On May 2, 2013, NOAA's North Atlantic Regional Collaboration Team convened a workshop at the Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region in Woods Hole, MA to explore regional capabilities and needs for ecological forecasting. Long-term science support from NOS's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science has led to a Harmful Algal Bloom forecast currently being transitioned to operations by NOS's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services.

Participants from discussed important ecosystem components for developing other ecological forecasts, especially those that can be used for predicting species distributions and population dynamics of living marine resources. Follow-up activities include the formation of a working group to identify priorities for regional forecasts.

The participants encouraged pilot projects that can link existing NOAA operational forecasts from the NWS and NOS (such as temperature, salinity and currents) to ecological models currently in use at the NOAA/NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

For more information, contact Elizabeth.Turner@noaa.gov.