Regions About Focus Areas Data/Products Outreach/Education Projects

September 30, 2014

Aloha from PacIOOS,

Read on to stay up-to-date with PacIOOS, or visit our website to learn more.

PacIOOS Data, Tools, and Instruments

Super-Categories in PacIOOS Voyager

With hundreds of possible overlays now available through PacIOOS Voyager, the long list of 25 map categories along the left-hand menu bar had grown unwieldy ("spaghetti", one user called it). In an effort to condense this list and help steer users towards their data of interest, we now introduce a set of 7 super-categories: hazards, observations, remote sensing, forecasts, biology, navigation, and seafloor.

To explore the data, click on any of the super-categories. The category will expand to reveal related sub-categories. Still having trouble finding what you're looking for? You can also try using Voyager's overlay search bar, introduced earlier in May.

Still have questions? Please contact PacIOOS staff at info@pacioos.org.

PacIOOS Hilo Wave Buoy Re-deployed

PacIOOS successfully re-deployed the wave buoy off Hilo, Hawaiʻi in mid-September. This wave buoy promotes safe transit entering and exiting Hilo Harbor, offers real-time data to recreational ocean users, and provides critical information for coastal hazard and low-lying inundation forecasts.

Data are managed by the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and include information on wave height, wave direction, wave period, and sea surface temperature. Long-term partnerships between PacIOOS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and CDIP allow data integration on PacIOOS Voyager and the PacIOOS website.

Publications

PacIOOS Water Quality Data Featured in Oceanography

Sediment plume exiting the Ala Wai Canal.

A recent peer-reviewed article in Oceanography debuted data collected from PacIOOS water quality sensors. Continuous monitoring by PacIOOS provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of the 2010 Chile and 2011 Japan tsunamis on the coastal and estuarine waters of Hawaiʻi. Data from PacIOOS sensors and researcher samples recorded increases in salinity, turbidity, chlorophyll concentration, pathogenic bacteria, and much more.

Titled, Real-Time Observations of the February 2010 Chile and March 2011 Japan Tsunamis Recorded in Honolulu by the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System, the article highlights how water quality impacts from tsunamis "can persist longer than the physical threat from surge" and stresses the importance of continued monitoring to protect public health.

Collaborations

PacIOOS Shares Monitoring Methods with Hawai'i Fishpond Caretakers

KUA Water Quality Workshop
Photo Courtesy of Brenda Asuncion, KUA.

The PacIOOS Nearshore Water Quality Group offered methods of water quality data collecting and monitoring at a recent water quality training workshop on September 15-16, at the Oceanic Institute and the He'eia Fish Pond on O'ahu.

Water quality monitoring is an important aspect of management for loko i'a (Hawaiian fishponds), yet many fishpond stewards lack the technical knowledge, resources, and capacity needed to develop monitoring programs. This training offered an initial overview of water quality, as well as a venue to discuss opportunities to coordinate equipment, data, and ideas between fishpond groups.

The workshop was jointly organized by KUA (with support from Pacific Aquaculture & Coastal Resources Center and University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program) and Alu Like, Inc. With participants from fishponds on Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi, this workshop was the first training opportunity specifically organized to serve the community of fishpond practitioners. Click here to learn more.

New PacIOOS Projects Page: Sea Level Rise Inundation Risk for Honolulu

Coastal map of the downtown Honolulu Area and
Honolulu International Airport

PacIOOS just released a new page titled, "Sea Level Rise Inundation Risk" under the "Projects" tab highlighting a project funded by the NOAA Coastal Storms Program. This project aims to fulfill the need for Hawaiʻi-specific information regarding the impacts of sea level rise on coastal inundation zones. The project focuses on the urban corridor of Honolulu, from Diamond Head to Pearl Harbor, representing the majority of the state's commercial and industrial sectors. The area was also chosen because of its high density, large population, major infrastructure, and high economic activity.

The study identified potential changes in exposure and risk to coastal inundation hazards (such as hurricanes, tsunamis and storm inundation) as a result of projected sea level rise. Through targeted outreach and the web viewer on PacIOOS' website, the results of this research can serve as a decision-support tool for facilitating science-based planning and policy.

Learn more about it on the PacIOOS website.

PacIOOS People

Fiona Langenberger is our new PacIOOS Communications and Program Coordinator. Before joining PacIOOS, Fiona worked with NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary where she coordinated sanctuary communications, implemented outreach and education programs, and strengthened stakeholder engagement in place-based marine conservation. As an avid ocean user, Fiona has been a frequent visitor of the PacIOOS website to check wave and tide conditions.

In her position as the PacIOOS Communications and Program Coordinator,

Fiona is looking forward to further connecting science with people, raising awareness about the importance of integrating ocean observing tools into daily lives, and serving as a link to make complex data accessible and user-friendly for all generations. She is also eager to work on community-based projects and support future initiatives to empower local communities in resource management. Along with the PacIOOS team, Fiona is excited to carry out PacIOOS's mission to ensure positive livelihoods throughout the Pacific Islands.

Fiona received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration in Germany and completed a Master of International Business in Australia before she moved to Hawaiʻi.

Melissa Iwamoto was promoted to PacIOOS Deputy Director in August.

In her new role as the Deputy Director, Melissa hopes to further strengthen PacIOOS ties and collaborative efforts with new and existing partners. Melissa states, "I am so fortunate to work at PacIOOS because I get to work with an amazing team that is providing a valuable service for a wide array of ocean users. We strongly believe that improved ocean data and information can help inform science and decision-making, which can save lives and resources at many levels."

Melissa joined the PacIOOS team in October 2011 as the PacIOOS Outreach and Program Coordinator. Her main focus was to connect ocean users, non-profits, state and federal agencies, educators, students and other stakeholders with the PacIOOS program and serve as a liaison to make ocean observation data accessible. Before joining PacIOOS, Melissa worked at the Hawaiʻi State Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program, focusing on community-based resource management and climate change adaptation issues. Prior to working for the State, Melissa conducted social science research for various projects across the Pacific.

Melissa obtained her Masters in Geography at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, with a specialization in tropical coastal resource management. Her love of this topic grew years prior when she worked on Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

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