PacIOOS Wave Buoy 163: Kalo, Majuro, Marshall Islands

Wave buoy 163 measures wave height, wave direction, wave period, and water temperature in the vicinity of Delap Point on the east shore of Majuro Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Students at the College of the Marshall Islands named the buoy Kalo after the Marshallese bird that flies only near land. Data are transmitted every half hour. Moored in water 540 meters deep, this Datawell Directional Waverider Mark III (DWR-MkIII) buoy is equipped with three accelerometers measuring north/south, east/west, and vertical displacements, allowing it to measure both wave direction and wave energy. The temperature sensor is located at the base of the 0.9 meter spherical buoy, approximately 45 cm or 18 inches below the ocean surface. Wave buoys are useful tools for forecasting local waves and are used by recreational and professional ocean users alike. Because the original buoy location experienced significant damage during vessel entanglement, it was moved on May 4, 2016 to a less frequented area approximately one kilometer to the southwest to help avoid future obstructions.