Click to enlarge
The Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward with the UAF Seward Marine Center dock in the foreground where two new sensors will be installed and tested this spring.
AOOS is working with two organizations this spring to test new land-based water level measurement techniques as part of an effort to increase water level observations in remote areas of western and northern Alaska. The effort is the result of recommendations developed at a May 2015 workshop that explored options for developing a suite of observation technologies to meet the specialized needs of Alaska coastal environments with reduced long-term costs. This work is being done in partnership with the National Weather Service and NOAA CO-OPS.
In early April ASTRA, LLC deployed two dual-frequency GPS receivers in Seward near the Alaska SeaLife Center. These receivers will provide measurements of ocean water level variation, and the quality of these data will be evaluated by comparing the GPS reflectometry measurements to water level data from an established, nearby NOAA operated NWLON water level station. The GPS receiver’s suitability for land-based water level measurements and their operational capability in weather conditions experienced year-round in Alaska will also be evaluated prior to extending this technology to a broader monitoring network in remote locations.
AOOS is also working with UNAVCO, a national non-profit geodetic research consortium, to identify sites in remote western Alaska for potential installation of the UNAVCO GPS/GNSS receivers that would return data satisfying both the geophysical research needs of the UNAVCO program and water level monitoring objectives of AOOS.