Dear Members, Partners, and Friends,
As I look back on 2025, I am struck by both the dramatic changes in national policy priorities and the remarkable constancy in the work of our team and partners. Changes in political leadership inevitably bring about new areas of focus and ways of doing business, which create uncertainties in the sea ahead. Yet, U.S. IOOS proved to be an evergreen regional-to-national public-private partnership delivering widespread end-user value that yields broad bipartisan support. Our strength lies in the strong national consensus on the importance of reliable ocean information for public safety, national security, and strong economies, regardless of political affiliation and positions on other issues.
That consensus notwithstanding, the changing political landscape brought no shortage of uncertainties. Despite all of that, I was encouraged, grateful, and inspired by the way our team kept moving forward. Our important work did not stop, even when we weren’t sure it would continue next year, next month, or even next week. We all took on new tasks to help navigate the stormy seas, showing optimism, adaptability, and supportiveness throughout. We tackled ambitious new projects, while continuing to fortify our observing system and cultivate new collaborations.
The highlights of our efforts featured in these pages reflect the goals outlined in our newly launched Strategic Framework, which aims to be a time-tested distillation of the core priorities and goals driving the work of NERACOOS. We thank you for your support and look forward to forging ahead in 2026.
Sincerely,
Jake Kritzer, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Look for the highlighted links sprinkled throughout this report to learn more about the projects we are working on.
OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE OCEAN DATA FOR DECISIONS
Reliable ocean data are critical for maritime safety and security, coastal preparedness, and strong economies.
We are network architects who coordinate and facilitate the design and operation of a robust ocean observing system to deliver information for decision-making.
We serve people by collecting, organizing, and sharing data about the ocean.
SUSTAIN AND MODERNIZE THE OCEAN OBSERVING SYSTEM
At the heart of U.S. IOOS is sustained delivery of essential ocean data and forecasts. Amidst challenges and
uncertainties on land in 2025, together we maintained data flow from the backbone network of oceanographic buoys operated by the University of Connecticut, University of Rhode Island, University of New Hampshire, University of Maine, and Woods Hole Group, along with coastal sensors, ship-based surveys, autonomous vehicles, and shoreside radar stations that collectively make up the NERACOOS system.
Data from those stations fed into national data assembly centers and our regional server for ease of access by users and integration into a variety of products. Perhaps the most important measure of the success for ocean observing practitioners is constancy, a goal achieved for the 16th consecutive year by NERACOOS and our partners, and for even longer for some components of the system.
Improving coastal forecasts is critical to supporting safe navigation, strengthening coastal resilience, and sustaining New England’s maritime economy. In 2025, NERACOOS continued to support the operation and advancement of the Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System (NECOFS), developed and maintained by University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. NECOFS is a robust ocean–atmosphere modeling system that provides high-resolution forecasts for the region. A version of this regionally developed system is now being transitioned to the NOAA National Ocean Service to form the foundation of a new federal Operational Forecast System, replacing several legacy forecast systems.
Additionally, NECOFS was leveraged to develop a new high-resolution circulation model focused on Casco Bay. Supported by the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership and operated by NERACOOS and UMass Dartmouth, this model delivers the detailed predictions needed for improved storm surge and flood forecasting, port operations, and emergency management.
MAXIMIZE OCEAN DATA TO DRIVE IMPACTFUL DECISIONS
Sustained growth in both the maritime economy and the tech sector has seen substantial new ocean data streams emerge from government agencies, research institutions, and private sector companies. In order to maximize the value of new data for public safety, national security, and economic prosperity, NERACOOS, MARACOOS, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and Rhode Island-based RPS Tetra Tech are collaborating to build, test, and operationalize a new, state-of-the-art metocean data pipeline that streamlines data ingestion, quality control, searchability, and delivery. In 2025, this emerging cyberinfrastructure connected with the first set of test stations operated by new partners, including a wave buoy deployed by the University of New England and three metocean buoys deployed by energy companies from New England to Virginia. The project also connected with other maritime sectors from which new data collection is emerging, including seafood, telecommunications, and shipping, to expand the growing data ecosystem.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs), environmental DNA (eDNA), plankton, and underwater acoustics each offer a window into our marine ecosystem. Together, these data streams provide a snapshot of what is happening below the surface, providing insights that help answer critical questions about fisheries management, aquaculture siting, shifting foraging grounds for North Atlantic right whales, and the role of marine biodiversity in our region. NERACOOS, along with partners throughout New England, is facilitating these new data streams through increased observing, cyberinfrastructure, analytics, and product development to strengthen informed decision-making and safeguard the economic viability of our coastal communities.
