The NOAA Science
Seminar Series began in 2004 and is a voluntary effort by
over 70 NOAA seminar coordinators to integrate and distribute a list of
NOAA-hosted, publicly accessible science seminars. In 2020
we shared listings for over 500 seminars!
All NOAA Program Offices are welcome to share their hosted science-related
seminars as part of the NOAA Science Seminar Series effort.
To become a seminar calendar contributor, e-mail Hernan Garcia.
Once you are approved as a contributor to the calendar, you are able to add
& update seminars on the calendar. We use the data from this Google calendar to populate the
listings for both e-mails and the seminars page.
We ask seminar contributors to follow our formatting and content guidelines,
which helps us keep the seminar listings consistent across all our contributors.
Title: How Environmental Justice Law & Policy Has Been Shaping Great Lakes Protection & Restoration
Presenter(s): Oday Salim, Environmental Law & Sustainability Clinic Director at the University of Michigan Law School
Sponsor(s): Great Lakes Seminar Series: The Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) and NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (NOAA GLERL) Seminar Contacts: Margaret Throckmorton, throckmj@umich.edu Location: Webinar
Abstract: There is an all too common misconception that environmental justice law is vague and toothless. In fact, environmental justice law is nearly ubiquitous and has been significantly altering environmental decision-making norms. This talk will address the ways that environmental justice law has already shaped and may in the future shape Great Lakes environmental protection and restoration. Specifically, the talk will define environmental justice law, summarize its history, and go through Great Lakes case studies that illustrate how this legal framework alters decision-making regarding pollution control, natural resources management, and energy regulation.
Bio(s): Oday Salim directs the Environmental Law & Sustainability Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School, where he also co-directs the Environmental Law & Policy Program and teaches the Environmental Justice seminar. In addition, he is an attorney for the National Wildlife Federation in its Great Lakes Regional Center and the chair of the American Bar Association's Environmental Justice Committee. Professor Salim has taught courses on environmental justice, energy regulation, and mineral law. As an attorney, his most recent work has addressed water affordability, oil pipelines, Clean Water Act permitting, stormwater management, and the public trust doctrine.
Remote Access: Connect with Google Meet meet.google.com/kti-ktaw-nes, Phone Numbers (US)+1414-856-5982 PIN: 248 179#
Abstract: Physical processes may affect ecosystem structure and function through the accumulation, transport and dispersal of organic and inorganic materials, nutrients, and organisms; they structure physical habitat, and can influence predator-prey interactions and trophic production. In the Laurentian Great Lakes, horizontal currents generally dominate, but little is known about the effects of vertical mixing on lake food webs. We developed a linked earth system model and used it to explore how vertical mixing affects the productivity of Lake Michigan (LM), the world's fifth largest lake, whose food web and fisheries have been adversely affected by invasive Dreissena mussels. We hypothesized that higher vertical mixing would result in higher food web biomass by making phosphorus more available to the lower food web, and that filtration by invasive mussels would counter the effects of mixing and decrease food web biomass. Using linked climate, hydrodynamics and ecosystem models, we projected the response of LM's food web to scenarios of different levels of vertical mixing, with and without invasive mussels. Biomass of most functional food web groups increased with increases in vertical mixing, with greatest increases in phytoplankton and zooplankton. Increased biomass was due to the replenishment of nutrients into the euphotic zone, which enhanced growth and biomass of lower trophic levels through bottom-up effects. However, filtration by invasive mussels reduced the positive effects of mixing for most species. Future applications of the linked earth system framework will explore effects of climate warming and nutrient reduction on fisheries production to inform fisheries managers.
