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U.S. Government buying more SeaKeeper 1000™ systems
 The
U. S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is purchasing
an increasing number of the SeaKeeper 1000™ monitoring
systems. While most units purchased by NOAA up to now have
been utilized by the National Weather Service (NWS), perhaps the
best known division of NOAA, additional units have been commissioned
and more are about to be deployed by the agency's National Marine
Sanctuaries Program.
At this time, SeaKeepers systems are deployed on two buoy stations
(41035, 41036) in Onslow Bay, NC. Only after extensive testing
were these systems approved and deployed. The process included
six months in Gulfport Harbor, another year offshore Gulfport
on its Ocean Test Platform, and 18 months on the Fowey Rocks
Lighthouse. Another unit will be placed in service on station
(44013) outside the Boston Harbor. The real-time data collected
from these stations can be tracked on the NDBC website at www.ndbc.noaa.gov
SeaKeeper 1000™ systems are also being deployed on the
research vessels of NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries
Program. The national marine sanctuaries are federally protected
waters that provide safe habitats for species close to extinction
or protect historically significant underwater archaeological
sites. Sanctuary habitats encompass more than 18,000 square
miles of marine and Great Lakes waters, ranging in size from
less than one square mile to more than 5,300 square miles.
They include beautiful rocky reefs, lush kelp forests, whale
migration corridors, and spectacular deep-sea canyons.
The SeaKeeper 1000™ system is currently operating on
NOAA’s research vessel Fulmar, a 65' aluminum catamaran
that averages approximately 200 days at sea. This ship monitors
the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, but also serves
the adjacent Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones sanctuaries.
In addition to Fulmar, NOAA has commissioned additional SeaKeeper
1000™
units for deployment on its research vessels Shearwater, which
monitors the Channel Islands sanctuary off the coast of California;
Auk, which monitors the Stellwagen Bank sanctuary in the Massachusetts
Bay; and on a third vessel, which will begin operating fall
2007 in the Flower Garden Banks sanctuary off the coast of
Galveston, TX.
Dr. Richard Spinrad, NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research, said one of the great benefits SeaKeepers
monitors provide are their modular sensor technology: "Modular
sensor designs are an important consideration in our development
of the Integrated Ocean Observing System. These concepts may
lead to reduced costs and increased data flow. At NOAA we are
eager to work towards fully integrated sensor capabilities,
thus ensuring the interoperability of a broad range of sensors
and observing systems."
The SeaKeeper 1000™ enables software and hardware on multiple
machines from multiple vendors to communicate. While the system
was originally tested on private yachts, it offers real opportunities
for applications in more widely diverse locations. The National
Data Buoy Center (NDBC), a component of the NWS, has more than
150 sea buoys and fixed installations specifically deployed
to gather marine weather information. All buoy stations measure
wind speed, direction, and gust; barometric pressure; air temperature;
sea surface temperature; and wave height and period. Buoy stations
equipped with the modular SeaKeeper 1000™ also measure conductivity,
dissolved oxygen, pH, and other optional parameters such as
near surface chlorophyll (plankton levels) and turbidity (water
transparency).
"We are extremely pleased that NOAA
is increasing its purchases for the SeaKeeper 1000™," stated
SeaKeepers CEO John Englander. "This endorsement is a true measure
of the value and success of our innovative system." 
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About
NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) is a federal
agency focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere. It
plays several distinct roles within the Department of Commerce.
One of the most important resources in our society is information. NOAA
supplies information to its customers that pertains to the state of the
oceans and the atmosphere. This is clearly manifest in the production
of weather warnings and forecasts through the National Weather Service,
but NOAA’s information products extend to climate, ecosystems and
commerce as well.
NOAA also is the steward of national coastal and marine environments.
In coordination with federal, state, local, tribal and international
authorities, NOAA manages the use of these environments, regulating fisheries
and marine sanctuaries as well as protecting threatened and endangered
marine species.
NOAA is a trusted source of accurate and objective scientific information
in four particular areas of national and global importance:
- Ecosystems: Ensure the
sustainable use of resources and balance competing uses of coastal
and marine ecosystems, recognizing both their human and natural components.
- Climate: Understand
changes in climate, including the El Niño phenomenon, to ensure
that we can plan and respond properly.
- Weather & Water: Provide
data and forecasts for weather and water cycle events, including storms,
droughts and floods.
- Commerce & Transportation: Provide
weather, climate, and ecosystem information to make sure individual
and commercial transportation is safe, efficient and environmentally
sound.
For more information, visit www.noaa.gov.
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