The Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) has partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) and the MARCO Portal Team to produce a group of maps displaying average monthly sea surface temperatures based on 15 years of recent data.

Offshore wind developers and coastal managers need accurate information about the ocean to responsibly introduce wind energy to the Mid-Atlantic Bight.

MARACOOS would like to thank all who attended the 2019 Annual Meeting on May 14 in Baltimore, Maryland. Participants heard a panel discussion on offshore wind development in the Mid-Atlantic, a special session on improving hurricane intensity forecasting, and updates on the IOOS network.

Researchers at the University of Delaware have created a text alert system to help fishermen avoid Atlantic Sturgeon in the Delaware Bay. The system predicts the location and depth of endangered Atlantic Sturgeon with 88% accuracy. The Atlantic Sturgeon has been listed as an endangered species since 2012. It can weigh up to 800 lbs. and reach 14 feet in length and frequently falls victim to bycatch. Bycatch is any marine animal unintentionally captured by commercial fishers targeting a different species of fish.

Between each spring and fall, a layer of cold ocean water travels along the seafloor along the length of the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB), a region that extends from Cape Cod, MA to Cape Hatteras, NC. This phenomenon is called the Mid-Atlantic Bight Cold Pool. The Cold Pool forms at the start of spring when there is less mixing within the water column, a greater input of less dense freshwater into marine environments, and more intense sunlight at the sea surface. These factors create a stratified water column.

Kelsey Brunner is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, where MARACOOS data are assisting in her research. Kelsey studies the surface currents on the continental shelf of the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). Establishing a better understanding of the physics of these circulation patterns can equip scientists with the knowledge necessary for preparing for and predicting storm patterns, implementing more efficient search and rescue plans, and cleaning up after storms.

The City of Annapolis, Maryland is notorious for its susceptibility to nuisance flooding, primarily between the months of March and September, due to its proximity to the coastline. Nuisance flooding is minor to moderate coastal flooding that causes localized impacts such as the inundation of streets and parking lots.

MARACOOS would like to thank all of the participants of the 2018 Annual Meeting for the user needs, expertise, and collaboration ideas shared. Keep reading for a summary of the 2018 Annual Meeting or click here to jump down to PDFs of speaker presentations. MARACOOS partners, collaborators, and stakeholders gathered in Annapolis, MD on May 18 for the 2018 MARACOOS Annual Meeting. The MARACOOS Board of Directors opened the event the preceding evening with a reception for networking discussions with meeting participants.