FSML- A State-of-the-art Water Level Measurement System for the Baruch Marine Laboratory

  • Bushek, David (PI)
  • Gardner, Leonard L. (CoPI)
  • Ogburn-matthews, Virginia V. (CoPI)

Project Details

Description

This project will support the acquisition of a state-of-the-art water level measurement system at the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory's (BMFL) primary long-term research site in North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina. Data obtained from the tide gauge will be used to enhance and support research by resident and visiting investigators at the BMFL. The tide gauge will be a 'fully integrated electronic data collection, processing and dissemination system' equivalent to the 'Next Generation Water Level Measurement System' (NGWLMS) used by the National Ocean Service (NOS) along the US coastlines and accessible via the Internet. The tide gauge will expand the usefulness of the research site and the Baruch Institute's existing long-term data sets from North Inlet Estuary (including 20 years of NSF-LTER/NOAA-NERR data). These comprehensive long-term datasets have provided insights into the role of abiotic and biotic factors in long-term change. Interpretation of these data with respect to either long-or short-term changes in water level (e.g., sea level rise, storm surges, etc.) has been limited by the relatively poor accuracy (+/1 18 mm) of the BMFL's existing water level measurement system. The current system is also highly susceptible to changes in barometric pressure, decreasing accuracy to +/1 390mm during extreme low pressure events (e.g., hurricanes). A more accurate water level system (+/1 3mm) will provide new opportunities for researches to test hypotheses using both existing long-term data and new data. It will also stimulate new research directions and collaborations and will provide new opportunities for comparative research between North Inlet and other research sites where similar equipment already exists.

The Baruch Institute has begun to develop partnerships with NOS and the South Carolina Geodetic Survey (SCGS) for deployment, leveling and maintenance of the tide gauge as well as data management and dissemination of tide data. The system specified is compatible with the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) and NOS will provide a link to the NWLON via NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). The NWLON is accessible via the Internet and provides basic data management to facilitate use by researchers worldwide in near real time (1 hr delay). The SCGS will level the system to existing benchmarks. The BMFL will coordinate efforts, and provide the basic infrastructure and day-to-day maintenance. This water level measurement system will be a major improvement in design, accuracy, availability, and access of data over the BMFL's existing tidal measurement system.

StatusFinished
Effective start/end date1/1/0012/31/01

Funding

  • National Science Foundation: $23,500.00

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