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HomeAboutNOS Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report

# NOS Priority: Place-Based Conservation

## NOS Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report

## Advances in Collection and Use of Surface Current Data

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, place-based conservation 

In FY 14, the NOAA-led U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) advanced the collection and use of surface current data with a new product called High Frequency (HF) Radar Surface Currents. The web-based product, produced in cooperation with NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), provides near real-time surface current observations and tidal current predictions in coastal waters. Using IOOS data, the product offers broad spatial coverage of surface currents in areas vital to the maritime community. It is currently available for Chesapeake Bay and San Francisco Bay. In addition to supporting safe commercial navigation and recreational activities, the product fosters search-and-rescue operations, hazardous materials spill response, harmful algal bloom monitoring, and fisheries management.

Also this year, several IOOS regions collaborated to deploy a coordinated ocean observing network, the National Science Foundation's Project CONVERGE, along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. The network, which comprises a multi-platform field study including gliders, animal telemetry, acoustics, and HF radar, will increase scientific understanding of how local oceanographic processes influence ecosystems in this remote portion of the global ocean.

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## Maps and Predictions Inform Ocean Energy Development 

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, place-based conservation, coastal resilience 

NOAA’s  National Centers for  Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) works closely with the U.S. Department  of the Interior, including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the  U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, to deploy  mapping tools that support environmental assessment and planning for ocean  energy development. Accurate maps and predictions of living marine resource  distributions foster effective coastal  and marine spatial planning, which reduces potential conflicts  between human uses and sensitive marine ecosystems—thereby supporting healthy  and resilient coastal communities and economies.

In FY14, NCCOS developed advanced statistical models  of seabird and deep-sea coral distributions for the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf  of Mexico. By merging large databases of seabird and coral observations with  environmental data gleaned from NOAA satellites and ocean  observations, NCCOS produced predictive maps of bird  and coral distributions and disseminated them through a joint NOAA–BOEM Web service.

Also  in FY14, a renewable energy transmission company used NCCOS’s coral  distribution maps to help evaluate routing alternatives for a proposed undersea  energy transmission cable into Maalaea Bay, Maui. The cable system under  consideration would transmit renewable wind power generated in Maui County for  consumption on Oahu, contributing to Hawaii’s 2030 goal of having 40 percent of  its electricity sales come from renewable energy.

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## Research and Monitoring to Support U.S. Coral Reef Conservation

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, place-based conservation, coastal resilience 

NOAA’s National Centers for  Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) works with federal, state, and  local management agencies to monitor and assess the condition of U.S. coral  reef ecosystems within sanctuaries, reserves, and other special places. These  productive ecosystems enhance biological diversity, fisheries, tourism, and cultural  heritage, and protect shorelines from storm damage.

NCCOS  and NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries  Science Center (SEFSC) co-lead major components of  NOAA’s National  Coral Reef Monitoring Plan (NCRMP) – a framework for  conducting sustained observations of biological, climate, and socioeconomic  indicators at 10 priority coral reefs across the U.S. and its territories. In FY14,  NCCOS and SEFSC conducted the first NCRMP fish and invertebrate monitoring  missions, in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Flower Garden Banks National Marine  Sanctuary. Officials will use data from the missions to  update management plans and ensure continued protection of coral resources at  these locations. Also in FY 14, NCCOS conducted a biological assessment of the  Florida coral reef tract and paired it with human-use information to develop  management recommendations for the Florida  Keys National Marine Sanctuary.              NCCOS is also studying the social and economic conditions of communities that  depend on coral reefs in seven U.S. states and territories. In FY14, NCCOS  scientists surveyed a random representative sample of the adult populations in  American Samoa and South Florida. The survey data are being shared with local  resource managers and other interested partners who will be able to use the  information to improve a range of coral conservation efforts, including  education and outreach initiatives and program evaluation.

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## NOAA Completes Survey of the Washington Monument

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

When the Washington  Monument sustained damage from a 2011 earthquake in central Virginia, NOAA’s National  Geodetic Survey began a project determine the monument’s accurate height. The survey made  headlines and several news agencies interviewed the NGS chief geodesist and other  surveyors. Final results of the survey are pending final review by the U.S.  Park Service.

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## NOAA Planet Stewards Education Project

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience, place-based conservation 

In FY 14, 100 new educators joined the NOAA Planet Stewards Education Project, which provides professional development opportunities and a collaborative online learning community to engage educators in active stewardship projects. Participants represent 43 states, Washington, DC, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Panama, and include formal and informal educators from K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, and informal learning institutions including zoos, aquaria, and nature centers.

