oceanlove

  The development of the offshore wind energy sector is creating an entirely new use of the U.S. ocean. The federal government and several states are pursuing an ambitious schedule for developing offshore wind energy. As part of the Biden – Harris Administration’s clean energy and climate mitigation priorities, the President set a goal of responsibly deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy nationwide by 2030 while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean co-use, and this is intended to be a pathway to developing 110 gigawatts by 2050.1 Interdependencies of the research foci of the NMFS West Coast Offshore Wind Energy Strategic Science Plan.Graphic by Su Kim, NMFS/NWFSC. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the lead federal agency for offshore energy siting, leasing, and permitting. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, or NOAA Fisheries) is responsible for the stewardship of the nation’s living marine resources and their habitat. BOEM seeks consultati...

 The Florida Institute of Technology and UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography recently installed four high frequency radars on the east coast of Florida. These systems measure the speed and direction of ocean currents, which is helpful for search & rescue operations and tracking marine debris. High frequency radars (HFR) are land-based systems that use radio waves to measure the speed and direction of ocean surface currents in near real-time. They provide broad spatial coverage of ocean surface currents along the coast. Recently, four HFRs have been installed on the central east coast of Florida to address gaps in coverage: Hightower Beach Park (Florida Institute of Technology) Treasure Shores Park (Florida Institute of Technology) Canaveral National Seashore (University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography) Kennedy Space Center (University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography) The locations of HFR stations are carefully selected to maximize surface curren...

  Funding will support NOAA’s efforts to provide communities with decision-making tools and information necessary for coastal resilience Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced $16.7 million in funding across 12 awards to support the development of innovative new technologies and public-private partnerships focused on sustainability, equity, biodiversity and climate adaptation as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. These awards are part of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System’s Marine Life and Ocean Technology Transition programs.   “To tackle climate change nationwide, we have to better understand and manage our coasts,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These awards will advance new technologies needed to gain critical insights into the status and health of our coastal ecosystems.”   These 12 awards recommended for funding [PDF] are:   Delaware   University of Delaware/Mid-Atlantic Reg...

  AI set to improve job security in the marine survey sector Embracing innovative technologies to meet growing demand   By Richard Dowdeswell, Danny Websdale • February 6, 2024 The data was preprocessed by AI, speeding up post-processing. In a March 2023 blog, Microsoft founder, billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates said: “The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the internet and the mobile phone. It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it.”   New workflows that leverage artificial intelligence to achieve the same results as a human being but faster and cheaper will create job losses. From telemarketing to bookkeeping, there really is no stopping the ‘rise of the machines’. Job losses have already happened and there will be many ...