Ocean Biogeochemistry Research Assistant Vacancy

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Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI) is seeking a highly talented and motivated lab and field Ocean Biogeochemistry Research Assistant.  The successful candidate will join the Ocean Ecology Laboratory (Code 616) at GSFC (https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/) and perform core functions to ensure the quality of field and lab measurements used to develop and evaluate NASA’s multi-mission ocean color satellite data products.  The missions supported include NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission (https://pace.gsfc.nasa.gov/). PACE is a NASA Earth-observing satellite mission designed to advance global remote sensing of ocean biology and biogeochemistry (ocean color), as well as aerosol and cloud optical properties.  This is an onsite position located at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD. The selected candidate will work with a team of accomplished scientists and software developers.

The Biogeochemistry Research Assistant supports the Ocean Ecology Laboratory/NASA in the collection, laboratory analysis, processing, evaluation, and quality control of biogeochemical and inherent optical properties field measurements.

For more detailed information about the position and the qualifications required, please refer to the following job posting:

Ocean Biogeochemistry Research Assistant

Ocean Colour Remote Sensing – Data, Processing and Analysis [blended course]

Date: 27 November – 08 December 2023

Course description:

Ocean colour analysis is a proven tool for determining the health of ocean using oceanic biological activity through optical means. Phytoplankton pigment, chlorophyll, are indicators of equilibrium of CO2 concentration between atmosphere and ocean. The oceanic colour changes due to chlorophyll a provides the level of primary productivity whereas the colour change due to CDOM can be attributed to the level of pollution and higher particulate matter. The ability of optical sensors to map the spatial and temporal patterns of ocean colour over regional and global scales has provided important insights into the fundamental bio-optical properties and bio-physical processes occurring in the aquatic media. Chlorophyll, SST and PAR can be operationally scaled up to estimate primary production and estimate the fish stocks. This training focuses on the basics of marine optics, ocean colour remote sensing, and its applications such as mapping primary productivity, phytoplankton classes and algal blooms. 

Application process:

You can apply until 20  september 2023  

https://oceanexpert.org/event/3969

For any questions please contact the OTGA Secretariat (ioc.training@unesco.org) always using the name of the course as email subject.

IOC/OTGA/NMDIS/NCOSM: Marine Information Technologies Training

Course Description

Introduce the cutting-edge ocean data management strategies, methods and tools at global and regional levels, share experience in ocean data and information technology development and application in China, inspire discussion on the role of information technologies in realizing the sustainable development goals for the ocean.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this training, learners will be able to: 

  • Knowledge of the status and trends of international ocean data management.
  • Better understanding of the status and importance of ocean data in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
  • Improved skills of integrated ocean data management and ocean information R&D.

Course Content

Ocean data management within the IODE framework, application of marine data in the era of big data and China practice, marine spatial planning, monsoon and its social and ecological impacts, marine dual evaluation key technology and practice, calibration of wave buoys in a lab and the practices on their in-situ comparison/test, how to measure the contribution and function of the ocean economy, etc.

Instructors

Target Audience

  • Research personnel: those who are engaging in ocean science and ocean management research in universities or research institutes for more than 2 years, and have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
  • Government employee: those who are engaging in ocean science research and/or ocean management for the government for more than 2 years, and have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Language of instruction: English

Learner Assessment

Learners will be assessed through a final course report based on the training content.

Certificate

A certificate will be issued to those who finish all modules of the training and submit their final course report.

Technology requirements/computer skills

Access to stable internet, a laptop or desktop available, basic computer skills, speakers and microphone for Q&A and open discussion.

Application Period:

20 February-31 March 2023

Notes

Course Duration and Format

The course will take place online between 15th and 30th of May 2023, with an estimated duration/workload of 28 hours. 

Synchronous sessions

The synchronous sessions are tentatively planned as follows:

– Monday, 15 May 2023

– Wednesday, 17 May 2023

– Friday, 19 May 2023

– Monday, 22 May 2023

– Wednesday, 24 May 2023

– Friday, 26 May 2023

The live sessions will be for 3 hours. Recordings of the live sessions will also be provided to participants who might experience internet challenges or might not make to join the live sessions.

Application Process

Please complete the oline application form available on this LINK.

The deadline to submit the aaplication is 31 March 2023  (23:59 CET: Central European Time). There are no tuition fees.

