SECOORA Florida One Pager

SOUTHEAST COASTAL OCEAN OBSERVING REGIONAL ASSOCIATION Our eye on the Southeast's ocean and coast

Image Credit: NOAA

Image Credit: Jennifer Moncrief, UNCW

Image Credit: NOAA

SECOORA is the regional ocean observing system for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. SECOORA provides critical ocean and coastal data and information to meet the needs of people who live and work along the shorelines of the Southeast. With an annual income of $2,650,000, SECOORA funds opportunities across the Southeast that help improve:

SAFETY

By supporting search and rescue operations and preparedness of Southeasterners

ECONOMY

By improving routing for maritime commerce

ENVIRONMENT

$1,306

investment per coastline mile*

By monitoring vital marine resources

26 MILLION

SECOORA is working to leverage resources and coordinate projects to serve

Federal and non-federal coastal ocean observations aggregated and shared

1,938 MILES

of coastline* in FL, GA, SC and NC Coastline mile source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012

*

“

As a career naval officer and former head of NOAA, I know first hand the importance of timely, quality information about the coastal environment. IOOS is filling critical gaps and providing valuable information to those who need it.

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Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr. (Ret.) SECOORA Board Chairman GeoOptics

SECOORA in Florida Sustaining Marine Observations One goal of SECOORA is keeping ocean-observing in-situ stations operating in coastal ocean waters. Buoys are ocean-observing equipment anchored to the ocean floor. They house sensors that measure both air and water conditions.

In the Gulf of Mexico, off the West coast of Florida, University of South Florida (USF) maintains 3 buoys with SECOORA funding. Data from these buoys has been collected since 2005, providing an important decade-long record of ocean conditions. In total, USF maintains 12 in-situ stations. Sustained marine observations are necessary to understand and predict the workings of the coastal ocean and the fish and other ecosystem components we all value.

Pictured above are USF COMPS associates redeploying Buoy c13 into the coastal waters of West Florida. SECOORA supports 12 in-situ stations off the West Florida Shelf.

Image Credit: USF COMPS

Florida Surface Current System High frequency (HF) radar systems measure the speed and direction of ocean surface currents in near real-time. Ocean surface currents are fundamental for spill response and search and rescue operations. The Coast Guard estimates that real-time surface current information can reduce their search area by 2/3rds. * SECOORA supports 7 HF radar systems in Florida. They are located along the

“

coast of Miami and the West Florida Shelf. *

Information provided by IOOS Association | Image Credit: SECOORA

Karenia brevis (also called red tide) is the toxic algal species that threatens the livelihood of those who work and play on the shorelines of Florida. Forecasting red tide blooms are important for Florida's ocean economy. Sustained in-situ data, combined with field observations and satellite imagery provide scientists with the tools to model and predict red tide blooms in the Gulf of Mexico.

I like to know where red tide is because it kills my bait. “

Captain Erich Jaeger, Maverick Fishing Charters 2014 SECOORA Annual Meeting

Image Credit: Maverick Fishing Charters

SECOORA FLORIDA MEMBERS Florida Atlantic University

Harbor Branch- FAU

Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

OTT Hydromet

Florida Institute of Oceanography Florida Institute of Technology Florida State University

Indian River State College Jacksonville University Marine Science Research Institute Nova Southeastern University

University of South Florida College of Marine Science Florida International UniversitySchool of Environment, Arts and Society University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science

NortekUSA

Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecast Service, Inc.

RDSea International

SRI International

University of Florida

NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

Florida Gulf Coast University

Nova Southeastern University

University of Central Florida

STAY CONNECTED www.secoora.org

Debra Hernandez Executive Director, SECOORA Tel: (843) 906-8686 debra@secoora.org facebook.com/secoora twitter.com/secoora