PacIOOS Wave Buoy 273: King-Poloa, Tutuila, American Samoa

Wave buoy 273 measures wave height, wave direction, wave period, water temperature, air temperature, and surface currents at Poloa, Tutuila, approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Legaotaema Point and Cape Taputapu offshore of Poloa Bay and Poloa Village Marine Protected Area at the western end of Tutuila Island in American Samoa. Wave data are transmitted every half hour. Surface currents data are transmitted every 10 minutes. Water and air temperature data are transmitted every 5 minutes. Moored in water 54 meters deep, this Datawell Directional Waverider DRW4 buoy is equipped with three accelerometers measuring north/south, east/west, and vertical displacements, allowing it to measure both wave direction and wave energy. This buoy also uses an acoustic current meter (ACM) to measure the speed and direction of ocean currents at approximately 1 meter below the surface. The water temperature sensor is located at the base of the 0.9 meter spherical buoy, approximately 45 cm or 18 inches below the ocean surface. A compact air temperature (CAT4) sensor is attached to the antenna at approximately 2 meters above the ocean surface. Wave buoys are useful tools for forecasting local waves and are used by recreational and professional ocean users alike. PacIOOS and partners collaborated with the family of the late Christopher J. King to name this wave buoy in honor of the contributions he bestowed upon the siting of this buoy, and more importantly, upon the people of American Samoa.