Knowledge and SKill guidelineS for Marine Science and Technology Volume 5 Operational Marine Forecasters Operational Marine Forecasters and the Importance of www.marinetech.org Marine Forecasting C o n t e n t s Operational marine forecast- ers produce forecasts of the marine environment that help Page 1 operational marine Forecasters people operate more effectively and the Importance of marine Fugro GEOS, Inc Forecasting and safely in and near the Page 2: Introduction to mATe’s ocean. These forecasts predict Knowledge and Skills Guidelines many aspects of the marine Page 3: Knowledge and Skills Guidelines environment, including winds for operational marine Forecasters and waves at the ocean surface, Introduction ocean temperature, currents, Occupational Definition tides, surf, sea ice, the propaga- Overview tion of sound through the Page 4: Personal Characteristics ocean, the locations of fish and Occupational Titles marine mammals, harmful algal Page 5: Customers blooms, coastal flooding, and Page 6: Educational Backgrounds the movement of oil spills. A marine forecaster at Fugro GEOS, Inc. prepares a forecast for a client conducting operations in the North Sea. Basic Courses Marine forecasters apply Page 7: Salary Ranges ocean and atmospheric science, Resources knowledge, and skills to pro- ocean forecasters recognized the ocean, winds cause waves, Conferences duce predictions about the state that they could use the lunar ocean circulations make good Professional Societies of the ocean and marine atmo- cycle to predict the time of the feeding grounds for fish, and Page 8: Future Developments sphere. Operational marine month at which the highest earthquakes generate tsunamis. Journals high tides and lowest low tides Data from observing systems Page 9: Job Functions and Tasks forecasters deliver forecasts and would occur. Others studied around the globe are used Page 10: General Knowledge and Skills recommendations about operat- Advanced Courses ing in the marine environment ships’ logs and learned to to produce comprehensive Page 11: Specific Types ofm arine on a real-time, continuous, predict where and when storms analyses of global, regional, Forecasting and/or on-demand basis. The at sea, big waves, and strong and local marine conditions, Page 12: Ocean Circulation Forecasting environment for which they are currents were most likely to be and to provide data that is Page 13: Seawater Properties Forecasting making their forecasts includes encountered. used by ocean forecast models. Page 15: Surface Wave Forecasting the open and coastal ocean, Today, marine forecasters These data are collected by Page 16: Coastal Sea level Forecasting bays, estuaries, large lakes, and rely on an ever increasing sensors mounted on a variety Page 18: Other Forecasting the interfaces of these water number of observations to of platforms, including ships, bodies with the land and the help them understand ocean buoys, satellites, drifters, ocean © MATE Center 2011 atmosphere. patterns and processes, and gliders and the sea floor. on models run on computers Many ocean forecast models Some of the earliest marine forecasts were of the tides, to predict how the ocean will are very similar to the models waves, and currents. These change over time and space. used in atmospheric forecast- early forecasts were based on The forecast models use equa- ing, and many ocean forecasts tions to describe our scientific look similar to weather fore- This project is supported in part careful observations and the by the recognition of the sequence understanding of ocean pro- casts. For example, forecasts National Oceanographic Partnership cesses — for example, the pro- of ocean temperatures and Program award number N00014-06-0833 of events by which the ocean and NOAA NOS & OAR contract number changes. For example, early cesses by which the sun warms (continued on page 18) DG133C-06-SE-5009 Introduction to MATE’s Knowledge and Skill Guidelines he process of developing a competent ocean workforce that their jobs well and they are different for each occupation. The Tis well prepared for employment requires collaborating with KSGs developed by the MATE Center include those for marine a wide range of people and organizations. One of the major tasks technicians, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technicians, hydro- of the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center graphic survey technicians, aquarists, aquaculture technicians, is to identify and define marine technical occupations and the oceanographic instrumentation technicians, and operational abilities that men and women need in order to perform well in marine forecasters. All the KSGs developed by the MATE Center these occupations. The major product that results from this work can be found at www.marinetech.org/marineworkforce, or is a set of occupational Knowledge and Skill Guidelines (KSGs) printed copies can be requested from the MATE Center. for technical marine occupations. These guidelines describe what workers need to know and be able to do in order to perform —Deidre Sullivan, MATE Center Director About the MATE Center The Importance of Marine Technology The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center is a The ocean economy is large and diverse, accounting for twenty national partnership of organizations working to improve marine percent of the U.S. economy and supporting one in six jobs in technical education and in this way help to prepare America’s the country. Marine technology plays a vital role in supporting future workforce for ocean-related occupations. Headquartered at the ocean economy, including national security, transportation, Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) in Monterey, California, the energy, telecommunications, recreation and tourism, fisheries and MATE Center has been funded as a National Science Foundation aquaculture, search and recovery, environmental management, and (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center of research. These economic sectors are diverse, but the technol- Excellence since 1997. The MATE Center works with community ogy supporting them has many similarities, including the use of: colleges, high schools, universities, research institutions, profes- electronics for power, controls, and miniaturization in a remote, sional societies, working professionals, and employers to facilitate harsh environment; in situ and remote data collection systems to the development of courses and programs based on occupational monitor the environment; advanced computing systems for ana- knowledge and skill guidelines. In this way, the Center is work- lyzing and displaying data; and modeling and forecasting systems ing to create a flexible education system that meets the needs of to simulate and predict environmental conditions. The need for students, working professionals, employers, and educators, and that highly qualified professionals with advanced technical knowledge promotes direct interactions between these groups. The Center and skills to design, build, operate, and maintain marine technical is also working to increase the awareness of ocean-related careers systems has never been greater. A concerted effort is required to and to provide students, educators, workers, and employers with ensure that the U.S. workforce is prepared for an economy that up-to-date information to assist them in making informed choices is increasingly dependent on ocean activities and the technologies concerning their education and future directions. that make these activities feasible. MATE Strategy for Improving the Marine Technical Workforce PRODUCTS DESCRIPTION Needs identification List of critical workforce needs from employer surveys Occupational definitions Employer recognized occupational categories Occupational knowledge and skill guidelines Employee identified knowledge and skills for specific occupations Competencies Knowledge and skills grouped by subject area Instructional materials and services Competency-based assessments, modules, courses, faculty development workshops, competitions, and internships Educational programs Degree and certificate programs aligned with workforce needs Career management programs Job placement programs, professional development courses 2 Knowledge and Skill Guidelines for Operational Marine Forecasters Introduction Workshop Participants: On 17-18 September 2009, the Marine Advanced Technology Workshop Organizers: Tom Murphree, Education (MATE) Center hosted Leslie Rosenfeld, Deidre Sullivan, a workshop to define the occupa- and Shawn R. Smith tional parameters associated with Workshop Facilitator: the operational marine forecaster Service. U.S. National Weather Tom Murphree (OMF) occupation. The workshop Workshop Recorder: panel (on right) combined their Jill Zande individual expertise with results from a pre-workshop survey of Panel Members: 131 operational forecasters (and Forecaster Christine Riley prepares a forecast of marine conditions off the coast of California at Steve Anderson their supervisors) to develop an Arete Associates, Inc. occupational definition and to the National Weather Service Forecast Office in outline the job functions and tasks Monterey, California. Warren Blier for OMFs. They also outlined the National Weather Service/Monterey typical customers for operational marine forecasts. The workshop panel characterized Forecast Office the occupation by identifying the most common job titles, salary ranges, educational Dominic DiMaggio backgrounds, basic and advanced coursework, personal characteristics, and general Naval