Town Halls

TH01 US CLIVAR Town Hall on Climate at the Coasts

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 02

The coastal environment is uniquely vulnerable to climate variability and change. It constitutes a complex system connecting the ocean, atmosphere, land, and society. Through collaboration with many partners, US CLIVAR is launching a new ten-year Research Challenge on Climate at the Coasts to forge an inter- and transdisciplinary community science focus to improve understanding and prediction of climate-related events and long-term changes that impact US natural-human coastal systems. This Town Hall will present the motivation, scope, and future research directions envisioned. Participants are invited to engage and consider opportunities to further plan and implement community activities to accelerate research progress and apply scientific understanding to serve societal needs.

Lead Organizer: Mike Patterson, US CLIVAR Project Office, [email protected]

TH02 Monitoring Carbon in the Oceans and Coastal Regions with the NASA Carbon Monitoring System (CMS)

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 11:00AM to 12:00PM
Location: Room 01

This townhall will introduce Ocean scientists and coastal researchers to NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS), which focuses on prototyping and conducting pilot studies to evaluate technological approaches and methodologies to meet the need for information on carbon stocks and fluxes. The goal for NASA's CMS project is to prototype Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation activities, to ensure that they reduce emissions over baseline. NASA CMS is particularly interested in engaging with ocean scientists working on carbon monitoring, measuring and verification of carbon storage in ocean ecosystems, as well as coastal regions. Carbon cycling in the oceans is a critical part of the carbon cycle, but is poorly represented in NASA's CMS funded projects. This townhall will describe NASA CMS's funding program, how scientists can be successful in their proposals, and provide a forum for discussion.

Lead Organizer: Molly Brown, University of Maryland, [email protected]

TH03 Seeking Community Input for the Oceans and Marine Resources Chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 02

The 5th U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA5) will evaluate the risks to the United States from a changing climate and consider vulnerabilities and opportunities to adapt. The NCA is a legislatively mandated report, published approximately every 4 years, with a 2023 planned publication date for the NCA5. This town hall offers an opportunity for the public to provide early input to the NCA5 development process, including feedback on a preliminary outline of the Oceans and Marine Resources chapter and discussions of its key topics. The chapter author team is responsible for synthesizing marine ecosystem and socio-economic effects of climate change in the US, as well as adaptations or solutions for ameliorating these challenges. Key messages from this chapter in the NCA4, published in 2018, emphasized multi-stressor climate impacts that are (1) transforming ocean ecosystems, (2) threatening fisheries and those who depend on them, and (3) driving more frequent and severe extreme events. This town hall will seek input from the Ocean Sciences community to guide updates to the previously reported key messages as well as to characterize emerging climate threats, responses, and solutions. This chapter is framed and complemented by earth system processes and climate trends chapters, other national-scale topical chapters, such as coastal effects and biodiversity, as well as a series of regional chapters.

Lead Organizer: Emily Osborne, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, [email protected]

TH04 Connecting Early Career Ocean Professionals with Academia and Industry Experts

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 9:00AM to 10:00AM
Location: Room 04

This forum will enable direct interaction between early career ocean professionals (ECOPs) and leading researchers, academics, engineers and industry experts who are solution-providers and manufacturers of sensors and other ocean science equipment. The session will help to understand the needs of the ECOPs in their respective areas of work, and help develop solutions in consultation with the relevant industries by fostering this dialogue. For example, it will look at what accelerated technologies and solutions are required to meet the "UN Decade of Ocean Science" objectives, and how the industry can help to develop suitable solutions for these bearing in mind the needs of ECOPs, thus adhering to the 'co-designed solution-oriented' philosophy of the Decade. Industries may also be able to offer existing solutions on a volunteer basis or offer cost-effective solutions, especially to researchers from economically backward countries, thus accelerating the pace of ocean science in these regions. Leading researchers may be able to point out sources of data they have, or freely available resources that can help the ECOP community. The following specific topics will be discussed: New sensors and technologies, calibration, standards and best practices, software, offshore structural design, safety, capacity building methods etc. Target audience: Early-career Ocean professionals looking for avenues to access and use data or equipment, and looking to connect with leading researchers and solution-providers of sensors and ocean-science equipment who can enable this. Goals: Seed a discussion to bridge between needs of early career professionals, engineers and solution-providers, involving the whole audience. Crystallize specific points on requirements and concerns, and brainstorm ideas to bridge them.

Lead Organizer: Hari Vishnu, Acoustic Research Laboratory, National University of Singapore, [email protected]

TH05 What is the ocean’s role in carbon dioxide removal? Marine CDR Technologies

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 01

NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) and the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) propose to host a townhall on marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). A panel of experts at the townhall will discuss the current research directions under consideration by NOAA and DOE to establish viable marine CDR technologies. The main areas of interest by the two federal agencies and their research teams include ocean alkalinity enhancement, biotic cultivation and sequestration, and electrochemical CO2 stripping. The potential to provide power for implementing and monitoring these CDR technologies with marine energy generated in situ will be discussed. Participation by an interested audience is encouraged. The townhall will be broadcast for remote as well as in person participation. PMEL and PNNL invite participation from a range of ocean scientists, coastal and ocean managers, policy makers, NGOs, and funding agencies to learn more about promising marine CDR technologies. The townhall is proposed as a first step in developing a full workshop to examine the potential of these methods, that eventually will result in an agenda for research at the federal level, in support of CDR project development.

Lead Organizer: Andrea Copping, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory/Univ. Washington, [email protected]

TH06 Advancing Achievements Through Increasing Collaboration in Ocean Sciences Research: Identifying Challenges and Barriers to Successful Collaboration

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 06

Ocean sciences are highly complex and require large amounts of time and funding to be spent on research. The government is one of the primary supporters through which scientific research is achieved; many government agencies directly perform scientific research or fund partner institutions to do so. Individual government agencies may have different objectives with regards to the ocean sciences but what is often overlooked are the potential opportunities that exist for overlap of scientific objectives. Interagency or other collaborations are underutilized, and this leads to unnecessary duplication of research efforts, missed opportunities, and wasted funding and time. This town hall aims to promote discussion on challenges and barriers to successful collaboration across the government, industry, non-profit, and academia. Join us for a short panel with representatives from these organizations, followed by open discussion on this topic. Please also join us for our follow-up workshop that will focus on active brainstorming about how to improve relationships and collaborations through sharing knowledge, expertise, capabilities, and resources.

Lead Organizer: Courtney Elliton, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, [email protected]

TH07 Joint Town Hall for NASA Hyperspectral Aquatic Missions PACE, GLIMR and SBG

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Location: Room 05

Abstract NASA is developing three new imaging spectroscopy missions for this decade. The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) will provide daily global, 1-km resolution observations of the open ocean and coastal and inland waters. The Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR) will provide 300-m observations of U.S. regional coastal and inland waters several times a day. The Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) plans to collect global observations at 30-m resolution of coastal and inland waters every several days. These missions advance research capturing synoptic and seasonal variation as well as observing rapid or transient changes related to coastal and inland water events (e.g., harmful algal blooms, pollution, and spills). These missions offer new opportunities to study the open ocean, global coastal and inland water systems with hyperspectral sensors at different spatial and temporal scales enabling new hyperspectral algorithms to enable novel discovery in aquatics research. This town hall provides an update on each mission and a panel-led community discussion regarding cross-mission collaboration and the potential of combined observations as a constellation. Note Bene: This joint meeting intends to obviate scheduling issues with having separate townhalls for each mission as with previous meetings. Potential community discussion topics consider cross-mission cal/val, data fusion, and algorithm evaluation and simulation; explore the benefits to coastal and inland aquatic science and applications; and challenges of analysis readiness and interoperability of data products across these missions. This format has been quite successful for several SBG town halls. Proposed Agenda 1. Brief Intro and NASA Program Update 2. Mission Overviews (status & plans) for: a. PACE b. SBG c. GLIMR 3. General Q&A and discussion 4. Panel-Led Community Discussion. Speakers include Laura Lorenzoni, Kevin Turpie, Jeremy Werdell, Joe Salisbury.

Lead Organizer: Kevin Turpie, UMBC/JCET/NASA, [email protected]

TH08 Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board (OOIFB) Town Hall

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 03

The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI, https://oceanobservatories.org) is a science-driven ocean observing network that delivers real-time data from more than 800 instruments to address critical science questions. OOI’s integrated infrastructure program is composed of platforms and sensor systems that measure physical, chemical, geological and biological properties and processes from the seafloor to the air-sea interface. The OOI program is funded by the National Science Foundation and was fully commissioned in 2016. The Observatory consists of five arrays: one Regional Cabled Array, two Global Arrays, and two Coastal Arrays. The data collected from these arrays are relayed through a cyberinfrastructure technology system and made available through the data portal on the OOI website. The OOI was configured to support a broad suite of science objectives spanning ocean science disciplines. An updated science plan that reflects the science questions that can be addressed using OOI data was published in 2021 and is available at https://ooifb.org/ooi-science-plan/. Data are freely available and new science is emerging. The Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board (OOIFB, http://ooifb.org) will host this town hall and offer updates on: ● The OOI Facility and Data Explorer Tool, ● The next Pioneer Array location, ● OOI Educational programs, and ● Early Career Scientist initiatives. Research using OOI data will be highlighted through a series of lightning talks. The OOIFB will work to engage diverse groups and underrepresented research communities by broadly distributing the call for lightning talks. Participants will have a chance to provide feedback and ask questions of the OOIFB, OOI Program, and NSF representatives. The town hall is aimed at researchers who are using or are considering using OOI data, scientists interested in adding instrumentation to the OOI infrastructure, and educators at all levels interested in the OOI.

