Buoys-permanent, single-purpose moorings, right? Not so, if it's part of a promising new buoy developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at its Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, Washington.

The Aquatic Bio-optical and Environmental Assessment Monitoring Buoy is designed to validate satellite signals recorded and relayed from space, while simultaneously monitoring water quality parameters in coastal, estuarine and inland waters. The portable, lightweight buoy provides quick-response data gathering for natural resource assessment in these waters.

During its fall 2000 maiden voyage, the prototype buoy was towed into Sequim Bay. Equipped with cell-phone technology and a multi-sensor platform, the buoy demonstrated it could communicate with researchers in near real-time and provide customized data. This new generation of buoy also shows promise for saving money by providing a remote platform for data collection, rather than manning labor-intensive and expensive shipboard platforms.

Contact: Marv Clement (509) 375-2789