147
use for ICOOS time series data since it is concerned with short-term climatic
anomalies as well as long-term climate change. Since ecosystem health is itself tied
to climate variability, this field also makes use of such data. Applied science can
also find fruitful turf for engagement in ocean observing. In many cases, collaboration to implement so-called dual-use technologies can be mutually beneficial. Four
examples of successful scientific research supported by CariCOOS are related
below.
Building upon a successful project designed to test autonomous pH and pCO 2
instruments (Grey et al. 2012), CariCOOS engaged to assist in the operation and
maintenance of a MAPCO2 buoy emplaced on the fore reef of a coral reef off the
coast of Puerto Rico in a collaborative agreement with NOAA PMEL. In addition to
onboard air and water pCO 2 measurement equipment, the buoy is equipped with a
CTD, a dye-based pH sensor and satellite communications. CariCOOS is tasked
with yearly buoy recovery and maintenance and with initialization and validation of
instruments and communication equipment performance prior to redeployment.
CariCOOS moreover engages in weekly sampling for precise laboratory analysis of
carbonate chemistry (carbonate alkalinity and pH). These instrumental records and
laboratory analyses have established the remarkably wide variability of carbonate
chemistry on this coral reef, a pCO 2 range, for example, of slight sub-saturation
from below, the current mean atmospheric content of 405 ppm, to supersaturation
above 500 ppm. This large variability has however impeded unequivocal discernment of the well-known global increase trend of about 5 ppm per year.
Security concerns regarding illegal vessel traffic across the Mona Passage
between the islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola allowed support of a concerted
effort to explore the use of HF radar as a dual-use technology to, in addition to
detecting surface currents, detect and track vessels in transit within this passage
between the northeastern Caribbean Sea and the western tropical Atlantic Ocean
(WTA), an example of applied research. Given the complementary interest of
CariCOOS in acquiring the capability for surface current measurements in the
region, a collaborative effort with the National Center for Secure and Resilient
Maritime Commerce and Coastal Environments (CSR) allowed emplacement and
operation of two mid-range HF radar sites off the west coast of Puerto Rico.
Experimental measurements confirmed that large vessels could be reliably tracked
in this environment (as had been shown for other environments), but smaller vessels
with lower superstructure were, on the contrary, not detectable due to the comparatively long wave amplitude of the vertically polarized probe signal relative to vessel
size. More to the point of ocean observing, operational HF radar coverage of surface
currents in the eastern Mona Passage has been available since 2009 as a result of
these efforts (Corredor et al. 2011). After 2015, CariCOOS assumed full operational
control of these pioneering installations and entered into an agreement with the
Coastal Ocean Observing Laboratory of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
(RU-COOL) for joint installation, operation, and maintenance of three long range
emplacements expanding the network coverage to include the southern Caribbean
coast of Puerto Rico. As for all other HF radar emplacements monitoring US coastal
8.5 Applied and Scientific Research in Coastal Ocean Observing
use for ICOOS time series data since it is concerned with short-term climatic
anomalies as well as long-term climate change. Since ecosystem health is itself tied
to climate variability, this field also makes use of such data. Applied science can
also find fruitful turf for engagement in ocean observing. In many cases, collaboration to implement so-called dual-use technologies can be mutually beneficial. Four
examples of successful scientific research supported by CariCOOS are related
below.
Building upon a successful project designed to test autonomous pH and pCO 2
instruments (Grey et al. 2012), CariCOOS engaged to assist in the operation and
maintenance of a MAPCO2 buoy emplaced on the fore reef of a coral reef off the
coast of Puerto Rico in a collaborative agreement with NOAA PMEL. In addition to
onboard air and water pCO 2 measurement equipment, the buoy is equipped with a
CTD, a dye-based pH sensor and satellite communications. CariCOOS is tasked
with yearly buoy recovery and maintenance and with initialization and validation of
instruments and communication equipment performance prior to redeployment.
CariCOOS moreover engages in weekly sampling for precise laboratory analysis of
carbonate chemistry (carbonate alkalinity and pH). These instrumental records and
laboratory analyses have established the remarkably wide variability of carbonate
chemistry on this coral reef, a pCO 2 range, for example, of slight sub-saturation
from below, the current mean atmospheric content of 405 ppm, to supersaturation
above 500 ppm. This large variability has however impeded unequivocal discernment of the well-known global increase trend of about 5 ppm per year.
Security concerns regarding illegal vessel traffic across the Mona Passage
between the islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola allowed support of a concerted
effort to explore the use of HF radar as a dual-use technology to, in addition to
detecting surface currents, detect and track vessels in transit within this passage
between the northeastern Caribbean Sea and the western tropical Atlantic Ocean
(WTA), an example of applied research. Given the complementary interest of
CariCOOS in acquiring the capability for surface current measurements in the
region, a collaborative effort with the National Center for Secure and Resilient
Maritime Commerce and Coastal Environments (CSR) allowed emplacement and
operation of two mid-range HF radar sites off the west coast of Puerto Rico.
Experimental measurements confirmed that large vessels could be reliably tracked
in this environment (as had been shown for other environments), but smaller vessels
with lower superstructure were, on the contrary, not detectable due to the comparatively long wave amplitude of the vertically polarized probe signal relative to vessel
size. More to the point of ocean observing, operational HF radar coverage of surface
currents in the eastern Mona Passage has been available since 2009 as a result of
these efforts (Corredor et al. 2011). After 2015, CariCOOS assumed full operational
control of these pioneering installations and entered into an agreement with the
Coastal Ocean Observing Laboratory of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
(RU-COOL) for joint installation, operation, and maintenance of three long range
emplacements expanding the network coverage to include the southern Caribbean
coast of Puerto Rico. As for all other HF radar emplacements monitoring US coastal
8.5 Applied and Scientific Research in Coastal Ocean Observing