Senators Lautenberg, Menendez Announce $1.7 Million For Mid-Atlantic Ocean Observing System

Grant Will Help Rutgers Conduct research to Improve Maritime Safety, Ecological Decision-Making in the Region

May 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced that the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will award $1.7 million in federal funds to Rutgers University for Mid-Atlantic coastal ocean observation.

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Senator Frank Lautenberg

“These funds help ensure that the ocean observing system at Rutgers will continue to provide environmental, educational and safety benefits to our coastal communities,” said Sen. Lautenberg. “We need to do all we can to keep New Jersey at the forefront of ocean and coastal research and this grant goes a long way in that effort.”

“This funding will help Rutgers continue to better understand New Jersey’s historic coastal area, an invaluable treasure we must protect,” said Sen. Menendez. “This observation system will help our emergency management services anticipate coastal floods and react to hazardous spills in the water and help improve our response to important ecological decisions in our State.”

This grant helps Rutgers operate the Mid-Atlantic Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARCOOS). The two primary areas in which this grant will help are:

• Maritime safety: by providing surface current maps to improve Search and Rescue, hazardous material spill response and rip current forecasting; and

• Ecological decision support: by providing 3-D temperature and circulation data and forecasts for recreational, commercial and fishery management communities, as well as two separate studies on coastal inundation and water quality.

MARCOOS is a joint effort of 20 academic, governmental and private institutions to generate quality controlled and sustained ocean observation and forecast information for the Mid-Atlantic region.

Source: Senator Frank R. Lautenberg