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PacIOOS Tools and Instruments
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The interactive map viewer allows users to explore coastal hazard exposure areas and vulnerability layers for the State of Hawaiʻi. |
Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Viewer
The Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Committee recently accepted the report, which is intended to serve as a guiding document to identify areas around the state that are vulnerable to sea level rise. The report also addresses strategies to adapt to the physical, social, and economic impacts of sea level rise. The report was written by Tetra Tech, Inc. and the Hawaiʻi Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, with support from Hawaiʻi Sea Grant and the University of Hawaiʻi Coastal Geology Group. The viewer was developed by PacIOOS, under the direction of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, and with input from report authors and contributors.
Funding was provided by NOAA's 2016 Regional Coastal Resilience Grants Program.
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OceanWatch Voyager was developed for the Central Pacific Regional Node. |
PacIOOS developed OceanWatch Voyager, a separate instance of our interactive map interface Voyager, for the Central Pacific Regional Node of NOAA's CoastWatch/OceanWatch Program. OceanWatch Voyager contains a suite of oceanographic satellite-based remote sensing products and other ancillary overlays. The platform also offers all familiar functionalities, including the recently added area stats tool.
OceanWatch is embedded within the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). Its mission is to provide and ensure timely access to near real-time satellite data to protect, restore, and manage U.S. coastal and ocean resources and understand climate variability and change to further enhance society's quality of life.
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The PacIOOS Pauwela wave buoy off Maui's North Shore. Credit: K. Millikan. |
PacIOOS Wave Buoy Updates
The PacIOOS wave buoy off Pauwela, Maui, was redeployed at the beginning of December and continues to provide valuable information on wave height, direction, and period, as well as sea surface temperature. The buoy was on-site in time to capture large winter swells, including the event on January 14 and 15, measuring a maximum wave height of 18.27ft. Big mahalo to Kelly Bryce and crew from Bergmeyer Marine for recovering the wave buoy in very rough ocean conditions, and to
Donna Brown and Robert Burton with the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, for staging the buoy until a replacement arrived
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PacIOOS also conducted scheduled maintenance work for the PacIOOS wave buoy located at the entrance to Pearl Harbor, Oʻahu. Data management for the wave buoys is made possible through long-term partnerships with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP).
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The PacIOOS 5-year Strategic Framework is now available online. |
PacIOOS 5-Year Strategic Framework
The PacIOOS Governing Council has approved the new PacIOOS 5-year Strategic Framework. The document will provide PacIOOS staff, researchers, existing partners, potential collaborators, and funders with insight into PacIOOS' desired future, and the strategic direction for the next five years (2018-2022). Over the past two years, PacIOOS leadership collected input from Governing Council members, PacIOOS researchers and staff, and MOA partners to develop this guiding document. The framework includes PacIOOS' core vision and mission, guiding principles, thematic areas, as well as the 5-year strategic outlook, strategic topics, goals, and objectives.
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Marine ecosystem in Hawaiʻi. Credit: NOAA. |
Job Opportunity: Ocean and Ecosystem Modeler
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) and PacIOOS are seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to collaborate in a new and significant inter-disciplinary project to observe and predict the ocean ecosystem and physical state of the U.S. Pacific Islands. The project will implement an ecosystem model of the Main Hawaiian Islands, including the physics, geochemistry, and biology (base food-web) to predict the processes around the Main Hawaiian Islands. The results will provide new insight into connections between the reef and oceanic scales in island archipelagos. PacIOOS currently makes daily predictions of the physical ocean state of islands around the Pacific. The successful candidate will join a dynamic team working on similar research and expand these predictions to include ecosystems. Please view the full job announcement and information on how to apply online.
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Aloha to New MOA Partners
PacIOOS is excited to welcome two new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) partners.
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Trilogy Excursions
is our newest Hawaiʻi partner. Since its start in 1973, Trilogy Excursions has been operating premium sailing catamaran tours on Maui and Lānaʻi. Family owned and operated by the "Sailing Coon Family", Trilogy has been awarded numerous accolades; most recently Trilogy Excursions was selected as the Eco Tourism Company of the Year by the Hawaiʻi Ecotourism Association. We are looking forward to partnering with Trilogy to identify collaborations that support the tour boat industry.
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Surfline/Wavetrak Inc. joins PacIOOS as a regional partner. For over 30 years, Surfline/Wavetrak Inc. has connected people with the ocean. Starting with surfers and since expanding to offshore cruisers, fishermen and a myriad of other ocean-goers, Surfline/Wavetrak Inc. has found ways to deliver the peak ocean experience. It is the company's mission to provide the most accurate forecast data and eye-popping content. PacIOOS and Surfline/Wavetrak Inc. will explore ideas to enhance wave modeling capacities in the Pacific Islands region.
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More than 250 participants attended the symposium in Kona, Hawaiʻi. |
Symposium on West Hawaiʻi's Marine Ecosystem
NOAA's West Hawaiʻi Integrated Ecosystem Assessment brought together local community members, scientists, and managers in Kona to discuss research and traditional knowledge that can directly inform management of West Hawaiʻi's marine ecosystem. The 2-day symposium was open to the public and sponsored by the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR). The agenda included more than 45 presentations, as well as interactive lunch and booth sessions. More than 250 participants attended the symposium, along with students from local schools. PacIOOS provided an overview of available observations and forecasts for West Hawaiʻi, and shared information about the planned water quality buoy in Pelekane Bay. More information on the symposium can be found online.
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The Data Management External Review Committee for AOOS met in Anchorage, Alaska.
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AOOS Data Management External Review Committee
PacIOOS' Data Management Lead, Jim Potemra, is part of the Data Management External Review Committee for one of our sister regions, the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS). The goal of the review committee is to develop recommendations that will guide AOOS' Data Management System development over the next decade. Committee members discussed strengths and weaknesses, drafted recommendations for improvement, and identified new opportunities to improve system usability
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The review committee consists of data management experts from federal agencies, IOOS regional associations, and academia.
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Shaun Wriston helps to maintain the nearshore sensors on Oʻahu.
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Welcome on Board, Shaun!
Shaun Wriston is our new undergraduate student assistant, supporting the PacIOOS Nearshore Water Quality Group led by Professor Margaret McManus. Shaun checks the status of the PacIOOS nearshore sensors and reports any anomalies. He also assists in the retrieval and redeployment of the sensors on Oʻahu, and helps with the associated maintenance and repair work in the lab. Analyzing data is also part of Shaun's portfolio. The most valuable aspect of his work is to provide data that inform the public about current coastal water quality conditions -- the fact that Shaun gets to spend time in the water, he considers a bonus.
Shaun received his Associate's Degree in biological and physical science from Kapiʻolani Community College and recently transferred to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to pursue a Bachelor of Science, with a major in Global and Environmental Science. Born on Hawaiʻi Island, Shaun is fascinated by the physical and biological aspects of the ocean and his goal is to make a concerted effort to protect our natural resource, Mauka to Makai. Aloha and welcome on board, Shaun! PacIOOS is looking forward to being part of your journey!
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