Presenter(s): Introduction and Snow Drought Update " Gretel Follingstad, NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), University of Colorado Boulder / Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
Drought Conditions Update " Curtis Riganti, National Drought Mitigation Center
Special Presentation: The Fifth U.S. National Climate Assessment and the NCA Interactive Atlas Explorer " Emilie Elias, USDA Southwest Climate Hub
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System
This webinar will provide an update on current drought conditions and snow drought in the Intermountain West (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming), followed by a special presentation on the Fifth U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA5) and the NCA Interactive Atlas Explorer. The NCA Interactive Atlas Explorer provides digital access to downscaled climate projections used in NCA5, which allows users to explore projected changes to local climate conditions.
(Gretel Follingstad (NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), University of Colorado Boulder / Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)); Curtis Riganti (National Drought Mitigation Center); Emilie Elias
Abstract: The Alaska chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment examines how climate change affects various aspects of our society. From health and livelihoods through our built environment and our security, the changing climate has far-reaching effects. The chapter also examines the many ways that Alaska communities and others are adapting to a changing environment.
Slides, Recordings, Other Materials: Slides, links shared during the presentation, and a recording may be found after the meeting at the URL listed above.
Abstract: Description, prediction, and explanation all depend upon causal understanding. In this talk, I demonstrate a simplified (linear) toolbox for causal analysis that builds upon structural equation models. To demonstrate, I first introduce phylogenetic structural equation models (PSEM). I show that these can be fitted to data from 30+ traits for all described fishes to classify fishes into Periodic, Equilibrium, or Opportunistic strategies. I also introduce a simplified R-package phylosem that can be used for customized application of PSEM. Finally, I use PSEM to predict natural mortality rate for rockfishes (Sebastes spp), and show that PSEM substantively improves predictions relative to conventional linear models when predicting natural mortality from size and growth parameters. Next, I introduce dynamic structural equation model (DSEM). This includes both simultaneous and lagged effects, and therefore unifies a wide range of time-series methods. I specifically highlight how DSEM can be used to synthesize physical and lower-trophic variables to explain recruitment for Alaska pollock. I also introduce how DSEM can be used to integrate ecosystem indicators for Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs), using the Bering Sea ecosystem as an example. I hope to convince you that structural equation models are useful to integrate causal understanding into statistical models.
Bio(s): Jim Thorson is a statistical ecologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. His pandemic hobby was reading global history books. He will soon be fostering two cats, and hopes to study their interactions with existing (resident) children.
Recordings: The talk will be recorded; link to recording available upon request.
In September 2023, NIDIS announced approximately $2 million in funding for projects to support tribal drought resilience as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Climate Program Office FY24 NIDIS Tribal Drought Resilience with Inflation Reduction Act Support competition will focus on addressing current and future drought risk on tribal lands across the Western U.S. to support decision-making and build tribal drought resilience in a changing climate.
The competition lead will hold an informational webinar on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 2 p.m. ET. This webinar will provide general information about feedback provided on letters of intent, as well as full application requirements.
How will climate change affect how we assess drought? How can we assess if a drought was made worse because of a warming climate? This webinar, hosted by NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) and National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), will focus on challenges in assessing and communicating drought conditions in a changing climate. The presentations and feedback received during this webinar will help NWS to develop practical field office guidance for messaging drought in a changing climate, based on the best available science.
Title: Restoration of Deep Gulf of Mexico Coral Communities NOAA Gulf of Mexico Forum Webinar Series
Presenter(s): Sasha Francis, Gulf Restoration Education & Outreach Manager, Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Mesophotic & Deep Benthic Communities Restoration, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Sponsor(s): NOAA's Gulf of Mexico Regional Collaboration Team, a part of NOAA's Regional Collaboration Network
Seminar Contact(s): Kristen Laursen, Kristen.R.Laursen@noaa.gov , NOAA Fisheries and Regional Collaboration NetworkLocation: Webinar
Remote Access: Please Register at:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5311921428427346517 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. For your awareness, this webinar will be recorded and shared.
