NOPP Program Update: September/ October 2016

Diver anchors Autonomous Reef Monitoring System (ARMS) to sea floor. ARMS is a research apparatus used in the MarineGEO network as a means to passively collect invertebrate and microbial biodiversity magnitude data in different habitats.
Diver anchors Autonomous Reef Monitoring System (ARMS) to sea floor. ARMS is a research apparatus used in the MarineGEO network as a means to passively collect invertebrate and microbial biodiversity magnitude data in different habitats. (Image Source)

As the summer officially came to a close, the NOPP Office continued to provide support to the Interagency Working Group on Facilities and Infrastructure (IWG-FI) and the NOPP Committee. The IWG-FI remains focused on monitoring the status of the Federal fleet. The NOPP Committee is continuing to develop project ideas designed to encourage and enhance partnering opportunities in ocean research.  A call for nominations on the 2016 Excellence in Partnership nominations was released to be announced in November.

The NOPP Office supported a Post-Award/ Kick-Off Meeting for the Atlantic Deepwater Ecosystem Observatory Network (ADEON), a new NOPP project starting this year. The ADEON project aims to develop an integrated system for long-term monitoring of ecological and human factors on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Lead partners on this project include the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the University of New Hampshire.

The NOPP Office attended:

Finally, the NOPP Office facilitated a meeting for the Biodiversity Ad Hoc Group, a sub-group of the NOPP steering committee. The Group discussed updates on a range of topics including the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), the Global Ocean Observing System’s Biology and Ecosystems Panel (GOOS Bio-Eco), and the MarineGEO network.

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