November 14th, 2019
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) has partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) and the MARCO Portal Team to produce a group of maps displaying average monthly sea surface temperatures based on 15 years of recent data.
When viewing the portal maps, darker blues indicate cooler temperatures whereas oranges and reds indicate warmer temperatures. On the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal, the MARACOOS Sea Surface Temperatures Monthly Slider layer can be used to automatically animate or manually toggle between the monthly maps. Once this layer is selected, press on the Active tab in Marine Planner and either press the green play button to start the animation or move the slider bar between each month.
The Sea Surface Temperatures Monthly Slider is the first in a group of maps to be released on the MARCO Portal this year that uses real-time observational data from MARACOOS. The maps will show the physical characteristics of the ocean and be scaled to support long-range regional ocean planning. Some upcoming projects are a group of maps that will show ocean currents along the Mid-Atlantic coast. For access to additional oceanographic observations and predictions, visit the MARACOOS OceansMap.
MARACOOS and MARCO partners included the Rutgers Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis, the Rutgers Center for Ocean Observing Leadership, the Rutgers Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, and the University of Delaware’s Ocean Exploration, Remote Sensing, Biogeography Lab.
Story By: Cara Lamberty