Abstract: For December, the Gulf of Mexico Forum webinar series will focus on mesophotic and deep benthic (mid-depths and deep-sea) communities in the Gulf of Mexico. In particular, our speaker, Sasha Francis, will focus on the ongoing efforts to restore these hard-to-reach habitats that were injured by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This presentation will feature imagery and stories about fascinating deep-sea coral propagation techniques, exploration and sample collections a mile below the surface, connecting scientists at sea with the community, and more.
Bio(s): Sasha Francis is the Gulf Restoration Education and Outreach Manager with National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, working with NOAA and other partners on the restoration of Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She leads strategic efforts to share the restoration activities being conducted by four collaborative project teams, and increase awareness of the existence and importance of these communities, threats they face, and actions that can be taken to protect them. Sasha's previous roles include being a marine mammal behaviorist, zookeeper, and Texas watershed environmental educator.
Slides, Recordings, Other Materials: Please contact Kristen.R.Laursen@noaa.gov for the recording and/or PDF.
Abstract: Dr. Anandkumar leads development of AI-based weather modeling that allows forecasting with higher resolution and faster predictions for extreme weather events. On September 10, several new AI-based models followed"and accurately predicted"Hurricane Lee's path through the Atlantic Ocean. These programs leverage activities and outputs from NOAA's new Center for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) established in 2021 to improve NOAA capabilities. During this month's Speaker Series talk, Dr. Anandkumar will discuss her work with NVIDIA on storm prediction modeling using machine learning, which is faster, more scalable, and more affordable than traditionally used modeling systems. To learn more about how Dr. Anandkumar and Caltech are working towards the Pathfinder Initiative, please contact noaa.pathfinderinitiative@noaa.gov.
Bio(s): Dr. Anima Anandkumar (California Institute of Technology) has been a Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at CalTech since 2017 and is the senior director of machine learning research at NVIDIA. Her research in artificial intelligence (AI) brings pivotal solutions to climate, drone flight, engineering, and medicine advancement. She has been honored for her groundbreaking work with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award, and faculty fellowships from Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Adobe. She is also a member of the World Economic Forum's Expert Network.
NOAA Science Seminar Series Title: Inadvertent introduction of bias into the stock assessment and review process (National Stock Assessment Science Seminar Series)
Presenter(s): Will Satterthwaite, Research Ecologist, NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center - Fisheries Ecology Division
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and NOAA's Central Library (NCL)Seminar Contacts: Abby Furnish (abigail.furnish@noaa.gov) and Library Seminars
Accessibility: Captions are added to the recordings of presentations once uploaded to the NOAA Central Library YouTube Channel. Sign language interpreting services and Federal Relay Conference Captioning (RCC) service are available, but need to be requested at least 5 days before the event.
Abstract: Science is struggling with a "reproducibility crisis" brought on by factors including p-hacking or selective reporting that may increase the rate of false positives or generate misleading effect size estimates from meta-analyses. This results when multiple modeling approaches or statistical tests may be brought to bear on the same problem, and there are pressures or rewards for finding significant results. I will provide examples of risks for similar processes operating in fisheries science, and describe simulations addressing the level of bias this may introduce into management advice.Keywords: p-hacking, reproducibility, bias
Bio(s): Will Satterthwaite is a research ecologist based in Santa Cruz. In his day job, he works on the ecology and life history of salmon and their interactions with the ecosystem. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Pacific Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, developing familiarity with assessing groundfish and coastal pelagic species. Although this talk is partially informed by experiences on the SSC, he in no way speaks for the SSC or NMFS during this talk.
