1. Galen A. Scott COASTAL Briefing NGS Convocation October 27, 2005

2. What is NGS COASTAL? CO-OPS: Non-navigational applications of tides, water levels and tidal datums NGS: Land side elevations to give local context for water levels A new NGS Team to formalize a relationship with CO- OPS that has been project based for many years. Mechanism for: Partnerships Technology Transfer Education and Outreach Developing New Products and Services Issues addressed: Tidal salt marsh restoration Storm surge warnings Sea level rise modeling

3. NOAA has several publications on achieving successful restoration projects. NGS COASTAL will provide tools and guidance for collecting and using elevation data as a quantitative performance metric. Elevation as a Performance Measure for Marsh Restoration

4. COASTAL - Partners Partners - External National Aquarium in Baltimore (NAIB) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) St. Charles Parish Government (SCP) Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (DWF) University of Southern Mississippi (USM) California Department of Water Resources (DWR) San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) Partners - NOAA Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) Office of Response and Restoration (ORR) Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Office of Coast Survey/Coast Survey Development Lab (CSDL) Coastal Services Center (CSC) Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) National Marine Fisheries Service/Restoration Center (RC) National Weather Service (NWS)

5. COASTAL - Projects Maine Wells Reserve Addison Wetland Restoration Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva Peninsula Fort McHenry Wetland Restoration Barren Island Wetland Restoration Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Wetland Restoration Eastern Neck NWR Wetland Restoration Chalk Point Restoration/Mitigation Lewes, DE Shoreline-Bathy/Topo Inundation Mapping Ocean City/Snow Hill, MD Shoreline-Bathy/Topo Inundation Mapping Chesapeake Bay Shoreline-Bathy/Topo Inundation Mapping Bishops Head Point/MEMA NWS Chesapeake Bay Requirements Southeast North Carolina Sea Level Project – Bathy/Topo Inundation Map (linkage to CCSP Sea Level Rise Deliverable (Climate)) Coastal Storms Program Gulf of Mexico Mississippi/Alabama OCRM Partnership Grand Bay Reserve Weeks Bay Reserve Ocean Springs, MS & Larger MS Effort w/ USM USACE Mobile District Gulf Coast Approach w/ OCRM & CSC St. Charles Parish Water Level Monitoring System Calcasieu Pass Atchafalaya Delta Project – NMFS & DWF - IOOS California Suisun Marsh Restoration South San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds Elkhorn Slough Coastal Storms Program Pacific Northwest Coos Bay, South Slough Reserve, OR

6. NGS Height Modernization Long-Term Station in Ocean Springs, MS “The partnership between the University of Southern Mississippi and NOAA is a great example of a proactive measure in monitoring storm surges in the Gulf of Mexico. Storm surge monitoring is a critical safety issue for the residents of South Mississippi.” - Trent Lott

7. NGS COASTAL Plan Develop and test custom GIS application to combine digital elevation models with water level data to predict ranges of marsh plant species. Carry out research on the best combination of elevation data collection techniques for marsh restoration –Laser leveling, GPS, 3D laser scanning Write guidelines for collecting elevation data and monitoring it as criteria for success in restoration projects Bring private sector, universities, NGOs together to provide training while collecting real data.

8. MAPTITE 1.0 - What is it? A script run from ArcToolbox to automate the process of connecting tidal datums and land elevations to produce planting zones.

9. N Automated GIS Tool to Estimate Marsh Grass Planting Zones MAPTITE - Output

10. Re-engineering of the Wetlands - 2004 April 2005 VADM Lautenbacher Visits the Fort McHenry Restoration Site - TWICE “The wetlands have never been healthier.” -Glen Page Director of Conservation, NAIB April 2005 April 2004

11. Stewardship of the Coastal & Ocean Environments Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.) Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans & Atmosphere NOAA Administrator April 22, 2005

12. Coastal Ocean Observation System (COOS) Coastal Observations –National Water Level Observing Network –Wave Buoys/Current Meters Aerial Survey/LiDAR Mapping Digital Elevation Models from Global Positioning System and LiDAR Marsh Restoration, Barren Island MD

13. Administration’s Wetlands Initiative –Through the combined efforts of NOAA and partner Federal agencies will create, improve, and protect at least 3 million wetland acres over the next 5 years Fostering Local Restoration Projects –Locally led coastal habitat restoration projects are flourishing all across the country. The Administration encourages successful community-based approaches and management techniques to protect coastal habitat Conserve and Restore Coastal Habitat

14. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Marsh Restoration COASTAL Program

15. Four NOAA Tide Gauges: Four USGS Water Level Gages: Over 60 SETs “Mud Tide Gages” throughout the Refuge Cambridge Bishop’s Head McCready’s Creek Beaver Dam Parson’s Creek Goose Dam Footbridge Edgar’s Farm (Control installed for future gage) Blackwater NWR Height Mod Survey

17. Where does COASTAL fit at NGS? Spearhead development of new tools for combining water level data and land elevations – i.e.. MAPTITE Build capacity for accurate positioning among coastal managers through trainings on connecting tidal and geodetic datums. Engage students through NOAA’s B-WET program and foster interest in emerging high-growth fields of geospatial technologies

18. Where does COASTAL fit at NGS? Support CORS Enhancement through marketing of OPUS suite to coastal managers and restoration practitioners Develop new guidelines and specifications for gathering elevation data to support habitat restoration Demonstrate Height Modernization’s value to integrating ecosystem observations systems

19. Questions or Comments? Contact: Galen Scott NGS COASTAL Team Leader galen.scott@noaa.gov (301) 713-3198 x 131