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Near Shore Water Quality
Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS)
www.pacioos.org
Near Shore Water Quality affects our health and the health of other living organisms in the sea.
Since activities on land affect the quality of coastal waters surrounding our islands, PacIOOS aims to monitor and measure the interactions between the water coming from the land and the near shore waters of our ocean.
Water quality data provide early warnings of potentially polluted runoff and/or sewage spills in near real-time.
The water quality information collected by PacIOOS is important for agencies, planners, mariners, professional and recreational water users, and the general public.
What do scientists measure to determine near shore water quality?
Salinity
The amount of salt in seawater
Chlorophyll
Temperature
A green pigment (color)
The measure of hotness or coldness in
water or any other substance
Ocean: Seawater
Turbidity
A measure of water clarity
Ocean Temperature for Main Hawaiian Islands
5 meters depth on February 23, 2013
Streams and Rivers: Fresh Water
Phytoplankton samples containing chlorophyll
High Turbidity
• Turbidity levels let scientists know how many tiny
solids are suspended in water.
Photo: Sean Marrs
• Chlorophyll makes leaves look green. It allows
plants to absorb sunlight to make their own food
through photosynthesis.
A measure of distance from the ocean
surface down to the ocean floor
Waikiki on February 28, 2012
at 12:00 noon
Low Turbidity
• The ocean has higher salinity than freshwater
sources like streams.
• Higher salinity in the ocean makes it taste “salty.”
Depth
• In the coastal waters of Hawai‘i, changes in depth
occur because of the tides.
• Tides are bulges of water in the ocean caused by
the gravity of the sun and the moon.
• The waters surrounding Hawai‘i are coolest from
February to March and warmest from August to
September.
Ocean Temperature for Main Hawaiian Islands
5 meters depth on August 23, 2012
Waikiki on February 28, 2012
at 5:00 p.m.
• Heavy rainfall on land can cause runoff, which can
carry pollutants and lower the salinity of coastal
waters.
Estuaries: Brackish Water
Photo: Donna Brown
Photo: Chris Schvarcz, Steward Lab, C-MORE
• Like plants on land, phytoplankton (microscopic
plants) in the ocean contain chlorophyll.
• Phytoplankton produce about half of the oxygen
we breathe.
• High amounts of chlorophyll in coastal waters
can mean that a lot of nutrients are present.
Storm runoff and sewage spills often carry
nutrients to coastal waters.
• Changes in temperature can affect photosynthesis
in aquatic plants.
• Corals have tiny photosynthetic organisms inside
them called zooxanthellae. Changes in ocean
temperatures can change how well zooxanthellae
photosynthesize.
Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) is the Pacific Islands regional component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®). Based within the School of Ocean and Earth
Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, PacIOOS a partnership of data providers and users working together to enhance ocean observations and develop, disseminate,
evaluate, and apply ocean data and information products designed to address the environmental, economic, and public safety needs of stakeholders who call the Pacific Islands home.
• Tiny solids (like soil and algae) in water can scatter
light, which limits how much light can reach sea
life like corals.
• Rainfall, soil erosion, sewage spills, and algae can
increase turbidity levels in coastal water.
• In some coastal areas (e.g., near estuaries), tides
can re-suspend sediment, causing the water to
become more turbid.
References
Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE). 2008. Key Concepts in Microbial
Oceanography. http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu/downloads/MO_key_concepts_low-res.pdf
Scan to receive
PacIOOS updates.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 2010. National Ocean Service Education: Tides
and Water Levels. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_tides/tides09_monitor.html
NOAA. 2013. National Ocean Service: Ocean Facts. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coralwaters.html