Observatory measurements of waves and current

Real time observations of waves and current at the Martha´s Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) from bottom mounted MAVS current meters permit critical events to be captured for subsequent analysis. Storm waves associated with winter northeasters; and tidal and wind-driven current generate bottom stress that may fluidize the bottom. Vector velocity an pressure measurements will be made 75 cm above the bottom at two locations, at 12-meter depth and at 15-meter depth 2-km farther offshore. Power for these instruments will be supplied from nodes in the MVCO network and data from each instrument will be transmitted to the node for forwarding to shore on the network over an optical fiber. The benefit of the observatory to our ability to capture critical events is the power for continuous high-speed sampling and the capacity of onshore based loggers for storing data for indefinite deployment. Critical storm events will be selected for analysis, as in autonomous deployments, but continuous sampling and logging over extended periods give us more opportunities to distinguish conditions that affect the sediment and attenuate waves.