COLLABORATE WITH INDUSTRY, OCEAN USERS, AND AGENCIES
In Ellsworth, Maine, more than 30 lobstermen gathered to discuss how timely, accurate data affect fundamental operational and safety decisions when they head to sea. Supported by the Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative and led by the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation (GoMLF) and NERACOOS, the workshop focused on data priorities for modernizing monitoring, modeling, and data delivery systems. These efforts are vital to sustaining the Gulf of Maine’s lobster fishery as one of the most productive and profitable seafood industries in the United States.
Farther south, we partnered with MassDEP to conduct an operational review of Cape Cod/Buzzards Bay PORTS, a key hub for national security and ocean commerce. Government and private sector partners collaborated to assess operations, identify needs, and plan to improve safe navigation in this heavily trafficked shipping corridor.
Building partnerships with public and private organizations to augment the ocean observing system in the Northeast is central to our mission and a primary focus of our work. Working hand-in-hand with a network of partners from the Gulf of Maine to Long Island Sound, we have deployed and maintained water level sensors, wave buoys, and web cams that produce high-quality coastal data, fundamental to informed decision-making, emergency response, and climate resilience. By investing in cost-effective technologies, we are addressing key data gaps and improving the effectiveness of our system. Local emergency managers expect the installation of multiple sensors in Branford and Stamford, Connecticut to improve monitoring of coastal flooding, tides, and storm surges for communities within Long Island Sound.
2025 FINANCIALS
NERACOOS is funded primarily by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the U.S. IOOS Regional Program. In 2025, NERACOOS received funding from NOAA’s Community Special Projects, IOOS Coastal & Inland Flooding, Lenfest Ocean Program, NOAA’s Oceanic & Atmospheric Research – Climate Program Office, Office of Naval Research, NOAA’s National Oceanographic Partnership Program, Northeast Regional Ocean Council, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Environmental Protection Agency through the Casco Bay Estuary Program and the University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Sea Grant, Maine Sea Grant, NOAA’s Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, NOAA’s Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, NOAA Fisheries, NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Brown University, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, and others.
2025 NERACOOS Board of Directors
OFFICERS
Rhonda Moniz, President Underwater Investigative Group
Nicole Bartlett, Vice President NOAA North Atlantic Regional Team
Prassede Vella, Secretary Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership
Kevin O’Brien, Treasurer CT National Estuarine Research Reserve
DIRECTORS
Larry Alade — NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Janet Duffy-Anderson — Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Shayla Fitzsimmons — Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System
Diane Foster — Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Catherine Johnson — Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Steve Lohrenz — University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Todd Morrison — NOBSKA Development Corporation
Katie O’Brien Clayton — Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Rebecca Peters — Maine Department of Marine Resources
Neal Pettigrew — University of Maine
Hung Pham — Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Jane Sawyers — Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management
Aleck Wang — Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
David Wu — Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
NERACOOS Staff
Jake Kritzer Executive Director
Katy Bland, Engagement and Research Manager
Rob Cardeiro, Finance Director
Brenda Darroch, Marketing Communications Manager
Sami McCorkle, Administrative Assistant
Jackie Motyka, Strategy Director
Austin Pugh, Climate and Ecosystems Coordinator
Caitlin Shanahan, Administrative Assistant
Tom Shyka, Technology Director
Emily Silva, Grants Manager
Anna Simpson, Coastal Resilience Manager
Cameron Thompson, Pelagic Ecologist
2025 NERACOOS Membership
SUSTAINING MEMBERS
Kelly Cove Salmon
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
University of Connecticut
University of Maine School of Marine Sciences
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
University of New Hampshire
SUPPORTING MEMBERS
Penobscot Bay and River Pilots Association
The Center for Coastal Studies
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Woods Hole Group
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Footprints in the Water
Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
Maine Department of Marine Resources
Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association
St. Lawrence Global Observatory
Waterview Consulting
AFFILIATES
Environmental Protection Agency
Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Massachusetts Bays Program
Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management
Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
The NERACOOS Membership program assists our system’s operation and improvement.
Thank you, Members, for your generosity! If you are interested in supporting NERACOOS by becoming a member, learn more at neracoos.org/membership
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