New Radar Station Improves Ocean Data for St. Thomas as Delayed Buoy Replacement Continues

The local body responsible for observing and tracking ocean and coastal data, OCOVI, held its annual meeting on Saturday to report on its activities for the past year. A major highlight was the installation of a high-frequency radar station near Water Island, which began delivering data in January of this year. “We were really able to fill the gap between Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for collecting data from St. Thomas, which is really important for maritime operations,” said Patricia Chardón-Maldonado, Deputy and Technical Director of OCOVI's regional parent body CARICOOS (Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System), which is itself funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Alongside this accomplishment came a setback – the continued absence of an important data collection buoy for St. Thomas. The previous instrument was damaged by Hurricane Irma, but its replacement by the University of Maine continues to be delayed “due to internal issues,” sai...