CCOM Seminar Series

Presenter	Topic	Date (mm/dd)	Time	Location
Douglas Vandemark	The Ocean From Some New Remote Vantage Points	2009-11-20	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
The Ocean From Some New Remote Vantage Points Presenter: Douglas Vandemark Abstract: The last two decades have provided a slew of new earth system observations from low earth orbiting satellites. Using these tools, oceanography has gained the ability to track sea level, circulation, ocean winds and waves, and surface temperature at increasing levels of resolution and accuracy. Numerous ongoing projects within the UNH Ocean Process Analysis Laboratory are contributing to these refinements in satellite measurements and applications. This talk will present new results from a couple perspectives. One key ocean state variable that has yet to be measured from space is seawater salinity. However, this is about to change, and recent results from our team showing first ocean views of surface salinity in the equatorial Atlantic will be discussed along with detail on new dedicated salinity observing missions being launched by ESA and NASA in 2009 and 2010. In a separate vein, the use of satellite ocean color imagery to study ocean phytoplankton dynamics is a central OPAL research theme and a new approach to evaluating the impact of horizontal advection on ocean color time series data will be presented. Using the Gulf of Maine as an example, I'll discuss how an ocean circulation model is used to help interpret surface layer carbon production rates under a Langrangian rather than Eulerian viewpoint All are welcome to attend
Joe Souney	West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide Ice Core Project	2009-11-13	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide Ice Core Project Presenter: Joe Souney Abstract: The U.S research community is conducting a deep ice coring project in West Antarctica for studies of climate, ice sheet history and cryobiology. This project is collecting a deep ice core from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) ice flow divide and integrating approximately 30 separate but synergistic projects to analyze the ice and interpret the records. The most significant characteristic of the WAIS Divide project is the development of climate records with an absolute, annual-layer-counted chronology for the most recent ~40,000 years. Lower temporal resolution records will extend to ~100,000 years before present. The WAIS Divide ice core will provide the first Southern Hemisphere climate and greenhouse gas records of comparable time resolution and duration to the Greenland ice cores enabling detailed comparison of environmental conditions between the northern and southern hemispheres, and the study of greenhouse gas concentrations in the paleo-atmosphere, with a greater level of detail than previously possible. Bio: Joe Souney Joe Souney is the Operations Manager of the Science Coordination Office (SCO) for the WAIS Divide Ice Core Project. He has a B.S. in Geology and a M.S. in Geochemical Systems from the University of New Hampshire. Joe is a Project Director with the Complex Systems Research Center in the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space at the University of New Hampshire and splits his time between three projects: the WAIS Divide SCO, the Science Management Office for the National Ice Core Laboratory, and the U.S. Ice Drilling Program Office. All are welcome to attend
Bill Ryan	Virtual Ocean: A venue for discovery and visualization of the ocean interior and its substrate via the WEB	2009-11-06	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Virtual Ocean: A venue for discovery and visualization of the ocean interior and its substrate via the WEB Presenter: Bill Ryan Abstract: Virtual Ocean takes advantage of OGC-compliant Web Services and distributed servers to let users explore and manipulate a growing inventory of data resources from the global ocean, its seas, estuaries and rivers for scientific research, education and public outreach. The exploration is accomplished through a choice of viewports, including Mercator and polar stereographic projections and a 3-D virtual globe. Virtual Ocean opens directly from a browser window using Java Web Start and runs in operating systems common in laboratories, schools, libraries and homes. It offers multi-resolution global topography and bathymetry with eight successive doublings of magnification using terrestrial elevations derived from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and seafloor depths derived from satellite altimetry and multibeam swath mapping by ships. Gridded datasets can be exaggerated, colored, illuminated, shaded, contoured and adjusted for transparency. Tabular data appear in a spreadsheet interface that interacts with the icons in the map window and graphs. Datasets open automatically from searchable cascading menus and from browsing the capabilities of external Web Feature and Web Mapping services. Virtual Ocean integrates Java classes from Columbia University's GeoMapApp application with the NASA World Wind Java SDK. All are welcome to attend