UNESCO is committed to promote equal access principles. Applications from minority or underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged.

Selection process/criteria (25 seats available):

  • Early career professionals of ocean science and ocean management from the WESTPAC region
  • at least a bachelor’s degree
  • a good command of English

Contacts

In case of questions please contact the Course Coordinator and the OTGA Secretariat always using the name of the course as email subject.

Cancellation policy:

In the event of cancellation of the course by the OTGA or its affiliates, we will provide notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date. In the event of cancellation by the attendee, we should receive notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date.

Summer Satellite Remote Sensing Training Course


June 5 – June 16, 2023, Cornell University, Ithaca New York
After a 3-year hiatus due to the covid pandemic, the Cornell University Summer Satellite Remote Sensing Training Program is being offered once again.  This program is intended for marine scientists who have modest or no prior experience with satellite remote sensing techniques. The program is highly methods-oriented and intended to give participants the practical skills needed to work independently to acquire, analyze and visualize large data sets derived from a wide range of ocean satellite sensors.  

Strong emphasis is given to ocean color remote sensing and the use of NASA’s SeaDAS software to derive mapped imagery of geophysical parameters (e.g., chlorophyll or CDOM) derived from the Earth science data available through NASA’s Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center (OB.DAAC).  Pre-written python scripts will be used in conjunction with SeaDAS to batch process large quantities of ocean color data from Level-1 to Level-3. 

Developing good Python programming skills needed for data analysis and visualization is a central component of this course.  The course also addresses the acquisition and use of Level-3 satellite data products for sea surface temperature, ocean wind speed and sea surface height.  

NOTE:  The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Program (OCB) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has offered to provide financial support for up to five highly qualified participants to this training program. Applying for OCB support is done independent of the satellite program enrollment process. See the OCB link below for details.

For more information about the training program content and enrollment process:
Visit:      http://oceanography.eas.cornell.edu/satellite
Email:   Bruce Monger (bcm3@cornell.edu)

For information about OCB financial support:
Visit:,  OCB Tuition Support
Email: Heather Benway (hbenway@whoi.edu)

NASA Webinar “Big Things Come in Very Small Packages: SeaHawk – A New Way of Looking at the Ocean”

NASA Earthdata webinar of 2022, “Big Things Come in Very Small Packages: SeaHawk – A New Way of Looking at the Ocean” to be held on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at 2:00 PM ET (UTC/GMT-5). 

Webinar POC: Jennifer Brennan, Host, NASA EOSDIS Communications Lead, Jennifer.L.Brennan@nasa.gov       

Brief Description:  During this webinar we will provide an introduction to the SeaHawk/HawkEye CubeSat ocean color mission, show you how to discover, access, and work with SeaHawk data, and walk through the process of requesting image scheduling for regions of interest. 

Detailed Description: The goal of the SeaHawk mission was to prove a concept—that it is possible to collect scientifically credible ocean color data comparable to that of previous ocean color satellite missions from a 3U (or unit) CubeSat, a small, cube-shaped satellite (also known as a nanosatellite) measuring just 10-centimeters x 10-centimeters x 30-centimeters — and the successful receipt of the first image proved it was. Most current ocean observing satellites cost hundreds of millions of dollars and have a spatial resolution of approximately 1-kilometer. The SeaHawk CubeSat mission cost less than one million dollars and has a 120-meter spatial resolution, revealing details in the patterns of ocean biological processes that cannot be seen by the larger ocean color satellite missions. 

The SeaHawk mission is a unique public, private and federal partnership between the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Cloudland Instruments, AAC Clyde Space, and Spaceflight Inc. Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and NASA/Goddard’s Ocean Color Group Under a Space Act Agreement between UNCW and NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. This webinar will provide an introduction to the SeaHawk mission, show you how to discover, access, and work with SeaHawk ocean color data, and walk participants through the process of requesting image scheduling for regions of interest.

For more information or to register:  https://go.nasa.gov/3I4qud9 

Speaker:  Sean Bailey, Manager, NASA Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center (OB.DAAC) 

Sean Bailey received a Bachelor of Science degree in marine science and biology (dual major) from the University of Miami in 1992 and a Master of Science degree (biological oceanography) from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1997. He joined NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in 1997 as a contractor working for what is now the Ocean Biology Processing Group. His research interests are focused on bio-optical remote sensing of the oceans, specifically with the on-orbit calibration of satellite-based sensors and the validation of their data products. In 2015, he became a civil servant with NASA and currently serves as the manager for the OB.DAAC. 

