Cold weather and ice did not prevent the Rutgers RUCOOL team from deploying the pHOxy lady, our autonomous underwater glider that measures pH and dissolved oxygen, on Friday, February 1, 2019.  This glider is focused on observing ocean acidification processes in important commercial fisheries habitats in the Mid-Atlantic region. For this mission, the glider will run several cross-shelf transects off the coast of New Jersey, specifically in areas of important Atlantic surfclam (Spisula solidissima) and Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) habitats. Hopefully it will be warmer for her recovery!

Good storytelling is a powerful way to bring public attention to our science – especially when it happens in remote areas like the Polar Regions. Stories about the changing poles are common, but don’t capture the complexity of the data.  On January 10-11 a team from Rutgers University and the University of Delaware co-hosted a workshop for polar scientists to explore how to tell compelling science stories, and to bring data driven, critical analysis to undergraduate classrooms. The program was hosted at Clayton Hall Conference Center at the University of Delaware, and drew 35 scientists from all over the U.S. and Canada. Predominantly early to mid career scientists attended the workshop with a significant number of advanced graduate students. The workshop began with the participants learning the ingredients of an engaging story and brainstormed how to apply to their own science story.  Scientists spent the day iterating and practicing their own story narrative led by expert – Ari Daniel, Senior Digital Producer at NOVA and independent science reporter Josh Kurz, a film producer and principal of Tilapia Films. Scientists also presented their latest polar science research in an evening poster session. In day two we switched focus and investigated how to take media stories back to the classroom. Participants explored the narrative and technical challenges their students face in evaluating data driven claims. Scientists received classroom ready polar science modules developed by Drs. Matt Oliver and Jon Cohen. These units are complete with video tutorials that can be integrated into the classroom. The workshop content was grounded in the Polar Literacy Principles, recently developed by the NSF funded Polar Interdisciplinary Coordinated Education (ICE) program. Finally the group explored how to use these newfound skills in constructing quality Broader Impact projects, drawing on resources of the NSF funded National Alliance for Broader Impacts (NABI). Workshop participants were very satisfied with the workshop content. We asked the participants to retrospectively rank a series of statements about their learning over the three-day program, comparing how they feel now to how they felt before the workshop (1= strongly disagree; 2= disagree; 3= agree; 4= strongly agree). The largest gains before to after the workshop were noted for “I understand the ways in which storytelling can be used to communicate research” and “I understand how to better plan and implement broader impact activities”. The smallest gains were for statements “Communicating research to a non scientist audience is important in my career” and “Communicating my research to scientists/research audiences is important to my career”. This workshop was a success despite the disappointment of our NSF colleagues not being able to attend due to the government shutdown. We hope to be able to offer additional programs for researchers to improve science communication about the polar regions.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Research Campaign to Advance Understanding of Gulf of Mexico Loop Current Moves Forward By Awarding $10.3 Million in Initial Grants WASHINGTON – Following recommendations from a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report released earlier this year, the National Academies’ Gulf Research Program (GRP) is developing a long-term research campaign to improve understanding and prediction of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System (LCS). In support of this effort, the GRP today announced $10.3 million in grant awards for eight new projects to conduct studies and collect data and observations that will inform the planning and launching of the long-term research campaign. The LCS is the dominant ocean circulation feature in the Gulf of Mexico. It influences all types of ocean processes and has implications for a wide range of human and natural systems, including oil and gas operations, storm and hurricane intensity, coastal ecosystems, and industries such as fishing and tourism. However, despite its far-reaching impacts, knowledge about the underlying dynamics that control the behavior of the LCS is limited. “The campaign being planned is a major undertaking. Scientists have been trying to get a handle on the Loop Current for decades, and they’ve made great progress, but there’s never been a long-term, comprehensive, internationally and multi-institutionally coordinated effort,” said Kelly Oskvig, program officer for the GRP. The National Academies report Understanding and Predicting the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current: Gaps and Recommendations identified existing knowledge gaps about the LCS and called for a long-term research campaign to help improve understanding and prediction of the LCS. The report outlined a series of recommendations for near-term and long-term activities needed for a campaign that is expected to take around 10-12 years and require collaborations among many different groups and funders. The GRP recently formed a standing committee of external experts to advise on planning and implementing a LCS research campaign. For more information, visit nationalacademies.org/ugos. “Over time this campaign could generate valuable knowledge able to help improve understanding of the Gulf’s complex oceanographic systems, promote safer offshore operations, facilitate disaster response, and protect coastal communities and ecological resources, among other things,” said Oskvig. Eight new projects were selected for grant awards through the first funding competition related to the LCS research campaign. The solicitation sought projects that would conduct specific studies or collect particular data and observations identified in the report as short-term needs to assist with the long-term research campaign. Planning for the next funding competition, which will also be directed at advancing the long-term LCS research campaign, is now underway and expected to open in 2019. The eight projects chosen to receive awards totaling $10.3 million through the first funding competition for the LCS research campaign were selected through the GRP’s standard external peer review process. Listed in alphabetical order by project title, the projects are: Dry Tortugas and Lower Keys High Frequency Radars Award Amount: $1,371,027 Project Director: Clifford Merz (University of South Florida) Project Team Affiliation: University of South Florida in cooperation with Rutgers University and University of Miami Overview: This project will procure, install, and operate high frequency radar systems to measure surface currents at three locations in the Straits of Florida region of the Gulf of Mexico: Fort Jefferson/Dry Tortugas National Park, Key West, and Marathon. Data from the systems will provide new, real-time data for model assimilation and validation to better understand the evolution of the LCS. Gulf of Mexico Loop Current and Eddy Observations from HF Radar Systems Award Amount: $1,229,424 Project Director: Stephan Howden (University of Southern Mississippi) Project Team Affiliation: University of Southern Mississippi in cooperation with CODAR Ocean Sensors, Shell, and Rutgers University Overview: This project will procure, install, and operate high frequency radar systems to measure surface currents from two offshore platforms at locations in the northeastern most areas of oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Data from the systems will provide new, real-time data for model assimilation and validation to better understand the evolution of the LCS. Informing the Loop Current Campaign: Data Compilation to Improve Understanding, Simulation and Prediction of the Loop Current System Award Amount: $647,813 Project Director: Barbara Kirkpatrick (Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association) Project Team Affiliation: Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association in cooperation with Fugro, Harte Research Institute, Ocean Sierra, RPS, Texas A&M University—College Station, Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi, and Woods Hole Group Overview: This project will design, develop, deploy, and maintain an information system to digitally compile, update, analyze, and make publicly accessible physical oceanographic and hydrographic data from Gulf of Mexico Loop Current field studies. The system will be an important component of future data compilation efforts for a long-term LCS research campaign. Loop Current Floats: Near Real-Time Hydrography and Deep Velocity in the Loop Current System Using Autonomous Profilers Award Amount: $1,155,371 Project Director: Amy Bower (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Project Team Affiliation: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in cooperation with Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education at Ensenada) Overview: This project will procure, deploy, and maintain a fleet of autonomous ocean dynamics-instrumented profiling floats to measure temperature, salinity, and current velocities in LCS active areas of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Numerical Modeling Award Amount: $2,100,946 Project Director: Ruoying He (North Carolina State University) Project Team Affiliation: North Carolina State University in cooperation with Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education at Ensenada), Chevron, Florida State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and University of California – Santa Cruz Overview: This project will perform assessments of existing Gulf of Mexico forecasting systems to test the performance and sensitivity of current models in resolving both surface and subsurface circulation and to evaluate long-range prediction capabilities. Passive Gulf of Mexico Loop Current Observations from HF Radar Across the Yucatan Strait Award Amount: $844,263 Project Director: Anthony Knap (Texas A&M University—College Station)

