Temporary Station Take-Down

The Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON/CREWS station within the Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve in St. Croix was taken down during the week of June 19 so that it could be upgraded to a stronger, sleeker and more extensible design, essentially the same design utilized at the La Parguera, Puerto Rico station. When re-installed in July, the station will have sea temperature, salinity, PAR and UV (305, 330, 380nm) at shallow and near-bottom depths, rather than just shallow (nominal 1m), and will also provide dew point and relative humidity data. The ease with which the station was taken down highlights an important concept for coral reef managers; namely, that the structure can be considered temporary, yet still strong enough to withstand heavy storms. The station will be more easily extended for additional instrumentation as the need and funding arise; e.g., for ocean acidification, PAM-fluorometry, nutrient, ocean currents, acoustic telemetry from the canyon, underwater Web cam, or other studies. For more information, contact Jim.Hendee@noaa.gov.