The Coastal and Marine Ecological Forecasting Working Group (CMEF) exists to advance the science, implementation, and societal relevance of ecological forecasting in coastal and marine ecosystems. Recognizing the inherently interdisciplinary nature of ecological forecasting, CMEF will collaborate across EFI Working Groups to integrate insights and recommendations and evaluate their applicability across the full forecasting pipeline—from data acquisition to decision support—while testing their robustness in real-world coastal and marine contexts. The group is also dedicated to fostering an inclusive community and will prioritize dissemination of its work through education, diversity, and knowledge transfer efforts, aligning with EFI’s broader mission and avoiding the creation of a disciplinary silo.

CMEF Working Group Schedule of Calls:
The Coastal and Marine Ecological Forecasting group will meet on Thursdays at 2pm US ET on January 29, February 26, March 26, April 30, and May 28. A new schedule of calls will be developed for June to August 2026. We welcome participants from all ecological domains. To join the calls, contact us eco4cast.initiative@gmail.com.

Core Functions

1. Advance Ecological  Forecasting Science and Application in Coastal and Marine Systems – Develop and evaluate ecological forecasting models and systems tailored to the unique dynamics of coastal and marine environments, and promote integration with other ecological domains (e.g., terrestrial, freshwater) and EFI groups focused on theory, uncertainty quantification, and cyberinfrastructure)
2. Promote Interdisciplinary Collaboration – Build bridges to other EFI Working Groups to leverage and contribute to shared theoretical frameworks, data infrastructure, and decision-making tools, and engage with social scientists, managers, and stakeholders to ensure forecasts are decision-relevant and societally beneficial
3. Facilitate Education, Diversity, and Knowledge Transfer – Support training and capacity building in marine and coastal forecasting, with an emphasis on inclusion and access, and disseminate tools, data products, and lessons learned broadly, fostering cross-sector and cross-disciplinary communication
4. Organize and host Coastal and Marine Ecological Forecasting Challenges and Hackathons – Building a vibrant community of practice. These events will foster capacity in ecological forecasting by leveraging existing NOAA and other publicly available data products, following the successful model of the  EFI RCN NEON Challenge