Presentations
Biological Variables Critical to the Success of IOOS
Dr. Thomas Malone is a Professor at the Horn Point Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). A past Director of the Ocean.US Office, he serves on the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Steering Committee of the IOC and the User Interface Working Group for the GEO. Dr. Malone chaired the Coastal Panel of GOOS (1996 – 2000) and co-chaired the Coastal Ocean Observations Panel of GOOS, which recently completed the Integrated Design Plan and Implementation Strategy for the Coastal Module of GOOS. Dr. Malone has served as the Acting President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (1988-1990), Director of the Horn Point Laboratory (1990-2002), and President of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (1998-2000). He received a Ph.D. in biological oceanography from Stanford University in 1971, M.S. in oceanography from the University of Hawaii in 1967, and B.A. in zoology from Colorado College in 1965. He has over 100 publications on subjects ranging from plankton dynamics and coastal eutrophication to ocean observing systems.
Application of Information Products for the Public and Policy- Makers: Integrating Information Across Communities of Users
Dr. Steve Murawski serves as Director of Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor for NOAA Fisheries. He is responsible for about 30 laboratories, eight offshore research vessels, and 1,400 staff throughout the United States. His organization’s mission is to provide the scientific basis for conservation and management of living marine resources and their ecosystems. Dr. Murawski was previously the Director of the Office of Science and Technology, a position he held since October 2004. Prior to coming to NOAA Fisheries headquarters, he served as Chief Stock Assessment Scientist for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts (1990–2004). His research background is in fisheries biology and stock assessment. He has published in several journals, including the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Bulletin of Marine Science, and Ecological Applications. During his career, Dr. Murawski has been a key representative on several committees and councils. His current roles include official U.S. delegate to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, member on the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC) Program Steering Committee, and Project Manager for NOAA Fisheries’ Ecosystem Management Pilot Projects. Dr. Murawski has also been the recipient of many honors during his career, including: NOAA Fisheries Employee of the Year (2002); three NOAA Bronze Medal Awards (1994, 1999, and 2003); Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Natural Resource Conservation, University of Massachusetts (2003); and the David Belding Marine Conservation Award from the Massachusetts Divisions of Marine Fisheries (2004). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst.
Application of Information Products for the Public and Policy- Makers: Integrating Ocean Observing Data for Improved Protected Species Management
Dr. Pat Halpin is currently the Gabel Associate Professor of the Practice of Geospatial Analysis in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University, where he direct the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab. Dr. Halpin’s research interests include the application of GIS and spatial analyses to environmental problems in terrestrial and marine research and management. He is currently the Principal Investigator for the OBIS-SEAMAP project under the Census of Marine Life and also serves as the Chair of the Technical Committee for the OBIS project. Dr. Halpin earned his Master’s degrees in International Studies and International Development from George Mason University and his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia.
Examples of Large Biological Databases–Ocean Biogeographic Information System
Dr. Edward Vanden Berghe is the current Executive Director of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). OBIS is the most authoritative web-based provider of global geo-referenced information on marine species. In addition to gathering and maintaining marine species-level and habitat-level databases, it provides a variety of spatial query tools for visualizing geographical relationships among species, and between species and their environment. Edward has only joined OBIS recently, in May this year. In his previous position, as Manager of the Flanders Marine Data- and Information Centre (VMDC), Based at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), he was responsible to manage a small team, developing databases and web applications for marine data and information. Some of the systems were developed on behalf of external, national and international projects; the most important of these is the EU network of excellence on ‘Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning (MarBEF)’. Part of the activities for MarBEF was to manage the European Register of Marine Species (ERMS) and the European node of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (EurOBIS). He has been working together with people at the NODC and WDC Oceanography, in the framework of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), and of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Dr. Edward Vanden Berghe holds a PhD in Zoology from the Free University Brussels.
Interoperability Among Heterogenous Data Streams: Developing Common Interfaces and Standards
Dr. Roy Mendelssohn is a Supervisory Operations Research Analyst at NOAA/NMFS/SWFSC’s Environmental Research Division. For over twenty years he has been involved in research on climate change in the ocean and comparative Eastern Boundary Current studies, with an emphasis on the application of innovative time-series analyses to large-scale dynamic problems. He also leads a team at ERD that provides environmental data worldwide for use in studying marine resources, and has been on numerous NOAA and IOOS committees working on the problem of data integration.
Using Predictive Modeling to Foster Ecosystem Management
Dr. Jeffrey Polovina is a biological oceanographer and Chief of the Ecosystem and Oceanography Division at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He received a B.S. in math from Carnegie Mellon University in 1970 and a Ph.D. in mathematical statistics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1974. His research focuses on understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of marine ecosystems with an emphasis on high tropic levels. Jeff began his career studying the Hawaiian Islands coral reef ecosystem trophic web where he developed the ecosystem model approach ECOPATH. Over the past several decades he has focused on physical biological linkages in marine ecosystems, especially regime shifts and climate impacts. He is also interested in understanding how large pelagic animals use oceanic habitats and has sent out fleets of turtles, tunas, and sharks equipped with electronic tags and used satellite remotely-sensed oceanographic data to describe the migration paths and foraging “hotspots” of these mobile predators. Jeff serves as the principal investigator for the NESDIS central Pacific OceanWatch Node that provides satellite remotely-sensed data and products to users around the Pacific Rim. He also serves on the US GLOBEC, TOPP, FATE, and CAMEO steering committees, is a senior fellow with the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR), and has an adjunct faculty appointment in the Oceanography Department at the University of Hawaii.