Project educators completed 2,060 contact hours of professional development through monthly webinars and book discussions, teleconferences, workshops, and online resources. The Project partnered with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Ice Core Drilling Program, American Meteorological Society, and National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) to offer participants a variety of experiences.

In cooperation with some of these partners, the NOAA team organized and hosted a climate workshop at the NSTA annual meeting that attracted more than 170 educators.

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## NOAA Supports Climate Training in Vietnam

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience, place-based conservation 

In response to a request for federal science specialists to work with the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, the education team leader of NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) developed training materials about climate science and adaptation for leaders in Vietnam provinces. Vietnam's long coastline, geographic location, diverse topography, and microclimates contribute to its being one of the most hazard-prone countries in the Asia-Pacific region, with storms and flooding causing both economic and human losses.

Tasks included selecting and editing appropriate climate materials, selecting university professors as in-country trainers, and providing training for the trainers. A pilot training for 70 top government officials from Thanh Hoa province incorporated websites, resources, and new simulation strategies from NOAA and NOS, along with relevant local information and climate predictions for Vietnam. Topics included the causes and impacts of regional climate change, adaptation and mitigation strategies, climate vulnerability, disaster risk reduction, coastal resilience, and Green Growth opportunities for economic development. 

Evaluation of the training outcomes showed a significant growth in understanding about climate change and a desire for additional training. The trainers will assist with climate training in other provinces and support Vietnam's growth in climate literacy.

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## Maui Coral Reef Campaign Receives ‘People Who Made a Difference’ Award 

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

*The Maui News*, the largest newspaper  on Maui, Hawaii, honored a coral-reef protection and conservation campaign by  the organization West Maui Kumuwai with a “2013 People Who  Made a Difference” award. The campaign is part of a partnership between NOAA’s Office  for Coastal Management and SeaWeb to save coral reefs,  starting in Maui residents’ backyards. Through stories about community members  taking action to help corals, the campaign inspired others to get involved. At  the kick-off event, 50 volunteers planted more than 1,000 plants to reduce soil  runoff. Pledge programs and events taught residents about rain gardens and  proper fertilizer use. The campaign got a number of Maui retailers to post  labels on fertilizers and pesticides that are less harmful to ocean wildlife.  Landscaping companies on Maui also joined the effort by committing to  ocean-friendly practices. 

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## Mobile App Offers Real-time Data from National Estuarine Research Reserves 

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

Real-time weather and  water quality data are now as close as one’s mobile device. The data originate  from NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserves, a federal-state  partnership that protects 28 designated reserve sites and provides natural  areas for scientific research. The SWMP Mobile app provides useful data through any smartphone or  tablet. Users can locate monitoring stations, view station locations on Google maps,  view near real-time data, and create quick charts. The app also complements the  reserves’ other data access resources. The National Estuarine  Research Reserve System Centralized Data Management Office, which developed the  app, is supported through a cooperative agreement between NOAA's Office  for Coastal Management and the University of South Carolina. 

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## Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping Sandy Coordination 

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

NOAA’s Office of Coast  Survey developed an online project called Integrated  Ocean and Coastal Mapping Sandy Coordination to foster  collaboration on Post-tropical  Cyclone Sandy data acquisition in FY 14. The goal was  to gather as much information as possible about mapping needs and plans to support  decision-making and restoration in Sandy-impacted coastal areas, while eliminating  overlaps. The site displays federal and state mapping requirements and plans  acquired from external partners. The project is part of SeaSketch,  a user-friendly GIS developed by the McClintock Laboratory at the University of California Santa  Barbara. 

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## NOAA Reestablishes the Sanctuary Nomination Process

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

In  June 2014, NOAA’s Office  of National Marine Sanctuaries published the final  rule that reestablished the Sanctuary Nomination Process. The updated process,  developed with input from more than 18,000 public comments, allows the American  people to nominate nationally significant marine and Great Lakes areas for potential  designation as national marine sanctuaries. The final rule addresses growing  interest from communities, state and tribal governments, Congress, and  nongovernmental organizations. John Podesta, Counselor  to the President, announced publication of the final  rule at Capitol Hill Oceans Week in June 2014. More information can be found on  the Sanctuaries Nomination  Process website.

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## 38th Voyage of the Historic *Charles W. Morgan*

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

The  170-year-old whaling ship *Charles  W. Morgan* embarked on its 38th voyage in May 2014,  departing its home port of Mystic Seaport, Connecticut. The historic vessel  returned in August, after spending the summer sailing New England on a mission  of whale education and conservation, making stops in Boston, Provincetown, Newport,  and other places. In some ports, visitors toured the restored ship and explored  the accompanying shore-side attractions, which included a tent staffed by NOAA’s Office of National  Marine Sanctuaries, the Sanctuary Advisory Council, and other  volunteers. The public learned about local whale populations, whale  research, and whale  watching in Massachusetts’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine  Sanctuary. 

