The US Integrated Ocean Observing System: Tampa Bay leads the way Join us for the 2nd year of the Marine Research Speaker series at Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center.  The fall 2012 series will be held on the 1st Thursday of September, October, November, December.  The US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS; see http://www.ioos.gov/) is the United States component of the Global Ocean Observing System.  IOOS consists of real-time observations of oceanic variables, such as currents, water levels, temperatures, and surface meteorology, and model products based on these observations, from open-ocean and coastal locations.  Some successes of IOOS include increased safety and efficiency of maritime transportation, improved search and rescue, improved response to spills of hazardous materials, and increased efficiency of electric power generation in coastal regions.  Dr. Mark Luther, USF College of Marine Science will present Tampa Bay Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (TB-PORTS; see http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/index.shtml?port=tb),  the first operational observing system in the US and perhaps in the world.  TB-PORTS still leads the way in development of IOOS in many ways. Because the bay’s tides and currents are influenced strongly by nontidal forces such as winds and river flow, TB-PORTS provides important real-time information to both recreational boaters and professional pilots navigating in Tampa Bay. TB-PORTS has been in continuous operation since 1992 and first posted real-time ocean data to the Internet in 1993.  Statistics on ship groundings in US harbors show that the number of groundings in the bay have decreased by 60% since TB-PORTS became operational.  In addition to improving the safety and efficiency of navigation within Tampa Bay, TB-PORTS also provides oceanographic and meteorological data to aid rapid response to hazardous material spills, search and rescue, and environmental management.   Dr. Luther received his doctoral degree in Physical Oceanography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1982.  Dr. Luther is an Associate Professor and director of the Ocean Monitoring and Prediction Lab (http://ompl.marine.usf.edu) in the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, where he co-directs the Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMPS).  Dr. Luther's research involves the combination of real-time ocean observations with numerical models of ocean currents and processes and their application to various problems ranging from maritime safety and security to water quality in estuaries to variability in large-scale ocean circulation and its relation to climate change.   We are happy to host the series at Weedon Island Cultural and Natural History Center at 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St Petersburg, FL 33702, with refreshments donated from the Friends of Weedon Island (http://fowi.org). 5:45p.m.  Refreshments6:00p.m.  Salty Topics For more information please contact Libby Carnahan at (727) 453-6522Reservation policy Before continuing, we would like to make you aware of our reservation policies. Cancellations - If your class is canceled for any reason you will be notified no less than 24 hours prior to class start. We will provide a full refund for cancellations made by Pinellas County Extension. Refunds may take up to 30 days to process. Payment - We require full payment at time of reservation so be prepared with a credit card to complete this transaction. Refunds - Refunds will be made in the event of a class cancellation or if the registrant requests a refund 24 hours prior to the class time. Reservations - You must be 18 to make a reservation. If you are under 18 and want to attend a class you must register and attend with a parent or guardian.The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions, or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A&M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Program Participants 0.00