ALBERT

Description: The ACT workshop "Enabling Sensor Interoperability" addressed the need for protocols at thehardware, firmware, and higher levels in order to attain instrument interoperability within and betweenocean observing systems. For the purpose of the workshop, participants spoke in tern of "instruments" rather than "sensors," defining an instrument as a device that contains one or more sensors or actuators and can convert signals from analog to digital.An increase in the abundance, variety, and complexity of instruments and observing systems suggeststhat effective standards would greatly improve "plug-and-work" capabilities. However, there are few standards or standards bodies that currently address instrument interoperability and configuration.Instrument interoperability issues span the length and breadth of these systems, from the measurementto the end user, including middleware services. There are three major components of instrumentinteroperability including physical, communication, and application/control layers. Participantsidentified the essential issues, current obstacles, and enabling technologies and standards,then came up with a series of short and long term solutions.The top three recommended actions, deemed achievable within 6 months of the release of thisreport are:A list of recommendations for enabling instrument interoperability should be put togetherand distributed to instrument developers.A recommendation for funding sources to achieve instrument interoperability should bedrafted. Funding should be provided (for example through NOPP or an IOOS request forproposals) to develop and demonstrate instrument interoperability technologies involvinginstrument manufacturers, observing system operators, and cyberinfrastructure groups.Program managers should be identified and made to understand that milestones for achievinginstrument interoperability include a) selection of a methodology for uniquely identifyingan instrument, b) development of a common protocol for automatic instrumentdiscovery, c) agreement on uniform methods for measurements, d) enablement of end usercontrolled power cycling, and e) implementation of a registry component for IDS and attributes.The top three recommended actions, deemed achievable within S years of the release of this reportare:An ocean observing interoperability standards body should be established that addresses standards for a) metadata, b) commands, c) protocols, d) processes, e) exclusivity, and f)naming authorities.[PDF contains 48 pages]

Description: NOAA

Description: Alliance for Coastal Technologies, CBL/UMCES

Description: The co-organized Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) and National Data Buoy Center (NDBC)Workshop "Meteorological Buoy Sensors Workshop" convened in Solomons, Maryland, April 19to 21,2006, sponsored by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES)Chesapeake Bay Laboratory (CBL), an ACT partner institution. Participants from various sectorsincluding resource managers and industry representatives collaborated to focus on technologies andsensors that measure the near surface variables of wind speed and direction, barometric pressure,humidity and air temperature. The vendor list was accordingly targeted at companies that producedthese types of sensors. The managers represented a cross section of federal, regional and academicmarine observing interests from around the country. Workshop discussions focused on the challengesassociated with making marine meteorological observations in general and problems that werespecific to a particular variable. Discussions also explored methods to mitigate these challengesthrough the adoption of best practices, improved technologies and increased standardization. Someof the key workshop outcomes and recommendations included:0cean.US should establish a committee devoted to observations. The committee wouldhave a key role in developing observing standards.The community should adopt the target cost, reliability and performance standards draftedfor a typical meteorological package to be used by a regional observing system.A forum should be established to allow users and manufacturers to share best practicesfor the employment of marine meteorological sensors. The ACT website would host theforum.Federal activities that evaluate meteorological sensors should make their results publiclyavailable.ACT should extend their evaluation process to include meteorological sensors.A follow on workshop should be conducted that covers the observing of meteorologicalvariables not addressed by this workshop. (pdf contains 18 pages)

