The Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System

Technical Program Real time monitoring and forecasts of: Weather - surface ocean winds, air temperature, visibility. Oceanic conditions - currents, waves, temperature, salinity, density. Environmental quality - water clarity, turbidity, nutrients, dissolved oxygen. Ocean biology - algal biomass, productivity, community structure.

h GoMOOS Observation Program: Buoys and HF Radar

A Cooperative Utility Serves all of Gulf of Maine: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts. Including: Marine industries Research institutions Government agencies Educational institutions Private companies Nonprofits

Membership Research/Education: Bedford Institute of Oceanography Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science Dalhousie University Maine Maritime Academy Rutgers University University of Maine University of Massachusetts University of New England University of New Hampshire University of Rhode Island Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Marine Industry: Bath Iron Works Horizon Marine, Inc. Maine Lobstermen Association Portland Pipe Line Corporation Satlantic Atlantic Pilotage Authority Eastport Port Authority Federal Marine Terminals Penobscot Bay & River Pilots Assn. RD Instruments Saint John Marine Pilots Saint John Port Authority Government: Maine Dept. of Marine Resources Maine State Planning Office Mass. Coastal Zone Management Mass. Water Resources Authority Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Nonprofit: Gulf of Maine Aquarium Island Institute New England Aquarium

Maritime Shipping Industry 3,500 transits/year 50 million tons 202,000 transit hours $43 million ops. Each 1% savings in time = $500,000/yr

Commercial Fishing Industry Time and safety Av. value per fishing day = $4.1 million “…I check for the official gale warnings, then go to the [GoMOOS] web site to see if the wind is actually blowing now. I can get a day’s work in…” --Scalloper from Stonington, Me.

Connecting Fisheries to Physical Environment Aquaculture siting --dissolved oxygen --salinity --sea surface temp. --currents Stock assessment --chlorophyll/productivity --circulation Climate change

Oil Spill Contingency Planning, Prevention, and Recovery Julie N – 180,000-gal. spill, Portland Harbor September 1996 Real-time Wind Waves Currents; Circulation models

US Coast Guard: 2 nd largest user of GoMOOS web site 6000 SAR missions/year 500 saved lives 28 lives lost/year 4% success rate after 2 hours 1% inc. in SAR effectiveness = 6 additional saved lives/year Search and Rescue

Wastewater Management New Boston Harbor Outfall Boundary conditions for nutrients Dissolved oxygen Helps meet costly monitoring requirements

Alexandrium tamarence: Agent of paralytic shellfish poisoning (red tide) Experimental technologies Future: Red Tide predictive index Photo credit: Larry Fritz New Frontier for Resource Managers: Biological Observations

EstimatedAnnual Potential Benefits for 5 Sectors: GoMOOS Search and rescue (lives saved) Oil spill mitigation Efficiencies in commerical fisheries Recreational fishing days Maritime transportation – vessel operating costs $33+ million per year Source: Kite-Powell and Colgan, 2001, for NOAA

Estimated Costs of a Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System, based on GoMOOS Experience Capitalization (over 2-3 years)+/- $12 million  10 – 13 buoy locations  4 CODAR units  Prediction system  Data management system O&M+/- $4 million/yr.

Thanks! to Federal Agency Partners Office of Naval Research – capitalization & technology Navy METOC – wave model, customized weather forecasts NOAA – National Ocean Service – coastal applications Coastal Services Center – technical assistance NESDIS – satellites & data archive National Weather Service – marine weather NMFS – fisheries data