Lead Organizer: Annette DeSilva, University of Rhode Island, [email protected]

TH09 Regional Class Research Vessels: Report on Construction and Future Operations

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 01

The Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRVs) are a new class of monohull, diesel-electric research ship designed with advanced capabilities for next generation, interdisciplinary, oceanographic operations in areas from coastal bays and estuaries to the deep ocean beyond continental margins. Three RCRVs are being built at Bollinger Shipyards, in Houma and Amelia LA, with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for operation within the U.S. Academic Research Fleet and as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). This Town Hall will provide information about the RCRV design, construction progress, and challenges arising from a change in shipyard ownership, the pandemic and hurricane Ida. The session will also provide updates on the schedule for deliveries, outfitting, and science trials. Construction video and imagery will be featured. The names of the new vessels, R/Vs Taani, Narragansett Dawn and Gilbert R. Mason, reflect design and operational principles embraced by the future operators and the NSF to promote inclusivity, accessibility and regional connectivity to the sea and oceanographic research. To aide these connections the RCRVs will be operated from new or renovated homeport facilities, carry sensor systems managed with unprecedented quality assurance, and provide real-time access to shore-based scientists and educators. Speakers will include Brian Midson (NSF, Program Officer), Kristin Beem (OSU, RCRV Marine Science Systems Engineer), Leila Hamdan (USM, Operating Institution PI) and Clare Reimers (OSU, RCRV Project Scientist). Attendees will be encouraged to share ideas for making the best use of these national assets in future operations.

Lead Organizer: Clare Reimers, Oregon State University, [email protected]

TH11 Open Science Analysis of Petabyte Scale Ocean and Ocean-Atmosphere Models with Open Source Cloud Tools

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 05

This Town Hall presents new software tools to catalyze the analysis of global ocean-only and ocean-atmosphere coupled models with resolutions of a few kilometers. Computational capacity has recently advanced so that multiple projects have achieved global ocean circulation model solutions that resolve down to a few kilometers. These solutions provide eye-opening perspectives on the high frequency and high wavenumber phenomena that influence planetary dynamics. Analyzing and making sense of the petabyte scale virtual datasets that emerge from these simulations is challenging, however. This obstructs a broad community of researchers worldwide from fully utilizing these data. This is especially problematic for researchers without access to large computing resources. This Town Hall will demonstrate open, accessible tools to analyze petabyte-scale ocean model solutions in the cloud and solicit feedback on them. The tools include Eulerian and Lagrangian diagnostics of common oceanographic and dynamical variables with interactive and responsive visualization capabilities for rapid exploration. The tools can be accessed via a web browser, including from low-end devices like tablet computers. They are being developed as part of a US National Science Foundation project to facilitate easy access to state-of-the-science computational oceanography for users at all levels of experience. The project also includes cyber-infrastructure to employ petabyte-scale ocean and atmosphere circulation model data with artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. In the Town Hall we will demonstrate the analyses that are possible and include hands-on activities where participants can try out the system for themselves. The demonstrations will leverage kilometer scale ocean-only and coupled model solutions and analysis tools from the ECCO-MITgcm-GEOS-Pangeo-SciServer collaborative group that spans NASA JPL, NASA Goddard, NASA Ames, MIT, Johns Hopkins and Columbia University.

Lead Organizer: Christopher Hill, MIT, [email protected]

TH12 SMART Subsea Cables for Observing the Ocean and Earth

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 4:00PM to 5:00PM
Location: Room 01

The Joint Task Force, Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (JTF SMART) Subsea Cables (1) is working to integrate sensors for ocean bottom temperature, pressure and seismic acceleration into submarine telecommunications cables to support climate and ocean observation, sea level monitoring, observations of Earth structure, and tsunami and earthquake early warning and disaster risk reduction. SMART cables will be part of the UN Decade for Ocean Science Tsunami Programme to fill critical observational gaps for the detection and forecast of tsunami. Recent progress includes: the InSea wet demonstration project off Sicily to be installed 2022; Vanuatu and New Caledonia crossing an active tectonic subduction zone; Indonesia working toward systems for the Sumatra-Java megathrust zone; Antarctica; and the CAM-2 system connecting Lisbon, Azores and Madeira in a ring to be installed 2024. In addition to notable scientific and societal benefits, the Telecom mission of societal connectivity will benefit as environmental awareness improves cable system integrity. Building on the OceanObs’19 conference and community white paper (2), an overview and description of the status of the on-going pilots that are first steps to trans-ocean and global implementation will be presented to the community with discussion.   Other speakers: Laura Kong, International Tsunami Information Center; Jerome Aucan, Pacific Community Center for Ocean Science; Luis Matias, LEA/IDL/U of Lisbon.   1. JTF SMART Subsea cables is sponsored by the UN agencies: International Telecommunications Union, World Meteorological Organization, and UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (ITU/WMO/UNESCO-IOC). https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/climatechange/task-force-sc.   2. Howe, B. M, et al., SMART Cables for Observing the Global Ocean: Science and Implementation, Frontiers in Marine Science, OceanObs’19 Special Issue, 6, 424. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00424, 2019.

Lead Organizer: Bruce Howe, University of Hawaii at Manoa, [email protected]

TH13 Defining the Future of the Southern Ocean – A Contribution to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 04

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which began in 2021 and extends to 2030, is intended to provide a common framework to ensure that marine science can fully inform and support national actions to sustainably and equitably manage the oceans. To facilitate science that is responsive to the needs of society, the UN Decade identified seven desired societal outcomes: 1) clean ocean, 2) healthy and resilient ocean, 3) productive ocean, 4) predicted ocean, 5) safe ocean, 6) accessible ocean, and 7) inspiring and engaging ocean. Following the first UN Decade Southern Ocean Workshop (February 2020) and recommendations in the global Ocean Decade implementation plan, a Southern Ocean Task Force was set up to engage the community in development of a Southern Ocean Action Plan. In September 2021, Working Groups developed around each of the seven UN Decade societal outcomes considered research gaps and priorities, new partnerships to be developed, functioning of existing bodies, capacity-building, actions and concrete deliverables for the Southern Ocean. From the Working Group results and inputs, a community consensus was developed, which provides the basis for a Southern Ocean Action Plan to guide how the Southern Ocean community will engage within the UN Ocean Decade framework. The objective of this Town Hall is to build on the progress made thus far and to engage scientists and stakeholders in a dialogue about the Southern Ocean Action Plan and to outline the next steps. A focus for the Town Hall will be to begin the process of developing a plan for implementing coordinated multi-national research programs to address the science gaps and questions identified in the Southern Ocean Action Plan. This is critical to designing a Southern Ocean contribution to the UN Decade of Ocean Science that will deliver “the ocean we need for the future we want”.

Lead Organizer: Elisabeth Sikes, Rutgers University New Brunswick, [email protected]

TH15 Biogeochemical-Argo status and plans

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 06

The Biogeochemical-Argo program aims to develop a global network of 1000 Argo profiling floats with oxygen, nitrate, pH, and bio-optical sensors. The BGC-Argo array will operate as one component of the One Argo array, including Core-Argo and Deep-Argo. Contributions of floats with biogeochemical sensors have come from over 20 nations. The BGC-Argo array will address key questions such as: What is the ocean’s role in regulating the carbon cycle? What are the drivers of open ocean deoxygenation? How do physical changes in mixing and circulation affect nutrient availability and productivity? Is the timing and location of phytoplankton blooms changing? Development of the array is accelerating with the funding of large scale programs, such as the Global-Ocean Biogeochemistry Array (GO-BGC) that intends to deploy 500 BGC profiling floats with support from the US NSF. This Town Hall event will report on the current status of the in situ array, the real-time and open access data system, planning for future float deployments that are needed to achieve a global distribution, and recent developments in float and sensor technology. The workshop will be of interest to marine biogeochemists, ocean modelers, fishery scientists, and educators wishing to use an open, high quality data resource.

