USGS projects and resources for Puerto Rico were shared at the CariCOOS General Assembly
The Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CariCOOS) hosted the assembly May 26, 2023, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and featured a presentation about USGS coastal hazards research, shoreline change geonarrative, natural hazards web pages, and other research related to the island.
The CariCOOS General Assembly is an annual event used to share progress achieved during the last year in promoting the safety of coastal communities and marine operations, enhancing the economy, protecting our environment and resources, and supporting coastal resource management through its observational and modeling capabilities with stakeholders. This year, the assembly had a special focus on coastal hazards in the U.S. Caribbean. Priscila Vargas-Babilonia attended the meeting to interact with stakeholders and promote USGS work in Puerto Rico. She stated,
“The presentation was very well received! People were enthusiastic to learn about the Natural Hazards web pages. I saw them using the QR codes to explore our tools and many were impressed by the amount of research that USGS is conducting on the island. Also, some of the organizers expressed their interest to collaborate on future projects."
Dr. Legna Torres-García was invited to provide a timed, digital presentation to showcase USGS resources, research, and tools available to help stakeholders address coastal hazards challenges. The presentation included an overview of the real-time data being collected by USGS to develop and test forecasts of total water level and coastal change. Another feature was the bilingual geonarratives developed by Legna’s team to visualize shoreline change around the island. The presentation also included the web page collection on Puerto Rico Natural Hazards—a one-stop-shop for all natural hazards resources that can help the island better understand and prepare for various types of disasters.
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