#Providenciales, July 5, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – One of the deliverables emanating from a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Department of Maritime and Shipping and the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), the UKHO committed to assist the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) implement protocols to ensure that the TCI are complying with its obligations under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
As a result of this cooperation,
two Tidal Gauges were recently mobilized in the Turks and Caicos Islands, one
Tidal Gauge is installed at South Dock in Grand Turk and one Tidal Gauge is
installed at Sapodilla Bay in Providenciales.
Each Tidal Gauge station consists
of:
- 1 x Valeport Tidemaster Data
Recorder and Valeport Pressure Gauge
- 1 x Valeport Tidemaster Data
Recorder and Valeport Radar Level Sensor
- 1 x Sutron Satlink-3 Data Logger
and Satellite Transmitter
For those who are not familiar with
Tidal Gauges, one might ask,
What
do the instruments do?
- Valeport Tidemaster and Valeport
Pressure Gauge
- This instrument uses pressure
readings to record water height at 10-minute intervals
- Valeport Tidemaster and Valeport
Radar Level Sensor
- This uses pulsed K-band radar to
record water height at 10-minute intervals; and
- Sutron Satlink-3 Data Logger and
Satellite Transmitter
- Compiles the pressure and radar
data and transmits through a NOAA satellite to a NOAA land-based data
system. The six 10-minute ensembles are transmitted every hour.
Specifics: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) East Satellite to the
NOAA Data Collection System (DCS) Administration and Data Distribution System
(DADDS).
Why
is the data recorded?
- The data is recorded to obtain
accurate tidal information
- Logged tidal data could be used for
historical purposes
- Provision of near real-time tidal
data
- Recorded data can be processed
using harmonic analysis to produce accurate tide table predictions
How
will it benefit TCI?
- Improved bathymetric mapping of TCI
- Safer navigation and traffic for
mariners
- Engineers could use the data for
coastal zone projects such as construction of bridges and docks
- Habitat restoration projects
require accurate tidal data
- Tide data is critical to commercial
fishing and recreational sports
- Could be used to study tidal fluctuations
associated with global warming and climate change
- Ecologists could study tidal mixing
of near-shore waters, where pollutants are removed and nutrients are
recirculated
Will
it provide information on upcoming inclement weather, including hurricanes and
Tsunamis?
- No, but can provide a historical
database for storm surge. Storm surge is the abnormal rise in seawater
level during a storm, measured of the water above the normal predicted
astronomical tide. If a sufficiently long dataset is measured, estimates
of extreme water levels would be possible, which would help with any future
coastal development projects in TCI.
Minister Honorable Ralph Higgs
commented, “This is another achievement of my Ministry as the Turks and Caicos
Islands prepare for the pending audit of the International Maritime
Organization in 2020. The first draft of the National Maritime Policy Document
and the Action Plan has already been submitted and is currently being reviewed
by the Steering Committee. Mapping of the Turks and Caicos Islands seabed is
completed and once confirmation is forwarded to the UKHO that all Navigational
Aids are functional, new charts would be produce in additional to Electronic
Navigational Charts (ENC) of the recently mapped seabed.”
Four Officers within the Department of Maritime and Shipping was recently trained by the Independent Contractor Fugro in Tidal Gauge management and maintenance. These Officers will be responsible to assist with data collection and to ensure that the UKHO and the TCI Maritime Department are kept up to date with monthly reports.
Release: Ministry of Tourism