NJ Senators Announce $1.7 Million For Ocean Monitoring System
Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
recently announced that the National Oceanic & Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) has allocated $1.7 million dollars in U.S
Department of Commerce funding to Rutgers University to deploy and
operate the Mid-Atlantic Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System
(MARCOOS).
“This system will greatly improve our ability to observe and predict
ocean conditions,” said Sen. Lautenberg. “Access to improved maps will
help make our shores and oceans safer and will protect our environment
by improving hazardous material spill response, fishery management and
water quality.”
"The New Jersey shore and its coastal waters are an invaluable
treasure that we must better understand and protect. This observatory
system will do both, as it helps our emergency management services
anticipate coastal floods and enables environmentalists, our fishing
community, and scientists to better protect estuaries and manage fish
populations," said Sen. Menendez.
The MARCOOS was formed out of the Middle Atlantic Coastal Ocean
Observing Regional Association (MACOORA) to produce sustained ocean
observation and forecast products. The goal of the project is to
provide information that fulfills user needs in support of maritime
safety and ecological decision making. This new information will make
rip currents at beaches more predictable, the clean up of toxic spills
more efficient and the maintenance of fisheries more sustainable.