About Us
For close to a decade, NOAA and NGI have collaborated to advance research and management of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. This collaboration occurs through the NOAA funded Cooperative Institute for Gulf Hypoxia, established to provide information to advance management actions to mitigate hypoxia by the Gulf hypoxia task force (HTF), the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, and other Gulf ecosystem restoration efforts. Based largely on stakeholder and management needs, documented through regional stakeholder workshops, the Cooperative Institute for Gulf Hypoxia recently broadened engagement with NOAA in the following three focal areas:
Activity Focal Area 1: Technical Assistance. NGI provides technical assistance to scientific and research efforts supported by
NOAA related to hypoxia forecasting, modeling and assessments, social and economic impacts, and impacts on marine resources.
The assistance augments NOAA’s efforts to provide the HTF and other management agencies with hypoxia focused research and
synthesis products to inform ongoing and proposed actions and targets necessary to mitigate the size and impact of the annual
dead zone. Assistance is also provided in the preparation and coordination of materials to be presented at HTF meetings.
Activity Focal Area 2: Observations and Monitoring. NGI provides support for observations and monitoring in hypoxic regions of the Gulf of Mexico to advance NOAA’s mission, goals and commitments to the HTF. The primary focus of this activity area is to conduct the annual summer hypoxia monitoring cruise which is the sole metric used by the HTF to gauge progress of watershed nutrient reduction efforts. Cruises may also be supported to respond to unusual events, collect data to understand hypoxia dynamics, to increase the accuracy and allow better validation of hypoxia models, and to support understanding of environmental issues that interact with hypoxia.
Activity Focal Area 3: Coordination. NGI supports NOAA efforts to enhance and coordinate hypoxia related efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. Activities involve overseeing and managing annual coordination workshops on specific topics of interest to NOAA, the HTF, and the scientific and management community. Coordination can also include non-workshop activities associated with the production of special journal editions, organizing special sessions at scientific meetings and coordination across the Cooperative Hypoxia Assessment and Monitoring Program (CHAMP) workgroups.
Activity Focal Area 2: Observations and Monitoring. NGI provides support for observations and monitoring in hypoxic regions of the Gulf of Mexico to advance NOAA’s mission, goals and commitments to the HTF. The primary focus of this activity area is to conduct the annual summer hypoxia monitoring cruise which is the sole metric used by the HTF to gauge progress of watershed nutrient reduction efforts. Cruises may also be supported to respond to unusual events, collect data to understand hypoxia dynamics, to increase the accuracy and allow better validation of hypoxia models, and to support understanding of environmental issues that interact with hypoxia.
Activity Focal Area 3: Coordination. NGI supports NOAA efforts to enhance and coordinate hypoxia related efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. Activities involve overseeing and managing annual coordination workshops on specific topics of interest to NOAA, the HTF, and the scientific and management community. Coordination can also include non-workshop activities associated with the production of special journal editions, organizing special sessions at scientific meetings and coordination across the Cooperative Hypoxia Assessment and Monitoring Program (CHAMP) workgroups.
Through the activities of the three focal areas, NGI assists NOAA to achieve the following objectives and goals:
- Advance the science underpinning management of the large annual hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico;
- Provide a forum for strengthening communication between physical, biological, and socioeconomic modelers of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia and the users and stakeholders;
- Validate and refine key fisheries management and habitat conservation needs associated with ecosystem effects of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico;
- Assess adaptive management needs for advancing ecosystem modeling of hypoxia on habitats and living resources in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
