Our 2023 Annual Meeting was hosted in Jacksonville, FL on  May 10-11, 2023 by Jacksonville University. The meeting brought together coastal ocean scientists from around the Southeast to learn about SECOORA coastal observing activities and particpate in discussions on hot topics such as resilience, right whale monitoring, and offshore wind energy. 

Thank you to Sequoia Scientific, Inc. for being our Gold Sponsor and to the Marine Science Research Institute at Jacksonville University for hosting us.  A summary and meeting materials (including presentations) are posted below.

Delivering Data for Decisions

 

Accompanied by our fresh tagline, ‘Delivering Data for Decisions,’ our branding and clear messaging efforts ensure we are effectively conveying our commitment to friendly, trusted, and collaborative relationships, while highlighting our dedication to delivering high-quality data for informed decision-making.

At the meeting, we unveiled the new SECOORA logo and previewed our new website (coming summer 2023). This branding effort is helping us communicate our purpose more clearly and position us for the future as we grow to meet the needs of coastal communities and a thriving blue economy. 

The new logo pays homage to our beloved old logo while incorporating vibrant sand-to-sea colors. The new colors symbolize our commitment to delivering observational data from the coast to the ocean.

Accompanied by our fresh tagline, ‘Delivering Data for Decisions,’ our branding and clear messaging efforts ensure we are effectively conveying our commitment to friendly, trusted, and collaborative relationships, while highlighting our dedication to delivering high-quality data for informed decision-making. Below are our core values and a preview of our updated messages.

Scientific
integrity

We are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of data collection and processing. We are a certified Regional Coastal Observing System and our data is held to NOAA’s robust standards. 

Available, accessible, and free

We ensure observing data that is vital to safeguarding coastal ocean ecosystems and communities is available, accessible, and free for everyone.

No one does
it alone

We facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and knowledge sharing to advance science, technology, and drive inclusive, science-driven solutions.

Community driven innovation

We utilize emerging technologies to provide the data and information that coastal communities need to thrive in a changing world and build a flourishing blue economy.

Active coastal ocean stewardship

By sharing our data freely and facilitating communications and collaborations we support science-based decisions for improved management of our shared coastal ocean.

Day 1

Pictured left to right  Aly Busse, Jasmin Graham, and Keiondra Marshall from Mote Marine Laboratory.

The meeting kicked off with a Mentor Development Workshop hosted by Jasmin Graham, Aly Busse, and Keiondra Marshall from Mote Marine Laboratory. The three hour interactive session overviewed effective methods and strategies to help mentors develop productive and culturally-responsive mentoring relationships with their mentees. 

Pictured is left  Yonggang Liu (USF) presenting during the lighting talk session. Pictured right is attendees (left to right) Heather McCarthy (SCDRP), Jennifer Dorton (SECOORA), Eric Montie (USC Beaufort), and Catherine Edwards (UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography).

 

Over 20 SECOORA funded scientists gave lightning talks during the social where they provided an overview of their project, accomplishments, challenges, and future goals. Abstracts were provided for all SECOORA supported projects (click here for abstracts). 

A few highlights include an update from Dr. Yongang Liu (University of South Florida (USF)) stating during Hurricane Ian, the USF lab successfully predicted water would be pushed out of the Tampa Bay region three days in advance using their automated West Florida Coastal Ocean Model and Tampa Bay Coastal Ocean Model nowcast/forecast systems. Dr. Jordon Beckler (Florida Atlantic University) announced that new buoys will be deployed off the east coast of Florida in 2024. The buoys will be located off the coasts of Ponce de Leon and Fort Pierce inlets.

Day 2

 

Thank you to Conrad Lautenbacher (GeoOptics) and Jim Murley (Miami-Dade County) for their service on the SECOORA Board these past six years!  A warm welcome to our new Board Members Dr. Erin Hague (TetraTech) and welcome to returning Board Member Dr. Gary Mitchum (University of South Florida). 

Join us in welcoming Megan Shaw, Business and Events Manager, and Emily Noakes, Communications Intern, to the SECOORA team.

There are many upcoming ways to engage with SECOORA. Contact communications@secoora.pactmedia.org today.

 

Welcome to newly designated member representative, Scott Harris from College of Charleston. Click here to learn more about membership. SECOORA members influence and guide all our endeavors and help make us a trusted source for coastal ocean information in the Southeast. There are many upcoming events to engage with SECOORA. 

Pictured left (left to right) Kristen Yarincik (IOOS Association), Carl Gouldman (IOOS), and Brandon Barlow (NOAA Knauss Fellow). Pictured right is Gino Washington from Sequoia Scientific presenting their services.

We heard from Carl Gouldman (IOOS), Brandon Barlow (NOAA Knauss Fellow), and Kristen Yarincik (IOOS Association) during the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Enterprise updates. Kristen Yarincik is the new director of IOOS Association and her vision is to increase impact to align initiatives with national priorities, promote greater interagency participation, and grow capacity to support collaboration across IOOS regions.

Pictured right is Gerhard Kuska (MARACOOS) and Harvey Seim (UNC Chapel Hill) discussing Offshore Wind Energy. Pictured left is Jim Edson (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) presenting on the Pioneer Ocean Observatory Initiative.

 

The Hot Topics in the Southeast panel covered three different issues effecting ocean uses in the southeast – Pioneer Array Ocean Observatory Initiative, Offshore Wind Energy, and Monitoring for Right Whales. Highlights from this panel include Dr. Adam Comeau, Ocean Tracking Network, presenting on Coastal Environmental Observation Technology and Research (CEOTR) glider right whale monitoring program in Canada. The monitoring program uses a combination of monitoring technology – glider lines, aerial photography, and more – to identify right whales in shipping lanes. This program ensures right whales are not harmed by port efforts and it helps the industry prevent the negative image of harming whales. Jim Edson, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, presented on the Pioneer Array Ocean Observatory Initiative. The array is moving to the coast of North Carolina and has a mission to provide research quality data for a broad  user community including scientist, educators, and the general public.

Pictured is the Roundup Resilience Panel left to right: Jim Murley (Chief Resilience Officer, Miami Dade County), Michael Shirley (Deputy Director, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection), Heather McCarthy (SCDRP), Adam Hoyles (Senior Project Manager, SWCA Environmental Consultants), Anne Coglianese (Chief Resilience Officer, City of Jacksonville) and Fara Ilami (Northeast Florida Regional Council).

 

The meeting closed with a Roundup for Resilience fireside chat focusing on effective and inclusive strategies to incorporate 1) people, 2) technology, and 3) data into resilience planning and projects. These strategies better prepare and protect vulnerable communities before, during, and after natural disasters such as storms and flooding.

Anne Coglianese, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Jacksonville, stated “Jacksonville is too large to see every possible issue. Data is being utilized to see the blind spots.” 

Thank you for joining us for the SECOORA 2023 Annual Meeting! We can’t wait to see you in 2024. Sign up for our newsletter for updates.

Meeting Materials 

Meeting Presentations