The University of Florida (UF) is the state’s oldest and most comprehensive university, UF is among the nation’s most academically diverse public universities. Elements expected to contribute most immediately to CIMAS include the Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering Program, the Wind Hazard Research Group, the Fishery and Aquatic Science Program and the Florida Sea Grant Program.
The Florida Coastal Monitoring Program (FCMP), consists of two separate hurricane data collection systems. Portable wind observation platforms (FCMP towers) monitor the wind fields and provide a direct measurement of the intensity of the wind near ground level. The data are transmitted to NOAA scientists (at both HRD and NHC) in real-time during landfall. The FCMP towers provide the link between the official intensity forecasts of offshore winds and actual winds experienced by structures on land. The FCMP has measured wind data in over 20 tropical cyclones since 1999, including every U.S. land-falling hurricane in 2004 and 2005. The FCMP has also begun deploying a precipitation imaging probe (PIP) to characterize wind-driven rain in extreme winds.
Florida Sea Grant’s state-wide extension network represents a unique capability in the region. It is comprised of extension, outreach and education (EOE) professionals working with their local communities to address issues of national significance. The strategic plan of FSG is aligned with the priorities of the National Sea Grant College Program and the NOAA Strategic Plan. With its on-the-ground expertise and recognized capability as an honest broker of coastal and marine science-based solutions, FSG is poised to conduct EOE in support of core elements of CIMAS including: (a) climate change outreach and education, in particular EOE directed at local and regional adaptation strategies for sea level rise; (b) marine spatial planning; (c) sustainable fisheries; and (d) ecosystem-based coastal and marine resource management.