New ORISE Masters or post-doc opportunity

Research ProjectThe focus of this research training opportunity is remote sensing, specifically:

  1. development and application of mixture density networks (MDN), neural network approaches to predict/map chlorophyll concentrations; and
  2. development of predictive models for cyanobacterial blooms, both within estuaries and freshwater tidal rivers of the United States, using remote sensing images (e.g., Sentinel 2) as inputs. 

The tools to be used include an extensive EPA database of paired chlorophyll/remote sensing reflectances with ancillary explanatory variables, USGS Earth Explorer, Google Earth Engine, toolboxes for atmospheric correction (e.g., ACCOLITE, POLYMER, SIAC), R and Python programming languages, an existing MDN Python toolbox for neural network analysis, and supercomputer access if needed. 

The project integrates remote sensing, programming, and applied statistics.  

The  research participant may be involved in the following research activities:

  1. developing and applying approaches for bulk download of remote sensing images
  2. application of toolboxes for atmospheric corrections
  3. application of MDN methods for chlorophyll prediction, and
  4. development of logistic models to predict cyanobacteria metrics.

Learning ObjectivesThe research participant may learn about atmospheric corrections for Sentinel 2 data, managing and analyzing large imagery datasets within Google Earth Engine, machine learning approaches for predicting chlorophyll a, and development of predictive logistic models for cyanobacteria.  The research participant may author or co-author on peer-reviewed publications, and may present at local and national meetings (possibly virtually). The participant will be a member of a multi-disciplinary research team.

https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/EPA-ORD-CEMM-ACESD-2021-04

9th-Asian Workshop on Ocean Color

9th-Asian Workshop on Ocean Color
18th-Japan/Korea Workshop on Ocean Color

This year, 18th-JKWOC/9th-AWOC will be held in an online format again due to the continuation of this pandemic situation, which is organized by Prof. Wonkook Kim and Prof. Young-Heon Jo in Pusan National University, Korea. This workshop is drawing a growing number of participants every year from more than 10 countries worldwide. This year’s workshop will host training sessions before the main technical program, and will also feature a special session dedicated to the space agencies of Asian countries as well as many presentations for the recent research activities of diverse groups.

[Recent Updates]

[Update 1]

A concise web page for JKWOC/AWOC is now available at

JKWOC/AWOC (google.com)

[Update 2]

Thankfully, two ocean color researchers, Prof. Zhongping Lee and Dr. Elígio Maúre agreed to offer us very educating lecturers for ocean color researchers. Please do not miss this great opportunity! A link to the application will be sent out soon as soon as the details are finalized. Stay tuned!

– Tutorial#1 : IOPs-centered system for ocean color remote sensing and applications (by Prof. Zhongping Lee)

– Tutorial#2 : Google Earth Engine for ocean color (by Dr. Elígio Maúre)

[Update 3]

In the main workshop (21-22, Dec.), there will be a special session from several space agencies in Asia, which include Japan(JAXA), Korea, China(SIO), and Vietnam(VAST). More countries are now being contacted. Check out their recent news on space missions and ocean color research based on diverse remote sensing platforms.

[Update 4]

Registration due date was extended to 15th November, which is also the due date for 1-page abstract. Please register JKWOC/AWOC 2022 through the following links. Early submission of the abstracts is also welcomed.

REGISTRATION

EPA Fellowship in Remote Sensing for Water Quality Modeling

Title: EPA Fellowship in Remote Sensing for Water Quality Modeling
Reference Code: EPA-ORD-CEMM-WECD-2021-11
The opportunity details can be found: https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/EPA-ORD-CEMM-WECD-2021-11

EPA has new positions to build forecast models using satellite data for cyanobacteria and coastal seagrass work. Please help us spread the word to potential candidates. Briefly, the position is for someone with a recent Master’s degree, or close to finishing their degree, and starts Winter 2022. More details are below. Please contact me if you have any questions.

IOC/OTGA/INCOIS Course: Discovery and Use of Operational Ocean Data Products and Services

We are pleased to inform that the call for applications for the course IOC/OTGA/INCOIS: Discovery and Use of Operational Ocean Data Products and Services to take place online between 25 October and 5 November 2021 Is now open. The deadline for applications is 30 September 2021.

