NOAA, CSCOR/COP News

CSCOR is one of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) within the National Ocean Service (NOS) at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Challenges and Highlights

Rob Magnien, Director NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research, rob.magnien@noaa.gov

As I look back on what is now approaching a year in my "new" position as CSCOR/COP Director, there have been many highlights along with many challenges. The highlights all involve working with talented and supportive colleagues both within and outside the agency. I am particularly fortunate to work with a group of very dedicated and professional individuals in CSCOR/COP. Our major accomplishment this year was the award of continued funding for all multi-year proposals initiated in prior years and the funding of new proposals for all three FY 2004 announcements (see below) during a period of unusual funding uncertainty. Last year CSCOR/COP was able to provide support for the ERF conference in Seattle, a long tradition that I intend to continue. We look at ERF as the scientific society that best matches the mission of our group by not only being committed to basic research but also having a longstanding history of embracing society's needs for world-class science that can be used in resource management decisions. I met with ERF president Linda Schaffner and Joy Bartholomew in January to discuss other possibilities for collaboration with ERF in the future.

Multidisciplinary, ecosystem-scale and predictive research In recent national reports as well as NOAA and NOS strategic plans, there are many signs that point to the need for the type of research that CSCOR/COP has led for well over a decade - multidisciplinary, ecosystem-scale and predictive. One of the major drivers of this need is the recognition that scientific advances are required to implement sound ecosystem-based management approaches in stewardship of our estuarine and coastal resources. I am heartened to see this need highlighted in many important strategic documents and hope that it translates into continued support for our collective mission. As we move forward, I welcome your input and encourage you to contact me. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to those who have expressed support for our program and to those who have contributed of their time to make the quality of our merit-review process second to none. Please read on about some of the recent activity in our programs and stay tuned to our web site as we implement major upgrades in the coming months.

CSCOR/COP Funding Announcements for FY 2005

On June 30, 2004 CSCOR/COP funding announcements for FY 2005 new starts for Coastal Hypoxia Research, Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise, and Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms were published in the Federal Register. Complete funding announcements are available on the CSCOR/COP website at www.cop.noaa.gov.

Coastal Hypoxia Research Program (CHRP): A funding announcement was published for CHRP with the overall goal of developing modeling tools and information which will be used by resource managers to assess alternative management strategies and make informed decisions regarding hypoxia in U.S. coastal waters. Over half of the U.S. estuaries experience natural or human-induced hypoxic conditions at some time each year and evidence suggests that the frequency and duration of hypoxic events have increased over the last few decades. These hypoxic events can have large impacts on the affected ecosystems and have associated economic impacts. Determining the causes of hypoxia, developing the capability to predict its occurrence in response to varying levels of anthropogenic stress, and evaluating the subsequent ecological and economic impacts are necessary to assess potential management alternatives.

Proposals for funding under this announcement will be accepted for hypoxia research in U.S. Great Lakes, estuaries and coastal ocean regions, exclusive of the "dead zone" over the Louisiana continental shelf. Potential topics to be addressed by the proposals include: the development of a predictive capability for the spatial and temporal extent of hypoxia given current and potential anthropogenic and natural forcing scenarios and potential management alternatives; the determination of the current ecological and economic impacts of hypoxia in a region and the development of ecological forecasts and economic valuations of the impacts of changes in a hypoxic region's extent; and the development of models that predict the susceptibility of coastal systems to the formation of hypoxic waters.

Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise: CSCOR/COP sponsored a workshop to explore the ecological effects of sea level rise in Beaufort, North Carolina on February 4 and 5, 2004. The goal of the workshop was to obtain guidance from the research and management community in the major areas of research needed to help coastal managers mitigate regional ecological impacts of sea level rise. The recommendations of the workshop helped to design a pilot research program in North Carolina and shape the FY 2005 announcement. This will be a collaborative effort with the National Ocean Service (NOS) Office of Coast Survey (OCS), National Geodetic Survey (NGS), and Center for Oceanographic Operational Products and Service (COOPS), who are developing a model to predict the rise of mean water level due to oceanic sea level rise.

The funding announcement published for Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise has the overall goal of providing an ecological context for the water level modeling being performed by NOS. Proposals for funding under this announcement will be accepted for study of the localized effects of sea level rise in the Pamlico and Bogue Sounds and the Neuse River in the State of North Carolina. CSCOR's sea level rise program will provide managers with useful modeling and mapping tools to better assess and predict the fate of ecologically and economically valuable natural resources threatened by sea level rise.

Updates

Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB): CSCOR has recommended funding for four MERHAB projects with an anticipated September 1, 2004 start date; summaries of the funded proposals will be posted on the CSCOR/COP website by October 1. MERHAB is generating faster, less expensive and more reliable detection methods for HAB cells and toxins, instruments for low-cost, long-term observation of coastal ocean conditions, reliable models that predict bloom development, persistence, toxicity and movement, and stronger mechanisms to respond to outbreaks. MERHAB supports academic, government and private-sector scientists and managers working to reduce HAB impacts on coastal communities. A MERHAB announcement soliciting proposals was released by NOAA on June 30, 2004 with project selection contingent upon availability of FY 2005 funding.

Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB): The competition for proposals submitted to the 2004 ECOHAB announcement has been completed. A total of thirteen new projects will be recommended for funding, with support to come from the NOAA CSCOR/COP and the STAR (Science to Achieve Results) program in the EPA Office of Research and Development. Upon completion of funding abstracts for all the new projects will be posted on the website of the National Office for Marine Biotoxins and Harmful Algal Blooms (http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/). In addition, those projects funded by the EPA will also be posted on the STAR website (http://es.epa.gov/ncer/grants/).

ECOHAB is a collaborative research program supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Its goals are to: 1) develop a fundamental understanding of the physical, biological, and geochemical processes that interact with harmful algal species to promote bloom development, maintenance, and decline; 2) examine consequences of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in foodwebs and fisheries; and 3) develop predictive and early warning capabilities for the occurrence and impacts of HABs in order to prevent, manage, control and mitigate effects of HABs in the coastal ocean.

Ecological Forecasting: During FY 2004, CSCOR/COP held a competition for Ecological Forecasting, designed to develop ecological forecasts of the effects of environmental and anthropogenic stressors on coastal ecosystems, and provide them to coastal managers. Two proposals have been recommended for funding with September 1 start dates; summaries of their proposed goals and forecast products will be posted on the CSCOR/COP website by October 1. Given the importance of ecological forecasting and modeling to NOAA and NOS, the Ecological Forecasting Program is envisioned to be an ongoing area of investment for CSCOR/COP with the next announcement projected to be for FY 2006.

CSCOR/COP News is compiled by Carol Auer, carol.auer@noaa.gov. 

For more information about NOAA's Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR)/ Coastal Ocean Program (COP) visit www.cop.noaa.gov or contact Rob Magnien, Director, at 1305 East- West Highway, Room 8307, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3233; rob.magnien@noaa.gov; 301-713-3338 x159.