Robert Smith, Coastal Coordinator for Wildlife Mississippi; Brandon Waltman, NCRS Assistant State Soil Scientist; Dr. Rocky Lemus, forage research professor, Mississippi State University Extension; and Jim Currie, private landowner
Title: Exploring Livestock Grazing for Coastal Habitat Management Webinar
Presenter(s): Robert Smith, Coastal Coordinator for Wildlife Mississippi; Brandon Waltman, NCRS Assistant State Soil Scientist; Dr. Rocky Lemus, forage research professor, Mississippi State University Extension; and Jim Currie, private landowner
Abstract: Searching for a cost-effective, less intrusive habitat management solution? Discover how to transform livestock grazing from a ubiquitous agricultural practice into a powerful tool for vegetation management and landscape enhancement. In this webinar, you'll hear short presentations from Robert Smith, Coastal Coordinator for Wildlife Mississippi, Brandon Waltman, NCRS Assistant State Soil Scientist, Dr. Rocky Lemus, forage research professor, Mississippi State University Extension, and Jim Currie, private landowner followed by a Q&A session. Topics to be covered include what is conservation grazing, the power of herbivory, herbivory and soil health, wildland forage and its management, and a case study. For more information: https://exploringlivestockgrazingwebinar.eventbrite.com
Abstract: Salmon in California (and elsewhere) confront interacting abiotic and biotic factors as they spawn, rear, and migrate. We use the organismal physiology of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) to explore how their response to environmental temperature, and consequently management actions, may be impacted by their ecological interactions. We find that thermal effects upon trophic interactions may be a driver of poor salmonid performance in warm-water conditions.
Bio(s): Dr. Ken Zillig completed his Ph.D in ecology under the guidance of Dr. Nann Fangue at the University of California Davis. His dissertation research focused the interpopulation variation in thermal physiology of juvenile Chinook salmon populations from across the west coast. He has continued his work on Chinook salmon with a post-doc studying the impact of food resources on the thermal performance of wild-rearing Chinook salmon. In addition, he has conducted metabolic research on disparate systems from the Antarctic to tropical Pacific islands.
Abstract: The co-chairs of the eDNA Task Team under the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) Interagency Working Group on Biodiversity will provide a preview of the National Aquatic eDNA Strategy, which is slated to roll out in spring 2024.
Bio(s): Dr. Kelly Goodwin is a marine microbiologist who has led development, validation, application, and technology transfer of molecular biological tools to address NOAA missions, including improved assessment of ecosystem status. Within the NOAA Ocean Exploration Science and Technology Division, she is the portfolio lead for NOAA 'Omics and serves as the chair of the NOAA 'Omics Working Group. In these roles, Dr. Goodwin is responsible for providing agency-wide direction with regard to harmonizing integration of bioscience and biotechnology into NOAA research and operations. The goal is to accelerate mission outcomes across a range of national priorities, including employing biomolecular mapping of biodiversity to explore the ocean and to understand and mitigate impacts arising from ecosystem threats such as climate, pollution, disease, and invasive species.
Subscribe to the NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly e-mail: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the NOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information. We welcome your suggestions and ideas!
Abstract: American Samoa is home to some of the most resilient coral reefs in the world. From the 500-year-old giant Porites corals in Ta'u, to the heat resistant super corals in Ofu, and the thriving coral communities in Fagatele Bay. The reefs protect the shorelines, provide food for families, and play an integral role in Samoan culture and heritage. The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa is working with partners to better understand how ocean acidification may affect these resources and the communities that rely on them. Efforts include monitoring ocean acidification indicators, integration of ocean acidification into climate vulnerability and adaptation efforts, and education and outreach.
Accessibility: Captions are added to the recordings of presentations once uploaded to the NOAA Central Library YouTube Channel. Sign language interpreting services and closed captioning are available, but need to be requested at least 5 days before the event.
Abstract: The Hawaii Integrated Ecosystem Assessment recently released the first ever Ecosystem Status Report for Hawaii. The report expands the geographic scope of previous efforts and describes the status and trends of marine ecosystems across the 8 main Hawaiian Islands. The seminar will highlight key findings related to socio-cultural connections, climate and ocean ecosystem processes, and human impacts within the Hawaiian Islands and how this information supports ecosystem-based management in the Pacific Islands region.
