A 3 m. diameter meteorological / oceanographic buoy built by AXYS Environmental Technologies of Sidney, British Columbia. The buoy is located at the Pilot Boarding Station for Placentia Bay in about 153 m. water depth. This buoy's purpose is to monitor surface conditions at the Pilot Boarding Station in support of safer and more efficient pilot and tanker operations.The buoy is capable of measuring a variety of atmospheric and surface conditions including: wind speed and direction, air temperature, humidity, dew point, barometric pressure, water temperature, current speed and direction (0.5 m. depth), wave height, direction and period as well as wave spectral information. The buoy is also equipped with an Aids to Navigation Information System (ATONiS) allowing direct transmittal of the buoy data to a ship's bridge.Data from the buoy is available in near-real time and is utilized by SmartBay partner AMEC Earth and Environmental to generate custom weather and sea-state forecasts for Placentia Bay as well as the site-specific forecasts for this location in support of safer and more efficient pilot and tanker operations.
