At the OCEANS 2023 Gulf Coast conference, the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) showcased the innovative technologies and strategies used to advance ocean mapping and exploration. On Tuesday, September 26th, NOPP hosted the panel, “Technological Innovation to Map, Explore, and Characterize the United States EEZ.” The event began with opening remarks from Dr. Steve Thur (Assistant Administrator, NOAA Research) and Mr. Deerin Babb-Brott (Assistant Director of Ocean Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy). Their remarks were followed by an in-depth discussion led by moderator Alan Leonardi (Director, NOPP) and panelists:
During the panel, Dr. Houghton emphasized the strategic importance of public-private partnerships, highlighting Sofar’s ongoing collaboration with NOPP partners to airdrop Spotter buoys and other devices ahead of hurricanes. On Wednesday, September 27th, Ciara Dorsay (Data Analyst, Sofar Ocean) expanded on Dr. Houghton’s points in a paper presentation, sharing key results from successful air deployments ahead of Hurricane Ian and other recent extreme storms.
Deltares presented their results on coastal flooding and damages due to hurricanes Ian (2022), Idalia (2023), Beryl (2024) and Francine (2024) at ICCE2024 and in Storymap.
A tool for production of rapid-repeat high-resolution coastal vegetation maps has been developed.
The NHCI project coordinated the airdrop of 16 surface wave buoys and subsurface water level sensors in the path of Hurricane Francine.
