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Thanks to the great work of the Scripps Ocean Monitoring Team, we have now the capacity to look at a real-time Tijuana River plume monitoring animation tool, that allows us to determine the location of the plume from the Tijuana River. This is the plume that impacts Imperial Beach and Coronado.
by Serge Dedina
01/05/2006:// Thanks to the great work of the Scripps Ocean Monitoring Team, we have now the capacity to look at a real-time Tijuana River plume monitoring animation tool, that allows us to determine the location of the plume from the Tijuana River. This is the plume that impacts Imperial Beach and Coronado.
http://sdcoos.ucsd.edu/data/particles/IB/
This is an experimental and new tool that we are privileged to be able to use and try-out. I suggest you keep this on your computers to self-monitor ocean conditions in Imperial Beach combined with the TJ River gauge that is also online.
I would argue that this could be one of the most important tools for water quality monitoring ever developed and it will revolutionize our understanding of how Tijuana River plumes impact our water quality.
To give you an example of how accurate this is just from yesterday's WiLDCOAST field testing.
In the afternoon about 2:30 pm, Ben McCue I went to the Boca Rio (south end of Seacoast Drive) for a surf check. Although the water appeared clear (there is a closure in effect), we could see a discolored plume outside the surfline to the SW. We could, however, smell the pungent sweet smell we are so familiar with. Two guys just in from the water said it smelled like a "flea-bath." They also said the smell was on the inside.
I surfed the 1-2' waves later on in the afternoon with my sons around 5:30 PM on the North Side of the pier (over a mile north of the Boca Rio in little GROMFEST waves). On the short paddle out we didn't smell anything, and it wasn't until I made my way back to the inside that we smelled the "flea-bath" smell and quickly left the water.
I came back to our office and check the plume tracker--and there it was: online I could see the ugly plume "snake" that stunk up the pier starting in the afternoon about the time Ben and I were at the Boca Rio.
Indeed if you click on the model, you will see that the an arm of the plume started making its way north yesterday afternoon and by 5:30 hit the pier.
The next step is to start tracking the San Antonio outfall just north of Baja Malibu so we can see if this contamination is reaching Imperial Beach and to what extent is it affecting our health.
A real thanks to the Scripps Team for developing this model that I imagine will evolve over time. This will take a lot more testing--but it is remarkable that we have such an amazing and applied tool to use to keep us safe, healthy and wise.
[Carissa Moore (in yellow) receiving the winner's prize]
[The number of high-rated Australian surf competitions are set to increase]
[Pablo Gutierrez winner of the Superbock Pro]
Hawaiian Carissa Moore won the Roxy Pro Junior surfing in her first ever contest in France
ASP International has announce the inception of their fourth regional branch, ASP Australasia
Twenty-six-year-old Pablo Guitierrez took top honours in the Superbock Pro in Portugal after defeating fellow Portugeuse surfer Eduardo Fernandes in the final
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