On January 26-28, CPO’s Marine Ecosystem Risk Team (MERT) will hold a virtual workshop which will bring together stakeholders within the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), NOAA Research, NOAA Headquarters programs (National Ocean Service, NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Satellites, National Weather Service), and external partners to advance sanctuary climate information and science needs. This workshop is the culmination of a months -long process to identify the climate science and information needs of sanctuaries as well as the NOAA partners who have the capacity to meet those needs. The workshop is primarily organized around breakout groups where participants will discuss Sanctuary climate information and science needs, identified in five MERT-organized regional-focused Sanctuary discussions (held in September 2020), and identify partners and pathways that can meet those needs. In addition to the breakout sessions, the workshop will feature speakers from ONMS, CPO, AOML, PMEL, MBON, and PIFSC, including the directors of ONMS and CPO. There are currently 107 participants from across NOAA and external partners registered for all or part of the workshop.

This workshop is a key milestone towards a larger goal of the MERT initiative to identify and connect the climate science and information needs of the National Marine Sanctuary System with OAR climate science capacity and products, increase collaboration between ONMS and other NOAA programs, and develop partnerships between labs, programs, and individual sanctuaries to advance NOAA’s stewardship mission.