Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System

10/27/2026

👋 Join us next week on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 2PM PST for the latest National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) West Watch webinar!

🔗 Register: bit.ly/NovWestWatch

🌎 This monthly series brings together ocean and atmosphere observing experts from across the region to highlight ongoing and emerging oceanic and atmospheric conditions, impacts, and data trends.

🌊 Tune in to learn about conditions across the west including the arrival of El Niño, the state of Harmful Algal Blooms along the West Coast, drought/precipitation status, and much more!

📊 These combined expert reports help us better understand region-wide patterns and allow coastal managers to prepare for any impacts affecting coastal safety, research, or economy.

Featured presenters include SCCOOS Director Clarissa Anderson, Ph.D., Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS) Director Henry Ruhl, Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) Director Jan Newton, and Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC) Climatologist Dan McEvoy



U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System | Scripps Institution of Oceanography | MBARI | University of Washington | NOAA Coastal Ocean Science

10/23/2026

🎉 The Central & Northern California Coastal Observing System (CeNCOOS) and the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) are excited to announce the launch of a new public data tool that illustrates our latest ocean observing data and model output to show El Niño conditions and impacts along the entire California coast.

🌎 With daily data updates and key impact summaries, these near real-time measurements allow everyone, from curious community members to coastal managers and researchers, to follow along with how El Niño is affecting our region.

🌊 Use the multiple visualizations to keep up with conditions throughout Northern, Central, and Southern California as we track water levels, waves, ocean heat, and ecosystem response.

🔗 View site: https://enso.caloos.org/

📊 Keep an eye on our page in the coming weeks as we explore the different data sources and functions of this resource. And stay tuned for announcements related to planned feature additions, such as coastal erosion, ecosystem changes, and more!

✨ Happy tracking!



U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
UC San Diego
MBARI
NOAA Coastal Ocean Science

10/15/2026

☀ You likely know us for our work with professional researchers and data scientists, but did you know that SCCOOS is also an active participant in the K-12 education and outreach community?

Pictured is our team implementing hands-on activities we designed to introduce young minds to the world of ocean observing and coastal data!

🌊 This summer we participated in a 2-week Waterworld camp for K-8 students in the Oxnard School District as part of California's Expanded Learning Opportunity Program.

🏄 Earlier this month we showcased our observing equipment and hosted an activity for curious kids and community members during the annual Walter Munk Day, hosted by Walter Munk Foundation For The Oceans to celebrate ocean science in La Jolla, CA.

🍎 Access K-12 curriculum resources to share ocean observing data in your classroom! The Integrated Ocean Observing System Association collaborated with UCAR Center for Science Education and UCAR Center for Ocean Leadership to offer seven free activities and lesson plans in English and Spanish: https://ioosassociation.org/resources/k-12-education-toolkit/

SCCOOS assisted with development of the Marine HAB Detective toolkit activity (pg. 49-61), which uses our HAB data portal!



National Science Teaching Association |
Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography | U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System

10/14/2026

Days 1 and 2 of the California Ocean Observing Systems Summit have been filled with informative talks, engaging discussions, and productive relationship building!

Our in-person participants celebrated the work done so far with a sunset networking reception hosted at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center where they enjoyed the beautiful views and interactive exhibits showcasing the local marine life.

There is still time to join us online for Day 3 where topics include Marine Life, Ecosystems, & Fisheries as well as Blue Economy, Workforce, & Solutions. Register now: https://ucsd.zoom.us/meeting/register/r53_hDtdR5CeY-Ew7nEjGw #/registration

Thank you to Synchro for helping to support our social event and to the staff at the Sea Center for the fun and educational evening!

Got any pictures from the event? Make sure to tag us!

10/08/2026

09/30/2026

☀️ Register now for remote attendance to the 2026 California Ocean Observing Systems Summit hosted by SCCOOS and the Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS)!

🔗 Register: https://ucsd.zoom.us/meeting/register/r53_hDtdR5CeY-Ew7nEjGw #/registration

🌊 Held October 12-14, participants can expect to hear presentations and discussions from experts, stakeholders, and data-users spanning the California coast.