Dredging of the boat basin at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station in Tuckerton, NJ has been begun. At approximately 8:53 a.m. on Monday morning, December 3rd, 2018, the dredge operation began cutting into the mud that has prevented the University’s research vessels from berthing at their typical location at the end of Great Bay Boulevard. Last dredged in 2003, this area has experienced sedimentation rates exacerbated by storms such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012 that have prevented access to all but the smallest of vessels. The hydraulic dredge will remove approximately 10,500 cubic yards from an area approximately 2 acres in size, and dredge the basin to a depth of 8 feet below mean low water. Now that the recent dredging over the winter has allowed for dock access with 10ft depths, the R/V Arabella returned Monday May 20th to the RUMFS boat basin after being dry-docked for years due to inability to access docks due to siltation.

Dr. Hugh Roarty delivered a talk to the cadets of the United States Coast Guard Academy on Thursday November 29, 2018, on behalf of MARACOOS. His talk was entitled “The Use of Ocean Surface Currents for Coast Guard Search and Rescue” and was part of the Coast Guard Academy Science Lecture Series.

On behalf of MARACOOS, Dr. Hugh Roarty presents a plaque to Mr. Art Allen on the occasion of his retirement from the United States Coast Guard. Mr. Allen was recognized for his pioneering vision, decades of technological innovation and enduring commitment to partnerships within the global ocean observing community. His work with the Coast Guard Office of Search and Rescue (SAR) focused on determining the drift trajectory of common search objects and application of survival and hypothermic models in SAR planning. He served as liaison between the USCG and the oceanographic community to articulate USCG mission needs and determine which environmental data products were best for USCG search and rescue missions.

Assistant Professor Travis Miles is the 2018 Ocean News and Technology/Marine Technology Society Young Professional. This award which recognizes an MTS Member, 35 years old or younger, who has demonstrated leadership in MTS and work in a professional capacity in management, engineering or research and development in a marine technology field. Assistant Professor Miles was selected based on his work adapting autonomous underwater gliders for use in hurricane intensity research. The use of these systems has enabled new understanding of how our coastal oceans can intensify or weaken Hurricanes in the critical last hours before landfall. This work has lead to the enhancement of coastal ocean observing networks across the eastern US, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. In addition to research, Miles has contributed numerous papers and proceedings to the MTS journals, regularly supported student engagement, and developed a new MTS summer course on glider training with colleagues at Rutgers.