Summary

This course will demonstrate the data resources available from operational services of INCOIS. The focus will be on operational activities, various data and data products, outputs from INCOIS services, how to download them and use software to visualize. It will be a mix of practical and theoretical.

The course is aimed to provide an introduction to operational oceanography, discovery and use of operational ocean data products and services, hands on for visualizing the in situ, remote sensing and model derived data products. 

Learning Outcomes 

After the course participants will have the knowledge, skills and experience to be able to gain:

  1. Knowledge and understanding of operational oceanography.
  2. Tasks involved in Operational Analysis and Forecast methods.
  3. Oceanographic Data sources, Quality Control/Quality Assurance, monitoring systems and methods.
  4. Tools for visualizing the operational ocean data products
  5. Recognize the importance of good research data.
  6. Access to operational data and products for Indian Ocean.
  7. Gain awareness of main Indian Ocean operational research data and products.

Target Audience 

Target audiences include, but not limited to the following:

  1. Ocean and coastal data managers.
  2. Researchers intending to use operational data products for scientific analysis.
  3. Research scholars at various universities.

Course Pre-requisites 

Applicants are expected to: 

  1. Have a fundamental knowledge of oceanography and meteorology.
  2. Knowledge of data formats of the oceanographic data sets.
  3. Preferably working in institutions responsible for the management of oceanographic and/or atmospheric data.
  4. Good working knowledge of English.

Language of Instruction

English 

Costs: No tuition fee.

For more detailed information please check the event details on the IOC calendar on: https://oceanexpert.org/event/3198

Contacts:

In case of need for further clarifications please use the contact(s) above, always using as email subject the name of the course.

Links:

Civil servant position at The Ocean Ecology Laboratory

Open position:

The Ocean Ecology Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is looking to hire an Ocean Biogeochemical Modeler.  This is a full-time civil servant position at the GS-14 level, and it is open to all USA citizens. 

Background:

The Ocean Ecology Laboratory is responsible for the collection, processing, calibration, validation, archive, and distribution of ocean-related products from many operational, satellite-based remote-sensing missions providing ocean color, sea surface temperature, and sea surface salinity data to the international research community since 1996. The Ocean Ecology Laboratory also conducts research in ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry, atmospheric composition, and laboratory protocols using a combination of laboratory and field experiments, remote sensing measurements, and modeling.  The Ocean Ecology Laboratory is located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.  More information about our lab can be found at:

https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/earth/oceanecology/

https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Duties:

The selected candidate will lead efforts in the assimilation of ocean color remote sensing data into global and regional biogeochemical models. This effort has two goals: 1) Develop a better understanding of regional and global biogeochemical processes, 2) evaluate how satellite ocean color products can be improved or modified to increase usefulness for global and regional modeling.

Specific duties include:

  • Lead the development and application of global and regional biogeochemical modeling for Earth System Science research.
  • Lead the assimilation of satellite remote sensing data into biogeochemical models.
  • Publication of research papers in peer-reviewed journals

·      Support the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Mission’s Project Scientist in the evaluation of ocean and atmosphere retrieval algorithms developed within the competed PACE Science and Applications Team (SAT).

·      Lead and participate in research proposals in the fields of ocean and atmospheric remote sensing, ocean biology and biogeochemistry, atmospheric composition and modeling.  The successful candidate is expected to maintain a portfolio of funded research. 

·      Lead and participate in the publication of research manuscripts.  The successful candidate is expected to publish 1-2 papers per year. 

·      Contribute to the development of future airborne and spaceborne instrumentation and missions, in-situ instrumentation, and field campaigns pursued within The Ocean Ecology Laboratory, including requirements analyses and proposal development.

·      Other duties as required by the civil service

Education:

Ph.D or equivalent experience in Engineering or Physical Sciences.

Experience:

Demonstrable experience in:

  1. Global and regional biogeochemical modeling
  2. Assimilation of satellite remote sensing data into biogeochemical models
  3. Sensitivity analyses
  4. Publication of research papers in peer-reviewed journals
  5. Preparation of successful research proposals

Applications for this position will have to be submitted via USA Jobs https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/607108500 . The position will be open for applications from July 22 through July 26.  Those who might be interested in applying are encouraged to become familiar with USA Jobs.