A New NOAA Research Initiative to Advance the Seasonal Prediction of Living Marine Resources and Coastal High Water Levels

Seasonal variations in regional ocean conditions may impact coastal flooding frequency and the distribution and abundance of fish stocks and other living marine resources. Recent research indicates that some of these variations are driven by potentially predictable ocean dynamics or climate modes of variability. To leverage these emerging findings, the Climate Program Office’s Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections Program, in partnership with the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Science and Technology, has funded a set of three-year projects to help develop NOAA’s capability to produce skillful seasonal (i.e, 2-9 month) predictions of changing living marine resources and coastal high water levels. This presentation will describe the goals, scope and activities of this research initiative and its coordination via a new MAPP Ocean Prediction Task Force.