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Coast Survey Makes Preliminary 2013 Survey Plans

Survey ships, navigation response teams, and contractors are preparing for the 2013 survey season, with operations tentatively scheduled for maritime priority areas from Maine's Penobscot Bay, down the coast to New York and Rhode Island, and further south to coastal Virginia and approaches to Chesapeake Bay. In the Gulf, current plans are for approaches to Mississippi Sound, Barataria Bay, and the Louisiana coast. Pacific Northwest surveys include the Strait of Juan de Fuca and offshore Oregon and Washington. Alaskan plans include numerous locations, from the extreme southeastern canals, through the islands, and up to Port Clarence, Red Dog Mine, and Point Barrow. The preliminary stages of preparations remain flexible as NOAA analyzes recently budgeted post-Sandy survey needs along the New York and New Jersey coastlines.

(http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov)

New NCCOS Report Supports Marine Spatial Planning to Improve Offshore Wind Energy Development

Researchers from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science recently evaluated techniques to design robust marine bird surveys to support offshore wind energy plans that are in the same location as sensitive bird migratory pathways. Spinning turbine blades can kill birds outright or divert them from their natural routes which disrupt their fairly inflexible behavior. Knowing where the birds travel, coupled with knowledge of wind strength and seafloor depth, are critical parts of wind farm placement. Furthermore, maps of migration routes and bird abundance evaluations help energy stakeholders build upon past surveys which reduces uncertainty about future survey requirements and costs while increasing efficiency.

(http://www.boem.gov/uploadedFiles/BOEM/Environmental_Stewardship/Environmental_Studies/Renewable_Energy/OCS_Study_BOEM_2012_101.pdf)

"Welcome Back Whales" Day

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries staff sponsored a "Welcome Back Whales" celebration at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of O'ahu. There were many activities at this event, including a whale viewing station with information about humpback whales and clues on how to spot them; a booth with information about the sanctuary and humpback whales; naturalist-led hikes where families could find both turtles and monk seals on nearby beaches; and booths hosted by community organizations sharing information about monk seals, turtles, reef ecology, and global warming issues. The sanctuary also coordinated a lecture series with scientists presenting on whales, dolphins, shipwrecks, and the whale disentanglement program. The event was well attended by both hotel visitors, local residents, and of course humpback whales.

(http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/programs/nmsp/)

Harmful Algal Bloom Alerts Added to NWS Beach Hazard Statements

NOS and the National Weather Service (NWS) have partnered to issue alerts of potential respiratory impacts due to harmful algal blooms (HABs), commonly referred to as red tides. These HAB alerts are part of a broader experimental initiative that NWS has been testing since called the "Beach Hazards Statement," which also alerts the public for coastal hazards such as rip currents. The HAB Operational Forecast System is well established and has issued HAB forecasts to provide coastal residents and visitors with information to protect their safety. The Tampa Bay weather forecast office is the first to issue this information via Beach Hazards Statements. The new alert expands public awareness of the potential risk and is timely since many of southwest Florida's beaches are currently facing a risk of red tide.

(http://www.srh.noaa.gov/rtimages/tbw/TopNews/020413_RedTideBeachHazardReleasefinal.pdf)

NGS Announces Release of Geodetic Data from Geoid Slope Validation Survey 2011

Between February 2011 and April 2012, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) executed one of the most comprehensive geodetic surveys in its history: the Geoid Slope Validation Survey of 2011 (GSVS11). The survey was performed to quantify the accuracy of differential geoid modeling based on NGS'; airborne Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) surveys. During the GSVS11, geodetic data was collected on over 200 control marks, including leveling, long-session GPS, short-session GPS, Real Time Network GPS, absolute gravity, relative gravity, and deflections of the vertical. Airborne Light Detection and Ranging imagery collection augmented the effort. The GSVS11 was the first testing method to begin addressing the achievable accuracy of a gravimetric geoid model.

(http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/GEOID/GSVS11/data/)

MPA Center Seeks Nominations for National System of MPAs

The Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Center has announced that the nomination process for existing sites to nominate themselves for inclusion in the national system of MPAs is now open. Eligible federal, state, territorial, and tribal MPA programs are invited to nominate sites by March 29, 2013. Currently, 355 federal, state, and territorial sites are members of the national system, which provides new opportunities for MPAs to work together on shared conservation priorities. The national system does not impose any new restrictions on access or use within existing MPAs. All nominated sites will be announced in the Federal Register and available for public comment on the MPA Center website. After final review by the managing agency and the MPA Center, mutually agreed upon MPAs will be accepted into the national system.

(http://www.mpa.gov/)

New ESI Product Focuses on Threatened and Endangered Species

The Office of Response and Restoration released a new Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) product that highlights coastal species and habitats that are listed by federal or state governments as endangered, threatened, protected, or as a species of concern. The complexity of ESI data can make it difficult for those who use the data intermittently to quickly extract the information they need. The new Threatened and Endangered Species databases offer a more user-friendly option to access some of the most critical biological information for a region. For example, when an oil spill occurs, ESI maps can help responders meet one of the main response objectives - reducing the environmental consequences of the spill and cleanup efforts. Additionally, ESI maps can be used by planners before a spill happens to identify vulnerable locations, establish protection priorities, and identify cleanup strategies.

