The importance of the Gulf of Mexico to the US economy is significant. The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science has invested over $66M in public funds for research into harmful algal blooms, nutrient over-enrichment contributions to hypoxia, ecological effects of sea level rise (EESLR), and coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico since 1990.
With NCCOS’s parent organization–the National Ocean Service–leading the Deepwater Horizon oil spill restoration, damage assessment and dead zone research, Assistant Administrator David Kennedy and NCCOS hypoxia research coordinator Alan Lewitus were invited to highlight NOS’s commitment to the Gulf in keynote addresses at the 7th annual meeting of The Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA). Additionally, NCCOS EESLR program manager David Kidwell discussed the newly formed Gulf Sentinel Site Cooperative and provided an update on NOAA-funded EESLR research. The meeting took place June 19-21, 2012 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
GOMA is the leading environmental management organization in the Gulf of Mexico. GOMA partners with Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to enhance regional collaboration on ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. NOS research programs in the Gulf of Mexico support collaboration efforts of the GOMA as well as management actions of the federal/state interagency Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force.