Description: NOAA

Description: Alliance for Coastal Technologies, CBL/UMCES

Description: The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) convened a workshop on Evaluating Approaches and Technologies for Monitoring Organic Contaminants in the Aquatic Environment in Ann Arbor, MI on July 21-23, 2006. The primary objectives of this workshop were to: 1) identify the priority management information needs relative to organic contaminant loading; 2) explore themost appropriate approaches to estimating mass loading; and 3) evaluate the current status of thesensor technology. To meet these objectives, a mixture of leading research scientists, resourcemanagers, and industry representatives were brought together for a focused two-day workshop.The workshop featured four plenary talks followed by breakout sessions in which arranged groupsof participants where charged to respond to a series of focused discussion questions.At present, there are major concerns about the inadequacies in approaches and technologies forquantifying mass emissions and detection of organic contaminants for protecting municipal watersupplies and receiving waters. Managers use estimates of land-based contaminant loadings torivers, lakes, and oceans to assess relative risk among various contaminant sources, determinecompliance with regulatory standards, and define progress in source reduction. However, accuratelyquantifying contaminant loading remains a major challenge. Loading occurs over a range ofhydrologic conditions, requiring measurement technologies that can accommodate a broad rangeof ambient conditions. In addition, in situ chemical sensors that provide a means for acquiringcontinuous concentration measurements are still under development, particularly for organic contaminantsthat typically occur at low concentrations. Better approaches and strategies for estimatingcontaminant loading, including evaluations of both sampling design and sensor technologies,need to be identified. The following general recommendations were made in an effort to advancefuture organic contaminant monitoring:1. Improve the understanding of material balance in aquatic systems and the relationship betweenpotential surrogate measures (e.g., DOC, chlorophyll, particle size distribution) and target constituents.2. Develop continuous real-time sensors to be used by managers as screening measures and triggersfor more intensive monitoring.3. Pursue surrogate measures and indicators of organic pollutant contamination, such as CDOM,turbidity, or non-equilibrium partitioning.4. Develop continuous field-deployable sensors for PCBs, PAHs, pyrethroids, and emerging contaminantsof concern and develop strategies that couple sampling approaches with tools that incorporatesensor synergy (i.e., measure appropriate surrogates along with the dissolved organics toallow full mass emission estimation).[PDF contains 20 pages]

Description: NOAA

Description: Alliance for Coastal Technologies, CBL/UMCES

Description: The Alliance for Coastal Technology (ACT) convened a workshop on the in situ measurement ofdissolved inorganic carbon species in natural waters in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 16, 17, and18, 2005. The workshop was designed to summarize existing technologies for measuring theabundance and speciation of dissolved inorganic carbon and to make strategic recommendationsfor future development and application of these technologies to coastal research and management.The workshop was not focused on any specific technology, however, most of the attention of theworkshop was on in situ pC02 sensors given their recent development and use on moorings forthe measurement of global carbon fluxes. In addition, the problems and limitations arising fromthe long-term deployment of systems designed for the measurement of pH, total dissolvedinorganic carbon (DIC), and total alkalinity (TA) were discussed. Participants includedresearchers involved in carbon biogeochemistry, industry representatives, and coastal resourcemanagers. The primary questions asked during the workshop were:I. What are the major impediments to transform presently used shipboard pC02 measurementsystems for use on cost-eficient moorings?2. What are the major technical hurdles for the in situ measurement of TA and DIC?3. What specific information do we need to coordinate efforts for proof of concept' testing ofexisting and new technologies, inter-calibration of those technologies, better softwaredevelopment, and more precise knowledge quantzjjing the geochemistry of dissolvedinoeanic carbon species in order to develop an observing system for dissolved inorganiccarbon?Based on the discussion resulting from these three questions, the following statements weremade:Statement No. 1Cost-effective, self-contained technologies for making long-term, accurate measurements of thepartial pressure of C02 gas in water already exist and at present are ready for deployment onmoorings in coastal observing systems.Statement No. 2Cost-effective, self-contained systems for the measurement of pH, TA, and DIC are still neededto both fully define the carbonate chemistry of coastal waters and the fluxes of carbon betweenmajor biogeochemical compartments (e.g., air-sea, shelf-slope, water column-sediment, etc.). (pdf contains 23 pages)

Description: NOAA

Description: Alliance for Coastal Technologies, CBL/UMCES

Description: (pdf contains 23 pages)

