The PacIOOS Tanapag wave buoy was recently redeployed off Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Located approximately 5 miles offshore of Tanapag on the west shore of Saipan, this buoy provides updates of wave height, period and direction every 30 minutes, as well as sea surface temperature. Information from this buoy provides critical real-time data to recreational and commercial ocean users. The Tanapag wave buoy is owned and managed by PacIOOS. Data are managed by the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Long-term partnerships between PacIOOS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and CDIP enable data streaming into the PacIOOS website and PacIOOS Voyager.

The Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology shark research group recently installed land-based acoustic receivers (called "motes") on high ground at three sites along the Kona Coast of Hawai‘i Island. These motes can significantly increase the data acquired from satellite-linked transmitters on animals such as turtles, whales and sharks. Whereas satellite coverage can be sparse, motes capture virtually all transmissions occurring within their line-of-site footprint. Placing motes as high as possible gives them maximum detection range--up to 60 miles offshore. Two of the new installations are on private property and one is on the Pu‘u Anahulu State Game Management Area. These motes will augment the units already installed on Maui and O‘ahu, and there are plans to install additional units on Kaua‘i. The resulting array will greatly enhance telemetry capabilities throughout the Main Hawaiian Islands islands. Through PacIOOS, this effort is supported by the Animal Telemetry Network/NERACOOS with funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Marine Mammals and Biology Program.

The Pacific Islands Region Acoustic Telemetry (PIRAT) Network was recently established and is inviting acoustic telemetry users to join. The PIRAT network will serve as a free, cloud-based, collaborative repository for acoustic telemetry data generated by researchers operating within or adjacent to the Pacific Islands Region. The PIRAT Network will host animal movement and behavioral data gathered through the use of acoustic telemetry, where animals (for example, sharks, bony fishes, turtles) carrying ultrasonic transmitters are detected when passing by underwater listening stations. Because the equipment used is compatible among a large number of research groups, there is great potential for collaboration and data sharing. PIRAT provides a robust system for organizing data, notifying researchers when their tagged animals have been detected elsewhere, and serves as a framework for the fair exchange of those data.

The PIRAT Network is supported by funds from the Integrated Islands Ocean Observing System (through PacIOOS) and the Animal Telemetry Network (through SECOORA), and is one of the many networks/nodes that comprise the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN).

We are seeking the participation and input of any acoustic telemetry users in the Pacific Islands Region, so check out our website FAQs and feel free to spread the word!

[Photo: Green sea turtle with tag. Credit: USGS]

PacIOOS is now serving a tsunami hazard tool that displays in-harbor hazard maps of surge, drawdown, and currents for hypothetical advisory- and warning-level tsunamis from potential sources around the Pacific. This decision-support tool, developed by researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with support from the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, allows users to select an appropriate scenario using the estimated earthquake magnitude and location during an actual event. Tsunami warnings, which are issued with predicted coastal wave amplitudes over 1 meter, initiate evacuation of ships and shore-based personnel. More frequent advisory-level tsunamis can also cause dangerous flow conditions, pose navigational hazards, and damage ships and mooring systems despite having low potential for coastal inundation. A USCG working group defined the suite of data products for assessment of potential hazards in harbors during an advisory-level event. The newly-developed tool has enabled USCG to determine additional under keel clearance for safe passage in waterways, establish thresholds for channel closure and harbor evacuation, and update Sector Honolulu's Heavy Weather, Hurricane & Tsunami Plan.

Beginning May 1, 2022, all real estate transactions conducted in Hawai‘i must include disclosures about the risk of sea-level rise (SLR) to the property. The mandate, enacted in 2021, requires disclosure about sea level rise, up to and including 3.2 feet. The Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation Commission, in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program and the DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, outlined the requirements, including guidance to the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer. The application, developed by PacIOOS, allows users to assess specific properties for sea-level rise risk.

Like existing flood zone disclosure requirements, established by the National Flood Insurance Program, the SLR disclosure will help homeowners and home buyers better understand how SLR will impact their properties. The disclosure requirement applies to oceanfront and near-oceanfront properties as well as to properties close to streams or areas likely to flood in heavy rainfall events.  [Photo: Home collapses, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. Credit: DLNR.]

We fondly bid a hui hou (good-bye, until we meet again) to Simon Ellis, our inaugural PacIOOS regional coordinator, as he sheds one of his many roles for the next stage of adventure in his life and to focus his talents on the further growth and success of the Marine & Environmental Institute of Pohnpei (MERIP), for which he serves as Executive Director. Based in Pohnpei of the Federated States of Micronesia, Simon joined the PacIOOS team in 2007, when we were just beginning, and he has been indispensable in our efforts to meaningfully engage with our partners and users throughout the insular Pacific. Simon introduced PacIOOS to his trusted relationships, forging new partnerships and collaborations for the program, while also managing the nearshore water quality sensor in the Nanpil River for 12 years, ensuring a long-term data set. Through his work with the sensor and partners in the region, Simon has been instrumental in expanding ocean observing capabilities in the region through training, capacity building, and most recently identifying new partners to serve as local liaisons for PacIOOS to enhance engagement with partners and local implementation. While we will miss Simon, he is leaving us with an impressive liaison team and many strong partnerships.  

All the best to you, Simon. Mahalo and hui hou!