PacIOOS is embarking upon a new five-year cooperative agreement with the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) through NOAA. For the first year of this five-year award, PacIOOS is receiving $3.08 million in competitive funding to collect, manage, and serve coastal and ocean observing and forecasting data. The focus of the upcoming five years will be to sustain and enhance existing observations and forecasts, support coastal resiliency and climate adaptation, and strive for a more balanced geographical coverage throughout the Pacific Islands region. PacIOOS' network of real-time observations and short-term forecasts informs more than half a million users every year, including federal, state and county agencies, non-governmental organizations, and commercial and recreational ocean users. [Photo: PacIOOS operates a network of 15 wave buoys across the Pacific Islands. Credit: PacIOOS/Max Sudnovsky]

In collaboration with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch (CWB), PacIOOS deployed three nearshore sensors at Keʻehi Lagoon, Oʻahu. The CWB will use the data to assess water quality in the lagoon to determine whether state water quality standards are being met and to monitor how the water quality is changing over time. Due to the triangle shape of the boat canal and multiple islands within the lagoon, water circulation is limited, in particular in the vicinity of the stream mouths. Three autonomous water quality sensors have been installed near the stream mouths to help characterize the lagoon environment. For a duration of one year, the sensors will measure temperature, salinity, depth, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity in 6-min intervals. Data will be made available on the PacIOOS website. [Photo: Location map of deployed nearshore sensors at Ke‘ehi Lagoon.]

The Marine Team of the National Park Service of American Samoa (NPSA) swapped the PacIOOS wave buoy off Aunu'u, American Samoa, with a new one to ensure continuous data collection and streaming. PacIOOS would like to thank NPSA for the ongoing support and assistance to keep the buoy operational. The Aunu'u wave buoy provides real-time information on wave height, direction, and period, as well as sea surface temperature. Data streaming 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). [Photo: NPSA staff utilizing a davit arm for the buoy swap. Credit: Pua Tuaua/NPSA.]

Jessica Bullington, a recent master's graduate from the Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, investigated the microbial community in the Ala Wai Canal in Honolulu. The shallow, warm, and still waters in this channelized system facilitate the presence of the pathogenic bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus, which can cause serious infections in humans. Jessica studied the Ala Wai water chemistry, identified a correlation between water temperature, salinity, and Vibrio vulnificus, and was able to develop a predictive model for the presence of the bacterium. In summary, elevated water temperature and increased rain events raise the bacteria count. The PacIOOS nearshore sensor at the mouth of the Ala Wai served as an important data source for the development and validation of the model.  [Photo: The Ala Wai canal is a channelized system in close proximity to Waikīkī. Credit: University of Hawai‘i]

As part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, a series of Ocean Decade Laboratories are being held in 2021 and 2022 to support interaction and creative thinking for the Ocean Decade around the globe. A Predicted Ocean was the theme of a laboratory convened in September with global representation, including from PacIOOS and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). During the roundtable, panelists discussed how to make observations, data products, and services more impactful. Recommendations and discussion topics included leveraging existing programs and relationships; listening and connecting to stakeholders and user communities to understand and address their needs; and utilizing an iterative process to co-design products that are useful for end-users.

The article Effects of Trade Wind Strength on Airflow and Cloudiness over Oahu was recently published in the American Meteorological Society's Monthly Weather Review Journal. Dr. Feng Hsiao et al. utilized satellite observations and high-resolution modeling to identify how different trade wind conditions affect island wake circulations and cloudiness during day and night times. The Waiʻanae and Koʻolau mountain ranges on Oʻahu play a significant role in affecting the upslope flows on the windward sides, the combined sea-breezes/upslope flow along the Waiʻanae lee-side coast in the afternoon hours, and the island wake circulation, resulting in the formation of different types of clouds. Post-doctoral researcher Feng Hsiao maintains and validates PacIOOS' real-time atmospheric forecasts under the supervision of Dr. Yi-Leng Chen, PacIOOS co-investigator and Professor at the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. [Photo: Cloud formation over the Ko‘olau mountain range. Credit: PacIOOS]

To support coral reef management in Guam and American Samoa, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is implementing a project to identify areas of coral reef habitats that are more likely to be resilient to climate change. In September, the project team held workshops with resource managers and scientists based in Guam/Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa to explore project maps and examine the degree of overlap in resilience conditions with existing management areas. USGS will use this feedback to help develop maps of locations suitable for resilience-based management. The resulting data will be made available on the PacIOOS website. The Regional Ocean Data Sharing Initiative team in the Pacific Islands identified this project as a way to help address coastal management information needs. This effort is funded by NOAA and the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC). [Photo: Partially bleached coral reef in Guam. Credit: NPS]

We are excited to introduce Koden Lebehn as the new Capacity Building Liaison Officer based in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), a new position developed through collaboration between the Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT) and PacIOOS. In his new role, Koden will help build ocean observing capacity across Micronesia by training communities and interested agencies in the collection and analysis of oceanographic data.

Born in the Marshall Islands and raised on the Island of Pohnpei, Koden completed his Associate of Science Degree in Marine Science from the College of Micronesia and earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Marine Science at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo. His passion for marine science and conservation stems from the desire to improve coastal and terrestrial resource management by reducing stressors and unsustainable practices. Koden served as the Pohnpei State’s Technical Officer for the FSM Ridge to Reef Project where he acquired a keen interest in conservation work to support local communities in Micronesia. Welcome aboard, Koden!