Category: Education

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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.

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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.

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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)

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New ORISE Masters or post-doc opportunity

Research Project: The 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 Objectives: The 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

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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.

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NASA: Ocean Green, Blooming Ocean

EO Kids

These tiny organisms do big things for our #LivingPlanet. Learn more about our Ocean Green with #EOkids. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/eokids

EO Kids, a publication from the Earth Observatory, highlights science stories for a younger audience. In our new edition, we explore the swirling seas of phytoplankton blooms and invite kids to create their own NASA science visualization by making a flipbook. Read about how these tiny organisms are making a big impact on our living Earth. Flip through the pages and see the ocean change color as phytoplankton blooms and the land changes between brown and green as the seasons change. Watch as the Earth comes alive with the flip of a page.

Download the PDF at the following link

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/eokids/pdf/EOKids_BloomingOceans508.pdf