Continued Development of Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System: Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS)
Lead PI: Molly McCammon, Alaska Ocean Observing System
Start Year: 2011 | Duration: 5 Years
Partners: Axiom Consulting & Design, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Prince William Sound Science Center/Oil Spill Recovery Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Marine Exchange of Alaska, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory & NOAA Kasitsna Bay Laboratory
The mission of AOOS is to provide coastal and ocean observations, forecasts and data and information products to meet agency and stakeholder needs. The proposed work builds upon efforts begun with AOOS’s initial funding, and takes into account the paucity of real-time observations in Alaska by relying extensively on collaborations and leveraging with other programs. The proposal represents the priorities identified by stakeholder workshops and adopted by the AOOS Board: 1) Increase access to existing coastal and ocean data; 2) Package information and data in useful ways to meet the needs of stakeholders; and 3) Increase observing and forecasting capacity in all regions of the state, with a priority on the Arctic and the northern Gulf of Alaska.
Alaska’s many stakeholders include state and federal resource managers, oil spill responders, search and rescue teams, commercial and recreational fishers and boaters, subsistence users, coastal community residents, and the shipping, mining, and oil and gas industries. Benefits will take the form of increased access to existing data and improved observations and predictions of weather, ocean, and sea ice conditions. The information is aimed to inform decision-making by stakeholders. Many factors currently affecting Alaska heighten the need for reliable and accessible marine information, including increases in marine traffic and other industrial activities in the Arctic, and the dramatic retreat of sea ice.
Annual PI Reports:
FY 2011 PI Report
FY 2012 PI Report
FY 2014 PI Report
FY 2015 PI Report
FY 2016 PI Report