Coastal Monitoring
The Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON) is a State-of-the-Art water level monitoring network that is operational 24 hours a day seven days a week. Water level and meteorological data are provided to local, state, and federal coastal managers as well as the public in near real-time with conditions along the Texas coast from Sabine Pass to Port Isabel. TCOON is managed through cooperative agreements between the Texas General Land Office, the Texas Water Development Board, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The network is operated by the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. TCOON currently consists of 31 active stations along the Texas coast measuring many different environmental and physical parameters such as water levels, wind speed and direction, water, and air temperature, and atmospheric pressure. A select few TCOON stations collect and report salinity levels. TCOON provides this critical data to the sponsoring agencies, the public, the commercial shipping industry, marine construction companies, recreational boaters, and those responsible for marine safety, emergency response, and evacuations. Data from select TCOON stations also support Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems (PORTS) developed by the National Ocean Service (NOS) Center for Operational and Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)PORTS is responsible for providing real-time oceanographic data and other navigation products to promote safe and efficient navigation at major U.S. ports. The PORTS system provides reliable, real-time water level, meteorological, and water current information to harbor pilots, vessel captains, port authorities and a wide variety of other users. TCOON and NOAA water monitoring stations, along with acoustic Doppler current profiles comprise the data network for the Houston/Galveston PORTS and Sabine PORTS.
Craig Davis