The Regional Ocean Modeling System now includes a 40m resolution grid from Diamond Head to Honolulu Airport.

Waikīkī is a busy part of Hawai'i, with thousands of people enjoying the warm waters and playful surf on a daily basis. Due to a high demand for improved ocean forecasts for this area, the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) group at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa generated an ocean prediction model which provides a 3-day, hourly forecast at various depth levels of water temperature, currents, salinity, and sea surface height at approximately 40m resolution (previously 60m). The new dataset complements our existing ROMS grids in Hawai'i and extends from Diamond Head to Honolulu International Airport. The model runs are available through PacIOOS data servers and on PacIOOS  Voyager. Check it out before your next venture into Waikīkī waters!

PacIOOS wave buoy in the waters off Kāne'ohe, O'ahu.

The PacIOOS wave buoy off Kāne'ohe is back online! In early November, PacIOOS successfully redeployed the buoy along with its new mooring and acoustic release. The buoy serves data on wave height, direction, period, and sea surface temperature. After two years of continuous service, the Kāne'ohe buoy was recovered in September to allow for the installation of moorings associated with the University of Hawai'i Natural Energy Institute's Wave Energy Conversion project. The buoy was redeployed to its previous location and will serve as an important asset to the Wave Energy Conversion project. 

Sea Level Rise Simulation in PacIOOS Voyager for Garapan, Saipan. Green shaded areas indicate low-lying areas for sea level rise scenarios.

Would a rise of 2ft in sea level impact your community?  4ft? 6ft? Find out by exploring the new computer model simulations of sea level rise for Hawaiʻi (Kauaʻi, O'ahu Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Maui and Hawai'i Island), Saipan, and Guam. The overlays show the inland extent of coastal flooding (inundation) due to sea level rise scenarios at 0 to 6 feet above current-day mean higher high water. 

With funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Storms Program, the Coastal Geology Group at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa generated the overlays and scenarios. PacIOOS has also generated a Web Map Service for these data. To explore the scenarios, access the overlays, and learn more about the process for calculating the forecast, please visit PacIOOS Voyager.

IOOS Association Meeting at National Harbor, MD.

In addition, Dr. Russell Callendar, the Acting Director of NOAA National Ocean Service, and Dr. Rodney Cluck, Executive Secretary to the Committee, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, provided insights into their respective program priorities and opportunities.  

It was a very productive meeting that reaffirmed the need to be a bold champion for IOOS. The meeting was held in conjunction with The Coastal Summit conference. 

The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) recently announced the publication of its sixth quality control procedures manual, focusing on Wind Data. All six manuals are available for download here.

These publications, conducted in partnership with NOAA's National Data Boy Center as part of the QARTOD project, represent a major step forward for U.S. IOOS in documenting best practices for QA/QC (Quality Assurance/Quality Control) for the ocean observing community. All manuals are written in close collaboration with experts from the ocean observing community.