Lead Organizer: Kenneth Johnson, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, [email protected]

TH16 Advancing Collaboration, Partnerships, and a Community of Practice in Ocean Exploration

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 03

In 2021 and 2022, the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL) and NOAA Ocean Exploration are partnering to host a series of virtual workshops focused on: (1) expanding collaboration and partnerships in ocean exploration; (2) opportunities for the ocean exploration community to engage in the National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (“NOMEC”); and (3) identifying new and emerging community priorities in ocean exploration. This Town Hall at Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022 (OSM) will serve to engage the wider marine science community in the outcomes from these virtual workshops, increase awareness of common ocean exploration priorities, and collect feedback regarding potential opportunities for new collaborations and partnerships. Representatives from government, academia, industry, philanthropy, and non-profit organizations engaged in ocean exploration will be encouraged to attend to inform a broad, cross-sector discussion. The outcomes from the virtual workshops and this Town Hall will also inform discussions at the upcoming National Ocean Exploration Forum, planned for March 2022, which is being organized by COL and NOAA Ocean Exploration. This Town Hall is currently planned for an in-person/virtual hybrid format. Presenters: Kristen Yarincik, Vice President and Director of Research & Education, Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Dr. Genene Fisher, Acting Director, NOAA Ocean Exploration.

Lead Organizer: Daniel Rogers, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL), [email protected]

TH18 Get Involved! Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS) Theme Teams

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 03

The Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS), with SCOR Working Group #162 leadership, has been endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science and Sustainable Development as an end-to-end Ocean Decade Programme. OASIS brings together communities across disciplines to harmonize observational strategies and develop a practical, integrated approach to observing air-sea interactions. OASIS activities are organized across five Theme Teams: (1) The Network Design and Model Development Theme Team will identify what physical and biogeochemical air-sea interaction processes and ecological stressors should be included in the OASIS; what process studies are needed to improve models and parameterizations; and what transformational “Ocean Shots” are needed for the OASIS. (2) The Capacity Building and Sharing Theme Team will ensure that OASIS is truly global through capacity building and sharing. Near-term goals include developing curriculum, and working with summer schools and mentoring programs. (3) The Ocean Shots and UN Decade Theme Team will work through the UN Decade and national committees to implement OASIS "Ocean Shots" that will make a sea-change in observing, understanding and modeling air-sea interactions over the coming decade. (4) The Best Practices and Interoperability Theme Team will develop and promote best practices for observing air-sea interactions. OASIS already has a track within the Ocean Best Practices Systems for surface radiation. What next? and (5) The Findable-Accessible-Interoperable-Reusable (FAIR) Data, Models, and OASIS Products Theme Team will help develop products for the global OASIS community. Please come to this Town Hall to discuss how you can Get Involved in these OASIS Theme Teams. By working together, OASIS hopes to produce transformative observational-based knowledge to fundamentally improve weather, climate and ocean prediction, and promote healthy oceans, the blue economy, and sustainable food and energy.

Lead Organizer: Meghan Cronin, SCOR Working Group #162 for developing an Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS), [email protected]

TH19 Expanding the Reach of the Research Fleet: Autonomous (and Piloted) Airborne Systems in Support of Ocean Sciences

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 01

Operation of unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) from shore and ships can advance oceanographic research and expand capabilities of ocean observing systems.  This town hall, hosted by the UNOLS Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Aircraft Research, will provide a forum for discussion of current and future methods and uses of unoccupied and crewed aircraft in support of ocean sciences.  Unoccupied and crewed aircraft can assist in areas such as ocean-atmosphere interaction, remote sensing, satellite product validation, marine mammal and seabird populations, oceanographic mesoscale and submesoscale processes, as well as studies of sea ice, fisheries, and shipping. Further, the use of airborne systems in coastal and offshore waters can provide information for marine resource management and response to natural and shipping accidents.  Discussion on aircraft in support of ocean sciences is timely because of advances in sensor capabilities and the increasing availability of UAS to the oceanographic community.  This town hall discussion will also address UAS integration in the research fleet. Finally, the town hall will review the piloted aircraft available to the research community and provide resources on their use.  Examples of airborne operations in support of oceanographic research will be highlighted. Community input on potential uses and needs is strongly encouraged.

Lead Organizer: Christopher Zappa, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, [email protected]

TH20 Remembering the FLIP: Perspectives on the Legacy of an Iconic Platform

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 01

At the end of 2020 fiscal year, the US Navy divested from the Floating Instrument Platform, or FLIP. Until this point, this one-of-a-kind research platform had been active for nearly 60 years, providing a stable base from which to make precise measurements of ocean and atmospheric phenomena. In terms of the scientific developments over the last half-century, particularly within the realms of ocean acoustics and optics, marine biology, physical oceanography, marine meteorology, and air-sea interaction, FLIP has played an indelible role and will hold an iconic place in the annals of Earth Science discovery. Despite its pre-modern design, up until its last deployment in 2017, FLIP remained a paragon of experimental infrastructure for ocean-going scientists. While FLIP was the last of a bygone era, its influence and the spirit of its design should persist. This session aims to provide a forum for the ocean sciences community to reflect on the historic legacy of an iconic platform. We will also use this moment to facilitate a discussion on what is next, in terms of major ocean-going infrastructure investment. We have secured commitments from four science community members (see below) to discuss their perspectives on this iconic platform, including FLIP users and pioneers and a historian working on documenting FLIP's career and legacy. This session will combine dedicated speaking times for each panelist, moderated discussion, and an open forum for engagement from the audience. Moderators:David G. Ortiz-Suslow, Professor of Meteorology, Naval Postgraduate School Ivan Savelyev, Ph.D., U.S. Naval Research LaboratoryPanelists:Robert Pinkel, Professor (Emeritus) of Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Qing Wang, Professor of Meteorology, Naval Postgraduate School Luc Lenain, Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography Stefan Helmreich, Professor & Elting E. Morison Chair of Anthropology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Lead Organizer: David Ortiz-Suslow, Naval Postgraduate School, [email protected]

TH21 US CLIVAR and IARPC Town Hall: Changing Circulation of the Arctic Ocean and Sub-Arctic Seas

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 02

In recent decades major changes have occurred in Arctic Ocean circulation, salinity, and temperature with associated declines in sea ice coverage and thickness. There is evidence of connections of these changes with climate indices, and the changes arguably affect climate by altering the radiative heat balance at high latitudes, impacting the strength of the global overturning circulation, and influencing the interaction between the ocean and Greenland ice sheet. In spite of its importance, Arctic Ocean observations are limited. This town hall seeks to spark community input to assessments of the state of knowledge of Arctic Ocean and Sub-Arctic seas circulation and critical gaps in observations, analysis, and modeling strategies and to inform further planning of the US CLIVAR Workshop on Observing. Modeling, and Understanding the Circulation of the Arctic Ocean and Sub-Arctic Seas Workshop to be held 27-29 June 2022. The format will include short presentations of current ideas about changes in circulation and the state of the observing system to inspire discussion and debate among the participants and help shape presentations for the summer workshop.

Lead Organizer: Michael Patterson, US CLIVAR Project Office, [email protected]

TH22 MPOWIR: Building More Inclusive Science Communities Through Belonging and Uniqueness

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 10:00AM to 11:00AM
Location: Room 04

MPOWIR (Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention) is a community-led program that provides mentorship and support to junior women and underrepresented genders in physical oceanography to improve their retention. Over a decade of MPOWIR efforts has demonstrated that even though mentorship is beneficial, it alone is insufficient to bring the cultural shift required to produce an inclusive and diverse community of oceanographers. Rather, actions are needed at multiple scales, from individual to institutional. Cultivating a greater sense of belonging is an effort critical to this goal. While developing a sense of belonging may seem amorphous, evidence suggests that culture, leadership, and personal relationships can have a lasting impact on an individual’s sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity as a member of their discipline. In this townhall, we will focus on ways in which participants can cultivate a sense of belonging and uniqueness in their communities. Join MPOWIR and Dr. Stefanie Johnson in an exploration of belonging and uniqueness within professional communities. Dr. Johnson is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado, a leader in diversity and inclusion, and the author of Inclusify: Harnessing the power of uniqueness and belonging to build innovative teams. She will share evidence-based and data-driven insights into impactful actions that turn best intentions into increasing diversity and inclusion. Dr. Johnson’s plenary will be followed by a diverse panel of limnology and ocean scientists who will share their perspectives and incite a community conservation. All members of the oceanographic community, regardless of gender or career stage, are encouraged to participate. If this session includes an in-person component, lunch will be provided on a first come basis.

