fields (Temp, Salt, Currents) are available at www.smast.umassd.edu/modeling/RTF for different levels at 6-hourly intervals for the full domain, for a zoom domain for Mid15 Atlantic Shelf, and for another zoom region for the Gulf of Maine.
The model forecast data in net CDF format are available from this site and from the thredds server.
The CF-compliant version will be available during summer of 2009.
New York Harbor Observing and Prediction System (NYHOPS)
Forecasts were made available to first responders during the rescue and recovery operations of US Airways Flight 1545. Stevens Institute of Technology received a certificate of recognition for this effort. Intensive skill assessment for NYHOPS has been ongoing. An extensive skill assessment for 2 years of NYHOPS forecast water level is almost complete, against data from over 70 tide gages scattered around the NYHOPS region.
RADAR
HF Radar Site Operations
Lead: Hugh Roarty, Rutgers.
Working Group: Mid-Atlantic HF Radar Consortium (MAHFRC)
The goals for year 2 have been to operate and update the system consistent with the
existing best practices. Three field technicians and a regional coordinator monitored the systems and responded to outages as they occurred. Depending on the severity of the issue and availability of personnel, site downtime ranged from hours to weeks. The average radial data availability of the long range sites increased to 87% in the first half of year 2 from 78% in year 1. The average radial data availability of the standard range sites increased to 78% in the first half of year 2 from 67% in year 1. A spare multi frequency (5, 13 and 25 MHz) system was purchased from Codar to serve as a spare for the entire network. This spare was deployed in January 2009 to temporarily replace 25 MHz hardware at Breezy Point, NY while the field equipment was sent back to CODAR
for repair and the data stream remained intact. Communication between the coordinator and regional technicians was maintained through monthly group phone calls as well as correspondence with the regional operators on a weekly basis. 
In addition, a web log (http://marcoos.us/wp/wp) was created for the operators to share information and facilitate in the repair of malfunctioning radars. This site is password protected. The username and password can be furnished by Hugh Roarty (hroarty@marine.rutgers.edu), MARCOOS HF Radar Regional Coordinator, upon request.
We also conducted the first webinar for the operators; utilizing the website http://www.elluminate.com/ to share and comment on the real time metrics we have been tracking to gauge network status and health.
Three new sites were added to the network in 2009. Rutgers obtained an additional CODAR system that had been on loan to Mote Marine lab. A site visit to the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory was made in January 2009.
The University of Delaware added a standard range system at Indian River, DE. The communications to this site are being finalized now and the site will be online May 2009.
A long range system was installed at Little Island Park, VA. Before the data for this system was added to the network, the site underwent a twenty point inspection. This standard operating procedure in order for a site to be admitted to the network can be found on the MARCOOS web site at http://www.marcoos.us/publications.htm.
In addition to measuring surface currents, the HF Radar systems can also measure wave parameters. We will be providing this data in a netCDF data format available through the Rutgers OPeNDAP server.
HF Radar Data QA/QC
The major accomplishment in this effort is the quality controlled MARCOOS HF Radar totals are being served through the Coast Guard’s Environmental Data Server (EDS) and then into the Coast Guard Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS) as of May 4, 2009.
Prior to the introduction of this new OI product to the Coast Guard decision tool, an extensive validation and evaluation of this product was done. Using a test period in the winter of 2007, totals generated with both the existing Unweighted Least Squares (UWLS) algorithm and the new Optimal Interpolation (OI) algorithm were compared to 4 moored ADCPs and 7 drifter tracks. The analysisncluded sensitivity to input parameters to OI including expected variances and spatial scales. The evaluation showed that the new OI and existing UWLS had similar skill in regions of good system geometry. However, in regions of poor coverage like the offshore edge of the CODAR domain, the OI was much more robust in filling gaps and eliminating outliers.
Both the new optimal interpolation (OI) total vector product mapped to the national 6km grid and the original unweighted least squares (UWLS) product are being served via the Rutgers OPeNDAP server. These two vector products are made available for the Short Term Prediction System. The results of this effort are discussed in Section 6. As of the draft of this report, the Coast Guard Environmental data server is injecting the OI total
vector product and the STPS based on this new product for application in SAROPS.
MARCOOS is involved with the DMAC Standards Process. Get Involved: http://ioosdmac.fedworx.org/ioos/dmac.nsf/WhatsNew?OpenForm
GLIDERS
Autonomous Underwater Glider Operations
Lead: Oscar Schofield.
Working Group: Wendell Brown, Bill Boicourt, Josh Kohut
The two MARCOOS spring glider deployments in the region were timed to overlap with the National Marine Fisheries Service spring trawl survey.
