PacIOOS Water Quality Sensor Partnership Program 008: Maalaea Harbor, Maui, Hawaii

The nearshore sensors are part of the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) and are designed to measure a variety of ocean parameters at fixed point locations. The PacIOOS Water Quality Sensor Partnership Program (WQSPP) supports scientists and natural resource managers to collect water quality data in order to inform research, conservation, planning, and resource management projects in the U.S. Insular Pacific region. Comprised of a network of "roving" water quality nearshore sensors, the WQSPP provides participating partners with sensors, data management, and technical capacity-building to allow for robust data collection. As part of the WQSPP, the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) deployed a nearshore sensor at Maalaea Harbor, Maui. The non-profit organization is interested to learn more about the effects of tides, wind, and swell on water quality in the harbor, and monitor water quality variability over time. The data will help inform the watershed management plan "Vision for Pohakea", which aims to reduce sediment and pollutants in Maalaea Bay and its harbor. MNMRC is also partnering with Waterkeepers Hawaiian Islands to utilize several thousand oysters in the harbor to help improve water quality. Rotating at approximately monthly intervals to various locations within the harbor, the instrument is a Sea-Bird Scientific SBE 16plus V2 SeaCAT CTD coupled with a Sea-Bird Scientific ECO FLNTU optical sensor.