Oceanographic test facility at Duck Pier, NC

Abstract

The National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) Waterways Experiment Station (WES) and National Ocean Service (NOS) have established an environmental test facility for ocean and atmospheric sensors at the WES Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, NC. This facility provides a natural environmental laboratory for testing and evaluating sensors used for long-term, remote monitoring on platforms of opportunity. NDBC, NOS, and WES operate national scale-monitoring networks extending from estuaries through the coastal zone to offshore, each using its own unique platforms to accomplish agency missions. It is important that these platforms have the capability to accept additional sensors and can manage (process, qualify, store, and maintain) and disseminate the data in real time. The environmental test facility on the FRF pier is shared between the participating agencies. The new facility consists of an NDBC coastal weather station, two laboratories housing wet and dry laboratory facilities, an ocean platform for supporting sensors underwater, WES directional waves, water pressure, and current sensors, and a water level station operated by NOS. This facility will enable environmental managers and scientists to assess and evaluate the capabilities of environmental sensors to meet the requirements for accurate, reliable long-term unattended monitoring programs.