The central Gulf of Mexico Ocean Observing System: Development, resiliency and lessons learned

In 2004, the University of Southern Mississippi established a coastal ocean observing system in the north-central Gulf of Mexico, where there had been a gap in real-time oceanographic observations on the continental shelf, to be a local component of the Integrated Ocean Observing System. The development of the Central Gulf of Mexico Ocean Observing System is described. This development was heavily influenced by the tropical storms and hurricanes that have affected the area, especially hurricane Katrina in August 2005.