Decommissioned Ocean Sensor Revived by Public/Private Partnership

A coalition of local water safety organizations has revived a previously decommissioned sensor at the Santa Monica Pier to provide updated data as part of a Federal ocean monitoring program.

Divers from the Bay Foundation, Los Angeles Waterkeeper and the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) dove below the Pier this week to refurbish a sensor pack that measures temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, and water level at frequent intervals in the nearshore coastal ocean…

…Tom Ford, Executive Director of The Bay Foundation said having a constant stream of data establishes an important baseline for future research than can help frame debates about ocean changes.

“It’s important to know what’s happening when we cause harm with pollution,” he said.

“We’re also looking at how the ocean’s changing due to climate change and there are local factors and without the data, we’re just guessing.”…