The Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) is being established to network and expand the existing observing and prediction capacities of a multitude of institutions and agencies throughout New England and Maritime Canada. Collaborating in new, innovative ways will greatly enhance the region’s capacity to make better, more informed forecasts and decisions. Fisheries managers, water quality specialists, researchers, mariners, the Coast Guard, coastal land managers, and many more benefit from accurate and timely ocean observing infrastructure and related decision support tools that effectively interpret data. Ultimately, this increased capacity leads to safer maritime commerce and improved natural resource management.

One of the primary responsibilities of NERACOOS is to prioritize and appropriately allocate federal funding from NOAA to entities in the region for ocean observing and product development. Funding allocations will be developed by first assessing user needs in the region, and then evaluating the ocean observing system requirements and related product development necessary to realize priorities. To accomplish this work, the draft NERACOOS by-laws call for a Products Requirements Team (PRT), a Science Requirements Team (SRT), and a Stakeholders’ Council. The PRT will be responsible for understanding the priority needs of the region and communicating them to the SRT. The SRT will then design the ocean observing system and related products that will best meet those needs. Ultimately, the Stakeholders’ Council, comprised of end users in the region, will provide feedback on how well the system and related decision support tools meet end users’ needs, as well as provide input to the PRT in establishing priorities. 

The region includes the coastal waters of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. There is overlap with the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (MACOORA), which also includes the coastal waters of Connecticut and Rhode Island. In addition, partners from the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia will be involved to ensure appropriate coverage in shared waters.

Printable Two-Page Summary of NERACOOS Development - November, 2007

Who we are

• Board of Directors
• Principal Investigators
• Advisory Committee
• Executive Committee
  
• Staff

What we are doing

• Program activities
• Goals
• Projects