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PacIOOS wave buoy off the low-lying atoll Majuro, Marshall Islands. This buoy measured 16 ft in significant wave height during a storm in November 2019. Credit: PacIOOS |
$4.26M in Federal Funding for PacIOOS
Marking the 5th year of a 5-year cooperative agreement with the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), PacIOOS received $4.26 million in federal funding to sustain and enhance coastal and ocean observing in the U.S. Pacific Islands region. This year, PacIOOS also received funding support from the U.S. State Department and is partnering with federal and local agencies to expand its network of real-time wave buoys in the insular Pacific. In addition to maintaining its core operations, funding from NOAA will help to replace PacIOOS' aging instrumentation and infrastructure in Hawaiʻi, and increase observations in the insular Pacific. For example, plans are underway to collect real-time sea surface current measurements between the islands of Guam and Rota, an area known for its challenging ocean conditions. Learn more about this year's funding.
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Outrigger canoes off Oʻahu's South Shore. Credit: PacIOOS
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Development of New 5-Year Proposal
Many thanks to all of our partners and stakeholders for providing thoughtful input for PacIOOS' 5-year proposal and 10-year Outlook. We received over 170 responses containing many ideas and suggestions for coastal and ocean observing throughout the Pacific Islands region. We appreciate your trust in and commitment to our observing system and are looking forward to continuing and expanding our collaborations. Throughout the month of August we will sort through the submissions and organize the comments. In the following months, we will evaluate in consultation with our Governing Council which projects we would like to consider for the 5-year proposal and the 10-year Outlook, respectively. The final proposal is due for submission to the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) at the end of December.
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NOAA's satellite sea surface temperature overlaid with Hurricane Douglas' track on PacIOOS Voyager. |
Data Exploration During Hurricane Season
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 in the Central Pacific. Hurricane Douglas came extremely close to the State of Hawaiʻi, yet spared all islands from major wind or flooding. As Hurricane Douglas was a storm early in the season, we would like to draw your attention to relevant data sets that PacIOOS
Voyager is offering. To view (an active) projected cone, "
Hurricanes and tropical cyclones" can be selected under the "Hazards: Forecast" category. As a storm is approaching, you might be interested to find out
about NOAA's satellite sea surface temperatures, the
forecasted wave height from PacIOOS models, or the
actual observed wave heights from NOAA NDBC and PacIOOS wave buoys during the storm. To monitor rain,
precipitation measured by Doppler Radar might be of interest to you, as well as observations from USGS
rain gauges and
stream gauges. And of course, last but not least, wind forecasts can be accessed through the
Pacific NOAA GFS layer or PacIOOS' high resolution
atmospheric model for the Hawaiian Islands. Lots to explore before and during the next storm. Be safe!
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The Koʻa Card helps to determine the color of the surveyed coral colony. Credit: HIMB |
Help Document Health Progression of Hawaiʻi's Coral Reefs
Researchers from the Coral Reef Ecology Lab at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology are interested to learn more about the progression of the health and bleaching status of Hawaiʻi's coral reefs. Some coral species in Hawaiʻi are already starting to see paling and bleaching as we are in the middle of another warm summer. Volunteers are asked to utilize the Koʻa (Coral) Card to help document the color of coral reefs because it serves as an important health indicator. Throughout the month of August, the team is hoping to receive as many "before-bleaching" surveys as possible, which will establish a baseline before water temperatures further increase. Ideally, surveys will be repeated during peak times of coral bleaching, and then after the ocean has cooled down again to determine recovery. Any and all submitted surveys will be helpful to the researchers. Learn more about the project, find out how to participate, and where to upload and view your survey results.
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Jason is demonstrating a weather balloon to a group of kids during a youth field trip. |
Forecasting Wave Inundation for the World's Largest Atoll
Jason Selzler is the Chief Meteorologist and Site Manager for Atmospheric Science Technology fulfilling the Meteorological Support Services contract requirements to the U.S. Army's Reagan Test Site located on Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. He has 23 years of experience in meteorology, including 12 years of providing atmospheric forecasts and potential impacts to end users. Kwajalein is the world's largest atoll, consisting of 97 small islands and with a lagoon encompassing 839 mi². With an average height of less than 6ft above sea level, the islands are vulnerable to inundation, especially if large swells, high wind waves, and extreme high tides coincide.
Since a devastating inundation event at Roi-Namur Island in 2008, the Meteorological Support Services not only provide hazardous weather watches but also forecast the potential for inundation. "We found that simply using Wave Watch III model output as a predictor resulted in many false alarms. The PacIOOS Wave Run-up forecasts have become our go to source when we are anticipating possible shoreline inundation," says Jason. The archived model runs have allowed Jason and his team to compare the predicted event to previous events and evaluate the potential impacts. In addition to the Installation Command, the PacIOOS forecast also informs local Marshallese authorities on Kwajalein to prepare the community and help reduce impacts to human safety, infrastructure, and properties.
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