Lead Organizer: Colleen Mouw, University of Rhode Island, [email protected]

TH24 Come Together and Connect: Building a Sustainable Future Through the Ocean Decade

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 03

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (Ocean Decade) is a novel, global cooperative program to expand scientific, social, and economic partnerships to support effective science, ocean management, and sustainable development. The emphasis of the Ocean Decade is not science for science's sake, but a dedicated worldwide effort to ensure the sustainable development and management of our coasts and ocean. Although these outcomes have been articulated at an international level, the Ocean Decade will largely be driven by a bottom-up process; it’s the communities that will drive the development of Ocean Decade plans and contributions. The Ocean Decade offers an opportunity for an unprecedented level of coordination and cooperation for innovation and transformational change, and it is essential to understand how the United States is organizing and how different sectors can get involved. This town hall will help make those connections by showcasing how interagency efforts are underway to leverage the unique opportunity of the Ocean Decade. Representatives from the US National Committee for the Ocean Decade, multiple federal agencies, and an early career ocean professional (ECOP) will showcase and encourage discussion of the linkages between science, sustainable development, and the Ocean Decade. We envision that the town hall will allow OSM attendees from all backgrounds to walk away with a solid understanding of the Ocean Decade in the U.S. and how it directly connects to their research, outreach, and management, whether in their local community or on a regional scale. We aim for the session to highlight how to “Come Together and Connect” in alignment with the goals and priorities of the Ocean Decade. Proposed Speakers (TBC): 1. (NOAA) 2. Alexandra Isern (NSF) 3. Laura Lorenzoni (NASA) 4. Larry Mayer (U.S. National Committee) 5. ECOP

Lead Organizer: Craig McLean, NOAA, [email protected]

TH25 Global Engagement in the Ocean Decade: What’s Been Achieved and What’s Next

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Location: Room 03

January 2021 marked the beginning of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (Ocean Decade), a unique, global initiative to focus the international community on the plight of our shared ocean, and to catalyze science and action for the ocean and the people that rely on it. The Ocean Decade is a pathway to a future with seven societal outcomes: a clean ocean, a healthy and resilient ocean, a productive ocean, a predicted ocean, a safe ocean, an accessible ocean, and an inspiring and engaging ocean. As we move forward with implementation of the Ocean Decade in 2022, it is important to reflect on what has been accomplished and what is needed to continue co-designing “the science we need for the ocean we want”. This town hall will build upon OSM’s focus on pilina: the Ocean Decade encourages inclusivity and collaboration across the global community to achieve these seven societal outcomes. Panelists from many sectors around the world, including an Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP), will showcase how nations and sectors are coming together under the umbrella of the Ocean Decade to work towards the ocean we want. The panelists will discuss what has been achieved in the first year of the Ocean Decade, as well as next steps and calls for action. OSM attendees can expect to gain a better understanding of the Ocean Decade, how they can get involved, and how to help build the ocean we want during the next ten years and beyond. Proposed Speakers (TBC): Moderator: Craig McLean Vladimir Ryabinin (IOC) Dr. Jane Lubchenco (OSTP) Kentaro Ando (IOC-WESTPAC) Elva Escobar (Decade Advisory Board) ECOP

Lead Organizer: Craig McLean, NOAA, [email protected]

TH26 Marine Energy Powering Blue Economy Uses including Ocean Observation and Conservation

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Location: Room 06

Expansion of ocean observation missions and emerging ocean conservation measures such as carbon dioxide removal and enhanced surveillance systems for Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are frequently limited by power availability and data transmission capabilities. The marine energy research community is working to create capability-appropriate systems for generating power from moving seawater to meet these ocean observation and conservation needs. Similarly, marine energy is being examined to provide essential power to aquaculture operations as they move offshore, and for remote communities that depend on diesel for electricity. The purpose of this townhall is to introduce and link the ocean and marine energy communities to explore possible collaborations and further engagement. We propose to bring together marine energy researchers and device developers designing energy devices for producing energy for power use at sea and in remote areas with the ocean community with interests in ocean observation, conservation, and Blue Economy uses. The townhall will be planned to engage presenters and audience participants in person and online. The focus will be on short presentations with the majority of time on interaction between the marine energy community and the larger ocean community. We propose to bring speakers from the US Department of Energy, national laboratories, university consortia, and marine energy developers.

Lead Organizer: Andrea Copping, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, [email protected]

TH27 Waves exist in community: Design for a collective ocean voice

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 04

Aligned with the mission of OSM 22, this Town Hall will create a strong pilina with diverse constituencies to discuss the possibilities and advantages of artists and scientists co-developing projects from initiation to strengthen and socialize sustainability narratives. We will introduce the Catching a Wave Art/Science collaborative project (https://www.catchingawave.org/). Art, in its many and varied forms, has the liberty and ability to generate shifts in social perceptions and behaviors in ways that science and data alone do not, providing a complementary pathway for engagement and outreach. There is also an understanding that develops from living in an environment, an equally valuable body of knowledge. Initially conceived to create an artefact embodying an exact moment in time, we focused on the capture and rendering of 3D-models of ocean waves in glass through photogrammetric/high-speed imaging processes. These waves ask viewers to bear witness to the cultural and physical shifts caused by accelerated climate change. We believe that a big change can start with a small moment of realization. Our goal is to spark a positive change in viewers’ behaviors resulting in conscious and respectful action toward the environment. We will invite attendees to participate in the project and challenge their perceptions of the purpose of science communication through questions such as: How does your science contribute to the social justice for oceans? and Why should your perspective of the ocean be heard by others? Following the Town Hall, participants will be invited to share their voices and ideas related to their experiences with the ocean including their feeling of connection with the ocean, culturally, personally, scientifically, sea level rise’s impact on communities, climate change. These unique narratives, with permission of the participants, will be integrated into the CaW glass installation and build ongoing transdisciplinary relationships and dialogue opportunities.

Lead Organizer: Lisa Beth Robinson, East Carolina University, [email protected]

TH28 Turbulent Seas – Addressing Caregiving Challenges in Ocean Science Careers

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Location: Room 04

Juggling a career and family can be difficult in the best of times, and the global pandemic amplified these challenges and struggles. The field of ocean science intensifies these strains with extended schooling creating a late start to careers, remote and lengthy fieldwork, and atypical hours that can bleed into evenings and weekends. These trials have impacted both men and women with dependents, as well as their families and coworkers. Addressing caregiving challenges in ocean science careers has yet to be discussed as an industry-wide issue. This town hall will aim to hear from the community directly in a positive forum to provide guidance, support, and suggestions for ways universities, government offices, and non-profit organizations in the ocean sciences can better encourage and retain key professionals and specialists in the workforce. A series of short talks from mixed career participants will highlight experiences, lessons learned, and how they have overcome challenges while working pre-pandemic and virtually during the pandemic. A group discussion will be had addressing solutions to some of the largest issues for career professionals with dependents, their managers, coworkers, and staff. This gathering aims to foster greater community involvement and gather thoughts that will contribute to a suggestion guide, to better support staff in the ocean sciences. The session will be family-friendly with activities for kids and offer hybrid viewing for those participants who cannot be present in person.

Lead Organizer: Carlie Wiener, Schmidt Ocean Institute, [email protected]

TH30 TOS JEDI Committee Town Hall: Building Support for JEDI Efforts from Individuals to Institutions

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 11:00AM to 12:00PM
Location: Room 04

The geoscience community has long been recognized as one of the least diverse scientific communities. In recent years, the ocean science community has increased efforts to promote Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) at a variety of levels, both individual and institutional in scale. For example, The Oceanography Society (TOS) has recently constituted a standing JEDI committee. This hybrid town hall will feature a discussion moderated by TOS JEDI members, that is focused on three main questions: What are the major challenges that exist and how are they being addressed? What efforts have been successful for increasing JEDI in ocean sciences? What support can TOS and other societies provide to bolster success and alleviate challenges to integrate JEDI in the ocean science? The session will address JEDI work at different scales, from individual efforts to institutional change. Participants will be able to interact in a variety of ways, including polling applications, in person or virtual discussion, and submitting comments and videos before the meeting that can be shared in the town hall. Opportunities will be provided for anonymous discussion and feedback. The target audience is TOS membership and anyone else in the ocean science community interested in contributing to JEDI progress. The intended outcome of the Town Hall is an expanding network of ideas, actions, and participants working on increasing JEDI. The results from the discussions will be included in a forthcoming JEDI column in Oceanography magazine. Convened by members of the TOS JEDI Committee, James Pierson, Mona Behl, Erin Meyer-Gutbrod

Lead Organizer: James Pierson, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, [email protected]

TH31 NOAA Ocean and Aquatic Satellite Data Products for Science and Applications

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 05

Satellites make routine observations from which several ocean parameters such as sea surface temperature, ocean color, sea level, ocean winds, visible imagery, water quality and other ocean, coastal, and inland water surface features can be derived. Ocean observations from space have the advantage of broad spatial and temporal coverage that complement in situ and other types of remotely sensed measurements. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) routinely produces and monitors remotely-sensed ocean data products from both NOAA and non-NOAA, international satellites. These ocean products are freely and openly available to all. In addition to serving the mission requirements of NOAA’s fisheries, ocean services, weather service and researchers, our satellite data products are also used by other government organizations, academia, business, international partners, and the general public. In this OSM 2022 Town Hall, we will 1) give an update on NOAA-produced ocean satellite products to the AGU community, 2) demonstrate new capabilities for accessing data products through NOAA CoastWatch/OceanWatch/PolarWatch data portals and 3) solicit feedback on the community’s experience with obtaining and using data for their applications. We hope that participants will learn about types of ocean satellite data available and how to access them, and meet some of the people who can facilitate the use the data products, answer questions and listen to your feedback and requirements.