From  July 11-13, the ship continued its historic 38th voyage with a visit to the  Sanctuary. The ship’s three-day journey through the sanctuary was broadcast on OceansLIVE,  allowing thousands of viewers to connect to the expedition via exclusive  streaming footage. Interviews were broadcast live from the ship’s deck and from  the OceansLIVE studio in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

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## Proposal to Expand Two California National Marine Sanctuaries

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

In  April 2014, NOAA’s Office  of National Marine Sanctuaries announced a proposal  to expand the boundaries of California’s Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries by a combined 2,775 square miles. The proposed  expansion would protect the distinctive marine ecosystems off Marin, Sonoma, and  Mendocino Counties to the north and west of current sanctuary boundaries. These  areas, including North America’s most intense upwelling site off Point Arena, play a major role in nourishing the sanctuaries’  extremely productive waters, which attract numerous species that travel  thousands of miles to feed there. These include endangered blue and humpback  whales, sharks, salmon, and seabirds like albatrosses and shearwaters.

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## Inaugural Meeting of the Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

NOAA’s Office of National  Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) convened the inaugural meeting  of its Sanctuary  System Business Advisory Council in January 2014.  Established to help ONMS engage its corporate partners, the council took nearly  a year to develop and is the first of its kind. The meeting included  representatives from TripAdvisor, Royal Caribbean, Johnson Outdoors, Maersk,  Hess, Disney, National Geographic, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Council  members were introduced to the sanctuary system through a series of  presentations and discussions with ONMS staff, which included what they hoped  to gain from participating in the council, ways that ONMS could engage corporations  as partners, and how the council should operate in the future. The council will  explore new ground in building cooperative and productive relationships between  national marine sanctuaries and the corporate sector.

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## Expansion of Michigan’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

As  FY 14 drew to a close, NOAA’s Office  of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) published new  regulations that will expand the boundaries of the Thunder Bay National Marine  Sanctuary in Lake Huron nearly tenfold – from 450 square miles to 4,300 square miles – to protect an additional 100 known  and suspected shipwreck sites. The new boundaries include waters adjacent to  Alcona and Presque Isle Counties in Northeast Michigan and extend to the  international border within Lake Huron. The expansion is based on years of research by NOAA and its scientific partners, as well as  public input and widespread support from local and regional interests and  elected officials. U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) championed the expansion, citing scientific, cultural, and economic benefits for Alpena  and Northeast Michigan. The goal of the expansion is to increase protection of  the nation’s maritime heritage, support the economy, promote tourism, and build  technology partnerships with the business community, colleges and universities,  and others.

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## A River Reborn: Restoring Salmon Habitat along the Duwamish River

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

In  FY 14, the airplane manufacturer Boeing Company completed a large habitat restoration project just south of Seattle on the Lower Duwamish River. Boeing worked with  NOAA and partners under a Natural Resource  Damage Assessment to restore habitat for fish, shorebirds, and wildlife harmed by historical hazardous substance  releases on the heavily used urban river. Restoration included reshaping the  shoreline, planting 170,000 native plants, and adding large woody debris to provide  areas where young salmon can seek refuge from predators in the river. Two acres  of wetlands were also constructed on the site, which Boeing will maintain to ensure  productive habitat for years to come.

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###### NOS Priority: **Land-Based Conservation**

            - ** Advances in Collection and Use of Surface Current Data (IOOS®)
            - **Maps and Predictions Inform Ocean Energy Development (NCCOS)
            - ** Research and Monitoring to Support U.S. Coral Reef Conservation (NCCOS)
            - ** NOAA Completes Survey of the Washington Monument (NGS)
            - ** NOAA Planet Stewards Education Project (NOS Education)
            - ** NOAA Supports Climate Training in Vietnam (NOS Education)
            - ** Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping Sandy Coordination (OCS)
            - **NOAA Reestablishes the Sanctuary Nomination Process (ONMS)
            - ** 38th Voyage of the Historic Charles W. Morgan (ONMS)
            - ** Proposal to Expand Two California National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS)
            - ** Inaugural Meeting of the Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council (ONMS)
            - ** Expansion of Michigan’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (ONMS)
            - ** A River Reborn: Restoring Salmon Habitat along the Duwamish River (OR&R)

###### **NOS Accomplishments**

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