Colin Ware	Tagging whales in Fjords of the West Antarctic Peninsula	2009-10-30	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Tagging whales in Fjords of the West Antarctic Peninsula Presenter: Colin Ware Abstract: Bio: Colin Ware is a member of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and Director of the Data Visualization Research Lab. Dr. Ware's position is split between the Ocean Engineering and Computer Science Departments. Dr. Ware has a background in human/computer interaction (HCI) and has been instrumental in developing a number of innovative approaches to the interactive 3-D visualization of large data sets. As a founding member of the University of New Brunswick Ocean Mapping Group, Dr. Ware designed many of the algorithms and interactive techniques that were that were incorporated into Fledermaus, a 3D visualization package and into CARIS HIPS, the most commonly used commercial hydrographic processing package. Here is a link to his home page All are welcome to attend
Jack Dibb	Airborne sampling in the North American Arctic to assess the impact of long-range transport of pollutants on the composition of the Arctic troposphere and climate	2009-10-16	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Airborne sampling in the North American Arctic to assess the impact of long-range transport of pollutants on the composition of the Arctic troposphere and climate Presenter: Jack Dibb Abstract: POLARCAT was a very large international campaign, organized as part of IPY, targeting improved understanding of atmospheric transport of pollutants into the Arctic and the impact of these pollutants on climate in the region. Hundreds of research teams contributed to POLARCAT, including US teams supported by NASA, NOAA, NSF and DOE. The NASA contribution to POLARCAT was named ARCTAS, and it involved airborne sampling from three aircraft, close coordination with satellite-based remote sensing teams, and multiple modeling teams for both forecasting and analysis. This presentation will provide overviews of POLARCAT and ARCTAS, but will focus largely on the specific objectives targeted by, and preliminary findings that were obtained from, the NASA DC-8. Emphasis on the DC-8 reflects the fact that two teams from UNH were onboard this platform for ARCTAS. Thus, we understand the multiple considerations that guided each flight, and the implications of the observations that were made. Bio: Jack Dibb Jack E. Dibb is a Research Associate Professor with the Complex Systems Research Center in the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space and the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of New Hampshire. He received his PhD in 1988 from the State University of New York, Binghamton. Dr. Dibb has been studying air-snow exchange processes on the Greenland Ice Sheet, at South Pole, and in temperate snow packs since 1988. He has organized and lead multi-institutional and international investigations at the Summit site, including the first US year-round scientific sampling program . These efforts have convinced the National Science Foundation to establish a scientific observatory at Summit to support ongoing investigations of air-snow exchange as well as a growing range of diverse experiments in other fields. Dr. Dibb has also contributed to improved understanding of global tropospheric chemistry through participation in a series of NASA/NSF airborne sampling campaigns. Contributions to air quality investigations have been made through participation in several NOAA ship cruises and several intensive ground-based campaigns in Houston, Texas. He has published more than 150 papers in international journals. All are welcome to attend
Andrew Armstrong	Highlights from the Healy 0905 Arctic Cruise August 6 - September 16, 2009	2009-10-09	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Highlights from the Healy 0905 Arctic Cruise August 6 - September 16, 2009 Presenter: Andrew Armstrong Abstract: Additional presentors: Brian Calder, Nikki Kuenzel, Will Fessenden Participants from the Healy 0905 Arctic cruise will give brief accounts concerning the purpose of the cruise, the science that was conducted and the data collected, as well as descriptions of ship life and memorable events that occurred. Bio: Andrew Armstrong Co-Director of the JHC and a retired officer of NOAA, assigned to the Center as a civilian NOAA employee. Capt. Armstrong specialized in hydrographic surveying and served on several NOAA hydrographic ships, including the NOAA Ship Whiting where he was Commanding Officer and Chief Hydrographer. Before coming to the JHC, he was the Chief of NOAA’s Hydrographic Surveys Division, directing the agency's hydrographic survey activities. He has a B.S. in Geology from Tulane University and a M.S. in Technical Management from the Johns Hopkins University. Capt. Armstrong oversees the hydrographic and ocean mapping education and training program at UNH and coordinates the Center’s cooperative research with NOAA. All are welcome to attend
