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June 30, 2014
Aloha from PacIOOS,
With warm sand, blue skies, and rolling tides, the taste of summer is in the air. PacIOOS has many updates to share as June comes to a close. Keep scrolling or visit our website to learn more. 
New PacIOOS Instruments and Tools
Ala Wai Turbidity Plume animation of a "brown water" event in December of 2011. This was an extreme event that typically occurs every few years. The colors used are exaggerated to illustrate the geographic distribution of the plume; they do not represent the actual color of the water.
New PacIOOS Ala Wai Turbidity Plume Model

 

Where does the brown water coming out of the Ala Wai Canal in Waikīkī go after a heavy downpour?  

 

The new PacIOOS Ala Wai Turbidity Plume Model helps to address this question. Turbidity is a measure of water clarity. Heavy rainfall events in the islands often result in coastal run-off referred to as "brown water." The model, developed by a PacIOOS team led by Dr. Brian Powell and Dr. Margaret McManus, shows a forecast of where a "brown water" plume created by heavy rainfall may go after it leaves the Ala Wai Canal. The team uses near real-time water quality data at the mouth of the Ala Wai Canal paired with a Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) forecast to create an animation of the "brown water" movement.

 

Next time there's a major downpour on O'ahu, check out the Ala Wai Turbidity Plume Model for information to make more informed decisions for your ocean activities. 
What's New in PacIOOS Voyager
PacIOOS Voyager's new search engine makes it easy to find exactly what you're looking for!
PacIOOS Voyager Is Now Searchable!
 
PacIOOS Voyager now has a search toolbar, making it easy for you to find the information of interest without having to look in every data category. 
 
Located directly above the overlay directory in the left column, the PacIOOS search engine provides a list of keywords as you begin to type your request. Once you select a keyword, PacIOOS Voyager provides a list of categories and folders that contain the selected keyword. You can search Pacific-wide or in conjunction with PacIOOS Voyager's pre-existing tool to filter regions.  
 
Want up-to-date news about PacIOOS Voyager? Follow PacIOOS Voyager on Twitter, or check the Voyager News page.
PacIOOS Activities
PacIOOS booth at the North Shore Ocean Fest featured a shark bean bag toss testing the knowledge of parents and children.
PacIOOS Celebrated World Ocean Month on O'ahu

 

PacIOOS proudly hosted an educational booth at the 3rd annual North Shore Ocean Fest at the Turtle Bay Resort on O'ahu in early June. Hosted by the North Shore Ocean Education Coalition (NSOEC), this event celebrates World Ocean Day and fosters increased awareness and knowledge of the importance of our oceans. The PacIOOS booth highlighted the PacIOOS Tiger Shark Tracking page and trivia games for interested participants of all ages! The Ocean Fest also had delicious food, beautiful artwork, and mesmerizing performances that made this event one for the scrapbooks.
 
PacIOOS was also excited to host an educational booth at the Friends of Kewalos 8th Annual Kewalo Bay Park Clean Up in early June. Friends of Kewalos provides a way for the community to give back to the land that provides so much for residents. The Kewalo Bay Park Clean Up included a delicious lunch and fun educational booths. The PacIOOS booth displayed the importance of water quality and sharing information on how we collect and share water quality data
PacIOOS Receives $2.27 Million in Federal Funding
 NOAA Logo
The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System
(IOOS) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded $2,272,845 to PacIOOS for FY14. These funds support year 4 of a 5-year award, entitled: "Developing the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System."  The total award includes $87,209 from the NOAA Coastal Storms Program (CSP) for wave buoy operations and maintenance, and $19,000 from NOAA Coastal Services Center (CSC) to support the Hawai'i Flash Flood Tool.
 
New in U.S. IOOS
New Parameters for Quality Assurance of Real-Time Water Level Data
 

U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) recently published a new U.S. IOOS quality control procedures manual: Real-Time Quality Control of Water Level Data. This is the the fifth publication from the U.S. IOOS Quality Assurance of Real-Time Ocean Data (QARTOD) program. Written directly by experts in ocean fields, these publications are a major step forward for U.S. IOOS. This most recent publication includes quality control tests that account for storm surge, tsunamis, and strong winds when determining threshold limits for water level data. PacIOOS is proud to continue to acknowledge and abide by these parameters. 

Process Set up to Certify IOOS Regional Information Coordination Entities

  

U.S. IOOS recently published the final rule in the Federal Register to certify Regional Information Coordination Entities (RICE). This rule, which provides regional associations the opportunity to become certified entities of the U.S. IOOS, is a major milestone in the long process detailed in the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System (ICOOS) Act of 2009 to create a national observing system.  
Aloha to a New PacIOOS Partner
PacIOOS is proud to welcome another Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signatory from Hawai'i! If your organization would like to become a PacIOOS partner, please download, sign, and return ouMOA
 
Kampachi Farms, LLC. has dedicated its efforts to expand the sustainable production of valuable marine fishes since 2011. Based in Hawai'i, Kampachi Farms is a mariculture company that uses and develops innovative research and advanced science applications. Kampachi Farms employs offshore aquaculture to help produce a consistent and healthy supply of fish, while preserving wild stocks. 
  
Mahalo and welcome!
PacIOOS People
Collecting Near Real-Time Water Quality Data throughout the Pacific
 
Gordon Walker, PacIOOS Oceanographic Research Specialist, deploys and maintains PacIOOS nearshore water quality sensors throughout the region. Gordon is a UH scientific diver working with Margaret McManus of the Coastal Physical Oceanography and Marine
 
Gordon Walker maintaining a PacIOOS water quality sensor.
Ecology Research Group at UHM. Since 2012, Gordon has led numerous deployments for the PacIOOS water quality team, including off Lāna'i, Wailupe (NS16), O'ahu, and the Ala Wai (NS02) in Waikīkī. Gordon also works with teachers to develop ways for them to use PacIOOS water quality data in the classroom. He is excited to continue working with teachers and hopes to provide water quality conditions on additional websites that ocean stakeholders use regularly. As Gordon states, "the health of the land is reflected in the quality of nearshore waters." Gordon's hard work, including his current efforts for upcoming sensor deployments off Maui, reflect his dedication to water quality and ocean stakeholders.
 
Gordon received his undergraduate degree from University of California, Berkeley and his graduate degree in Microbial Oceanography from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (UHM).

Thanks for all of your hard work, Gordon!  
PacIOOS
Based within the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, PacIOOS is the Pacific Islands regional component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS�). PacIOOS is a partnership of data providers and users working together to enhance ocean observations and develop, disseminate, evaluate, and apply ocean data and information products designed to address the environmental, economic, and public safety needs of stakeholders who call the Pacific Islands home.  For more information on PacIOOS, please visit www.pacioos.org. 
PacIOOS | 808-956-6556 | melissa.iwamoto@hawaii.edu | www.pacioos.org
1680 East-West Road, POST 105
Honolulu, HI 96822

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