Science Support for STAR Ocean Remote Sensing Activities

(NOAA Collaborators:Paul DiGiacomo)

For this task, Dr. Emily Smail will serve as the Executive Director of the GEO Blue Planet Initiative which is supported by the Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division at NOAA STAR. Primary goals and work for this period include managing Secretariat staff located at SOCD and Mercator Ocean International, supporting working group activities, pursuing funding in support of GEO Blue Planet activities, conducting international user engagement activities and providing user feedback to SOCD science teams about products. Under this task, Dr. Smail will also chair the outreach and user engagement working group of the GEO AquaWatch Initiative (also supported by SOCD) and will work with the NOAA CoastWatch Program to advance the utility of user-driven applications of ocean remote sensing data and products.