The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is providing funding to the governments of the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to enhance disaster and climate resilience through improved disaster preparedness and infrastructure. PacIOOS and NOAA's National Weather Service Offices in Palau and Majuro are collaborators in this project and will deploy Waverider wave buoys at one new location in Palau, and one new location in the Marshall Islands. For each site, there will also be a spare buoy available to maximize operational uptime. PacIOOS is excited to be part of this collaboration, expanding the network of wave buoys to new areas in the Insular Pacific. It directly supports PacIOOS' strategic objectives to increase observation and model coverage to fill gaps and achieve a more balanced system across the region. All data will be freely accessible on the PacIOOS website. Data management is made possible through long-term partnerships with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP).

PacIOOS will soon start the recruitment process for a new PacIOOS Buoy Specialist position. The new hire will be responsible for the coordination, management, and maintenance of an operational wave buoy observing network across Micronesia, as an extension of PacIOOS' existing buoy network. In addition to the siting, deployment, operation, and logistics of new directional Waverider wave buoys, the successful candidate will also serve as the liaison for PacIOOS Wave Buoy Program in Micronesia. This includes coordinating and collaborating with local partners and stakeholders, as well as providing technical capacity training to build regional ocean observing capacity. While the position will be based in Honolulu, extensive travel throughout the Insular Pacific is anticipated. The position will be posted on the RCUH website soon. For more information, please contact Nicole Wakazuru-Yoza at nwakazur@hawaii.edu. [Photo Credit: UH/Jeff DePonte]

The PacIOOS water quality buoy moored in Pelekane Bay on the leeward side of Hawai‘i Island is now back in the water, providing real-time information of physical water parameters. Based at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, PacIOOS co-investigator Steve Colbert along with his team of students refurbished the water quality buoy with new solar panels, new data loggers and cellular modem, and an EXO sonde. The sonde collects data of water temperature, salinity, turbidity, chlorophyll, and oxygen in 15-min intervals. Data are transmitted hourly to the PacIOOS website. This coastal mooring helps to establish baseline data of coastal water conditions in Pelekane Bay, which often experiences high levels of turbidity. [Photo Credit: PacIOOS/Steve Colbert]

PacIOOS participated in this year's virtual Radiowave Operators Working Group (ROWG), a meeting focusing on the exchange of ideas and information among operators and engineers of High Frequency Radars (HFR). The biennial ROWG is sponsored by the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and helps foster collaboration between new and experienced HFR operators; develops procedures governing HFR operations; and provides recommendations to users, developers, manufacturers, and program managers. Pierre Flament, Ian Fernandez, and Lindsey Benjamin presented an overview of the University of Hawai‘i in-house-built, open-source, and open-design HFR system that PacIOOS is using.[Photo Credit: PacIOOS/Pierre Flament]

In recognition of Dr. William Lapenta, NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is offering a 10-week paid internship program. The program is targeted towards current 2nd and 3rd-year undergraduate and enrolled graduate students to work in areas that will provide robust research and/or operational experience. Projects may focus on research or the development of operational products such as decision support tools, climate and weather forecast models, data analysis methodologies, and social science strategies to communicate climate and weather information. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, veterans, first-generation college students, and economically disadvantaged students are strongly encouraged to apply. The application period closes February 1, 2021. [Photo Credit: NOAA]

For more than 8 years, Grant Bilyard has served as a civil/coastal engineer on projects in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. He is currently working for the Ports Authority, based on Majuro Atoll. Coastal engineering projects are generally classified as high risk due to the exposure to the elements. Therefore, Grant regularly checks ocean conditions provided by the PacIOOS Majuro wave buoy located 0.6 miles off Delap Point to the east of the atoll. Real-time information of wave height, direction, and period keep Grant and his colleagues up-to-date during shoreline construction operations.

The same wave buoy also supplies Grant with valuable data in his spare time. He is a keen surfer and enjoys introducing others to ocean sports. Grant is the President and one of the founding members of the Majuro Ocean Sports Club, a non-profit organization which was established last year. Canoe paddling, swimming and water safety, standup paddling, and surfing are all activities that the club promotes and practices. "The surf at Shipwrecks only fires for a limited swell direction range of NNW to NNE. This direction lets the swell through the single atoll pass to send the swell across the atoll lagoon to the opposite side of the atoll - so we can surf inside the lagoon. PacIOOS delivers the right information and has proven itself for maximum fun and safety." [Photo Credit: Grant Bilyard]