URI’s GSO to receive $300K to monitor ocean water

THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND'S Graduate School of Oceanography, based at the school's Bay Campus in Narragansett, is set to receive $300,000 over five years to supports its research efforts directed at the effects of climate change, among other things.  / COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND'S Graduate School of Oceanography, based at the school's Bay Campus in Narragansett, is set to receive $300,000 over five years to supports its research efforts directed at the effects of climate change, among other things. / COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography is receiving $300,000 over five years to support a system of buoys that track ocean conditions and share data with the public-private partnership Integrated Ocean Observation System.
The federal funding, announced by members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation on Tuesday, will go toward increasing the number of local monitoring stations for the region from two to six. URI receives the funding as part of a $2.3 million award for the Northeast Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, a division of the Integrated Ocean Observation System, to support ongoing work in the Atlantic Ocean.
The university will use its portion of the funds specifically to support its Narragansett Bay Fixed Site Monitoring Network, a system that collects measurements including depth, temperature and other water quality indicators, according to a press release.
“I commend [URI] for winning this federal grant,” said U.S. Sen. Jack F. Reed in a statement. The graduate program “is one of the world’s leading marine research institutions, and its faculty, students and staff make important contributions to ocean exploration and research. These federal funds will help URI deploy an array of ocean-monitoring technology to collect and share data, and ultimately help us better understand and protect our marine environment.”
The data is supposed to help scientists gauge the global effects of climate change, according to the release. It will be used to forecast changes in the ocean and climate, which is collected and made available online to help fishermen and boaters better plan.
“Our economy and way of life depend on the health of our oceans in Rhode Island,” said U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. “These federal resources will help the University of Rhode Island’s GSO track the water quality and health of Narragansett Bay, as well as the effects of climate change, to guide the development of more resilient communities here and across the country.”

No posts to display