NOAA CoastWatch often partners with other NOAA offices, as well as U.S. Federal and State Government agencies to provide customized data products and services to meet common goals. Some current CoastWatch collaborative efforts include:

Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting Project

Using aircraft, buoys, and satellites, this work group is integrating data for development of HAB forecasting systems. A preliminary result of this effort is the creation of the HAB Bulletin. The HAB bulletin provides timely information to the management community in the Gulf of Mexico during a bloom event. The near real-time bulletins provide interpreted data that include wind speed and direction information, and a chlorophyll image from the OrbView-2/Sea-viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS) satellite. The bulletin is a collaborative effort of the NOAA National Ocean Service Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, NOAA CoastWatch, and the NOAA Coastal Services Center. --More information--

Sea Nettles

Sea nettles, Chrysaora quinquecirrha, seasonally infest the Chesapeake Bay and affect many activities on the Bay. Knowing where and when to expect this biotic nuisance may help to alleviate this problem. Maps of probable sea nettle presence are created by identifying locations where the current environmental conditions are favorable to sea nettles. This is accomplished using data derived from hydrodynamic computer models and NOAA satellites. --More information--

El Niņo Watch

Since 1992, the West Coast Regional Node has produced a monthly product called "El Niņo Watch", in response to the onset of El Niņo conditions in the equatorial Pacific. This product is intended to assist managers and researchers in identifying the presence and strength of features associated with variations in SST conditions, related to 'El Niņo' or 'La Niņa' that may impact fisheries along the west coast of North America. Sea surface temperature data derived from satellites were first introduced into the report in October 2003 and became the primary data set in January 2004. --More Information--

OceanWatch North Pacific Demonstration Project

The West Coast Regional Node is working on a new Live Access Server in support of the OceanWatch North Pacific Demonstration Project. It provides for operational distribution of products as well as great flexibility in data browsing and extraction. Notable applications in the Live Access Server include the Coastwatch data used by the Tagging of Pacific Pelagics (TOPP) project, part of the Census of Marine Life. The OceanWatch LAS is presently under development but is accessable.

Ocean Observing Systems

The West Coast Regional Node is an official component of the Central California Ocean Observing System (CenCOOS) and the Northwest Assocation of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS). Both are regional initiatives as part of the national Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). CoastWatch will acquire, process, archive and distribute near real time satellite data and derived marine environmental products, allowing other groups now involved in such work to reallocate their resources. CenCOOS PDF