Marine Technology Society Journal

      There was an air of anticipation in 2002 surrounding the topic of ocean observing-- Ocean.US had been formed and held the Airlie House workshop, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy had begun its work, and expectations were that a major effort to create an ocean observing system for the U.S. was about to begin. Spurred on by these events, a number of regional-scale programs began to take shape, and several of them secured significant funding and undertook the business of standing up and knitting together the main components of ocean observing systems-- observing platforms, modeling, data management, and extension-- on the local to regional scale. They sought to define the components of the system, and through experimentation, find out what was required to operate them properly and efficiently and how they best fit together to create a functional observing system.

      This special volume highlighting the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) documents some of those efforts. Included are commentaries that provide a national and international perspective on advances in regional coastal ocean observing, and articles that describe the components of the observing systems. Throughout there has been an effort to offer frank assessments of the successes and failure encountered over the last six years; many of the articles provide "lessons learned" sections as a way to be forward-looking and help inform subsequent developments in regional coastal ocean observing. We remain committed to seeing a robust ocean observing system established and hope that these contributions can help guide its development.

Harvey E. Seim
Guest Editor

PROLOGUE TO SEACOOS
Harvey E. Seim, Christopher N.K. Mooers

The initiation of the SECOORA effort clarified the role of SEACOOS as a pilot RCOOS program, and SEACOOS consequently focused more narrowly on the observing system architecture and operation as its priorities for development, implementation, and evaluation. To help establish a framework for this special volume, activities relevant to ocean observing immediately preceding and during the first years of the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) are outlined in this article.

SEACOOS PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
Harvey E. Seim, James Nelson, Madilyn Fletcher, C.N.K. Mooers, Lundie Spence, Robert H. Weisberg, Francisco Werner, Sarah M. Smith, Russ Lea

The management of the SEACOOS program and its evolution over a five-year period are reviewed. The topics included pertain to the mechanisms used to create a consortium, define its mission, develop and manage its annual budget and tasking cycle; and the history of its focus over a five-year period. The management of SEACOOS was complex and required significant efforts to develop new approaches and collaborative mechanisms. Changes in management were made as weaknesses were identified and to enable a more unified approach to the evaluation, operations, data management and outreach efforts. A number of programmatic lessons learned are summarized that may be of value for future development of regional coastal ocean observing systems.

SOUTHEAST ATLANTIC COASTAL OCEAN OBSERVING SYSTEM (SEACOOS) INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: EVOLUTION OF A DISTRIBUTED COMMUNITY SYSTEM
Madilyn Fletcher, Jesse Cleary, Jeremy Cothran, Dwayne Porter

The Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) established a comprehensive information management (IM) system, comprising a distributed hardware and software applications infrastructure that enabled access to and processing of complex databases from multiple sites. Initial focus was on the development of a set of standards for data transport mechanisms, vocabulary, and metadata. Data were organized in a relational database structure, and new developments addressed identified needs, such as more rapid aggregation and posting of near-real-time data. For presentation of data, map-based products were developed, including both pre-generated, “report-based” maps and interactive maps generated by users at their browsers. Map development was based on parallel developments in database structure, data standards, and data transport mechanisms that enabled aggregation and normalization of distributed data. The open source MapServer application was used, along with PostgreSQL and its extension PostGIS, as the basic mapping tool. A data animation presentation platform was created that combined maps and graphs with the capacity to select GIS layers, scale, types of observation to graph, and time steps. Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) issues were also addressed, with developments in automated testing of data and filtering and flagging systems. A primary concern of the IM system was to support the path towards interoperability among national and international ocean observing system elements. Included are "lessons learned" that promote the efficiency and stability of regional systems, such as the need for appropriate redundancy and a focus on region-specific applications that demonstrate value in the relatively near term.

SUPPORTING AND EXTENDING THE SEACOOS PROGRAM: THE EXTENSION AND EDUCATION WORK GROUP
Christina Simoniello, Lundie Spence, Jack Thigpen

In addition to the observation, collection and analysis of data, Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) funding supported the development of a complementary Extension and Education (E&E) component. Extension activities were operated through the Sea Grant Extension Programs of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Education activities were channeled through the three Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence in the SEACOOS domain, and the University of Georgia Marine Extension program. E&E Work Group (WG) activities included identifying stakeholders and their needs, increasing awareness of SEACOOS and ocean observing systems in general, and developing concepts for potential products. This article is designed to describe (1) how education and outreach functions were developed with SEACOOS funding to E&E Principal Investigators, (2) the "lessons learned" from the many collaborations, and (3) "best practices" gleaned from the four years of activity funding. Best practices for E&E included defining clearly the target audiences, identifying information needs, providing products appropriate to the audience, designing evaluations with a strong feedback loop, and developing long-term relationships between audiences and providers. This article is one of seven published in this special edition of the MTS Journal to provide a forward-looking discussion of future development of the Southeast Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System (SERCOOS).

