Some instrumentation on the Horizon?

Retired CREWS buoys enroute to Saipan.  Photo J. Asher

Oceanographic equipment is expensive. So when it came down to it, NOAA did not want to fund two $100,000+ ICON stations for Saipan and we had to decide on a single location to place a single station. The Tanapag Lagoon was the close runner up to Laolao (read about that site here:  LLBP7 Blog).

Ecological studies in the area continue to be conducted by the CNMI's Marine Monitoring Team (MMT). A brief (month long) current study funded by the CNMI Coastal Resources Management Office and conducted by SOPAC (the South Pacific Geosciences Commission) resulted in a current model for the entire Saipan Lagoon (of which Tanpag Lagoon is a part).

Now, it appears that a possible instrumentation platform will shortly arrive on Saipan and may be a step toward a full-fledged CREWS/ICON station.  The yellow buoys shown on the bridge deck of the NOAA Ship OSCAR ELTON SETTE will be arriving on Saipan at the end of this month.  These bouys were part of the 'CREWS' buoy program run by NOAA CRED. Although the sensors have been stripped off these buoys, we hope to reinstall meteorological and oceanographic sensors on the buoys and add them to the ocean observing system that the Laolao ICON station is the start of.

Eagle Rays

Pictured here is a school of about 15 to 20 eagle rays near site #14, within the Managaha Marine Conservation Area, Saipan. (Click on image to see larger.)

Photo by John Halas

Site #18

Contract diver begins to measure a 30' radius from central spot of "Site #18" located at:

15° 13'49.3" N
145° 42'53.8" E

Satellite data from this area can be obtained from the ICON virtual station site, here.

Photo by Derek Manzello

Managaha Marine Conservation Area Site Survey

Photo by Jim Hendee

On October 20, 2009, a wide area within Mangaha Marine Conservation Area (MCA), Saipan was investigated to discover a possible suitable site for the installation of a CREWS station. The view above (click on it to see larger), looking south, shows the proximity of Managaha Island (right) to Saipan. For more on the MCA see this link, and to view satellite data collected for the ICON virtual station, see this link.

The view below is looking north from Managaha Island toward the spot where the picture above (on Saipan) was taken.

Photo by Derek Manzello.