National Ocean Service

About: National Ocean Service is a government organization based out in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Algal bloom & Population. The organization has 500 authors who have published 643 publications receiving 46096 citations.

Accuracy characteristics of the electronics of waverider buoys used in the ARSLOE

Abstract: During the Atlantic Remote Sensing Land Ocean Experiment (ARSLOE), October-November, 1980, a large number of meteorological and oceanographic instruments, especially wave-measurement instruments, were deployed in the ocean near the Army Corps of Engineers Pier, Duck, NC. About nine Waverider buoys were deployed in an approximately rectangular pattern, about 30 km wide by 40 km seaward. The Waveriders were an accepted reference for study of other wave-measurement instrument systems. Almost all of the Waverider buoys were calibrated on the rotating-arm facility of the NOAA, Engineering Support Office. Pre- and post-deployment calibrations formed the basis for tables and equations for correction of the Waverider measurements. The calibrations discussed here established that the Waveriders were measuring lower than specification, averaging about 5 percent low (10 percent for variance spectra coefficients.) Corrections for effects of fluctuations in water temperature on Waverider sensitivity were required and are provided. The manufacturer's modification to prevent future drift in sensitivity is also described.

Inoculation and Colonization of Four Saltmarsh Species with Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (Mississippi)

Abstract: Mycorrhizal Fungi (Mississippi) Melissa Pratt-Zossoungbo (NOAA National Ocean Service, Policy, Planning and Analysis Division, MBO, RM 13349, 1305 East-West Hwy, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301/713-3070 x138, melissa.pratt-zossoungbo@noaa.gov) and Patrick D. Biber (University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, 703 E Beach Dr, Ocean Springs, MS 39564, 228/740-8402, patrick.biber@usm.edu)

Real-Time Current and Wave Monitoring Using Acoustic and Iridium Satellite Links

Abstract: The U.S. National Ocean Service (NOS) of NOAA maintains and operates a Physical Oceanography Real Time System (PORTS®) in the Nation’s major ports, harbors and bays. The traditional method of obtaining real-time data from bottom mounted instruments is via underwater cable link. However, this is vulnerable to damage and costly to install and maintain. This paper describes an approach utilizing acoustic and Iridium satellite links to report in real-time wave and current data. The system consists of an ocean bottom instrumentation platform and a U.S. Coast Guard Aid-to-Navigation buoy for data relay. The bottom platform contains a Nortek 1 MHz Acoustic Wave and Current profiler (AWAC) with an integrated Nortek Internal Processor (NIP), a LinkQuest omni-directional UWM2000H underwater acoustic transmitting modem, an ORE acoustic release-based recovery component, and a Teledyne-Benthos UAT-376/EL acoustic transponder. The surface buoy supports an omni-directional UWM2000H receiving modem, an Iridium antenna, and an electronic box containing an Iridium modem, a controller, battery packs, and temperature and voltage sensors. The AWAC measures current profiles along the vertical water column at 30-minute intervals and surface waves at hourly intervals. The NIP processes a set of user selected wave and current parameters and sends these data to the controller on the surface buoy through acoustic modems. The data are then transmitted via Iridium satellite to remote offices in real-time. Sample measurement results and reference data from a near-by Datawell’s Waverider directional wave buoy are presented. The Waverider is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Several unique system design features and interesting wave phenomenon observed at the measurement site are discussed. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the performance of AWAC, NIP, shallow water acoustic modems, and Iridium satellite in real-time data telemetry.