As on land, two seasonal transitions mark key changes in the plant life out in the Gulf of Maine. The phytoplankton growth spurts at these times are called the spring and fall bloom and the extent, location, and timing of these events impacts local waters and fishes in numerous ways. Models and observations that can monitor and predict the extent and impacts of these blooms are desired to support long-term fisheries management, detection and management of red tide harmful algal blooms, and also to gauge how the Gulf of Maine will respond to near-term and future climate change. The NOAA/University of New Hampshire Joint Center for Ocean Technology has initiated a project to test new methodologies for observing key offshore ecosystem indicators in a cost-effective manner as part of the overall Ocean Observing System efforts underway across the U.S. As part of this effort a spring/fall bloom observing buoy has been developed and deployed NE of the New Hampshire seacoast, east of the Isles of Shoals. The buoy carries measurement sensors at numerous locations on its line down through the water column to provide a new and finer-scale look at the vertical structure of our offshore ocean. In particular, this buoy measures fine scale vertical and time changes in oxygen, carbon dioxide, phytoplankton, and turbidity as well as the ocean’s temperature and salinity. The first test deployment is during the fall bloom period, Sept. – Nov. 2006.

Ecosystem Buoy

Jeffrey's Ledge Waverider

CO2 Buoy