Daily Summaries of Ocean Networks Canada West Coast Datastreams


As part of our ongoing research, we download the latest data from a number of different datastreams maintained by Ocean networks Canada or SalishSeaCast on a daily basis and generate summary figures. These daily summaries are then emailed out to interested researchers and others, and are archived here to provide a quick-look at these data in case you need to know about conditions on a particular day. Datastreams include
HF radar arrays
HF radar systems provide estimates of surface current on an hourly basis. The CODAR systems operated by ONC include: The summary figures show currents at several times during the day, as well as providing estimates of data availability over the past month.
Ferry systems
Monitoring equipment on the Queen of Alberni (Tsawassen - Duke Point) measures surface temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, and dissolved oxygen content (as well as a few other parameters from time to time) along the ferry track. The summary figures show the last month of data. Due to equipment maintenance data is not always available, for example there is no data since November 2020.
Community Nodes in the Strait of Georgia
Bottom-mounted equipment to measure water column currents (with Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers) as well as density at the bottom is available at three locations in the Strait of Georgia: The summary figures show the subtidal flows and bottom densities since 2011.
Wave Forecasts
The SalishSeaCast Nemo configuration, as well as HRDPS winds in the Strait, are used to generate predictions of Wind Waves using WaveWatch III. Two different forecast products are available: The preliminary forecast. Available at around 6am, a wind and wave forecast is provided for the rest of the day. Maps are shown for two-hour intervals until 2000h. The full forecast. Available at Around 1430, this provides a nowcast for the current day, as well as a forecast for the following day. Maps are shown at 4 hour intervals. In Waves and winds we plot archived nowcast results and available wind observations (red arrows).
For more information about these datastreams, contact kstankov@eoas.ubc.ca or rpawlowicz@eos.ubc.ca. Any feedback appreciated.