Camp Lejeune Integrated Observation Network

Abstract

At Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, coastal phenomena include both natural and man-made events that impact littoral operations such as ship-to-shore movement. The Marine Corps utilizes authoritative knowledge of the coastal environment to make better decisions regarding the employment of people, platforms, and weapon systems, increasing their effectiveness, and decreasing risks to those resources. Meteorological and oceanographic (METOC) products based on collected data and models are made available to support practical decision makers. In order to implement rapid environmental assessment for naval expeditionary warfare, a Camp Lejeune Integrated Observation Network (CLION) is being developed. It is intended to be complementary to other regional observational networks, such as the Carolinas' Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction System (Caro-COOPS). This combined observation network will provide a backbone for integrating environmental observations within the series of embayments that comprise the entire Carolina coastline. The fully integrated network of meteorological buoys, water level gages, and moored instrument arrays capture data used to validate and to be assimilated into the numerical models, which constitute the Coastal and Estuary Marine Environmental Prediction System (CEMEPS). CLION products are aimed at identifying critical environmental phenomena to benefit maritime operations, military missions, and people living along the coast.