NEAR-REAL-TIME OCEAN COLOR MEASUREMENTS FROM FIXED PLATFORMS - A DESIGN

The Ambrose Light Tower was selected as a technology development site for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Sea-viewi ng Wide Field-of-view Sensor (Sea-WiFS) program for ocean color. Optic al sensors and other supporting oceanographic instrumentation will be mounted on the tower leg to develop an operational capability for vali dation, of SeaWiFS data for coastal oceans. The Ambrose Tower, an esta blished weather station, is part of the National Data Buoy Center's (N DBC) Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN). Simultaneous sampling o f meteorological data and in-water optical observations will provide a n important component to understanding ocean physics as it relates to variability in productivity.