A coalition of local water safety organizations has revived a previously decommissioned sensor at the Santa Monica Pier to provide updated data as part of a Federal ocean monitoring program.
Divers from the Bay Foundation, Los Angeles Waterkeeper and the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) dove below the Pier this week to refurbish a sensor pack that measures temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, and water level at frequent intervals in the nearshore coastal ocean.
SCCOOS is one of eleven regions that contribute to the national system.
“The regional observing systems work to collect, integrate, and deliver coastal and ocean observations in order to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect the environment,” said SCCOOS. “The primary goal of SCCOOS is to provide the scientific data and information needed to inform decision-making and better understand the changing conditions of the coastal ocean in Southern California.”
The SCCOOS system has four sensor packs in local waters.
Data has been provided since 2005 at Stearns Wharf by the Marine Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The new Santa Monica Pier sensor is a partnership between SCCOOS, the Los Angeles Waterkeeper, The Bay Foundation and the City of Los Angeles.
At the Newport Pier, the system is operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) in collaboration with Orange County Sanitation District.
The Scripps Pier station is also operated by SIO.
Melissa Carter, Programs Analyst with Scripps Institution of Oceanography said the data has many uses. Scientist use the readings for a variety of projects, lifeguards can check the measurements to estimate ocean safety or beach attendance, casual swimmers can use the service when planning their vacations and in an emergency situation having accurate ocean temperature data is critical to rescue efforts.
“Temperature and salinity data can be used for a number of things,” she said. “Putting it here can also help us understand the water quality better.”
Tom Ford, Executive Director of The Bay Foundation said having a constant stream of data establishes an important baseline for future research than can help frame debates about ocean changes.
“It’s important to know what’s happening when we cause harm with pollution,” he said.
“We’re also looking at how the ocean’s changing due to climate change and there are local factors and without the data, we’re just guessing.”
The sensor pack went dark in 2015 and it’s taken several years to secure enough funding to bring the equipment back on line.
The sensors package itself is worth about $30,000 and it requires another $30,000 a year in maintenance costs. With new training, local divers will be able to maintain the equipment on a regular basis and the public can access the data feed at http://sccoos.org/data/autoss.
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