Development, Operation, and Results From the Texas Automated Buoy System

The Texas Automated Buoy System (TABS) is a coastal network of moored buoys that report near-real-time observations about currents and winds along the Texas coast. Established in 1995, the primary mission of TABS is ocean observations in the service of oil spill preparedness and response. The state of Texas funded the system with the intent of improving the data available to oil spill trajectory modelers. In its 12 years of operation, TABS has proven its usefulness during realistic oil spill drills and actual spills. The original capabilities of TABS, i.e., measurement of surface currents and temperatures, have been extended to the marine surface layer, the entire water column, and the sea floor. In addition to observations, a modeling component has been integrated into the TABS program. The goal is to form the core of a complete ocean observing system for Texas waters. As the nation embarks on the development of an integrated ocean observing system, TABS will continue to be an active participant of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) regional association and the primary source of near-surface current measurements in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. This article describes the origin of TABS, the philosophy behind the operation and development of the system, the resulting modifications to improve the system, the expansion of the system to include new sensors, the development of TABS forecasting models and real-time analysis tools, and how TABS has met many of the societal goals envisioned for GCOOS

Characterizing the weather band variability of the Texas shelf current

Considering the benefits of understanding the circulation patterns of the shelf, it is not surprising that there are numerous studies of the Texas Shelf circulation patterns. Given that previous studies were focused on the low-frequency variability of the circulation which is upcoast (northeast flow) in the summer and downcoast (southwest flow) especially on the inner shelf in the non-summer seasons, this study investigates the weather band (2–15 days) variability of the Texas Shelf near-surface circulation pattern. Current meter data at 1.5 m below the sea surface from the inner, mid, and outer shelves were analyzed. This study demonstrated that there are high-frequency current reversals within the weather band in each season. From the estimated persistence of the currents during reversals, the inner and mid shelf currents are predominantly downcoast in the non-summer seasons and upcoast in the summer season whereas the outer shelf currents are mostly upcoast all year round. The Wavelets analysis of the currents revealed that most of the variabilities on the inner and mid shelf regions were within the 4-12-day band whereas on the outer shelf the dominant variability was within the 3–8-day band. From the cross-spectra analysis of both the currents and wind data, it was determined that the influence of the wind was more dominant on the inner and mid shelf regions at the 8–15-day band than on the outer shelf where the contribution of the wind is prevalent at the 2–4-day band

The Texas A&M – University of Haifa Eastern Mediterranean Observatory: Monitoring the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

The need for sustained long-term measurements of the ocean has increased due to climate variability and societal desire to mitigate the impact of natural disasters on coastal communities. Knowledge about key ocean variables is essential for monitoring and predicting long-term ocean variability, and real-time capability is needed to inform short-term forecasting systems to assist coastal managers and response teams. Ocean observatories collect oceanographic data for scientific and societal reasons, and open access to these data enables their use by the general public, decision-makers, and stakeholders.</jats:p

TEXAS AUTOMATED BUOY SYSTEM PROVIDES SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF WINDS AND CURRENTS ON THE COAST OF TEXAS

Texas has established an operational system that provides observations of wind and currents to the State On-Scene Coordinator. The Texas Automated Buoy System (TABS) began in 1994 with five current meter buoys. Buoys measure current velocity 2m below the surface and transmit data on a regular schedule via satellite communications. Most buoys measure winds using acoustic wind sensors and some buoys are configured with profiling current meters. Larger buoys use solid-state accelerometers to measure waves. Buoys use solar panels to charge lead-acid batteries and can operate unattended for periods up to a year with the limitation being summertime biological fouling. TABS makes use of six different types of buoys with each filling its own particular niche to support trajectory modeling. These include TABS I, II, 2.25m and 3m buoys. A new coastal monitoring buoy (CMB) is a 1.4m solar charged buoy designed for extended operation in shallow water to measure current profiles, waves and MET data. The TABS Responder is a small, lightweight, rechargeable buoy designed for short deployments from any vessel of opportunity at the site of an oil spill. Designed for shallow water (&amp;lt;40m), the buoy measures waves, current profiles and meteorological data. GERG has a fleet of four Responder buoys that will be capable of deployment with short notice in the event of an emergency. Data from the buoys are transmitted to computers at College station TX where they undergo automated quality control before posting on a dedicated web page. Data are disseminated via the internet to the state and federal governments. Public presentation of the data takes place in three different time frames. Data are available in near real time on a web page that displays data for the past four days. A Real Time Analysis program process the data every 24 hours and presents a series of data products including stick plots, current and wind roses, and distribution tables. A monthly Hindcast Analysis looks at the previous month's data, performs additional quality control, and prepares final plots. Finally a monthly Climatology program produces climatological summaries of the all data by month and year.</jats:p

TEN YEARS OF REALTIME, NEAR-SURFACE CURRENT OBSERVATIONS SUPPORTING OIL SPILL RESPONSE1

ABSTRACT Trajectory modeling is one of the few tools that allow spill managers to get ahead of an oil spill. To that end, the Texas General Land Office is committed to maintaining and improving the Texas Automated Buoy System (TABS) and its associated modeling efforts to ensure a reliable source of accurate, up-to-date information on currents along the Texas coast. As the nation embarks on the development of an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), TABS will be an active participant as a foundational regional component to the national backbone of ocean observations. The lessons-learned from TABS’ ten years of spill response operations will provide a valuable roadmap for the operators of new ocean observing systems to ensure that they understand and meet the unique needs of the oil spill response community. This paper describes the circumstances which led to the creation of TABS; the unique, spill response-driven philosophy behind the development and operation of the system; lessons-learned and the resulting modifications to the system; examples of TABS’ service; new TABS forecasting models and real time analysis tools; and the future direction of TABS in the context of a national Integrated Ocean Observing System.</jats:p