A project for coastal decision makers, focused on ecosystem health: integrating NERRS into IOOS

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A project for coastal decision makers, focused
on ecosystem healthintegrating NERRS into IOOS

• Cathy Angell, NERRS
• Jan Newton, NANOOS

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Filling User Needs from Existing System

• This pilot project will demonstrate applications
  of available real-time and near real-time water
  quality data to shellfish farmers in the Pacific
  northwest.
• The project is a partnership between NERRS
  (National Estuarine Research Reserves) and IOOS
  (Integrated Ocean Observing System).
• The target user group is shellfish farmers,
  identified by staff at the three National
  Estuarine Research Reserves in the Northwest
  (South Slough OR Padilla Bay WA Kachemak
  Bay AK) because of the pilot projects focus on
  eco-system health.
• NANOOS (NW Association of Networked Ocean
  Observing Systems) and AOOS (Alaska Ocean
  Observing System) are the IOOS RA partners
  involved.

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Filling User Needs from Existing System

• Shellfish farmers report that temperature and
  dissolved oxygen are two of the most critical
  data sets to them.
• Temperature events can cause die-off and early
  alerts could give shellfish farmers the option of
  relocating their beds.
• Low dissolved oxygen can cause stress to oysters.
  Mortality events are happening in discreet areas,
  which are confounding the scientists and farmers.
  
• Data and information will be displayed on NANOOS
  and AOOS websites targeted to the shellfish
  growers.

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Sites in AOOS and NANOOS

• Take data from
• Kachemak Bay NERRS
• Padilla Bay NERRS
• State Univ. WA partners in Puget Sound
  Willapa Bay
• South Slough NERRS

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Work in progress! Next steps

• Needs Assessment Survey July
• A simple online survey will be emailed to the
  Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association. This
  survey will give the growers an opportunity to
  give input into this pilot project. It will also
  help put this project on their radar screens.
• Focus Group August
• We will set up a focus group of shellfish
  growers. This will be an opportunity to discuss
  the results of the survey and to discuss more
  specifics about web site visuals.
• Shellfish Growers Conference Presentation
  October
• Jan and Cathy will present the pilot project (WA,
  OR, AK) to attendees, review survey and focus
  group results, and show visuals that have been
  developed on the website. If online capabilities
  are available, this could be a good opportunity
  for folks to test out the web site and offer
  feedback.