Webinar | Announcing OceanReports: A web-based tool to inform planning and permitting in coastal and ocean waters

Join SECOORA for a webinar on October 1 at 12 PM ET with Dr. James Morris  from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. Dr. Morris will discuss OceanReports – an online tool that has 100 distinct data layers and is capable of analyzing ocean neighborhoods for any area shape or size in the entire U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. 

Date: October 1, 2019
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Speaker: Dr. James Morris, Jr. | NOAA’s National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science

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Webinar Abstract

OceanReports is the most comprehensive web-based spatial assessment tool for the U.S. ocean and is the largest ocean-based marine spatial planning tool in the world. Designed to improve decision-making and increase transparency for ocean and coastal users and resource managers, OceanReports contains approximately 100 distinct data layers and is capable of analyzing ocean neighborhoods for energy and minerals, natural resources (including species and habitat), transportation and infrastructure, oceanographic and biophysical conditions, and the local ocean economy for any area shape or size in the entire U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). OceanReports was developed through a partnership between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Department of Energy (DOE), and utilizes new and authoritative data from MarineCadastre.gov and other trusted sources.

About the Presenter

Dr. James A. Morris, Jr. is a marine ecologist with NOAA’s National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science where his research focuses on aquaculture environmental interactions, siting, and sustainability. Dr. Morris founded the Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability (CASS) research program that consists of multidisciplinary scientists who develop tools and provide services for coastal managers. His team is presently leading over 50 research projects around U.S. on spatial planning for nearshore and offshore aquaculture and assessments of environmental interactions such as impacts on protected species and sensitive habitats. Dr. Morris has cultured dozens of species of marine fish and shellfish for both laboratory experiments and seafood production and has decades of experience in commercial fishing and aquaculture industries. Dr. Morris is an adjunct Assistant Professor at both Duke University and North Carolina State University where he actively teaches and advises students from undergraduate to Ph.D. levels. Lastly, in 2011 Dr. Morris received a Presidential Career Award from President Obama.