S Ababio	Development of an Integrated Coastal Erosion Assessment Program Along the Coastline of Ghana	2009-08-06	02:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Development of an Integrated Coastal Erosion Assessment Program Along the Coastline of Ghana Presenter: S Ababio Abstract: Erosion is a chronic issue along the Ghanaian coastline, with high erosion rates affecting coastal infrastructure and cultural resources. Human intervention along the coastline has not been conducted in a systematic fashion. Attempts at erosion mitigation vary from small rock revetments to large engineering projects. The variable geomorphology and intermittent human modification result in unique challenges to undertaking a comprehensive monitoring program. Researchers from the University of Ghana, in collaboration with scientists from U.S. institutions, are developing a coastal monitoring program to address issues of coastal erosion in Ghana and to understand the processes driving coastal change and evolution. The project will establish baseline information on the long-term behaviour of the coastal system, integrating historical data with field monitoring and mapping, and wave climate modelling. The program objectives are to provide regional information for sustainable management of coastal resources and contribute to the advancement of coastal science in Ghana. All are welcome to attend
Janice Felzenberg	Janice Felzenberg, Master's Thesis Defense: Detecting Bedform Migration from High-Resolution Multibeam Bathymetry in Portsmouth Harbor, NH, USA	2009-07-31	11:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Janice Felzenberg, Master's Thesis Defense: Detecting Bedform Migration from High-Resolution Multibeam Bathymetry in Portsmouth Harbor, NH, USA Presenter: Janice Felzenberg Abstract: Bio: Janice Felzenberg received her B.A. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University in 2005. Janice is currently working with Larry Mayer in pursuit of a Master's degree in Earth Science (Ocean Mapping option). Follow her thesis work via her blog on Sediment Mobility in Portsmouth Harbor. All are welcome to attend
Kathleen Fisher	NOAA's Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System: A Successful Aid to HAB Mitigation in the Gulf of Mexico and the Future Path to a National Forecasting Capability	2009-06-15	10:30:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
NOAA's Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System: A Successful Aid to HAB Mitigation in the Gulf of Mexico and the Future Path to a National Forecasting Capability Presenter: Kathleen Fisher Abstract: Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a naturally and nationally occurring threat to fisheries, tourism, and human and environmental health. In order to aid in combating nearly annual impacts in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, NOAA developed and transitioned an ecological forecast system for HABs from research status to routine and reliable operations along the Gulf coast of Florida in 2004. NOAA's Gulf of Mexico HAB Operational Forecast System (HAB-OFS) has since been very successful in alerting coastal resource managers to the potential appearance of new HABs and changing bloom conditions. The HAB-OFS presently utilizes various remote sensing, physical oceanographic and biological datasets in conjunction with an empirical and heuristic model to forecast bloom conditions and human respiratory impacts. These forecasts are distributed to more than 200 coastal managers and academic affiliates representing over 65 agencies once to twice weekly based on HAB activity. Annual forecast assessment studies have identified nearly 100% weekly utilization of HAB-OFS forecasts by subscribing managers and scientists, and greater than 70% accuracy of forecast skill. Additional forecast assessment studies will be conducted over the next several months and will be presented at the upcoming Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 20th Biennial Conference in November. The success of the HAB-OFS in the Gulf of Mexico introduces the opportunity for operational HAB forecasting in additional regions afflicted by HABs. The FY10 President's Budget includes funding for NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) to develop and implement operational forecasts for HABs. Thus, NOS is actively exploring the development of a national HAB forecasting capability, with a primary initiative towards gathering functional requirements and collaborating with regional HAB experts. This effort includes investigating technologies and strategies that are capable of supporting a national infrastructure encompassing models, earth observations, data synthesis, forecast skill, and utility to users. Pending funding, NOS will work over the next 5 years toward developing a fully operational framework that meets regional and national requirements for HAB forecasting. All are welcome to attend
