Working around the staff shortages and other logistical challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic introduced a series of problems for the CCCCC as these systems require maintenance. The systems also have to be easily accessible by the locally responsible agency in the case of severe weather events so that they are able to move the systems to a safe storage location.<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges, the CCCCC has been able to install hundreds of Environmental Data Collection Stations, Terrestrial and Marine, over the years. Not only has the CCCCC contributed to the installation and curation of these networks, but also to the yearly maintenance, which keeps these systems online.<\/p>\n
Before the data from the marine stations can be used for ecoforecasting, a robust and accurate system must be developed in the Caribbean so that NOAA\u2019s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) can publish the findings to the greater public.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re asking them to be part of the information package that can guide marine park managers, coral health enthusiasts and operators on how to best protect the ailing barrier reefs across the Caribbean, as most of the islands have been experiencing quite a bit of bleaching<\/a>,\u201d explains Jones.<\/p>\n Albert Jones and Shone\u00e9 Howell (Barbados Coastal Zone Office) setting up the CB-950 before deployment in Barbados. (Credit: James Hendee \/ CCCCC)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Such trends come as no surprise to scientists like Jones, who have spent decades monitoring the climate, but up until recently, many of these concerns surrounding coral reefs failed to make waves with the public. A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change<\/a> stated that July, August, and September have been the hottest they have ever been.<\/p>\n Jones expands, \u201cWe are all cognizant of the fact that our corals are at stress at this point in time due to these high water temperatures, so we are hoping that the information and data that we are gathering will provide the necessary guidance for decision making, as well as for better management of our natural resources, knowing that corals are not just a tourist attraction, but also an extremely important spawning grounds for many fish species out there.\u201d<\/p>\n In the wake of more climate-related research being published and international efforts focusing on environmental protections, monitoring has gotten a bit more attention. Coral reefs are critical habitats for thousands of species that humanity relies on for food. Protecting the reefs and spreading environmental data regarding the reefs works toward solving a major contributor to region\u2019s food security issues.<\/p>\n With a background of more than 35 years in the meteorological sphere, Jones transitioned to electronics in 1980, where he was tasked with building a network of environmental monitoring stations in Belize and ensuring that they met international meteorological monitoring guidelines. He also worked in related sectors to curate monitoring systems.<\/p>\n Jones explains, \u201cWe had a base network that included agrometeorological stations for the agriculture sector, climatic stations for folks that were monitoring for forest fires<\/a>, as well as stations that contributed to the regular Weather Forecasting for the general public.\u201d<\/p>\n He continues, \u201cWe have quite a bit of interaction, not only from the Caribbean Sea itself, but we have a whole host of terrestrial microclimates, that need to be addressed for the different sectors. So that was something that spurred us into having a more dense network of environmental monitoring stations.\u201d<\/p>\n Early renditions of the coral reef early warning system used in the Caribbean utilized exceptionally larger monitoring buoys, which gathered the needed data but also created several logistical concerns. For example, these buoys were quite costly, often required more maintenance and were a burden on local agencies.<\/p>\n Albert Jones preparing the CB-950 for deployment in Belize. (Credit: Kai Wulf \/ Saba Conservation Foundation)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Additionally, anything above a category two hurricane could possibly cause the moorings for these large buoys to break, damage the attached instrumentation and possibly be a hazard for locals facing an influx of water and ocean debris. Moving these large buoys to a safe harbor was challenging due to the size of the buoys.<\/p>\n In 2017, a colleague with NOAA\u2019s AOML recommended\u00a0NexSens<\/a>\u00a0buoys as they\u2019d had success with the systems in Florida. The NexSens\u00a0CB-950<\/a>\u00a0data buoy was less expensive, lighter-weight and durable, meeting everything Jones was looking for in the project.<\/p>\n \u201cNexSens came in and gave us the opportunity not to have only four sites, but to have five sites, because of the lower acquisition cost. And it was a real one stop shop, where [NexSens] integrated the whole system for us. It was easy plug and play,\u201d states Jones.<\/p>\n He expands, \u201cFor us, the buoys are configured ready to be put out in the field, which is something that has made our lives a whole lot easier, where we don\u2019t have to go through a full programming course to actually deploy the system\u2014like we did from the previous supplier. So those sorts of dependencies on a full integration that NexSens actually provided, gave us a lot more confidence in having a working system.