Lead Organizer: Veronica Lance, NOAA, [email protected]

TH33 Accessing and utilizing the GEOTRACES 2021 Intermediate Data Product (IDP2021)

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 11:00AM to 12:00PM
Location: Room 02

The international GEOTRACES program (https://www.geotraces.org/) aims to identify processes and quantify fluxes that control the distributions of key trace elements and isotopes in the ocean, and to establish the sensitivity of these distributions to changing environmental conditions. GEOTRACES has just released a new intermediate data product (GEOTRACES IDP2021), combining data acquired during the first 10 years of the program. It contains datasets on trace elements that serve as micronutrients, tracers of continental sources to the ocean (e.g., aerosols and boundary exchange), contaminants (e.g., Pb and Hg), radioactive and stable isotopes used in paleoceanography and a broad suite of hydrographic parameters used to trace water masses. IDP2021 expands on, and includes, the collection of results from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans (IDP2014 and IDP2017) and includes new data from the Pacific, Arctic and Indian Oceans. In addition, IDP2021 includes a significant amount of BioGEOTRACES data on ligands, enzymes, and single cell quotas. IDP2021 will be of value to chemical, biological, and physical oceanographers, especially those interested in biogeochemical cycles and the impact of micronutrients on marine carbon cycling. This Town Hall will introduce IDP2021, explain how to access IDP2021, and include some highlights on the use of GEOTRACES data. The goal is to intensify collaboration within the broader ocean research community but also seek feedback from the community to help us improve future data products.

Lead Organizer: William Landing, Florida State University, [email protected]

TH34 The Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS) - Update and Upcoming Activities

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 05

The Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS) is an ongoing international program conducting a multi-nation, oceanographic field based effort on a Pan Arctic Scale over ~two years during a single season (late summer) to achieve the baseline understanding of the fundamental structure and function of the linked carbon-ecosystem-physical systems that will permit detection of ongoing and future changes. The COVID pandemic delayed the start of many planned field programs; however, several efforts were able to occur in summer 2021 and others are planned for summer 2022.  This town hall will provide an update on the progress of the international program and on plans for the US contribution to the SAS program, including potential collaborative opportunities to join a US-led cruise.

Lead Organizer: Carin Ashjian, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, [email protected]

TH35 Preparing a Diverse Workforce for a Sustainable and Just Blue Economy

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 06

The World Bank defines the blue economy as “the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.” Our ability to create a sustainable and just blue economy depends on the people who comprise coastal communities, and make up the coastal and ocean workforce. This includes leaders who establish a vision for the future, researchers who push the envelope of scientific knowledge and understanding, practitioners who use that knowledge to develop actionable solutions, and educators and students who are the ambassadors of our science and its culture. Creation of a sustainable and just blue economy offers an ocean of opportunities to cultivate a demographically diverse and highly skilled blue economy workforce. During this interactive townhall, we will reflect on the current status of our workforce, examine the societal trends that are shaping labor demands, and identify gaps related to workforce development, education, training, and infrastructure. Discussions will be centered around questions such as: what jobs have become obsolete; which new jobs are being created or filled; what sorts of mentorship and skill building does our workforce need now and in the future; how can we promote equity, inclusion, and accessibility to advance workforce development and create professional environments that are welcoming to all? Takeaways generated from this townhall discussion will be synthesized into an article for publication in Oceanography.

Lead Organizer: Mona Behl, University of Georgia Sea Grant, [email protected]

TH36 NOAA / Unified Forecast System Modeling Forum

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 05

Since late 2015, NOAA and the Unified Forecast System (UFS) Steering Committee (UFS-SC) have held Modeling Forum townhall meetings at the AMS Annual, AGU Fall, and Ocean Sciences Meetings. These fora have been a place to socialize environmental model development for operational use at NOAA and more general research applications, and to receive community input on both. The UFS seeks to use community modeling as a way to accelerate innovations in the NOAA operational Production Suite of models, while simultaneously enabling research to be done with operational models and applications. The Town Hall this year will focus on the following topics. 1) Progress with public availability and support of UFS code and applications (with a focus on marine applications). 2) Progress toward a simplified UFS based Production Suite at NOAA. 3) Strategic planning and Governance of the UFS community (based on recently released documents). 4) Managing Innovation to Operations transitions in the UFS. ; 5) How NOAA is supporting the UFS through the Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC). The format of the town hall will be a presentation on the above identified subjects, followed by an open Q&A session where community members can provide questions for, or suggestions back to the UFS community.

Lead Organizer: Hendrik Tolman, NOAA / NWS / Office of Science and Technology Integration, [email protected]

TH37 NASA Ocean Programs Town Hall

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 01

NASA Earth Science Division’s (ESD) ocean programs leadership team will present an update on current and future missions, program updates and priorities, and opportunities for new researchers to join NASA’s ocean science community. Specific topics will include 1) a progress update on the Earth System Observatory, 2) status and implementation of Venture Class activities focused on ocean physics, air-sea exchange, sub mesoscale oceanography, ocean ecology and biogeochemistry, 3) evolution of ESD’s research, applied sciences, and technology development elements, 4) contribution to interagency and international Earth observation and global change programs, 5) NASA’s response to community-based guiding documents, such as the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and 6) Open Science evolution for the ocean physics community. At past Ocean Science Meetings, this town hall has drawn an audience of current and future investigators for NASA ESD’s ocean programs, from NASA’s partner agencies, and from current and potential user communities of NASA Earth and ocean data and models. During this proposed town hall, there will be time allocated for audience engagement, including answering community questions and fostering open discussion.

Lead Organizer: Laura Lorenzoni, NASA, [email protected]

TH38 FAIR data solutions to support a global observing system of marine ecological time series

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Location: Room 01

Sustained marine ecological time series (METS, activities which generate multi-year records comprising biotic and abiotic data) are critical for characterizing marine ecosystem shifts in a time of accelerating changes. Historically, these distributed time series efforts each evolved with local reporting and data curation practices and bilateral interactions with community repositories, making it exceedingly difficult for potential users to discover, access, and integrate these unique datasets, thus severely limiting their applications. There is an urgent need to develop consensus on community-adopted data and metadata reporting standards that would make these data more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). This town hall will include an overview of a new NSF EarthCube-funded METS Research Coordination Network (RCN) that will bring together a cross-section of the ocean and data sciences communities for a sustained dialog to address long-standing METS challenges, most prominently the lack of consistent and FAIR data practices and approaches. METS RCN activities are focusing on consensus-building and aligning with FAIR implementation in related communities; broadening users and applications of METS data; and building capacity to ingest, analyze, and integrate METS data with other complementary data sets to accelerate scientific discovery. This session will provide an opportunity to seek feedback and engage prospective participants in RCN activities. Data synthesis and modeling efforts across ocean time series represent important and necessary steps in broadening our view of a changing ocean, and maximizing the return on our continued investment in METS programs. This town hall will also highlight a new effort to develop an integrated data product based on high-quality biogeochemical data across several global METS programs to assess biogeochemistry trends and variability across ocean biomes.

Lead Organizer: Heather Benway, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program, [email protected]

TH40 Synthesis of Nitrification and Nitrifiers Observations in the Global Ocean

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 10:00AM to 11:00AM
Location: Room 02

As a key biogeochemical pathway in the marine nitrogen cycle, nitrification (ammonia oxidation and nitrite oxidation) converts the most reduced form of nitrogen – ammonium/ammonia (NH4+/ NH3) into the oxidized species nitrite (NO2-) and nitrate (NO3-). These processes are primarily performed by ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB). By transforming N speciation and providing substrates for N removal, nitrification regulates microbial community structure and marine productivity. Nitrification is thought to be regulated by substrate concentration, light, temperature, oxygen, pH, and other environmental factors. The nitrification database compiled by Ward (2008) has been valuable to evaluate controlling factors on nitrification. Since publication of that database, the number of observations has rapidly increased, with new data collected in oxygen minimum zones, polar waters and many other regions that are undergoing substantial change, expanding our view of nitrifiers’ distribution and activity in the ocean. In light of such progress, updating the database of nitrification in the world’s oceans is both necessary and timely. To that end, we have initiated a community effort to build a database of nitrification rates and nitrifier abundance in the global ocean to investigate their spatial distribution and corresponding environmental drivers. We propose a town hall meeting to present the current status of the newly compiled database and to seek feedback from the broad community. This town hall meeting will also include short presentations of recent advances in marine nitrification studies and potential applications of the database. The presentations will be followed by open discussions about observation protocols, format of data report, suggestions for the database and steps forward. We welcome participation from ocean scientists interested in observing and modeling marine nitrifiers and the nitrogen cycle.

Lead Organizer: Weiyi Tang, Princeton University, [email protected]

TH41 Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE): Progress Towards Anti-Racism Practices in Ocean Sciences and Future Directions

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Location: Room 04

Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) is a program that helps geoscientists design and implement anti-racist policies. Between January to May 2021, over 350 ‘pods’ (i.e., discussion groups) worldwide participated in an eight-week curriculum that used readings, expert opinions, and personal experiences to generate anti-racist policies and resources for their home institutions and professional societies. URGE is continuing to support geoscientists by creating a network for sharing, discussing, and modifying the anti-racist policies and resources developed during the first phase of this program. To strengthen this network and facilitate conversations between geoscience and ocean science programs and societies, we invite geoscientists and ocean scientists to share successful anti-racist policies and resources they have developed as well as topics or anti-racist strategies they would like to learn more about in this town hall. One goal of this session is to amplify a diversity of voices and explore what ocean scientists can do to better support BIPOC-led efforts and other ways to recenter Geoscientists of Color. People who are interested in learning more about the URGE program and anti-racist policies and strategies are welcome.

