Oregon Section Event: CHALLENGING THE LOOP – Town Hall Meeting (OSM 2018)

Location: OREGON BALLROOM 201 | Portland Convention Center
Date: February 14, 2018
Time: 18:00 – 20:00

Loop Current System (LCS) dynamics are fundamental to the Gulf of Mexico’s complex oceanographic processes: deep Gulf physics, eddy migration, hurricane interactions, and Gulf ecosystem connectivity. Targeted observations, time-series monitoring, new technologies, & improved hydrodynamic models, could improve knowledge of the LCS and Gulf of Mexico oceanographic processes.

The Town Hall will kick off with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program unveiling their recommendations and next steps towards improving characterization of the LCS.

Following the presentation will be an expert panel discussion on why the Loop Current and associated eddies continue to challenge monitoring and modeling efforts. Refreshments will be provided.

KEY NOTE SPEAKER
Kelly Oskvig, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

EXPERT PANEL DISCUSSION

• Rick Spinrad, Former NOAA Chief Scientist
• Steve DiMarco, Texas A&M University
• Pat Hogan, Naval Research Lab
• Barb Kirkpatrick, Gulf of Mexico Coast Ocean Observation System (GCOOS)
• Neha Sharma, Woods Hole Group, Inc.
• Fritz Stahr, University of Washington

CHALLENGING THE LOOP
From LCE Impacts to Future Research in GoM Understanding & Predicting the GoM Loop Current: Critical Gaps & Recommendations