At the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science (GOMOSES) Conference in New Orleans, LA, the NOAA RESTORE Science Program will participate in workshops, moderate sessions, and learn about recent advances in Gulf ecosystem science and its application.
The conference’s goal of linking research on the Gulf ecosystem to practical application aligns with the Science Program’s mission. Several of the Science Program’s 2015 and 2017 awardees will be presenting at this year’s conference. On Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Brian Balmer will present work on developing marine mammal baselines to inform restoration. The Tuesday afternoon poster session will include Dr. Frank Hernandez’s work on linking habitat to recruitment in pelagic Sargassum. Wednesday morning brings a number of presentations, including from Dr. Bob Arnone and his project team, who will highlight their work using satellite bio-optical observations to identify seasonal trends and episodic events in the northern Gulf. Also, on Wednesday morning, Dr. Peter Sheng will be presenting on his development of a next-generation decision support tool to inform coastal restoration. Finally, Thursday morning wraps up the conference with a presentation of Dr. Matthieu Le Hénaff’s work using satellite imagery to identify episodic export of coastal Delta and Campeche Bank waters to the Gulf of Mexico. This year’s program also emphasizes cross-cutting discussions among academics, industry, government agencies, and public interest organizations.
The Science Program will also participate in other upcoming conferences including State of the Coast (May 30 – June 1, 2018, New Orleans, LA), Gulf of Mexico Alliance All-hands (June 11-14, 2018, St. Petersburg, FL), and National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration (August 26-30, New Orleans, LA). We hope to see many of you at these meetings as well.