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PacIOOS Wave Buoy now serving Am. Samoa and the Pacific

On October 23, the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) deployed a new wave buoy in the waters off Aunu’u. The bright yellow buoy is located more than three miles offshore and will stream data on ocean and wave conditions. The buoy joins the existing PacIOOS network of 13 real-time wave buoys across the Pacific, providing data on wave height, direction, period, and sea surface temperature.

 

“The wave buoy is a tremendous new asset for the people of American Samoa. Data will not only support our department’s efforts, but also inform ocean-related operations and activities on a daily basis,” said Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga, Director of the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) and Governing Council Member of PacIOOS.

 

Ocean users, including fishermen, commercial operators, surfers, paddlers, and swimmers, can access ocean data online to make well-informed and safe decisions. Real-time wave data are also vital to prepare the community, emergency responders, and agency officials for big wave events that could potentially impact the islands.

 

PacIOOS Deputy Director, Melissa Iwamoto said, “The new wave buoy will complement our network in the Pacific. Serving real-time data from American Samoa will greatly support the decision-making of various agencies across the Pacific, including the National Weather Service and the National Oceanographic Data Center.”

 

The location of the buoy is included in nautical charts. To keep the buoy and its sensors operational, ocean users are asked not to tie to the buoy and avoid fishing within 500 feet to minimize entanglement in the mooring line.

 

Data streaming for the PacIOOS wave buoy is made possible through long-term partnerships between PacIOOS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Coastal Data Information Program.

 

To access Aunu’u wave buoy data on the web, log on to <http://pacioos.org/wavebuoy/aunuubuoy.php> or to learn more about PacIOOS, log on to <http://pacioos.org>

 

The Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) believes that ocean data and information can help save lives and resources. In collaboration with its partners, PacIOOS aims to provide sustained ocean observations in order to support decision-making and science for stakeholders who call the Pacific Islands home. Based within the School for Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, PacIOOS is part of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®).