Bio(s): Dr. Jamison Gove is a research oceanographer with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and leads the Hawaii Integrated Ecosystem Assessment.
Accessibility Captions are available during the presentation.
Abstract NGS's ~15 year old Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) project has finally flown every data line at least one time. This data, purposed for gravimetric geoid modeling, can be improved on and NGS intends to keep flying certain regions to improve the dataset.
This webinar will include an overview of why the GRAV-D project was started, what we've accomplished, and a bit on how NGS collects and processes airborne gravity data. Also included, is a look at near term plans for both airborne and terrestrial gravity data collection at NGS. About the Speaker Jeff Johnson is the Gravity and Heights Branch Chief in the Spatial Reference Systems Division at NGS and he has been managing the Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) airborne gravity project since 2018. Jeff is predominantly involved in managing the GRAV-D budget, and working with a team of individuals within NGS, NOAA, other federal agencies, and government contractors to make sure high quality airborne gravity data is collected and available for geoid modelers. This involves not only developing a technical expertise for airborne gravity data collection, but also for contracting, Inter-agency agreements, and planning logistics.Recordings Are usually available here 2023 Recorded Webinars, within 10 days of the webinar.
Abstract: The persistence of Pacific coral reefs is threatened by large-scale mortality. While reefs have demonstrated the ability to recover from these disturbances, recovery potential is highly variable; in part driven by the high spatial variability in the abundance of coral juveniles. However, our understanding of the patterns and predictors of juvenile coral density is hampered by the limited geographic scope of previous studies. Our objectives in this study were to: (1) explore the spatial and temporal patterns of juvenile colony density across the U.S. affiliated Pacific islands and atolls; and (2) identify the potential role of ecological and environmental factors which may influence coral juvenile abundance. Juvenile density was quantified as part of NOAA's National Coral Reef Monitoring Program between 2013 and 2019 using a stratified sampling design across 1,405 forereef sites on 34 islands and atolls. Regional mean juvenile density varied from 1.4 to 10.5 colonies m-2 with the highest densities observed in the northern Mariana Islands, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and southern Mariana Islands. Juvenile density significantly increased between sampling periods in the Main Hawaiian Islands, Line Islands and northern Mariana Islands. With the unique scale and gradients across the U.S. Pacific, our study found that the high latitude regions have enhanced juvenile density compared to their lower latitude counterparts. Survey-weighted generalized linear modeling suggests density is dependent on stock-recruitment with an open adult population, availability of suitable habitat at the site-scale, timing and severity of heat stress, wave energy during heat stress, and proximity to human population. Given the vast spatial scale of this dataset, this study allows us to identify hot spots of recovery potential and study recovery dynamics across a large environmental gradient. It also has applications for reef managers and restoration practitioners to more effectively promote conditions that favor persistence of corals and make informed decisions about restoration site selection.
Bio(s): Courtney is a Supervisory Coral Reef Researcher for the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research in Honolulu, HI. She joined NOAA/CIMAR in 2017 after completing a PhD at Cornell University in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a postdoc at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. Courtney studies benthic communities across the U.S. Pacific to identify factors underpinning coral reef resilience and has co-lead a research program that utilizes Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry to assess coral reefs. She is currently co-leading a research program to guide practitioners more effectively implement coral restoration in the Pacific. NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly email: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the NOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information. We welcome your comments and ideas!
Title: Pacific Northwest DEWS December Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar
Presenter(s): Moderator: Janelle Christensen, USDA Northwest Climate Hub Climate Recap & Current Conditions: Larry O'Neill, Oregon Climate Service Seasonal Conditions/Climate Outlook: Andrea Bair NOAA NWS Western Region Baseline Streamflow Forecasts - Chris Konrad, USGS
Sponsor(s): NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System
Abstract: These webinars provide the region's stakeholders and interested parties with timely information on current and developing drought conditions, as well as climatic events like El Nio and La Nia. Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as wildfires, floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health.