IN SITU OBSERVATIONS AND SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING IN SEACOOS: PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND LESSONS LEARNED
James R. Nelson, Robert H. Wiesberg

In situ observing and satellite remote sensing components of the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) implemented from 2002 through 2006 are reviewed and “lessons learned” from the operation of these systems are summarized. The in situ observing program built upon several efforts initiated at academic institutions in the southeast U.S. prior to 2002. The partnership and observing capacity were expanded as the SEACOOS program developed. Sustained near real-time in situ observations were obtained from buoys, offshore towers, pier and shore stations, and mobile platforms (ships, gliders, drifters) using several communications options. The SEACOOS observing program also included several test-bed studies, and a pilot program in regional satellite remote sensing utilized established capabilities at partner institutions to deliver satellite products in near real-time to SEACOOS. Many of the SEACOOS observing activities leveraged personnel and infrastructure resources at partner institutions and support from complementary research projects. The SEACOOS experience provides a number of pragmatic (operational) "lessons learned" that are relevant to the future operation of a Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System (RCOOS). Adequate support of experienced personnel is critical to the efficient, sustained operation of a real-time observing network. Also required are sufficient inventories of spare components, appropriate transportation options to accommodate both routine and unscheduled maintenance, robust communications with sufficient bandwidth and back-up options, and data logging on deployment platforms to minimize gaps in the time-series. RCOOS planning should include mechanisms to ensure effective communications on operational matters among technical personnel within and across regions.

HIGH FREQUENCY RADAR OBSERVING SYSTEMS IN SEACOOS: 2002-2007 LESSONS LEARNED
Lynn K. Shay, Harvey E. Seim, Dana Savidge, Richard Styles, Robert H. Weisberg

From 2002-2007, the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) deployed high frequency (HF) radars to overlook several venues stretching from the West Florida Shelf to the North Carolina Shelf. Based on extensive deliberations within SEACOOS, we decided to assess the two differing types of coastal ocean current radars within the southeast that were on the commercial market. The long-range SeaSondes (SS) were deployed to sense surface currents at hourly intervals and a 6 km resolution along the West Florida Shelf and the North Carolina Shelf. The medium and long-range Wellen Radars (WERA) were deployed along the Florida Straits and along the South Atlantic Bight with spatial resolutions of 1.2 to 3 km sampling at time scales of minutes. A common theme in these deployments was to sense the Loop Current, Florida Current and the Gulf Stream, which transport heat poleward as part of the gyre circulation. Several lessons were learned as part of these deployments, such as the need to protect against lightening strikes and the challenge of providing robust communication links between the remote sites and a central hub to make the data available in near real-time. Since states in the southeast and surrounding the Gulf of Mexico are prone to the passage of hurricanes, surface current and wave measurements during hurricanes are invaluable for improving storm surge and inundation models that are now being coupled to surface waves. In addition, significant wave heights (and directional surface wave spectra) are critical in the model assessment. Data quality and accuracy of the surface current and wave fields remain a central issue to search and rescue and safe maritime operations and to understanding the limitations of these radar systems. As more phased array systems (i.e., WERAs) are deployed for surface current and wave measurements, more attention needs to be placed on the interoperability between the two types of systems to insure the highest quality data possible is available to meet applied and operational goals. To insure the highest quality data possible, a full-time technician and a half-time IT specialist are needed for each installation as well as access to spares to keep these systems running consistently and to make quality observations available in near real-time.

WAVES INITIATIVE WITHIN SEACOOS
George Vulgaris, Brian K. Haus, Paul Work, Lynn K. Shay, Harvey E. Seim, Robert H. Weisberg, James R. Nelson

Amongst other ocean state parameters, the development of a wave measurement pro- gram was supported as part of the Southeast U.S. Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS). The program focused on supporting nearshore wave measurements using both cabled and autonomous systems but also examined the feasibility of using HF Radar systems for remote estimation of wave parameters. The nearshore stations have provided a significant database on directional wave climate for a number of nearshore locations in the region that provide valuable information to coastal engineers and managers for sustainable development along the coast of the southeastern United States. The ability of Wellen high-frequency radar (WERA HF) to provide wave information was evaluated through a field experiment in SE Florida. The results were encouraging and placed some initial bounds on the confidence to be associated with empirically derived wave height information. Coordination efforts for the development of a comprehensive waves program for the Southeast U.S. were initiated and contributed to the development of the National Wave Observations plan. They also led to the development of a new Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System (RCOOS) that includes developing systems in support of local weather forecast offices in their surf-zone and rip-current forecasts.

BUILDING ON THE SEACOOS EXPERIENCE: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE FINAL SEACOOS WORKSHOP
James R. Nelson, Christina Simoniello

The final SEACOOS workshop included discussion of several topics relevant to further development of the SE regional coastal ocean observing system (RCOOS). First, many of the Information Management (IM) tools developed in the SEACOOS program can be migrated to a future RCOOS. It is recognized that IM is evolving, and continued communication with national and regional IM efforts will be required. Of particular importance is the establishment of standards for data quality assurance/quality control. Second, serving various user needs will require development of specific products (applications). Mechanisms to better link research and development (R&D) conducted by the RCOOS to applications development are needed, and dedicated funding for both R&D and for migrating from pilot to operational applications is required. It was suggested that the regional association (RA) could play a key role in this process; interfacing with users, prioritizing potential applications in relation to RCOOS capabilities, and coordinating with federal agencies and private industry. Third, it is essential that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined for the RCOOS and for the federal agencies contributing to the “national backbone” of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). This requires agreement on a Concept of Operations (CONOPS). The CONOPS must be defined at several levels and over a time frame sufficient to accommodate the transition from research/pilot to operational stages. To help coordinate regional and federal agency efforts in coastal ocean observing in the near-term, an interim CONOPS should be defined and designs for the RCOOS should be documented and evaluated.

EPILOGUE TO SEACOOS
Commentary by Robert H. Weisberg

Lessons learned, and a path forward.