Lead Organizer: Erin McParland, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, [email protected]

TH42 Measuring ocean surface currents: S-MODE and prospects for satellite instruments

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 05

Measurements of near-surface ocean currents are essential for quantifying the Earth’s fundamental cycles (heat, energy, carbon, nutrients), and this observable has designated as a priority for NASA earth observing in the 2020’s by the National Academies of Sciences 2017 Decadal Survey. There have been steady advances in techniques for in situ and remote sensing of ocean surface currents that would enable global measurements, but validation against traditional measurements is in early stages. NASA’s Earth Ventures Suborbital-3 mission Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE) is bringing together multiple techniques for measuring surface currents, including in situ measurements from autonomous and drifting platforms and remote sensing measurements using radar and imagery-based techniques. This town hall will provide a first look at recently collected measurements from the multi-year S-MODE program, and it will discuss approaches to extend surface current measurements using satellite instruments. It also invites the ocean community to participate in the S-MODE campaign, data analysis, and science investigations. Finally, it also seeks to build broad community support for a potential surface currents and winds mission that could be proposed to an expected NASA call in 2022/2023 for an Earth System Explorer mission.

Lead Organizer: J. Thomas Farrar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, [email protected]

TH43 Analyzing Ocean Turbulence Observations to Quantify Mixing.

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Location: Room 02

The 20 members of the ATOMIX working group (SCOR group 160) are designing a framework that will allow the Ocean Mixing community (OMC) to converge toward best practice procedures and quality-control indicators to obtain the turbulent dissipation rate of kinetic energy (epsilon) - a critical turbulence quantity for estimating mixing - from shear probes and velocity sensors. These best practices will support observations from commonly deployed platforms such as profilers, fixed and moored instruments, and self-propelled gliders. To enable validation of existing (and future) algorithms, benchmark datasets with agreed-upon estimates will be made available for a variety of platforms and ocean environments, along with quality metrics. These benchmarks are designed to remain relevant irrespective of the programming language used for data processing, as a lasting legacy for the OMC. The panelists will discuss the progress made over the first year (e.g., creation of a Wiki, benchmark data set, algorithm comparison) of the project and the expected timeline. Following a long list of “community building” projects, ATOMIX is part of a broader effort to connect the different members of the OMC. To that end, community feedback on the working group plans will be welcome, as well as any discussion on the way the OMC should coordinate in order to make ocean turbulence measurements an “off-the-shelf" component of the ocean instrumentation.

Lead Organizer: Arnaud Le Boyer, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, [email protected]

TH44 Updated Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Location: Room 02

The Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazard Scenarios and Tools Interagency Task Force (hereafter “Task Force”) was convened at the direction of the White House Resilience Council in 2015. This was in recognition of the strong need and demand for authoritative, consistent, accessible sea level rise and associated coastal hazard information for the entire U.S. coastline, coordinated across the relevant Federal agencies, to serve as a starting point for on-the-ground coastal preparedness planning and risk management activities. Federal agency participation includes EPA, FEMA, NASA, NOAA, USACE, and USGS, among others.The goal of the Task Force has been to develop the necessary products through sustained and coordinated participation of key agencies and to incorporate those products into user-friendly tools made accessible through existing agency portals. One of the core efforts of the Task Force is to develop interagency reports that provide assessments of regional relative sea-level (RSL) change and associated impacts in the future. The first of these was released in 2017 and provided a set of relative sea-level (RSL) rise scenarios for the entire U.S. coastline for the first time. Since the release of that report, the scientific understanding of sea-level change has advanced as have the needs of practitioners and stakeholders in addressing the impacts of sea-level rise. Recently, the Task Force has undertaken an update of the previous report, providing new scenarios and incorporating assessments of storm-driven extreme water levels. In this town hall, the authors will provide an overview of the contents of the report, the changes that have occurred, and the new assessments that have been included. Presentations will be followed by a round-table discussion and Q&A. The goals are to inform a broad audience of the updated report, answer any questions about the contents of the report, and solicit input on ways to facilitate the use of the included assessments.

Lead Organizer: Benjamin Hamlington, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, [email protected]

TH45 Deep-Sea Connections: Developing Cohesion and Synergies among Deep-sea Networks, Programs, Projects and Scientists

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 11:00AM to 12:00PM
Location: Room 06

Do you want to learn about the Decade for Ocean Science deep sea opportunities? Do you want to meet and collaborate with early career researchers studying the deep sea? Do you want to link your deep sea science to other programs? Join us at an OSM Townhall to help find ways to connect the the different deep-ocean research programs operating in the realms of modeling, observing, mapping, and exploration. This event will focus on bringing together the deep ocean observing community to find areas of synergy and connection to address large-scale challenges in the deep sea and discuss the ongoing development of a Deep Ocean Observing Community of Practice. The event will include talks from several UN Ocean Decade Endorsed Programmes as well as recently funded deep ocean collaborative initiatives, including DOOS, Challenger-150, and COBRA. Additionally, the event will feature lightning talks from the community to share their own deep ocean project and ways in which it might plugin to other larger projects/programmes and the Community of Practice. If you are interested in giving a lightning talk please email [email protected] by Feb. 21, 2022. Early Career Researchers are strongly encouraged to submit lightning talks. We also welcome traditional knowledge holders, data custodians, resource managers, policy makers and other stakeholders with an interest in the deep ocean.

Lead Organizer: Leslie Smith, Deep Ocean Observing Strategy, [email protected]

TH47 Towards Community Standards of Practice in the Use of Variable Chlorophyll Fluorescence for Phytoplankton Productivity and Photo-Physiological Measurements

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 02

Single-turnover variable chlorophyll fluorescence (ST-ChlF) approaches have been used for more than three decades as a tool for autonomous and non-destructive measurement of phytoplankton photosynthetic capacity. In recent years, improvements in sensor technology have extended ST-ChlF observations to autonomous platforms and oligotrophic waters, while conceptual advances have led to a better understanding of the environmental and taxonomic effects on derived ST-ChlF parameters. With maturing technology and a strengthening theoretical framework, ST-ChlF measurements are now poised to contribute significant new insights into the variability of phytoplankton photosynthesis over a range of time and space scales, yielding information on organismal and ecosystem-level responses to global change. However, the field now sits at a crossroads, as operational, computational and conceptual approaches are rapidly diverging, creating confusion and uncertainty among potential end-users. To address this challenge, SCOR Working Group 156 was created with the aim of building consensus recommendations and standards of practice for the use of ST-ChlF to examine in situ phytoplankton productivity and photo-physiology. In this Town Hall, we will launch a major deliverable from our work; A User Guide for the Application of Single Turnover Active Chlorophyll Fluorescence for Phytoplankton Productivity Measurements. This document provides guidance on the appropriate use of ST-ChlF under a range of conditions, with a particular focus on field-based instrument deployment, and data retrieval, interpretation and archiving. Our goal is to stimulate wide-spread application of ST-ChlF measurements, and facilitate the sharing of inter-comparable datasets collected by different researchers and instrument types. This, in turn, will support the creation of a global data compilation to better resolve broad-scale patterns of aquatic photosynthesis and phytoplankton photo-physiology.

Lead Organizer: Philippe Tortell, University of British Columbia, [email protected]

TH48 Bio-GO-SHIP: Sustained Global Scale Biological Observations

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 04

Bio-GO-SHIP (Biological-Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program) is a recently awarded pilot study that aims to incorporate globally consistent and repeatable biological observations into the existing GO-SHIP framework. Bio-GO-SHIP aims to create a sustained set of high-quality measurements driven by scientific questions that are best answered by a global scale sampling program which also serves the greater ocean science community by providing relevant data and sampling opportunities. Bio-GO-SHIP draws upon technological advancements and community-derived best-practices to collect samples and measurements ranging from phytoplankton pigments and particulate organic matter to optics and plankton imaging to multiple ‘omics approaches. The data will be curated to an established set of standards and will be complemented by concurrent physical and chemical information collected through the ongoing GO-SHIP program. With existing support for biological measurements from GO-SHIP and initial seed funding from NOAA’s Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, NASA’s Ocean Biology & Biogeochemistry Program, and WHOI’s Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Program, the time is right to create a systematic and consistent global biological ocean observing program with the ability to observe the impacts of a changing climate on marine plankton communities and related parameters. This Town Hall seeks to introduce Bio-GO-SHIP and prior successful efforts integrating biological measurements on GO-SHIP cruises, provide details on existing activities, describe opportunities for collaboration, and to open up discussions that will help inform and improve Bio-GO-SHIP’s future endeavors and abilities to meet the needs of the ocean science community.