Alexandre Schimel	Quantitative comparison of independent single-beam, sidescan and multibeam benthic habitat maps, Te Matuku Marine Reserve, New Zealand	2009-06-12	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Quantitative comparison of independent single-beam, sidescan and multibeam benthic habitat maps, Te Matuku Marine Reserve, New Zealand Presenter: Alexandre Schimel Abstract: The mapping of benthic habitats by means of echosounder data classification and ground-truthing is becoming increasingly popular following the accelerating decline of global marine fisheries. With an ever-growing number of acoustic systems and processing methodologies available, a need for the comparison of the effectiveness of different systems and techniques is emerging. However, while comparative studies on a theoretical level are flourishing, experimental comparison studies are still relatively rare. This paper aims to (i) present measures for the comparison of maps, inspired mainly by the literature in land cover mapping, (ii) illustrate their use with a case study that includes a collection of single-beam echosounder (SBES), sidescan sonar (SSS) and multibeam echo-sounder (MBES) independent benthic habitat maps, and (iii) provide a first quantitative assessment of the complementariness of MBES with its more traditional counterparts for benthic habitat mapping. Three maps of the same subtidal habitats of the Te Matuku Marine Reserve (Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand) were formed and then compared. The SBES map was obtained from a 200 kHz SBES dataset (Simrad EA501P) classified with AGDS software QTC VIEW and ground-truthed with targeted video survey. The SSS map was obtained from a 100 kHz SSS mosaic (Klein 595) manually classified and ground-truthed with a randomly positioned sediment-sampling survey. The MBES map was obtained from a 300 kHz MBES backscatter dataset (Simrad EM3000) processed and semi-automatically classified and ground-truthed with a regularly positioned video survey. The quantitative comparison included measures of map accuracy ("overall accuracy", "Cohen's Kappa", "Tau"), maps agreement ("Average of Mutual Information"), and agreement between two statistical categorical variables ("Pearson's C", "Cramer's V"). All measures of similarity were found to be consistent with one another and the three benthic classifications were found to agree globally, but with different magnitude. The MBES and SSS classifications had strongest agreement while the SBES results were found to be in closer agreement with the MBES classification than with the SSS classification. Strong agreement between MBES and SSS classifications supports the idea that MBES backscatter can be used as an efficient alternative to SSS mosaic for full coverage imagery-based benthic habitat mapping. Relatively weak agreement between SBES and SSS classifications supports the idea of a need for systematic utilization of multiple systems for benthic habitat mapping. All are welcome to attend
Jonathan Beaudoin	Uncertainty Wedge Analysis: Quantifying the Impact of Sparse Sound Speed Profiling Regimes on Sounding Uncertainty	2009-06-08	10:30:00	Chase S206: Presentation Room
Uncertainty Wedge Analysis: Quantifying the Impact of Sparse Sound Speed Profiling Regimes on Sounding Uncertainty Presenter: Jonathan Beaudoin Abstract: Recent advances in real-time monitoring of uncertainty due to refraction have demonstrated the power of estimating and visualizing uncertainty over the entire potential sounding space. This representation format, referred to as an uncertainty wedge, can be used to help solve difficult survey planning problems regarding the spatio-temporal variability of the watercolumn. Though initially developed to work inline with underway watercolumn sampling hardware (e.g. moving vessel profilers), uncertainty wedge analysis techniques are extensible to investigate problems associated with low-density watercolumn sampling in which only a few sound speed casts are gathered per day. As uncertainty wedge analysis techniques require no sounding data, the overhead of post-processing soundings is circumvented in the situation when one needs to quickly ascertain the impact of a particular sampling regime. In keeping with the spirit of the underlying real-time monitoring tools, a “just in time” analysis of sound speed casts can help the field operator assess the effects of watercolumn variability during acquisition and objectively seek a watercolumn sampling regime which would balance the opposing goals of maximizing survey efficiency and maintaining reasonable sounding accuracy. In this work, we investigate the particular problem of estimating the uncertainty that would be associated with a particular low-density sound speed sampling regime. A pre-analysis technique is proposed in which a high-density set of sound speed profiles provides a baseline against which various low-density sampling regimes can be tested, the end goal being to ascertain the penalty in sounding confidence that would be associated with a particular low-density sampling regime. In other words, by knowing too much about the watercolumn, one can objectively quantify the impact of not knowing enough. In addition to the goal-seeking field application outlined earlier, this allows for more confident attribution of uncertainty to soundings, a marked improvement over current approaches to refraction uncertainty estimation. All are welcome to attend