(http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/maps-and-spatial-data/environmental-sensitivity-index-esi-maps.html)

San Francisco Bay NERR Included in International Designation

San Francisco Bay, which includes the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, was named by the Ramsar Convention as the United States' 35th Wetland of International Importance, effective on World Wetlands Day, February 2, 2013. The San Francisco Bay is the largest estuary on the Pacific Coast of the U.S., and it is widely recognized as one of North America's most ecologically important estuaries, accounting for 77 percent of California's remaining perennial estuarine wetlands and providing key habitat for a broad suite of flora and fauna as well as a range of ecological services such as flood protection, water quality maintenance, nutrient filtration and cycling, and carbon sequestration.

(http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov/)

Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) Expands to Include Self-Employed Workers

NOAA's Coastal Services Center has released a new data set on self-employed workers within the ocean and Great Lakes economy, as defined by Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW). Statistics are available from 2005 to 2010 and include the number of self-employed persons and gross receipts for coastal counties, states, and the coastal U.S. Data are derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's Non-employer Statistics, the primary resource for studying the scope and activities of self-employed people.

(http://www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/enow-nes)

NOAA Announces Free Nautical "BookletCharts" for Boaters

Earlier this week, the Office of Coast Survey re-introduced free "BookletCharts," moving the product from an experimental stage into official production. Nearly a thousand newly updated BookletCharts - reduced-scale nautical charts in PDF format for in-home printing - are available for free online.

(http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/BookletChart.html)

Updated 'Ten Year Strategic Plan 2013 - 2023' Released

A newly updated Ten Year Strategic Plan 2013 - 2023 was recently released by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). Approaching the halfway point with its existing Ten Year Plan (2008 - 2018), NGS leadership decided it was time to re-evaluate priorities. Upon reviewing current business practices, and in consideration of changing technological developments, it became clear that an updated plan was needed.

(http://geodesy.noaa.gov/web/news/Ten_Year_Plan_2013-2023.pdf)

Scoping Meeting on Sanctuary Expansion Garners Support from Local Constituents

On January 24, the first of three public scoping meetings on a proposal to expand the Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones national marine sanctuaries took place in Bodega Bay, Calif. Projected to be completed by July 2014, the expansion would add approximately 2,770 square miles of ocean off the Sonoma and Mendocino counties in northern California. The meeting drew around 72 citizens, federal officials, and fishing industry representatives. The comments received were overwhelmingly positive and included many constructive suggestions.

(http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/)

North Carolina NERR Data Pinpoints Cause of Mass Fish Kill

North Carolina state environmental officials recently reported hundreds of thousands of dead Atlantic menhaden fish washing up at Masonboro Island in Wilmington. North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve maintains one of NOAA's System-wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) stations in that area and quickly determined that the fish kill was due to a significant drop in dissolved oxygen levels. State environmental officials noted the SWMP station's data was critical in quickly determining the cause of the event, and allowed them to communicate the information to the public and media in a timely fashion. The Masonboro Island monitoring station is part of a national network of monitoring stations in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System.

(http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Reserve.aspx?ResID=NOC)

Report Reveals Hudson River and Wildlife Have Suffered Decades of Extensive Chemical Contamination

The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees, including NOAA, released a report last week outlining the magnitude of toxic chemical pollution in New York's Hudson River. The report, "PCB Contamination of the Hudson River Ecosystem", documents six years of data and analysis showing that the Hudson River, for more than 200 miles below Hudson Falls, N.Y., is extensively contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Starting in 1947, and for approximately 30 years, manufacturing plants operated by General Electric Company discharged PCBs into the upper Hudson River, where they were mostly contained in the river sediments behind the Ford Edward dam. In 1973 the dam was removed, releasing an estimated 1.3 million cubic yards of PCB-laden sediment downstream.

(http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/report-reveals-hudson-river-and-wildlife-have-suffered-decades-extensive-chemical-contamination.html)

New Coastal Data Added to the Digital Coast

NOAA's Digital Coast provides access to data contributed by many local, state, and federal agencies. Twenty-one new LIDAR data sets were recently added, including areas in Oregon, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and Maryland. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers post-Hurricane Sandy LIDAR for the coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York was also added. These recent additions bring the LIDAR data holdings to over a trillion points. Fourteen new imagery missions were also added and include U.S. Army Corps of Engineers imagery of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, as well as 2012 National Geodetic Survey imagery for parts of Alabama, Oregon, and Washington. All data are accessed through a new and improved system, the Digital Coast Data Access Viewer.

(http://www.csc.noaa.gov/dataviewer)

NOAA Provides Support During Presidential Inaugural Preparations

The Office of Coast Survey and the Center for Operational Products and Services (CO-OPS) supported the preparations for the presidential inauguration. A navigation response team vessel, the crew from the Bay Hydro II, and headquarters personnel responded to a homeland security request from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to survey sections of the Potomac River in and around Washington DC. CO-OPS personnel provided priority processing of tidal information necessary to create customized charting products. Survey technicians and cartographers quickly processed the survey data and created customized charting products for USCG and other homeland security responders. After additional processing and review, the information collected will be used to update nautical charts that are available to the public.

(http://coastsurvey.noaa.gov/)

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