CCPO and ICAR
Fall 2026 Virtual Seminar Series
MONDAY, 14 September 2026
3:30 p.m.
The first CCPO and Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (ICAR) seminar for the 2026 Fall semester will be given by from the NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting Branch, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (flyer attached). Ms. Tomlinson has been working to develop monitoring system that can provide information for forecasts of harmful algal blooms in Chesapeake Bay. She is a participant in the Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB) project that is being led by ODU Professor Margie Mulholland. Chesapeake Bay is one of several NOAA NCCOS Harmful Algal Bloom .
Professor Eileen Hofmann will host Shelly Tomlinson’s virtual seminar. There will be an informal discussion with Shelly Tomlinson prior to the seminar starting at 3pm.
Please join via the seminar Zoom link above to talk with Shelly Tomlinson and attend the seminar.
Title: The Co-Development of a Hab Monitoring and Forecasting System in Chesapeake Bay
Abstract
High frequency monitoring of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) through satellite remote sensing has been beneficial in protecting public and environmental health globally. HAB forecasts, which utilize ocean color remote sensing to initialize bio-physical models, have been transitioned to operations in many locations around the coastal US. These forecasts rely on state and volunteer monitoring programs to quantify phytoplankton abundance and verify species identification. Neither remote sensing nor in situ monitoring alone can give a comprehensive picture of bloom geographic distribution and phytoplankton composition, both of which are critical to assess HAB risk and guide management decisions. This seminar will discuss the co-development of a monitoring and forecasting surveillance system for HABs in Chesapeake Bay, through remote and in situ observations, and forecast models.
Biography
Shelly Tomlinson has been a member of the Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting Branch at the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, NOAA since 2002. As a research oceanographer at the branch and the East Coast Node manager for NOAA’s CoastWatch program, Shelly has been responsible for developing satellite remote sensing products and tools for algal bloom monitoring, the development and successful transfer of operational forecasts for HABs in several regions across the U.S., and the development of tools and training activities associated with CoastWatch. Shelly is a steering committee member of the Harmful Algal Bloom Observing Network Community of Practice and a member of the International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae. Shelly received her B.S. in Marine Science Biology from Southampton College of Long Island 91Ƶ (1995) and a M.S. in Oceanography from Old Dominion 91Ƶ (1998).
Previous seminars are available on CCPO/ICAR Seminar