Workshop for teachers aims to bring ocean observing to the classroom

Organized by estuario.org, Corredor del Yaguazo and by the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras the workshop provided teachers with ideas on how ocean observing technology, near-real time data and forecast models can be used as educational tools that may be integrated into science and geography curricula at various educational levels. The Sea Grant… Read More

NOAA/AOML – CARICOOS Piloting Workshop

  On September 25 to 27, 2018, CARICOOS personnel visited NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in Miami, Florida for a 3-days workshop about Seagliders. AOML’s Physical Oceanography Division (PhOD) personnel developed the training course to provide an overview on Seaglider fundamentals and the skill-sets in operating/piloting gliders. The learning skills provided CARICOOS personnel… Read More

Outlook of 2018 Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea – October 1 2018, by USF Optical Oceanography Lab

So far the Caribbean Sea has experienced a record-high Sargassum bloom ever since January 2018. The maps below show Sargassum abundance, with warm colors representing high abundance. Satellite observations also showed Sargassum transport to the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Straits, and the east coast of Florida. All these observations have been are confirmed by the… Read More

Congratulations on Miguel Solano’s Ph.D. Dissertation and publication.

In its latest issue, Vol 3 Issue 3, the Journal of Ocean Engineering and Science includes the article titled Development and validation of a coastal ocean forecasting system for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This publication is based on Miguel Solano’s Ph.D. thesis. This research was sponsored by The Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing… Read More

Well received CARICOOS mobile application “Pa La Playa”

The Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS) released the application Pa ‘La Playa. This app was developed to provide information on weather conditions, waves, water quality, among other data, from over 100 beaches in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. This app had over two thousand downloads during the summer months of 2018 plus… Read More

Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON)

News from US IOOS Background Biological diversity, or biodiversity, represents the variety of life on Earth, encompassing variation at all levels, from genes to species to ecosystems. A growing body of research demonstrates that maintaining coastal and marine biodiversity is critical for sustained human and ecosystem health in a globally changing environment. Biodiversity is critical… Read More

North Carolina Members are Collecting Data Prior to Hurricane Florence

News from SECOORA.org   As Florence is projected to make landfall near the Carolinas, SECOORA Members in North Carolina and their partners are collecting critical data ahead of the storm. The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) deployed 9 pressure sensors on Masonboro Island, an uninhabited barrier island near Wilmington, NC. The sensors sample every… Read More

US Caribbean region receives $2.7 million for Coastal Ocean Observing

The NOAA U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) awarded CARICOOS $2.7 million to maintain and enhance ocean and coastal observations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. CARICOOS is one of eleven coastal ocean observation systems and regional associations that together with federal agencies constitute the national coastal component of the Integrated Oceanic Observing… Read More

Ocean Gliders: Improving Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecasts

  A fleet of 14 torpedo-shaped ocean gliders, remotely-operated powered autonomous underwater vehicles which can measure subsurface ocean properties, were recently deployed in the CARICOOS region to collect important data in the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic Ocean that could prove useful to improve hurricane forecasting. Researchers and technical personnel from NOAA-Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological… Read More

Misterios del Sargazo

¿Qué es el Sargazo? Existen varias especies del algas pardas o marrones que se catalogan como Sargazo. Dos estas (Sargassum natans o Sargassum fluitans) tienen vesículas llenas de gas, viven flotando en el mar y son arrastradas por las corrientes y el viento. ¿De dónde viene el sargazo? Hace más de 500 años ya Cristobal… Read More