Description: NOAA

Description: Alliance for Coastal Technologies, CBL/UMCES

Description: The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) Workshop "Making Oxygen MeasurementsRoutine Like Temperature" was convened in St. Petersburg, Florida, January 4th - 6th, 2006. Thisevent was sponsored by the University of South Florida (USF) College of Marine Science, anACT partner institution and co-hosted by the Ocean Research Interactive Observatory Networks(ORION). Participants from researcldacademia, resource management, industry, and engineeringsectors collaborated with the aim to foster ideas and information on how to make measuringdissolved oxygen a routine part of a coastal or open ocean observing system.Plans are in motion to develop large scale ocean observing systems as part of the US IntegratedOcean Observing System (100s; see http://ocean.us) and the NSF Ocean Observatory Initiative(001; see http://www.orionprogram.org/00I/default.hl). These systems will require biologicaland chemical sensors that can be deployed in large numbers, with high reliability, and forextended periods of time (years). It is also likely that the development cycle for new sensors issufficiently long enough that completely new instruments, which operate on novel principles,cannot be developed before these complex observing systems will be deployed. The most likelypath to development of robust, reliable, high endurance sensors in the near future is to movethe current generation of sensors to a much greater degree of readiness. The ACT OxygenSensor Technology Evaluation demonstrated two important facts that are related to the need forsensors. There is a suite of commercially available sensors that can, in some circumstances,generate high quality data; however, the evaluation also showed that none of the sensors were ableto generate high quality data in all circumstances for even one month time periods due tobiofouling issues.Many groups are attempting to use oxygen sensors in large observing programs; however, thereoften seems to be limited communication between these groups and they often do not have accessto sophisticated engineering resources. Instrument manufacturers also do not have sufficientresources to bring sensors, which are marketable, but of limited endurance or reliability, to ahigher state of readiness. The goal of this ACT/ORION Oxygen Sensor Workshop was to bringtogether a group of experienced oceanographers who are now deploying oxygen sensors inextended arrays along with a core of experienced and interested academic and industrialengineers, and manufacturers. The intended direction for this workshop was for this group toexchange information accumulated through a variety of sensor deployments, examine failuremechanisms and explore a variety of potential solutions to these problems. One anticipatedoutcome was for there to be focused recommendations to funding agencies on development needsand potential solutions for 02 sensors. (pdf contains 19 pages)

Description: NOAA

Description: Alliance for Coastal Technologies, CBL/UMCES

Description: The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) Partner University of Michigan convened aworkshop on the Applications of Drifting Buoy Technologies for Coastal Watershed andEcosystem Modeling in Ann Arbor, Michigan on June 5 to 7,2005.The objectives of the workshop were to: (1) educate potential users (managers and scientists)about the current capabilities and uses of drifting buoy technologies; (2) provide an opportunityfor users (managers and scientists) to experience first hand the deployment and retrieval ofvarious drifting buoys, as well as experience the capabilities of the buoys' technologies; (3)engage manufacturers with scientists and managers in discussions on drifting buoys' capabilitiesand their requirements to promote further applications of these systems; (4) promote a dialogueabout realistic advantages and limitations of current drifting buoy technologies; and (5) developa set of key recommendations for advancing both the capabilities and uses of drifting buoytechnologies for coastal watershed and ecosystem modeling.To achieve these goals, representatives from research, academia, industry, and resourcemanagement were invited to participate in this workshop. Attendees obtained "hands on"experience as they participated in the deployment and retrieval of various drifting buoy systemson Big Portage Lake, a 644 acre lake northwest of Ann Arbor. Working groups then convened fordiscussions on current commercial usages and environmental monitoring approaches including;user requirements for drifting buoys, current status of drifting buoy systems and enablingtechnologies, and the challenges and strategies for bringing new drifting buoys "on-line".The following general recommendations were made to:1). organize a testing program of drifting buoys for marketing their capabilities to resourcemanagers and users.2). develop a fact sheet to highlight the utility of drifting buoys.3). facilitate technology transfer for advancements in drifter buoys that may be occurringthrough military funding and development in order to enhance their technical capabilityfor environmental applications. (pdf contains 18 pages)