🛟 View more details in the agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11GWY_9LgkX90G5MgZA3zzPfIngYzUCO5xwsj07Hw-QE/edit?usp=sharing



U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
MBARI

09/10/2026

📷 In partnership with California State Parks and Surfline, two new cameras have been installed at San Elijo State Beach and Carpinteria State Beach. These cameras join the We**am Coastal Observation System (WebCOOS) to help scientists observe rip currents, shoreline changes, flooding events, and detect human-contributed objects along our coast.

🌊 Our Southern California WebCOOS sites help contribute to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Coastal Processes Group's research to advance the SCCOOS California Coastal Flood Network.

🌎 WebCOOS is led nationally by the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System(IOOS), funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Since 2017 WebCOOS has provided continuous, real-time views of coastal conditions that support mariners, coastal managers, researchers, and communities.

View all WebCOOS sites and learn more about how these data are used: WebCOOS.org

☀️ We have had a busy summer of new sensors and upgrades to our observing system! Stay tuned for more information about additional new deployments.

09/03/2026

📰 Read all about it! Our latest newsletter is here. Find out more about what our teams have been up to all summer, including:

📸 New We**am Coastal Observation System (WebCOOS) sites
🌊 StartBlue Ocean Enterprise Accelerator Fall 2026 Cohort
📊 Latest California HAB Bulletin with Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS)
🏆 SCCOOS Director, Clarissa Anderson, Ph.D. promoted to research scientist Scripps Institution of Oceanography
🆕 MANY new instruments and upgrades to our observing system
💙 Outreach events
and more!

🔗 Learn more in the full newsletter: https://t.e2ma.net/message/553fkm/9ox2pxae

✉️ Stay in the know by signing up for our emails: https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/1950923/1936523/

09/01/2026

🛟 Tracking storms like Hurricanes and Tropical Cyclones is a crucial part of coastal monitoring to save lives and mitigate storm damage in coastal regions.

Interested to learn more about storm tracking, including tropical storms that impact the West Coast? Check out the latest resources from U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and Maracoos - Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System:

🌪️ OceansMap Storm Visualization - View storm paths and predictions: https://oceansmap.maracoos.org/?shortlink=D00YFy6jSc2UUGFuiYbN3g

⛈️ Hurricane Glider Fact Sheet - Improving Hurricane Intensity Forecasts and Saving Lives With Upper Ocean Observations: https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/attachments/2026/Hurricane%20Gliders%20Coordination%20Two-Pager%20%20FINAL.pdf



National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Ocean Service
NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center

08/28/2026

🌎 The May-June 2026 California Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Bulletin is now available!

👇 Read a summary below, or access the full report 🔗 https://sccoos.org/california-hab-bulletin/may-june-2026/

SUMMARY: May and June 2026 were marked by increased Pseudo-nitzschia activity in Central California, consistent with C-HARM predictions of high probabilities of Pseudo-nitzschia abundance and domoic acid (DA) concentrations exceeding alert thresholds in that region. Cal Poly Pier and Santa Cruz Wharf emerged as the two regional hotspots.

Southern California stations recorded elevated but comparatively modest Pseudo-nitzschia activity through much of May before activity declined at most sites through June. Stearns Wharf recorded a particularly intense early May peak. Real-time imaging data broadly corroborated model observations across the period and provided an important window into Northern California activity at Trinidad Pier, where Pseudo-nitzschia was detected at bloom levels in mid-June, consistent with model predictions for that region.

Alexandrium remained largely rare or undetected statewide, with low but persistent detections at Cal Poly Pier through May and June.

🐟 Fisheries Impacts: Elevated levels of DA detected in commercially harvested Pacific sardines and Northern anchovies from Central California waters in mid-June prompted state health agencies to recommend commercial fisheries restrictions implemented by CDFW, and CDPH to issue a consumption advisory for the recreational fisheries on 6/26.

🦭 Animal Impacts: A total of 19 marine mammal strandings with suspected DA exposure were reported across May and June, with Central California accounting for the majority of cases. Two humpback whales stranded on Monterey Bay beaches during this period, with very high DA levels detected in biological samples.

More information available in the full report: https://sccoos.org/california-hab-bulletin/may-june-2026/



Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of Southern California
UCLA
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP)
UC Santa Barbara
Bodega Marine Laboratory - UC Davis
MBARI
UC Santa Cruz
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)
U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System