Meteorological data from a United States Coast Guard (USCG) exposed location buoy (ELB)

This paper addresses the integration of a National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) meteorological payload with the recently developed United States Coast Guard (USCG) 9-foot by 35-foot Exposed Location Buoy (ELB) and the Subsequent testing of this buoy in a severe ocean environment. The ELB is designed as a navigation aid capable of being deployed in exposed offshore locations that experience severe environmental conditions. A comprehensive testing prograrn of the integrated ELB will be performed in a severe environment near a certified meteorological platform. The testing program objective will be to certify the buoy/payload system for operational use on platforms of opportunity in environments of significant meteorological interest.