Description: NOAA

Description: Alliance for Coastal Technologies, CBL/UMCES

Description: The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) Workshop "Technologies and Methodologies for theDetection of Harmful Algae and their Toxins" convened in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 22-24, 2008 and was co-sponsored by ACT (http://act-us.info); the Cooperative Institute for Coastaland Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET, http://ciceet.unh.edu); and the Florida Fishand Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC, http://www.myfwc.com). Participants from varioussectors, including researchers, coastal decision makers, and technology vendors, collaboratedto exchange information and build consensus. They focused on the status of currently availabledetection technologies and methodologies for harmful algae (HA) and their toxins, provided directionfor developing operational use of existing technology, and addressed requirements for futuretechnology developments in this area.Harmful algal blooms (HABs) in marine and freshwater systems are increasingly common worldwideand are known to cause extensive ecological, economic, and human health problems. In USwaters, HABs are encountered in a growing number of locations and are also increasing in durationand severity. This expansion in HABs has led to elevated incidences of poisonous seafood,toxin-contaminated drinking water, mortality of fish and other animals dependent upon aquatic resources(including protected species), public health and economic impacts in coastal and lakesidecommunities, losses to aquaculture enterprises, and long-term aquatic ecosystem changes.This meeting represented the fourth ACT sponsored workshop that has addressed technology developmentsfor improved monitoring of water-born pathogens and HA species in some form. Aprimary motivation was to assess the need and community support for an ACT-led PerformanceDemonstration of Harmful Algae Detection Technologies and Methodologies in order to facilitatetheir integration into regional ocean observing systems operations. The workshop focused on theidentification of region-specific monitoring needs and available technologies and methodologiesfor detection/quantification of harmful algal species and their toxins along the US marine andfreshwater coasts.To address this critical environmental issue, several technologies and methodologies have been,or are being, developed to detect and quantify various harmful algae and their associated toxinsin coastal marine and freshwater environments. There are many challenges to nationwide adoptionof HAB detection as part of a core monitoring infrastructure: the geographic uniqueness ofprimary algal species of concern around the country, the variety of HAB impacts, and the need fora clear vision of the operational requirements for monitoring the various species. Nonetheless, itwas a consensus of the workshop participants that ACT should support the development of HAdetection technology performance demonstrations but that these would need to be tuned regionallyto algal species and toxins of concern in order to promote the adoption of state of the art technologiesinto HAR monitoring networks. [PDF contains 36 pages]

Description: NOAA

Description: Alliance for Coastal Technologies, CBL/UMCES

Description: During April 8th-10th, 2008, the Aliance for Coastal Technology (ACT) partner institutions, University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC), and the Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) hosted a workshop entitled: "Hydrocarbon sensors for oil spill prevention and response" in Seward, Alaska. The main focus was to bring together 29 workshop participants-representing workshop managers, scientists, and technology developers - together to discuss current and future hydrocarbon in-situ, laboratory, and remote sensors as they apply to oil spill prevention and response. [PDF contains 28 pages]Hydrocarbons and their derivatives still remain one of the most important energy sources in the world. To effectively manage these energy sources, proper protocol must be implemented to ensure prevention and responses to oil spills, as there are significant economic and environmental costs when oil spills occur. Hydrocarbon sensors provide the means to detect and monitor oil spills before, during, and after they occur. Capitalizing on the properties of oil, developers have designed in-situ, laboratory, and remote sensors that absorb or reflect the electromagnetic energy at different spectral bands.Workshop participants identified current hydrocarbon sensors (in-situ, laboratory, and remote sensors) and their overall performance. To achieve the most comprehensive understanding of oil spills, multiple sensors will be needed to gather oil spill extent, location, movement, thickness, condition, and classification. No single hydrocarbon sensor has the capability to collect all this information. Participants, therefore, suggested the development of means to combine sensor equipment to effectively and rapidly establish a spill response.As the exploration of oil continues at polar latitudes, sensor equipment must be developed to withstand harsh arctic climates, be able to detect oil under ice, and reduce the need for ground teams because ice extent is far too large of an area to cover. Participants also recognized the need for ground teams because ice extent is far too large of an area to cover. Participants also recognized the need for the U.S. to adopt a multi-agency cooperation for oil spill response, as the majority of issues surounding oil spill response focuses not on the hydrocarbon sensors but on an effective contingency plan adopted by all agencies. It is recommended that the U.S. could model contingency planning based on other nations such as Germany and Norway.Workshop participants were asked to make recommendations at the conclusion of the workshop and are summarized below without prioritization:*Outreach materials must be delivered to funding sources and Congressional delegates regarding the importance of oil spill prevention and response and the development of proper sensors to achieve effective response.*Develop protocols for training resource managers as new sensors become available.*Develop or adopt standard instrument specifications and testing protocols to assist manufacturers in further developing new sensor technology.*As oil exploration continues at polar latitudes, more research and development should be allocated to develop a suite of instruments that are applicable to oil detection under ice.