Brian Calder	Traffic Analysis for the Calibration of Risk Assessment Methods - Brian Calder and Kurt Schwehr	2009-04-24	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Traffic Analysis for the Calibration of Risk Assessment Methods - Brian Calder and Kurt Schwehr Presenter: Brian Calder Abstract: Brian Calder and Kurt Schwehr In order to provide some measure of the uncertainty inherent in the sorts of charting data that are provided to the end-user, we have previously proposed risk models that measure the magnitude of the uncertainty for a ship operating in a particular area. Calibration of these models is essential, but the complexity of the models means that we require detailed information on the sorts of ships, traffic patterns and density within the model area to make a reliable assessment. In theory, the ais system should provide this information for a suitably instrumented area. We consider the problem of converting, filtering and analysing the raw ais traffic to provide statistical characterizations of the traffic in a particular area, and illustrate the method with data from 2008-10-01 through 2008-11-30 around Norfolk, VA. We show that it is possible to automatically construct aggregate statistical characteristics of the port, resulting in distributions of transit location, termination and duration by vessel category, as well as type oftraffic, physical dimensions, and intensity of activity.We also observe that although 60 days give us sufficient data for our immediate purposes, a large proportion of it—up to 52% by message volume—must be considered dubious due to difficulties in configuration, maintenance and operation of ais transceivers. Bio: Brian Calder has a Ph.D in Computing and Electrical Engineering, completing his thesis on Bayesian methods in Sidescan Sonar processing in 1997. Since then he has worked on a number of signal processing problems, including real-time grain size analysis, seismic processing, and wave-field modeling for shallow seismic applications. His research interests include methods for error modeling, propagation and visualization, and adaptive sonar backscatter modeling. His work has focused on developing methods for textural analysis of seafloor sonar data, as well as exploring innovative approaches to target detection and seafloor property extraction. Dr. Calder is currently focusing on statistically robust automated data cleaning approaches and tracing uncertainty in hydrographic data. All are welcome to attend
P Traykovski	Observations of mechanisms of dissipation of wave energy over muddy seabeds	2009-04-17	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Observations of mechanisms of dissipation of wave energy over muddy seabeds Presenter: P Traykovski Abstract: This talk will examine dissipation of surface gravity wave energy as the waves propagate over an unconsolidated muddy seabed. Field observations were performed by deploying instrumented tripods on the 5, 7 and 9 m isobaths on the Louisiana shelf in February through April of 2007 and 2008. While total wave energy dissipation was greatest during the high energy periods, the attenuation rate (Dissipation/Energy Flux, with dimensions of an inverse length scale) was largest after the wave events, as the recently deposited mud layer consolidated from 20 cm to 10 cm thickness. During this period of high attenuation both the ABS sensors and a horizontal array of single beam downward aimed pulse coherent Doppler sensors showed large amplitude (10 cm) short wavelength (2 to 3 m) fluctuations on the mud water interface. Although these waves have greater amplitude than the interfacial displacements associated with the surface gravity wave (~ 60 m wavelength) analysis of velocity profiles through the mud layer reveals that dissipation associated with the long wavelength waves is the dominant mechanism of attenuating the surface waves. The velocity profiles can be used to estimate the viscosity of the mud, which when combined with a two layer model for the interfacial waves produces the same attenuation as measured from the difference between the 9 m and 5 m depth wave energy flux. All are welcome to attend
Molly Lutcavage	A decade of Bluefin tuna satellite tagging: Do results support current science and management paradigms?	2009-04-10	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
A decade of Bluefin tuna satellite tagging: Do results support current science and management paradigms? Presenter: Molly Lutcavage Abstract: Since 1997, we've deployed over 350 popup satellite tags of on adult Atlantic bluefin tuna on their NW Atlantic foraging grounds. Our objectives were to understand bluefin migration paths, behavior, and water mass associations, and ultimately, their spawning grounds and schedules. First generation tags were single point PSATs (popup satellite archival tags) that had limited data capacity. The latest models are smaller, deliver highly detailed information on depth, temperature, and ambient light (for geolocation), have high reporting rates, and may remain attached for up to a year. Substantial progress in refinement and error assessment of light based geolocation from these tags means that population assessments can now utilize optimized PSAT data with confidence. Over the decade, we tagged bluefin tuna of different adult size classes from the Great South Channel of the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Each year, the