The spring 2009 MARCOOS glider flights were also successful, although the planned synchrony of the northern and southern flights was disrupted by a malfunctioning pressure sensor on the southern glider—RU23—launched off Tuckerton, NJ. RU23 was quickly replaced by RU22, which performed well. As with the October 2008 flight, a storm loomed near the latter part of the flight, forcing defensive maneuvers to prevent either rapid southward movement toward the Gulf Stream or sweeping into the shipping lanes near the entrance to Chesapeake Bay without a comfortable cushion of battery power for maneuvering. These defensive maneuvers were successful in keeping the glider north of the Bay entrance during the storm. Immediately following the storm, the MARCOOS glider team on the Cape Crusader recovered RU22 approximately 40km off the entrance to the Bay. Glider RU22 travelled a distance of 600 km and took 6,637 vertical casts of temperature and salinity.
The first MARCOOS Glider Program plan was developed in spring 2008 to help define the goals, guide the program evolution, and set working protocols for what is envisioned as a distributed system of 10-15 gliders operating simultaneously in the Middle Atlantic Bight. Presently, the MARCOOS Glider Group consists of members from 6 institutions distributed throughout the MAB. At the time of full build-out, operations and communications protocols will grow to enable efficient operational maintenance of this larger number of gliders. This document is intended as a working, routinely modified handbook for present operations, as well as a clearinghouse record for updates of these protocols as the system evolves. For the spring 2009 glider flights, operations of the extended MARCOOS Glider Group were significantly improved, with planning, coordination, and operational decision making.
Satellite Data Acquisition
Lead: Matt Oliver
Working group: Oscar Schofield, Lisa Ojanen, and John Wilkin.
The most popular satellite product that MARCOOS produces is sea surface temperature (SST). We have developed a cloud filtering algorithm that increases the data quality of the SST. This is an important step not only for end-users of SST imagery but also for modelers who assimilate the SST data into their ocean forecasts.
Cloud filtered images are being delivered in real time to the web:
(http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/sat_data/?product=sst_decloud®ion=bigbight¬humbs=0)
Also, this data is being delivered to a public Open-Dap server:
(http://tashtego.marine.rutgers.edu:8080/thredds/cool/avhrr/catalog.html?dataset=cool-avhrr-bigbight),
For more information on MARCOOS products, click here
Links
MARCOOS Observing Systems Links
Delaware
http://www.udel.edu/dbos/
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/dbports/dbports.shtml?port=db
Chesapeake Bay
www.cbos.org
www.eyesonthebay.net
www2.vims.edu/vecos/
www.ccpo.odu.edu
www.weatherflow.com
http://nerrs.noaa.gov/ChesapeakeBayMD/welcome.html
http://nerrs.noaa.gov/ChesapeakeBayVA/welcome.html
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html
http://www.frf.usace.army.mil/
http://tideshttp://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/index.shtml?port=csandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/index.shtml?port=cn
Massachusetts and Rhode Island Bays and Shelf
http://mvcodata.whoi.edu/cgi-bin/mvco/mvco.cgi
http://mvcodata.whoi.edu/cgi-in/mvco/mvco.cgi
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/index.shtml?port=nb
http://cdmo.baruch.sc.edu/QueryPages/viewstations.cfm?Site_ID=wqb
New York Bight
http://hudson.dl.stevens-tech.edu/maritimeforecast/info/
http://www.marine.rutgers.edu/cool/
http://www.marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/codar.html
http://cdmo.baruch.sc.edu/QueryPages/viewstations.cfm?Site_ID=hud
http://nerrs.noaa.gov/JacquesCousteau/welcome.html
http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/ports/index.shtml?port=ny
Long Island Sound
http://www.sunysb.edu/soundscience
http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/nhports/nhports.shtml
PORTS® provides accurate real-time oceanographic information, tailored to the specific needs of the local community. PORTS® in the MACOORA/MARCOOS footprint are:
Narragansett Bay, New Haven, CT, New York/New Jersey Harbor, Delaware Bay , Chesapeake Bay and River
For more National PORTS information, contact:
PORTS Program Manager
Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
1305 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD20910-3281
Phone: (301) 713-2981 ext. 193
Fax: (301) 713-4392
E-mail: PORTS Program Manager
For data request information, contact:
User Services
Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
1305 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD20910-3281
Phone: (301) 713-2815
Fax: (301) 713-4500
E-mail: User Services
Search and Rescue, http://www.uscg.mil/acquisITION/international/sarops.asp