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PacIOOS Tools and Instruments
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The PacIOOS wave buoy off Lānaʻi provides valuable, real-time wave information. Credit: D. Fitzgerald. |
Lānaʻi Wave Buoy Now Online
PacIOOS deployed a new wave buoy Southwest of Lānaʻi in mid-June. Real-time information on wave height, period, and direction, as well as sea surface temperature are freely accessible online in various formats (e.g., dynamic plots, spectra, etc.). A new location, slightly farther south, was chosen for the Lānaʻi wave buoy in order to reduce the potential for collisions with vessels going in and out of Kaumalapau Harbor. PacIOOS owns and operates a network of 15 wave buoys throughout the U.S. Pacific Islands region, 10 of which can be found in the State of Hawaiʻi. Many thanks to Young Brothers Ltd. for providing discounted shipment of PacIOOS' vessel, truck, and buoy equipment to Lānaʻi Island.
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).
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Grant to Enhance Atmospheric and Wave Forecasts
The Department of the Interior Office of Insular Affairs awarded PacIOOS with nearly $500K in grant funding to help enhance public safety through improved atmospheric and wave forecasts for the three Pacific Island Territories: Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and American Samoa. During the three-year project, PacIOOS will improve and validate the existing suite of atmospheric forecasts for the three territories, and also develop new high-resolution wave forecasts for Saipan, Tinian, and Rota in the CNMI and for the Manu'a Islands in American Samoa. Professor Yi-Leng Chen, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and Professor Kwok Fai Cheung, Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are co-investigators for the project.
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The Oʻahu Geospatial Expo brought together experts from different sectors. Credit: NOAA. |
The Hawaiʻi Geographic Information Coordination Council (HIGICC) hosted the Oʻahu Geospatial Expo at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol Auditorium this month. Approximately 120 professionals from county, state, and federal agencies, academia, and the private sector joined the expo to exchange the latest trends and to network with the geospatial community. Presentation and discussion topics included Open Source GIS, LIDAR, mobile tools, new data and services, custom web app maps, and more. PacIOOS presented on the use of Open Source GIS for PacIOOS web visualizations to make partner data available for a wide variety of users.
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ROMS Ocean Circulation Model on the interactive data portal PacIOOS Voyager. |
Estuarine and Coastal Modeling Conference
Brian Powell, Professor in the Department of Oceanography at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) and PacIOOS co-investigator, gave a plenary talk at the 15th Estuarine and Coastal Modeling Conference in Seattle, Washington. He provided an overview of PacIOOS modeling systems with a focus on how near real-time observations are integrated to make predictions from the regional to estuary scale for the Hawaiʻi region. Professor Powell also described how observational data are being assessed and how the data can be used to inform the forecasts.
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Volunteers collected 400 bags of trash at Kewalo Basin Park. Credit: Friends of Kewalos. |
Protect, Preserve, Mālama Kewalo Basin
The local non-profit organization
Friends of Kewalos gathered more than 200 supporters for the 12th Annual Kewalo Basin Park Clean Up and Fundraiser on Oʻahu. Participants collected about 400 bags of trash and engaged in various activities. Along with other organizations, PacIOOS hosted a booth with hands-on, educational demonstrations of water quality measuring techniques and information. As part of the PacIOOS Water Quality Sensor Partnership Program, a
nearshore sensor is currently located in Kewalo Basin Harbor to monitor water quality conditions before and during a construction project.
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Tiger shark tagged with an electronic tracking device. Credit: M. Royer |
The Hidden Lives of Sharks
As part of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary lecture series, Dr. Carl Meyer, shark expert from the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), presented on technology that reveals the hidden lives of sharks. More than 40 community members attended the presentation at the sanctuary visitor center in Kīheī, Maui, to learn how sophisticated, shark-borne electronic devices help to provide new insights into biology and natural behaviors of sharks. PacIOOS makes shark tracking data available online. Please note, the information does not provide real-time monitoring and does not serve as a warning system.
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Web and Data Specialist Wanted
The International Pacific Research Center (
IPRC
) within the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is hiring a Web/Data Specialist. The successful candidate will work with both existing and newly acquired ocean and atmospheric data to maintain data services and will also provide server-level support on Unix-based machines for web-access to large and varied data sets. The application deadline is July 9th, 2018. To view the full job description and to apply, please visit
this link
and search for #18288. Please contact Jim Potemra, data manager for IPRC and PacIOOS, if you have any questions.
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Dale engages with students at the SOEST Open House wave buoy exhibit. |
A hui hou, Dale!
PacIOOS is bidding a fond farewell to Dale Partridge, Oceanographic Modeler under the supervision of PacIOOS co-investigator Brian Powell for PacIOOS' Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Over the past three years, Dale was instrumental in upgrading modeling efforts, investigating new ways of generating ensemble forecasts, and rewriting much of the operational system for future expansion. He also ensured availability of PacIOOS daily ocean circulation forecasts for various grids. Dale collaborated with many students to provide modeling data and enthusiastically supported outreach and student education opportunities. For his upcoming travel and for his future endeavors we wish him all the best. Mahalo for all the great work you have done -- a hui hou from the PacIOOS team!
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