April 2019 Newsletter
PacIOOS Tools and Instruments
A small coral colony found on the wave buoy's mooring line. Credit: Kimball Millikan.
Surprising Discovery During Recovery

PacIOOS recovered and swapped the Kāneʻohe WETS wave buoy, which is part of the Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) located in Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu. The buoy provides real-time information on wave height, period, and direction, as well as sea surface temperature. The mooring recovery revealed a surprise: over the past 17 months, a small coral colony recruited onto the mooring line at a depth of approximately 12m. A similar discovery was made in the Mariana Islands, but it's a "first" for PacIOOS' wave buoys in  Hawaiʻi. PacIOOS' network of 15 wave buoys requires regular maintenance to ensure continuous data flow. Data management for the PacIOOS wave buoys is made possible through long-term partnerships with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP).  
PacIOOS Updates
Executive Committee meeting participants at Coconut Island in Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu. 
PacIOOS Executive Committee Meeting

Members of the PacIOOS Executive Committee came together on Oʻahu this month for their annual meeting. The Executive Committee consists of five members from the PacIOOS Governing Council, representing various sectors and regions. Joined by IOOS Director, Carl Gouldman, and PacIOOS management, meeting participants discussed recent programmatic updates, PacIOOS' program evaluation, and the outlook for the upcoming fiscal year. On the second day, members experienced Kāneʻohe Bay as well as the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology at Coconut Island. Discussion and brainstorming sessions focused on capacity building, fostering national and international partnerships, and the next IOOS federal funding opportunity.
Students learn about and how to create density layers. Credit: Stevenson Media Hawaiʻi
Inspiring the Next Generation

Stevenson Middle School on Oʻahu invited PacIOOS to participate in their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Family Night Olympiad. Students and parents mastered various interactive stations to race for valuable points, including earthquake and rocket launch challenges, a math casino, parachute drops, and Ozobot maneuvering. PacIOOS challenged participants with ocean science questions and hands-on activities related to PacIOOS' nearshore sensors and ocean chemistry. Approximately 200 participants attended the event.
Poster session at Waterpower Week in Washington, D.C. Credit: Waterpower Week
Hawaiʻi Waves at Waterpower Week

Ning Li, Ocean Wave Model Systems Specialist affiliated with PacIOOS and the Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), presented a poster on Wave Height and Period Distributions in Multi-modal Seas at the US Navy Wave Energy Test Site, Hawaiʻi at the National Hydropower Association's Waterpower Week. PacIOOS maintains two wave buoys at the wave energy test site (Kāneʻohe WETS and Kāneʻohe Bay) and one adjacent buoy off Mokapu Point, Oʻahu. The real-time buoy measurements together with the PacIOOS operational wave forecast provide vital information for the testing of wave energy conversion (WEC) devices at WETS. The historical buoy records are used for wave climate studies, wave energy resources characterizations, and WEC design. The statistic analysis based on the surface elevation measured at the WETS buoy, as presented in the Waterpower Week, demonstrates one of such applications. The analysis provides additional understanding for the distribution of individual wave heights in the multi-modal seas in Hawaiʻi and guidance for infrastructure and WEC design.
Publications
Wave run-up along the West Maui shoreline has generated severe erosion. Credit: Tara Owens
Progression of Coastal Forecasting

The article Forecasts of Wave-Induced Coastal Hazards in the United States Pacific Islands: Past, Present, and the Future was recently published by Frontiers in Marine Science as part of the OceanObs'19: An Ocean of Opportunity publication series. Lead author Dr. Martin Guiles, along with PacIOOS researchers and staff, describes the development and progression of PacIOOS' coastal forecasts, including the 6-day High Sea Level forecasts and Wave Run-up forecasts. The paper addresses the advancement from empirically-based forecasts towards a two-dimensional numerical modeling strategy for the forecast development. The authors also discuss future technology and data needs for sustained real-time two-dimensional model-based forecasts.
PacIOOS ʻOhana
Supporting #MOPportunities

Spencer Frawley is currently in his third year pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Marine Science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo ( UHH). Spencer supports UHH professor and PacIOOS co-investigator Steven Colbert in maintaining the PacIOOS water quality buoys located in  Pelekane Bay and Hilo Bay on Hawaiʻi Island. As the buoy technician, he performs routine cleanings and repairs on both buoys by using a rigid hull inflatable boat from the UHH Boating Safety Program. Through the Motorboat Operator Certification Course, Quantitative Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques ( QUEST), and other courses, Spencer gained the required skill set for this position.

Spencer is fascinated by oceanographic instrumentation, scientific diving, and everything related to boating and sailing. He enjoys collecting ocean observations that enable various users to better understand ocean conditions. This hands-on experience also serves as Spencer's Marine Option Program ( MOP) project necessary to complete his MOP certification.  
The Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) believes that ocean data and information can help save lives and resources. In collaboration with its partners, PacIOOS aims to provide sustained ocean observations in order to support decision-making and science for stakeholders who call the Pacific Islands home. Based within the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, PacIOOS is part of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®).
STAY CONNECTED