\u201d<\/p>\n The network of CB-950 buoys and X2-CBMC<\/a> provides continuous data, even while the systems are being deployed and years after being installed. Equipped with a Sea-bird CTD<\/a>, and\u00a0LI-COR Li-193<\/a> underwater PAR for the marine variables; and\u00a0Airmar 200WX<\/a>,\u00a0Vaisala WXT536<\/a> and LI-COR Li-190<\/a> PAR for meteorological variables, the buoy and sensors are durable for marine conditions. The previous system observed a large variety of parameters, though not all of these were determined to be necessary for coral reef early warning information produced by the ecoforecast program.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made it a more manageable system where we collected what we needed, rather than have excess information that was practically just sitting there for future research. So we said, \u2018Let\u2019s concentrate on what we can use as data for the information needed now,\u2019\u201d explains Jones.<\/p>\n The sensors gather a more narrow set of data, but this data is more relevant and higher quality thanks to the more manageable system. The X2-CB data logger used transfers data via cellular transmission every 10 minutes to Jones even when he is elsewhere in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n The smaller system is also more manageable for the locals who are responsible for the system. Not only is Vaisala familiar to many in the Caribbean due to the company\u2019s presence in land monitoring systems, but the size of the buoys makes moving them in for storm events much more manageable. On the off chance that a buoy is displaced during a storm event, the Airmar complete weather station includes a GPS that allows for the buoy to be located.<\/p>\n A CB-950 being pulled for deployment in Belize. (Credit: Albert Jones \/ CCCCC)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Once the systems are well-established and functioning in the Caribbean, Jones hopes to make the data easily accessible to the public. The goal is for anyone with a cellphone to be able to view the data gathered by the data buoys, informing not only local officials but also citizens of current conditions.<\/p>\n The greatest challenge to continuing monitoring work in the Caribbean is that data collection isn\u2019t very popular with politicians who decide on the amount of money allocated to each public initiative. In every system he designs, Jones has to consider the short and long-term costs of the system.<\/p>\n Jones explains, \u201cWe always say that it\u2019s best to have no data than bad data, because bad data gives you the completely wrong picture of what is happening out there. So rather than giving wrong information, we prefer to not have that information to skew things in the wrong direction.\u201d<\/p>\n While a large number of systems equipped with a host of sensors may gather a larger quantity of data, the system must also be sustainable. More than the initial purchase, the networks require maintenance that must also be considered in the budget.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, data collection isn\u2019t something people campaign on and doesn\u2019t garner votes, putting it high on the list of activities that may lose funding. Public investment in data collection is finicky and can weigh heavily on professionals trying to protect natural resources. Despite this, Jones is hopeful and dedicated to protecting reefs in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a passion for data collection\u2014I see the value of what data does for information. And the thing is, in our field, where we are trying to downscale global models to regional models, to national models, that can only be achieved with data\u2014we cannot think that we can guess our way along,\u201d states Jones.<\/p>\n He continues, \u201c[Data collection is] one of these things that they tend to say, \u2018let\u2019s see if we can do with less.\u2019 And then that becomes a problem\u2014but, data collection has been my passion. I\u2019ve been dealing with this for some 40 years. I enjoy what I\u2019m doing, so as long as I get some support, I will keep pushing on.\u201d<\/p>\n A CB-950 being lifted by a crane for deployment at the Coast Guard Base in Barbados. (Albert Jones \/ CCCCC)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre works to establish environmental monitoring networks and systems in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":38113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2371,2372,23,5,7,8,44,510],"tags":[1482,157,2493,2344,1649,1967,126,1817,2347,2386,2481,2096],"class_list":["post-38097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buoy","category-data-buoy","category-earth-atmosphere","category-featured-articles","category-news","category-newsfeed","category-oceans-coasts","category-water-quality","tag-caribbean","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-monitoring","tag-coral-reef","tag-coral-reef-monitoring-and-assessment-program","tag-coral-reef-systems","tag-data-buoy","tag-data-logger","tag-data-loggers","tag-early-warning-system","tag-marine-monitoring","tag-ocean-monitoring"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"\n![\"Albert](\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/CCCCC_521305a8-c270-48cf-8285-40b442c275b1_ForWeb.jpg\")
Monitoring Climate Conditions with Data Buoys<\/span><\/h3>\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/SWC-25_ForWeb.jpg\")
The Future of Climate Monitoring in the Caribbean<\/span><\/h3>\n
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