Although only February, 2026 has already been busy here at IOOS!
On January 26, we welcomed IOOS Deputy Director Krisa Arzayus into the acting Director role upon the retirement of former acting Director Jeffrey Payne. Krisa came to IOOS eight years ago from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information — a key IOOS partner at NOAA — and has worked tirelessly since to champion IOOS and continue advancing and maturing our system. We are fortunate to have the benefit of her experience and strong IOOS vision to guide us into the future.
From January 20 – 21, we were happy to host a meeting of the IOOS Advisory Committee. This meeting was the first in-person meeting of the Committee since new members joined in September 2024. The two-day meeting consisted of updates from IOOS and NOAA staff and working sessions to refine the Committee’s recommendations for NOAA, which focus on AI and observations to feed into models. We were also fortunate to be joined by new NOAA Administrator Dr. Neil Jacobs, who spoke about his priorities for NOAA and where IOOS can intersect and engage with them. Keep an eye on the Committee’s website for a detailed agenda, meeting materials, and presentations as they become available!