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.