Ocean Observing

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Keeping watch over the health of North Carolina’s coastal waters is a tremendous job that requires continuous monitoring.  In the third installment of Coastwatch on North Carolina Now, producer Heather Burgiss explores two programs that utilize unique ways to sample and monitor water quality and research weather events.  This monitoring also provides real time data for use in the classroom to teachers and students across North Carolina.

In Ocean Observing you’ll learn about Ferry Mon, the state’s ferry-based water quality monitoring program.  North Carolina is one of the first state’s to use ferries as “ships of opportunity” for research. You’ll hear from Ferry Mon Director and Kenan Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill Hans Paerl about the sophisticated oceanographic instruments on the ferries and the importance of monitoring water quality on the Pamlico Sound and the Outer Banks.