Coastal Observing Systems: Addressing Science while Fulfilling the Needs of Regulators, Managers and Stakeholders

The opening of Packery Channel in the Texas Gulf of Mexico region presented an opportunity to adapt an existing coastal observing system for scientific discovery, while addressing regulatory issues and decision support. Maintained and operated by the Shoreline Environmental Research Facility (SERF), specifically the objectives were current monitoring with data acquisition systems having a real-time data access through the Web. This paper is prepared covering the operation of a real-time datacenter that can be queried through a Web interface and the data collection aspects relating to current measurements in Packery Channel as well as the interconnected Gulf Intra-coastal Waterway (GIWW). The study spans the period October 2004 through September 2005, encompassing the active hurricane season with several storm systems passing through the study area. An interpretation of the data against the backdrop of meteorological and other physical processes is provided. This paper also discusses the challenges faced in the operation of unattended systems deployed in coastal observatories including vandalism and damage to instruments resulting from vessel traffic. The web-based datacenter is structured on an SQL database with dataflow from the sensors all the way through data visualization or ASCII data download in real-time on the Web. The actual database is housed on an SQL server maintained and operated by SERF, the database being populated with data from a network of sensors deployed within the vicinity of Corpus Christi Bay for performing real-time environmental monitoring and oceanographic assessment. Interfaced to the database server is the Webserver through which query scripts are run in response to user input from a web query interface. The user interface provides information on data availability and data that passes through the QA/QC process is displayed on demand. Daily quality assurance is provided through a system that alerts of problems with the data acquisition system or the sensor. This is done to prevent data gaps and ensure high data availability. Data quality control specific to this project is based on standard data analysis tools such as spectral analysis in addition to time series plots. These tools are powerful and they help in reducing the human factor with regards to decision making on data quality. Packery Channel sensor platform which holds an array of submersible and meteorological sensors for continuous monitoring is at 27 37.941' N 97 13.735' W, about 300 meters ESE of the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway on the north side of Packery Channel. The instrument package includes an ADCP (RD Instruments, Inc.) deployed at a maximum depth of approximately 2.8 meters. This platform has been populated with instruments since September, 2003 and includes a Windbird for meteorological data, a Horizontal ADCP (HADCP) that measures current profiles in 2D (horizontal) plane across the channel and particle size analyzer, LISST 100 (Sequoia Scientific). Throughout this project, data availability was in the high percentage rate range of 90-95%. From the observed current patterns one could notice that prior to the channel opening, the along-channel flow is predominantly towards the Corpus Christi Bay with the cross-channel flow being 180 degrees out of phase with the along-channel flow. Following the channel opening on July 20, 2005 the along-channel flow became predominantly towards the Gulf, the cross-channel flow being in phase with the along-channel flow. Through this project, current measurements were provided in support of Packery Channel opening activities. One would expect that the current at GIWW should have the strongest component in the N-S direction. However, no velocity component at Packery exhibited dominance over the. There appears to exist a coupling in the hydrodynamics at GIWW and Packery that cannot be explained based on geometric considerations alone. This will present a very interesting study from a modeling standpoint, taking into account the complete geomorphology of the "coupled" system and is the subject of ongoing studies