Lead Organizer: Jason Graff, Oregon State University, [email protected]

TH49 Environmental Toolkit for the Permitting Process for Marine Renewable Energy Projects

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 06

The goal of this effort is to increase access to relevant information for the permitting and licensing of Marine Energy (ME) projects in the U.S. through the creation of a “one-stop-shop” of spatial, academic, and regulatory information. The Marine Energy Environmental Toolkit for Permitting and Licensing brings together data sources such as the Tethys Knowledgebase, FERC E-Library, and BOEM and NOAA’s Marine Cadastre into a single web Portal to facilitate the permitting and licensing process. The Toolkit was developed in collaboration with regulators that review and approve these projects to ensure the Toolkit meets their information needs and is organized in an intuitive way. The project will also synthesize the current state of science on key topics associated with ME permitting, (marine mammals, collision, etc.) including the Annex IV State of the Science report, with live links to existing resources, and based on experts’ presentations in project workshops. The Marine Energy Environmental Toolkit Townhall will provide participants with an overview of the project and interactive demonstration of the Toolkit developed. Participants will have the opportunity to directly interact with the project team and share feedback on the Toolkit writ large.

Lead Organizer: Zachary Barr, Kearns & West, [email protected]

TH50 UN Ocean Decade endorsed program: Digitial Twins of the Ocean (DITTO) - Information and Engagement

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 10:00AM to 11:00AM
Location: Room 02

Digital twins are fine-grained virtualizations of physical objects and systems which have been widely applied in the engineering realm for tasks such as engine optimization and port management. For the Ocean and Earth in particular, digital twinning means to intuitively bundle and provide easy access to marine data, models, and simulations to explore “what if” scenarios. A well-constructed digital twin of the ocean will enable a wider range of users to interact with digital assets to explore current and future scenarios, especially related to human interactions with the ocean. High-value application areas include fisheries and mariculture, marine protected areas, ocean-based tourism, ecological forecasting, nature-based solutions, marine infrastructure development, and the interactions between all of these with an ever-growing collection of data streams. The Digital Twins of the Ocean UN Decade Programme intends to build a Digital Twin of the Ocean Framework that allows users to create a family of application-focussed digital twins that collectively twin the ocean as a whole, with access to a range of ocean data and forecasting and predictive systems. This powerful framework will enable users to visualize and explore ocean knowledge and empower ocean professionals and models, forecasts, citizen scientists, policymakers, and the general public alike. This session aims to showcase global applications and pilots of digital twins and discuss possible applications for the ocean system. As more digital twins emerge across the ocean’s digital ecosystem, it is imperative that we build a framework to secure interoperability between them. Through this framework, forecasting and predictive capacities can be more rapidly rallied to explore scientifically grounded “what if” scenarios to support science-based decision-making: “how will the ocean change if humans act?''. In this town hall we will explain how to engage with and benefit from the DITTO Programme.

Lead Organizer: Martin Visbeck, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, [email protected]

TH53 NASA’s Open Source Science Initiative

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 4:00PM to 5:00PM
Location: Room 03

Kevin Murphy, Steve Crawford, Kathleen Baynes, Chelle Gentemann Open science is a foundational objective of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Open science is an evolving paradigm that seeks to foster greater inclusivity, diversity, and participation in the scientific process while increasing transparency and reproducibility. In August of 2021, SMD released Scientific Information policy for the Science Mission Directorate(1) and in December of 2019, SMD released the SMD's Strategy for Data Management and Computing for Groundbreaking Science 2019-2024(2). These strategies aim to enable transformational open science through continuous evolution of science data and computing systems for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. We want to take this opportunity to update the community on the progress of these Strategies as well as to engage with you on the next implementation steps. The objective of this meeting is to provide a forum to find out more details about the Open Source Science Initiative (OSSI), ask questions about the number of initiatives that are currently underway related to Open Science, and participate in a community discussion where attendees will have the opportunity to engage with SMD and the community on further developing these initiatives. Initiatives include projects involving machine learning and artificial intelligence, discoverability of SMD data and publications, new policies to support open science, and Transform to Open Science (TOPS), our initiative to help jump-start the adoption of open science across our communities. (1)https://science.nasa.gov/science-red/s3fs-public/atoms/files/Scientific%20Information%20policy%20SPD-41.pdf (2)https://science.nasa.gov/files/science-red/s3fs-public/atoms/files/SDMWG%20Strategy_Final.pdf

Lead Organizer: Chelle Gentemann, Farallon Institute, [email protected]

TH54 AtlantOS Program: Basin Scale Perspectives on Atlantic Ocean Observing

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 03

Ocean observing is a necessity to ensure our collective stewardship responsibility and to understand the climate change implications on human life, economic, and environmental wellbeing. The ocean observing enterprise must move towards a sustained observing system to ensure the delivery of crucial information to stakeholders and policymakers. The AtlantOS program supports Atlantic basin scale implementation by identifying and fostering collaborative partnerships among ocean observing networks and systems, data and information systems and the wider user communities. The key vision of AtlantOS is to (i) build a community and community of practice; (ii) connect Atlantic partners and stakeholders to ensure their interests are served at national, regional, and international level; (iv) promote open sharing and exchange of information; and (v) enhance the value of ocean observing to serve a multi-stakeholder community. This town hall will introduce the new AtlantOS governance and steering committee. More importantly will this town hall serve to seek input on time-limited, task-specific, thematic working groups to serve the Atlantic community.

Lead Organizer: Ann-Christine Zinkann, NOAA, [email protected]

TH55 Oceananigans.jl: a library for fast, friendly, data-driven ocean modeling

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 05

Oceananigans is an open-source software package written in the Julia programming language for ocean-centric fluid dynamics modeling with finite volume methods on staggered grids. It’s designed to enable productive, creative, and reproducible science without sacrificing performance. Oceananigans provides an intuitive user interface and efficient solvers for a wide variety of problems from nonhydrostatic large eddy simulation to global general circulation modeling. Oceananigans is developed by the Climate Modeling Alliance and brave community contributors. This town hall will have two sections. We’ll start with an Oceananigans tutorial covering (i) Writing idealized numerical experiments for teaching and research (ii) Hydrostatic general circulation modeling on the sphere (iii) Nonhydrostatic large eddy simulation (LES) in rectangular domains (see also the LES tutorial TT01 with Tomas Chor and Gregory Wagner) (iv) Experiments in irregular domains, with unusual forcing functions, and idealized biophysical interaction problems (v) Complex diagnostics and output, post-processing, data visualization, and interfacing with other scientific software (vi) Machine learning and parameter estimation (vii) The Oceananigans workflow from laptop runs to GPUs to supercomputers Second, we’ll facilitate a discussion on the future of Oceananigans, including desired features, desired examples and tutorials, and building a community of computational ocean scientists and software developers.

Lead Organizer: Gregory Wagner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, [email protected]

TH56 Creating a Deeper Understanding of the Oceans and Great Lakes: Indigenous and non-Indigenous Cooperation, Approaches, and Methods

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 04

Coastal communities around the world are increasingly impacted by issues such as extreme storm events, shoreline erosion, sea level rise, fluctuations in lake levels, and water quality degradation. In facing these challenges, it is important to be able to draw upon and learn from all available knowledge and expertise, including that of Indigenous Nations and individuals. With recognition for the ethical space (Ermine, 2007) that needs to exist in order to support respectful engagement and partnership, and a strategic approach to knowledge bridging or weaving through approaches such as ‘Two-Eyed Seeing’ and others informed by Two-Row Wampum and other Indigenous teachings and values, there is the opportunity to co-learn between Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge holders and practitioners and contribute to a greater understanding of the oceans and Great Lakes and the changes these ecosystems and the people relying upon them are experiencing now and into the future (Reid et al., 2021; Abu et al., 2019). In order to ensure that space for Indigenous communities, knowledge holders and practitioners is created to fully contribute to an enhanced collective understanding of a particular ecosystem, it is first important to identify and understand what research and monitoring is already happening in Indigenous communities and territories associated with the oceans and lakes, and what interests, priorities and needs Indigenous Nations and communities have. This Town Hall will further advance the AHA HONUA Coastal Indigenous Peoples’ Declaration at OceanObs’19. The panel discussion will highlight speakers who have applied various approaches and methods and highlight active partnerships in operation around the world.

Lead Organizer: Katie Rousseau, Great Lakes Observing System, [email protected]

TH57 A Dialogue Between the Negotiators of the UN High Seas Treaty and the Ocean Science Community

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 3:00PM to 5:00PM
Location: Room 06

Countries are negotiating a comprehensive global binding treaty at the United Nations to better protect biodiversity in the high seas (High Seas Treaty). More information about the High Seas Treaty negotiations is available in a recent blog by ASLO. Developing a governance framework for Marine Genetic Resources (MGRs) of the high seas is a crucial element of the proposed treaty. Negotiating countries’ positions on MGRs of the high seas, including questions on the sharing of benefits from their use, range from no regulation to an elaborate infrastructure for access and benefit sharing of all MGRs of the high seas. For the scientists who may be involved with MGRs of the high seas as well as Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities that may hold relevant traditional knowledge of the MGRs, the outcome of the High Seas Treaty could impact their day-to-day work as well as their rights. Strong engagement with scientists from both the academic and private sector, as well as traditional knowledge holders, will likely increase the odds that any new governance framework will be practical and remain relevant in decades to come, and also provide a platform that will foster research, collaboration, and marine conservation. In an effort to inform ocean scientists on the status of the treaty negotiations and provide a forum for input from the community, we propose a virtual panel discussion with treaty negotiators. Following in the style of a similar workshop organized by The Girguis Lab at Harvard University, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, ASLO, and International Council of Environmental Law held in the Summer of 2021, this virtual town hall meeting will feature several treaty negotiators who will engage in a dialogue with OSM attendees about their perspectives under Chatham House Rule. This event will occur a week prior to the last session of the High Seas Treaty negotiations, which is scheduled to take place at the UN headquarters in March 2022.

