why care about weather buoys?

Measurements made by NDBC buoys provide better data on weather patterns in the Sound and the Gulf of Alaska. They are the first step toward understanding the variability of weather patterns around the Sound, and will allow for more accurate weather forecasting by models being developed by AOOS.

weather buoys
in the sound

buoys in prince william sound

Go to AOOS Buoy data

measuring ocean currents

We measure current velocity with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). ADCPs measure Doppler shifts to calculate the speed of moving water. We experience Doppler shifts in everyday life; think, for example, of the change in sound of passing cars when walking on the side of the road.

ADCPs emit a sound at a given frequency and listen to the echo of this sound after it has bounced on small particles naturally present in seawater. We can estimate the distance between the instrument and the reflecting particles, using the delay between the emission of the sound and the arrival of the echo.

If the echo from a given distance arrives with a higher frequency than the emitted sound, then the volume of water at this distance is moving toward the instrument. If the echo arrives with a lower frequency, then this volume of water is moving away. Larger shifts in frequency indicate larger current speeds.

Weather Buoys

Existing weather observation platforms in Prince William Sound include the weather buoys and coastal weather stations of the National Data Buoy Center.

weather buoy at seal rocks In addition to the two weather buoys already in the Sound -– one at Hinchinbrook Entrance and one in Orca Bay -– as well as one in the Gulf of Alaska at Cape Suckling, two new buoys have been deployed in the northwest Sound at Port Wells, located at the southern end of Montague Island near Cape Cleare.

Right: NDBC buoy at Seal Rocks, near Valdez.

The NDBC also maintains three automated weather stations at Bligh Reef, Potato Point, and Middle Rock along the vessel traffic lane leading to the Port of Valdez oil terminal.

See the locations of the NDBC buoys in the Sound.

About the Buoys

The weather buoys in the Sound are typically three meters in diameter, although larger six-meter buoys are used for stability in rougher or more open waters such as Hinchinbrook Entrance. The buoys carry an array of instruments that measure:

wind speed and direction
air pressure
air temperature
sea surface temperature

Cooperative Efforts

NDBC buoys provide a platform for placement of additional instruments by other organizations. For example, AOOS has upgraded each of the three buoys in the Sound with instruments that measure ocean temperature, salinity, and current velocity.

Experimental Buoy

In July 2008, the NDBC will deploy an experimental buoy in Montague Strait. This buoy will measure directional waves and water currents in this important entrance to the Sound. The new buoy will include an ADCP provided by AOOS, and will transmit data in near real time.

Photo: National Data Buoy Center

The Alaska Ocean Observing System is building a network of observation platforms and forecast models. The goal of this network is to provide information products and tools to improve our understanding of Alaska’s ocean ecosystem and allow us to make better decisions about our use of the marine environment.

AOOS is affiliated with the Integrated Ocean Observing System and the
University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
UAF is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution.