2024 Annual Impact Report

Real People Rely on NERACOOS Data

“Having up-to-date, instant access to information about sea conditions is vital for my work and ship safety. The difference between 10- and 12-foot seas can make a monumental difference in crew survival and planning for open-water voyages. Boat safety and security, routes, rescue plans for injury or emergency scenarios, and our ability to do an escort can change by the minute or foot.”
— Mark Wallerstein, T/B Independence

“Ensuring the safety of our passengers is our top priority as we navigate the Gulf of Maine in search of whales. With vast areas to cover and ever-changing conditions, having access to the real-time updates the NERACOOS Mariners’ Dashboard provides on offshore conditions is essential to providing a safe, smooth, and unforgettable whale-watching experience.”
— Julie Taylor, Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company

“When I get up, the first thing I do is check the buoy reports, especially during the wintertime when I’m scalloping. It is key to me making my decision if I’m going to go out fishing or not.”
— Bob Baines, F/V Thrasher

A Year of Expansion and Collaboration

Eleven water level sensors were installed throughout the Northeast to enhance coastal resilience by improving quality and coverage of water level observations in the face of storm surges, extreme rainfall, and rising sea levels.

Catalyzed a regional response to an unprecedented algal bloom that caused ‘brown water’ in the Gulf of Maine from April to August 2023. The two-day workshop, sponsored by NERACOOS and UNH, advanced the understanding of the bloom, evaluated the monitoring response, and recommended improvements for the coastal ocean observation system.

Two new webcams were installed in Camp Ellis, Maine to provide essential visual data for ongoing research and coastal management efforts in partnership with the Maine Geological Survey and the National Weather Service.

Initiated new industry partnership to facilitate data sharing to improve weather forecasting, navigation safety, search-and-rescue, ocean climate tracking, fisheries and wildlife management, and other essential user needs.

Two nor’easter storms that devastated Maine in January were observed and accurately modeled using data from the NERACOOS suite of products. The alignment between actual conditions and predicted values underscores the system’s accuracy as a vital tool for forecasting coastal weather events.

Launched The Dock, a Slack channel dedicated to fostering collaboration, sharing valuable insights on ocean observations in real-time, and growing a community focused on advancing ocean knowledge.

The NECAN regional plan, which prioritizes monitoring needs to streamline processes, was published in partnership with the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) and NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program (OAP). These collaborations foster improved decision-making, accelerate response times, and enhance efficiency.

2024 Financials

NERACOOS is funded primarily by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the U.S. IOOS Regional Program. In 2024, NERACOOS received additional 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.