RCOOS
Coastal and Ocean Observations in NC and SC
RCOOS webpage
The Carolinas RCOOS has been successful in developing elements of end-to-end systems, including deployment and maintenance of observing systems, data management/analyses, model development, and outreach and partnership activities. Real time data on ocean and atmospheric conditions for NC and SC are transmitted from offshore buoys, pier-mounted stations, and estuarine water quality stations. Additionally, non-real time data and periodic water quality data are incorporated in the data management system. Carolinas RCOOS operates seven real-time stations oceanographic stations which provide the following data hourly: air temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind gust and direction, surface water temperature, and salinity. Several stations also provide wave and current data. All information and products are easily accessible through the web pages at carolinasrcoos.org, cormp.org, and secoora.org.
NWS use of Carolinas RCOOS Marine Data during Hurricane Irene
Waverider buoy deployed off of Wrightsville Beach, NC
provides valuable spectral wave data for NWS.
The NOAA National Weather Service offices in Wilmington, NC, Newport, NC and Charleston, SC regularly use Carolinas RCOOS data for daily surf zone, nearshore marine forecast, marine warnings, and rip current forecasts. After Hurricane Irene impacted the Carolinas in August 2011, Steve Pfaff, with the Wilmington Weather Forecast Office stated: The marine observations provided by the Carolinas RCOOS allowed us to determine when the dangerous forerunner swells from Hurricane Irene were making it into our coastal waters. This enabled the Surf Zone forecaster to confidently issue Coastal Hazard Messages to inform the public about the increased rip current risk from the arrival of Irene's swells. We also collaborated daily with the area lifeguards about the size and period of the swells so that they can better plan the use of their personnel resources. Also, the marine observations (wave spectrum data) allowed us to specifically determine the scope of impacts expected at the inlet entrances, especially when combined with tide data. The observations enabled our staff as well as the National Hurricane Center staff to determine the intensity of the hurricane as it passed by the waters.
Beach Water Quality Modeling
In SC, Carolinas RCOOS personnel have been involved with efforts to address the need for more timely issuance of beach swimming advisories and shellfish bed closures due to elevated levels of bacterial contamination. Standard sampling protocols require 24-hour incubation of water samples before results are available. Improved predictive capabilities were desirable to reduce the impact of unnecessary closures (false positives) and failures to close when needed (false negatives). With the support of the Carolinas RCOOS, SECOORA, and the collaboration between USC, the University of Maryland, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), a suite of decision-support tools to address this need has been developed. For the Long Bay region of coastal SC, a series of statistical analyses were performed to identify those coastal and ocean observing and monitoring system data that provide the best predictive capabilities of fecal coliform. A number of variables that described the environmental conditions in the area were included, such as the air and water temperature, salinity, tidal stage, winds, and precipitation. Based on statistical analyses, a range of models were considered and validated in a number of shellfish harvesting regions and swimming beaches. In addition to spatially explicit rainfall, water temperature and salinity were found to improve the predictability of fecal coliform concentrations, since these two parameters are related to processes known to regulate bacterial input and survival. As a result of the analysis a number of additional data input sources including NWS radar-derived rainfall estimates and modeled salinity estimates are being incorporated into the real-time observing network, and an online portal with water quality predictions has been built to aid coastal resource managers and public health officials. Working with state and local resource manager and public health officials, these improvements have resulted in improved accuracy and timeliness of closure forecasts, with reduced false positives and lower indirect community costs by eliminating unwarranted advisories.
HF Radar
HF Radar Data
With assistance from the Carolinas RCOOS, SECOORA, and a National Science Foundation grant, the old Pritchard's Island, SC HF radar site was relocated to southern Long Bay. The site was established at the Belle W. Baruch Foundation property, near Georgetown, SC (33° 21' 22" E and 79° 9' 10"). As part of a complimentary NSF project, a second radar station was established in December 2011 in Northern Long Bay, at Caswell Beach, NC (33° 21' 22" E and 79° 9' 10" W) on private property owned by the North Carolina Baptist Assembly. While this station was initially set up as part of a short term research project, funding from the NOAA IOOS office and SECOORA have allowed it to become a long-term station that supports coastal observing efforts in the Southeast.
The two new stations are identified as GTN and CSW (Georgetown and Caswell, respectively) and installation was completed in January 2012. Data from both stations are combined and surface currents and wave data (experimental at present) are collected every 30 minutes, 24 hours per day. The stations are transmitting data to the national HF Radar network and to the SECOORA webpage.