majority of the fish were caught and tagged from a specific location. Our analyses indicated that despite being similar in size and foraging habits, fish from discrete feeding grounds exhibited remarkable variability in their subsequent depth, temperature and dispersal patterns. While some fish entered the Gulf of Mexico (a known spawning area) and remained there until late spring, others traveled to the Gulf Stream region, the Antilles, the Bahamas and New England Seamounts, and several fish made round-trip, trans-Atlantic migrations before returning to their release location. None entered the Mediterranean Sea, an Eastern Atlantic spawning area. Our cumulative results indicate that during the putative west Atlantic spawning period, while some individuals were present in a known spawning region, the majority of tagged fish occupied other regions. Recently published findings from genetics and microconstituents studies have been used to support the paradigm of spawning site fidelity to the Gulf of Mexico, late maturation, and restricted migration paths by adult bluefin. However, results from our ecological and tagging studies of adult fish tagged and sampled in several major foraging areas support a much broader view of population dispersal, behavior, and maturity schedules. All are welcome to attend
Andrew Rosenberg	Ecosystem-based Management: Developing a framework for implementation	2009-04-03	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Ecosystem-based Management: Developing a framework for implementation Presenter: Andrew Rosenberg Abstract: The challenges of implementing an ecosystem-based approach to management range from setting of objectives, to integrating policy and institutional arrangements and developing the scientific advice for management across sectors of human activity. In this presentation I will discuss the rationale and elements of ecosystem-based management, the implementation steps needed and the process of developing scientific advice as an ongoing and adaptive effort. All are welcome to attend
Jim Gardner	Mapping the East Australian Margin - at least what's left of it; A cruise report	2009-03-27	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Mapping the East Australian Margin - at least what's left of it; A cruise report Presenter: Jim Gardner Abstract: Bio: Jim Gardner is a world-renowned marine geologist and leader of the USGS Pacific Mapping Group, who has retired from the USGS and joined the center in the late summer of 2003. He presently is also an Emeritus Senior Geologist with the USGS, as well as an Honorary Associate in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney, Australia. He graduated with a B.S. in geology from San Diego State University in 1967 and earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University-Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in 1973. His focus is on marine sedimentology, paleoceanography, and seafloor mapping. After two years at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Jim joined the Pacific Marine Geology group at the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA where he worked for 30 years on a wide variety of marine sedimentological and paleoceanographic problems in the Bering Sea, North and South Pacific Ocean, northeast Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, and the Coral Sea. He conceived, organized, and directed the 8-year EEZ-SCAN mapping of the US Exclusive Economic Zone using GLORIA long-range sidescan sonar in the 1980s. He has been responsible for the multimbeam sonar mapping of a number of areas off the coast of California, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake in Oregon, and Hawaii and has pioneered innovative approaches to the dissemination and interpretation of these data. He participated in four Deep Sea Drilling Project cruises, one as co-chief scientist, participated in more than 50 research cruises, and was Chief of Pacific Seafloor Mapping from 1995 to 2003, a project that used high-resolution multibeam echosounders to map portions of the US continental shelves and margins. Jim was the first USGS Mendenhall Lecturer, received the Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award and received two USGS Shoemaker Awards. He has published more than 200 scientific papers and given an untold number of talks and presentations all over the world. At CCOM, Jim is in charge of the US Law of the Sea cruises as well as research methods to extract meaningful geological information from multibeam acoustic backscatter through ground truth and advanced image analysis methods. All are welcome to attend
Christopher Sherwood	Martha's Vineyard is a rough neighborhood: waves, turbulence, and bottom drag over ripple patches	2009-03-06	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Martha's Vineyard is a rough neighborhood: waves, turbulence, and bottom drag over ripple patches Presenter: Christopher Sherwood Abstract: The seafloor south of Martha's Vineyard is mostly fine sand with small ripples, but there are also remarkable patches of coarse sand with big ripples. These features, formerly known as "rippled scour depressions" are common on sandy inner shelves around the world, and there are now some reasonable explanations for their maintenance, if not their initial formation. Last fall, the USGS put two tripods at the boundary of one of the coarse patches, and this talk will describe our observations and attempts to model them. All are welcome to attend