Lead Organizer: Brittany Schieler, ASLO, [email protected]

TH59 Offshore Wind & the Blue Economy: Opportunities for Advancing Ocean Science and Observations

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 06

Offshore wind is one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the global and national Blue Economy. Offshore wind installations are accelerating across the globe, with forecasts projecting from 65 to 100 GW operational between 2023 and 2025. Deployments are expected to increase in the United Kingdom, France, Asia and the United States. The United States is anticipated to become one of the largest offshore markets in 2024 with 1.7 million acres under lease with more than 1,500 foundations to be installed. Balance of offshore wind development with other ocean users and resources presents unique opportunities for early relationship building and emerging reliance on new science and data programs to support co-existence. Workshops across the European and U.S. networks are building coordination and helping to identify research gaps and frameworks to map how those gaps can be filled with monitoring and research. Funding opportunities are also increasing to support research, with a major focus on establishing pre-construction baselines. The rapidly evolving technologies, significant amount of construction and operations support, regulatory monitoring, and broader investigations of how offshore wind installations could affect ocean environments and ecosystems presents unique opportunities for the ocean sciences community. This Town Hall will be an interactive dialogue covering lessons learned from European scientific community to exploring opportunities for ocean sciences and observation programs across the public and private sectors as this industry advances at regional scales nationally and globally.

Lead Organizer: Ruth Perry, Shell Renewables and Energy Solutions, [email protected]

TH60 Welcome to the Polar AI Task Force: Input and Recommendations

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 04

The Polar AI Task Force was recently formed to provide a collaborative structure for researchers around the world working at the intersection of the polar sciences and AI, in areas a diverse as sea ice and glacier modeling, snow hydrology, marine ecology, robotics, anthropology, and computer vision to share ideas and coordinate with industry and government for real-world deployment. Through focused working groups such as AI for the Antarctic and AI for Sea Ice, members are working on outputs like white papers defining key priorities in their areas of expertise. The aim of the Task Force is to foster global collaboration and encourage scientists to work together instead of competing against each other for the development of "state-of-the-art" models. This town hall is a forum for all interested OSM attendees to provide input and recommendations about the direction of the task force and priorities in research and development at the nexus of artificial intelligence and the cryosphere, particularly in the scope of the Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean. We encourage any interested attendees to contribute their perspectives, regardless of their familiarity with machine learning and its applications in this area. AI has been compared to electricity due to its seeming ability to change every aspect of life. Given the relatively recent exciting developments in regards to applications to the polar oceans, it is important that perspectives representing subdiscipline-specific knowledge are represented, paving the way for new innovative applications in the near future.

Lead Organizer: Thomas Chen, Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, [email protected]

TH62 Does more data equal more use? Exploring the use of Earth observation data and how it is changing as technology shifts and data stocks grow

Date and Time: 2/25/2022, 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Location: Room 03

The U.S. Group on Earth Observations (USGEO), a subcommittee under the National Science and Technology Council, coordinates Earth Observations among Federal Agencies. It also coordinates U.S. participation in the international GEO, an intergovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Since the release of the 2019 National Plan for Civil Earth Observations, USGEO has been focused on implementing its objectives to expand the Earth Observations Enterprise, working across sectors to expand the availability and use of Earth observation data and information as a driver to the economy. USGEO is positioned to enable communication between agencies to develop documentation on best practices and lessons learned. In this session, the invited panelists will discuss what steps are needed, and being taken to more fully identify, value and engage end users to understand their use of Earth observation data and information. They will explore new strategies to expand the access to, and use of EO data and information including cloud computing and data structures/formats. This session is also being presented as an ongoing case study for consideration by other countries implementing GEO mandates related to user engagement and enhancing data use.

Lead Organizer: Meredith Wagner, NOAA, [email protected]

TH63 What’s New at NSF –Funding to Increase the Impact of Your Ideas and Research

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Location: Room 01

The White House has proposed a major increase in the budget of the National Science Foundation; and Congress has been talking about doubling NSF’s present ~$8 billion dollar budget over the next five years. This year’s budget request includes the creation of a new technology directorate that is focused on increasing the impact of NSF-funded research. As a result,. NSF and the Geoscience Directorate will be dramatically increasing funding opportunities and resources for PIs to help them move their research results to society and the economy. To assist ocean scientists and other geoscientists in benefiting from these new developments, the NSF Directorate of Geosciences (GEO) has created a GEO Innovation Hub that whose purpose is to help those in our field understand and take advantage of these new opportunities. The GEO iHub is staffed by NSF Program Officers who act as informational resources, answer questions, and serve as points of contact inside the geosciences for those wishing to know more about use-inspired and translational research so they can benefit from new programs that spring from increased funding in the innovation space. Included in these programs are opportunities to learn about entrepreneurship and customer discovery (I-CORPs), work directly with non-academic entities (INTERN, GOALI), obtain funding for prototype development and hardening (PFI), create university-industry basic research centers (IUCRC), and more. Join us to learn more about what is going on at NSF and the opportunities available for you to expand the reach and impact of your research and deliver the results to society and the economy.

Lead Organizer: Barbara Ransom, National Science Foundation, [email protected]

TH64 Connect with NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 11:00AM to 12:00PM
Location: Room 05

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) hosts and provides access to one of the most significant environmental data archives on Earth for comprehensive oceanic, atmospheric, and geophysical data. NCEI is working to foster innovative and value-added strategies, including the development of newly integrated products and services that span the science disciplines and enable better data discovery. Come to our Town Hall meeting and engage directly with our leadership and scientists. Hear about how we plan to implement transformative technologies, advancing our scientific and data stewardship activities. We welcome your ideas and feedback.
This Town Hall will be moderated by Joseph Pica, Acting NCEI Director.

Lead Organizer: Andrew Allegra, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, [email protected]

TH65 Next generation PO.DAAC - Understanding Ocean data access in the big data era

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 5:00PM to 6:00PM
Location: Room 02

The Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) is NASA’s data repository and archive for physical oceanography and hydrology data, including the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission.  The mission of the PO.DAAC is to preserve NASA’s ocean and climate data and make these universally accessible and meaningful. Since the launch of NASA's first ocean-observing satellite, Seasat, in 1978, PO.DAAC has become the premier data center for measurements focused on sea surface topography, ocean temperature, ocean winds, salinity, gravity, hydrology, and ocean circulation. PO.DAAC has been serving data from its on-premise data center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). However, high-data-volume missions such as SWOT, have necessitated the need for new data management technologies that are more flexible and scalable than traditional on-premise systems. To meet these needs, the Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program, PO.DAAC’s sponsor, has transformed a strategic vision into an operational capability to develop and operate multiple components of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) in a commercial cloud environment. In alignment with the ESDS vision, PO.DAAC is moving its entire data collection to the Earthdata Cloud hosted in Amazon Web Services  (AWS), as well as all operational functions, such as data ingest, archive distribution, and tools and services for end users. PO.DAAC’s new capabilities will enable new frontiers in Earth Science research and applications.  Migration of PO.DAAC datasets to the cloud has already begun, and will be complete in June 2022. At this town hall meeting, PO.DAAC will share details of the migration and provide an overview and demonstration of tools and services in the cloud. All current and future users of PO.DAAC are encouraged to attend this townhall to learn about leveraging the next generation PO.DAAC services in your research and applications.

Lead Organizer: Suresh Vannan, NASA/Caltech - JET PROPULSION LABORATORY, [email protected]

TH66 NOAA Unified Forecast System (UFS) and Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) Coastal and Ocean Modeling Town Hall

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Location: Room 05

The Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) was created to accelerate the development of the U.S. numerical weather prediction systems up to the subseasonal to seasonal scales, supporting NOAA’s mission of serving society. EPIC is designed to sustain and foster the collaborative work being done by participating members of the Unified Forecast System (UFS). The UFS is a community-based, coupled, comprehensive Earth modeling system, aimed at providing skillful, actionable predictions on timescales out to two years. Its development involves a powerful partnership between NOAA, private industry, academia, and research institutes, known as the Weather Enterprise. In this workshop we will talk about what EPIC is, and how it enables a collaborative community framework to develop the UFS in support of NOAA’s mission, providing a description focusing on the UFS coastal and marine components and its importance to the next upgrade of NOAA’s Global Ensemble and Deterministic Forecast Systems, GEFSv13 and GFSv17. The main purpose of this event is to inspire greater engagement of the ocean sciences community, as well as collect feedback and insights on scientific priorities that can further improve the UFS.

Lead Organizer: Jose-Henrique Alves, EPIC Program, WPO, NOAA Research, [email protected]

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