Myrmidon Reef Sensor Float 1

Brief description

Sensor network infrastructure was installed at Myrmidon Reef in the central Great Barrier Reef off Townsville, Australia. The infrastructure consists of a base station mounted on the existing reef communications tower and a single buoy which carries the actual sensors.

Myrmidon Reef is on the edge of the continetial shelf and so the station is designed to measure upwelling of water from the slope coming up and onto the continential shelf. The station is linked to stations at Rib Reef (mid-shelf) and Orpheus Island (inshore) to track upwelling water across the shelf.


The project looks to deploy sensor networks at seven sites along the Great Barrier Reef to measure a range of physical parameters at a range of scales. The project will install communications, data and platform infrastructure that will support future sensor work looking at biological and chemical parameters.


Wireless Sensor Networks Facility (formerly known as Facility for The Automated Intelligent Monitoring of Marine Systems (FAIMMS)), part of the Great Barrier Reef Ocean Observing System project (GBROOS) (IMOS)

In February 2011 Cyclone 'Yasi' damaged the existing AIMS weather station and so this buoy was deployed with both AIMS weather station sensors and sensors for the IMOS funded GBROOS project. In December 2011, a replacement buoy was deployed with the above water sensors being the existing AIMS weather station units and the in-water sensors being provided under the IMOS funded GBROOS project. This resulted in a data gap between the cyclone in February 2011 and the buoy being deployed in December 2011.

It is antcipated that the AIMS weather station will be restored in late 2012 in which case the above water sensors will transition back to the AIMS tower with the in-water sensors remaining as part of the IMOS funded work.

Lineage

Maintenance and Update Frequency: asNeeded

Statement: Statement: All sensors are factory calibrated and serviced every six months.
Scope Level Description: Sensors
Statement: Data are checked against a set of rules and then flagged using the IODE set of flags.

Notes

Credit
Bainbridge, Scott, Mr (Point Of Contact)