Ben Smith	Using Google Earth to display the International Climatological Organization's Voluntary Observation Ship's Tracks	2009-02-27	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Using Google Earth to display the International Climatological Organization's Voluntary Observation Ship's Tracks Presenter: Ben Smith Abstract: The CCOM Visualization Lab project for ship tracking has been focused on the AIS (Automatic Identification System) which reaches only 20 kilometers from shore. Where do ships go when they are traversing the open ocean? This project explored the data of the ICO's VOS, gleaning the time and position of these 260 ships and displaying the information using Google Earth and its timeline control. The talk will explain the process of pulling the raw data from the log files, through the automated creation of Google Earth KML (object description language), and problems of displaying a large data set. It will end with an exploration of the results, noting some of the limitations of Google Earth. Bio: Ben Smith is the Captain of CCOM-JHC research vessel Coastal Surveyor, and Research Technician specializing in programming languages and UNIX-like operating systems and services. All are welcome to attend
Mashkoor Malik	Backscatter Measurement Uncertainty: Estimation and Validation	2009-02-13	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Backscatter Measurement Uncertainty: Estimation and Validation Presenter: Mashkoor Malik Abstract: Variability and uncertainty are closely related (but distinct) quantitative properties of the seafloor backscatter.Variability is the measure of backscatter fluctuations, while uncertainty is the measure of backscatter errors.Variability observed in seafloor backscatter has received considerable attention resulting in development of avast literature about observed backscatter statistics. However, at present, little attention has been devoted tounderstand the uncertainty in the backscatter measurement itself. This talk will examine different approachesfor estimating uncertainty in acoustic backscatter measurements of the seafloor derived from a multibeamsonar (Kongsberg EM 3002). Based on the nature of multibeam sonar backscatter measurements, three majorsources of uncertainty are hypothesized: those related to the device; the media (or water column) and; target(or the seafloor). A series of acoustic tank and field experiments have been carried out in last few years toisolate the contribution from each uncertainty source. The underlying principle of these controlledexperiments has been to study variability introduced by each of these uncertainty sources independently, so asto determine the relative significance of each uncertainty source. Preliminary results from repeated in-tank calibrations and data collected from stable targets (including tankwalls) suggest that the device parameters (e.g. source level, beam patterns, gains etc.) are comparativelystable. Yet, in-field results show a large degree of short and long-term variability (few minutes - severalhours) in the seafloor backscatter that may be related to the medium and/or the seafloor. To distinguishseafloor-related and medium-related variability, a multibeam sonar was installed at the UNH marine pier atNew Castle, NH for 14 days (21 May – 3 June 2008). A 14 inch diameter distilled water-filled stainless steelsphere was mounted on the seafloor on 27 May 2008. The continuous collection of backscatter data from thesphere with changing medium properties (sound speed, temperature, salinity etc.) is expected to provideinsights into the medium-related variability in backscatter measurements. Prior to installation of the sphere onthe seafloor, the pier mounted sonar was used to collect seafloor backscatter data continuously from 21-27May 2008. The results show that backscatter received from the sphere is considerably more stable ascompared to the seafloor backscatter, but much noisier than the tank wall backscatter, supporting theassumption that the seafloor- and medium-related uncertainties constitute a large part of the backscatteruncertainty budget. The extent of this variability (up to 10 dB) and the absence of a strong correlationbetween fluctuations in the seafloor backscatter and the dominant environmental forcing (i.e. tide) areperplexing. Efforts are underway to analyze the spectral components of the backscatter data from the sphereand the seafloor to gain insights on the probable causes of these large variabilities. The identification of probable sources of backscatter uncertainty is the first step towards building abackscatter uncertainty model. Future work is expected to draw on the findings of the observed variabilitiesand establish a framework for analyzing the backscatter uncertainty. The procedures developed to assessbackscatter data uncertainty (rather the actual results) are expected to be relevant to a diverse group of theseafloorresearchers Bio: Mashkoor Malik is working on processing Multibeam sonar data with major emphasis on studying anthropogenic effects on sea floor. All are welcome to attend
