[Contributor] Meet Jennifer Patterson, CeNCOOS

Jennifer Patterson is the Information Manager for the Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS).  She serves on the WCODP Action Coordination Team and Data Working Group contributing insights into the relevancy and integration of IOOS oceanographic data.  Time varying ocean data sets such as pH, oxygen, temperature, and currents have been identified as priority data sets for the WCGA WCODP. These data are largely collected and served by regional ocean observing systems, such as CeNCOOS, and Jennifer and her west coast counterparts at NaNOOS and SCCOOS are serving as liaisons for the successful integration of these complex data sets into the WCODP. 

As part of these integration efforts, together with the WCGA, the West Coast Ocean Observing Systems have sponsored a Sea Grant Fellow to focus on bridging the gap between real-time ocean observations and the needs of WCGA stakeholders, specifically in the areas of marine debris and ocean acidification.  The fellow, Laura Lilly, is synthesizing ocean observing data into products geared towards the needs of resource managers and decision-makers. These products include portal layers and plots of monthly- and seasonally-averaged ocean surface currents and winds, as well as connections to existing ocean acidification-specific plots of pH and aragonite saturation.