Description: NOAA

Description: Alliance for Coastal Technologies, CBL/UMCES

Description: The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) Workshop on Towed Vehicles: Undulating PlatformsAs Tools for Mapping Coastal Processes and Water Quality Assessment was convenedFebruary 5-7,2007 at The Embassy Suites Hotel, Seaside, California and sponsored by the ACT-PacificCoast partnership at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML). The TUV workshopwas co-chaired by Richard Burt (Chelsea Technology Group) and Stewart Lamerdin (MLMLMarine Operations). Invited participants were selected to provide a uniform representation of theacademic researchers, private sector product developers, and existing and potential data productusers from the resource management community to enable development of broad consensus opinionson the application of TUV platforms in coastal resource assessment and management.The workshop was organized to address recognized limitations of point-based monitoring programs,which, while providing valuable data, are incapable of describing the spatial heterogeneityand the extent of features distributed in the bulk solution. This is particularly true as surveysapproach the coastal zone where tidal and estuarine influences result in spatially and temporallyheterogeneous water masses and entrained biological components. Aerial or satellite based remotesensing can provide an assessment of the aerial extent of plumes and blooms, yet provide no informationregarding the third dimension of these features. Towed vehicles offer a cost-effectivesolution to this problem by providing platforms, which can sample in the horizontal, vertical, andtime-based domains. Towed undulating vehicles (henceforth TUVs) represent useful platformsfor event-response characterization. This workshop reviewed the current status of towed vehicletechnology focusing on limitations of depth, data telemetry, instrument power demands, and shiprequirements in an attempt to identify means to incorporate such technology more routinely inmonitoring and event-response programs. Specifically, the participants were charged to addressthe following: (1) Summarize the state of the art in TUV technologies; (2) Identify how TUVplatforms are used and how they can assist coastal managers in fulfilling their regulatory and managementresponsibilities; (3) Identify barriers and challenges to the application of TUV technologiesin management and research activities, and (4) Recommend a series of community actions toovercome identified barriers and challenges.A series of plenary presentation were provided to enhance subsequent breakout discussions bythe participants. Dave Nelson (University of Rhode Island) provided extensive summaries andreal-world assessment of the operational features of a variety of TUV platforms available in theUNOLs scientific fleet. Dr. Burke Hales (Oregon State University) described the modification ofTUV to provide a novel sampling platform for high resolution mapping of chemical distributionsin near real time. Dr. Sonia Batten (Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Sciences) providedan overview on the deployment of specialized towed vehicles equipped with rugged continuousplankton recorders on ships of opportunity to obtain long-term, basin wide surveys of zooplanktoncommunity structure, enhancing our understanding of trends in secondary production in the upperocean. [PDF contains 32 pages]

Description: NOAA