Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System

🛟 Beach-goers and boaters rely on data to help keep them safe in the ocean.

⛵ SCCOOS infrastructure and data products like High-Frequency Radar and Wave Buoys are critical for determining safe conditions for coastal recreation and industry.

🚁 High-Frequency Radar gives us the ability to track where and how quickly coastal ocean water is moving. This information is essential for many important community services, including: assessing and mitigating impacts of impaired water quality (e.g., monitoring pollution sources or Harmful Algal Blooms), tracking oil spills, and assisting in search and rescue efforts.

🌊 Wave Buoys provide wave and water heights, critical information not just for surfers (and for use in popular websites like Surfline), but also for designing coastal infrastructure, predicting and responding to coastal changes (e.g., sea level rise, cliff erosion), and assessing safe operating conditions for small ships to large vessels (e.g., oil tankers, shipping barges, port and ferry operations).

🔗 Access the CalOOS data portal to view conditions near you: https://data.caloos.org/

🌊 SCCOOS celebrated 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 and 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 by hosting the Pathogen Forecast Model Workshop at Scripps Institution of Oceanography to help refine and improve this important data asset.

🦠 The Pathogen Forecast Model predicts sewage levels at the ocean surface in the San Diego/Tijuana border region, representing a critical tool in our region to help keep beach-goers, boaters, and coastal workers safe from harmful levels of bacteria and viruses.

📊 This tool shows users a 3-day forecast of sewage levels in Southern California's coastal ocean waters, allowing for informed decision-making regarding when and where to enter the water. The Pathogen Forecast Model is a powerful resource in helping our community to plan for safer beach and boating operations.

🏄 Check out the model to help safely plan your next beach day: https://pfmweb.ucsd.edu/

Partners & Funders:
Tijuana Estuary (Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
UC San Diego
San Diego State University
University of San Diego
California Sea Grant
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP)

📅 Join us this Thursday (5/14) at 6:30 PM for a free public event at the San Diego Natural History Museum!

🌎 The event will introduce The Nature Record: a national, evidence-based examination of how nature is changing in the United States and what those changes mean for our health, homes, communities, and economy. Come learn about the data used in this assessment, enjoy a public Q&A session, and provide community input to help shape the future of nature monitoring.

🌟 SCCOOS Director Clarissa Anderson, Ph.D., who helped contribute to The Nature Record, will be presenting at the Q&A portion -- come ask her any questions related to the assessment of our coastal ocean!

🔗 RSVP: Bit.ly/48qc6eS

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Important information on recent CA shellfish advisories 👇

Fun & family friendly event at the Port of San Diego. Free parking, a shuttle, and face painting!

https://www.portofsandiego.org/experiences/parks-recreation/day-park

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1666196305115183&id=100051744884249&mibextid=wwXIfr

🌊 Last month SCCOOS had the pleasure of hosting the Plankton Data and User Needs Workshop at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

🌏 The meeting, convened by the IOOS Association and facilitated by SCCOOS Director Clarissa Anderson, brought together experts from around the country to brainstorm ways to improve the accessibility and application of plankton data. The three-day workshop featured presentations, pier tours, instrument demonstrations, lab visits, and break-out discussions to engage this diverse group of plankton and data experts.

💙 Opportunities like these allow for advancements in the utilization oceanographic data for scientific and public good, such as in the detection and monitoring of Harmful Algal Blooms.

Thank you to our participants and the organizations they represent!

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center | NASA Ocean Ecology Laboratory | Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission | Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom (ORHAB) Partnership | SoundToxins Partnership | Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve | Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Network | University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program | University of Hawaii at Manoa | NOAA National Ocean Service | Tetra Tech | Scripps Institution of Oceanography | University of Washington | NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory | Alaska Fisheries Science Center | Oregon State University | California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations | NOAA Coastal Ocean Science | Northeast Fisheries Science Center | Southwest Fisheries Science Center | National Marine Sanctuary Foundation | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) | NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries | NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary | Alaska Ocean Observing System | Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS) | GCOOS | Maracoos - Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System | Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) | Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) | Great Lakes Observing System

🌟 Our latest newsletter is here! Find out about recent projects, field activities, outreach, and more.

🔗 Visit Bit.ly/SCCOOSnews to see more details and photos.

✉️ Want the latest updates straight to your inbox? Make sure you're signed up for our e-mail listserv: https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/1950923/1936523/

🌎 Happy Earth Day! 🌏

🌊 Last weekend SCCOOS celebrated in Ventura and Santa Barbara with a visit to some of our partners who are doing amazing work educating the next generation of earth and ocean stewards.

🌿 Our third annual visit to the Ventura Earth Day Festival, hosted by MERITO Foundation and the City of Ventura - Government, was an amazing experience that allowed us to connect with our community members and other environmental organizations. Both MERITO and SCCOOS are passionate about bringing ocean data into real-world applications, both in the classroom and for protecting our coastal ocean environment.

🐟 We also visited the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center on Stearns Wharf to learn more about how they help educate and inspire our community to care for our local marine ecosystems and wildlife. Together our teams checked in on some of the SCCOOS instruments on Stearns Wharf that are critical to monitoring coastal water conditions in this area.

💙 This earth day we celebrate our partners in ocean observing, environmental education, and ocean stewardship! 💙