On Coastal Ocean Systems, Coupled Model Architectures, Products and Services: Morphing from Observations to Operational Predictions or from "COOS" to "COOPS" or rather to "OPS"

A case is made that the national process of special appropriations monies to establish the coastal observing component of the integrated ocean observing system (IOOS) network is not well organized and without substantive value, given the way that it has been orchestrated. Alternatively, a case is made that the special appropriations monies could and should be better spent in pursuit of the establishment of the national backbone that is needed to greatly improve atmospheric, oceanic and coastal "weather" forecasting, broadly defined, for ecosystem management and to document climate variability and change in coastal zones. Part of the problem is historical and cultural. An example of a sub-regional effort to focus on societal needs is presented by way of example to show that university partners (to federal agencies) could have an important role to play in the future of ocean and coastal observing and prediction systems and networks.