Diane Foster	Ripple Scale Fluid-Sediment Interactions in Coastal Environments	2009-02-06	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Ripple Scale Fluid-Sediment Interactions in Coastal Environments Presenter: Diane Foster Abstract: This presentation will focus on fluid-sediment interactions within the wave-dominated nearshore environment. A threaded theoretical, observational, and numerical effort allows for the examination of these interactions over both flat and rippled seabeds. Observations flow and sediment suspension have been obtained with a fully submersible Particle Image Velocitmetry (PIV) system within the lowest 20 cm of the water column. The PIV observations have provided the first observations of vortex generation over movable full-scale rippled beds. The observations show, at times, a rapid evolution of the seabed in response to individual waves. The observations provide additional support for sediment transport theories that incorporate the effects of pressure gradients induced by free surface gravity waves. Finally, the interaction of these processes with nearby structures suggest interesting dynamics between bedform evolution and the scour process. These results highlight the complex but exciting interactions of flow over movable sediment beds. Bio: Diane Foster Ohio State University All are welcome to attend
Dave Monahan	Who Owns the Arctic Ocean: Myths, Media and Median Lines	2009-01-30	03:00:00	Chase 130: Video Classroom
Who Owns the Arctic Ocean: Myths, Media and Median Lines Presenter: Dave Monahan Abstract: Over the last few years, media attention on what it refers to as “the Arctic” has increased exponentially. Unfortunately, there has not been a concomitant increase in knowledge conveyed to the general public, since many news stories put more energy into creating sensational headlines than they do into verifying and explaining their content. Few of them display much understanding of basic geography, or of the two factors which underlie the increased interest, the apparent melting of ice and the possibility of establishing boundaries in the Arctic Ocean seaward of the 200nm Exclusive Economic Zone. This talk examines the later, i.e. delineating Juridical Continental Shelves under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) by the USA, Canada, Denmark, Russia and Norway. Beyond the physical difficulties of working in the high Arctic, there are two complications. One, unique to the Arctic Ocean, is the use of “median line” or the “sector principle” for boundaries between Coastal States. The other, which has application in many other areas, is the restriction to extending a Continental Shelf over oceanic “ridges”. This paper illustrates possible interpretations of the five nations’ cases based on scenarios around the two core issues. It concludes that Russia has little to lose with whatever interpretation is made, but that the other four Arctic Ocean nations stand to lose or gain significant areas. Bio: Dave Monahan is Program Director for the Nippon Foundation General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) training program in oceanic bathymetry and Affiliate Professor. Prior to joining CCOM, he served 33 years in the Canadian Hydrographic Service, working his way down from Research Scientist to Director. During that time, he established the bathymetric mapping program and mapped most Canadian waters, built the Fifth Edition of GEBCO, led the development of LIDAR, developed and led the CHS Electronic Chart production program, and was Canadian rep on a number of International committees and boards. He has mentored a few people who became Directors, steered CHS through the conversion to NAD 83 and the introduction of GPS, with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory he performed the first world-scale comparison of satellite and acoustic bathymetric data. He designed an algorithm for contouring bathymetry data from random, widely-spaced tracks, made the over ice spot sounding survey pattern more efficient, conducted field studies and authored papers on sea floor geomorphology all around Canada, in adjacent oceanic basins as well as off Senegal/Gambia, Peru and Guyana. Dave also wrote an International Hydrographic Bureau standard, published over ninety maps and a hundred papers and got Canada to ratify UNCLOS. He also did a lot of management things large and small but has no real memory of them. Before joining the Canadian government he was research assistant to the late Mike Keen at Dalhousie University during the exciting period when the theory of Plate Tectonics was the subject of hearty debate. With degrees in Science, in Arts and in Engineering, he is almost diverse enough to understand how little humankind knows about the ocean. He has been Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geography at Carleton University and continues to hold a similar position in the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering at the University of New Brunswick. All are welcome to attend