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Observatory

The Marine Environmental Prediction System (MEPS) in place in Lunenburg Bay is designed for the shallow (ca. 20 m) mean depths typical of many coastal embayments in Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada

MEPS-Bay comprises a network of instruments stationed
at various locations throughout the bay.

View Video Clips from the Field





Three Solar-powered Ocean Monitoring Buoys Measure:

  • Currents
  • Waves
  • Meteorological Variables
  • Water Temperature and Salinity
  • Ocean Colour and Attenuation

    Four Pressure-Temperature (PT) Sensors Measure:

  • Bottom Temperature
  • Sea Level
  • Wave Height

    Two Land-Based Meteorological Stations at Battery Point and Cross Island Measure:

  • Temperature Profiles for the lower 3 km of the Atmosphere
  • Wind Profiles for the lower 3 km of the Atmosphere
  • Visibility

    The Monitoring Buoys transmit data via wireless ethernet to the Base Station at Battery Point, instantly providing data to the forecast models. A special feature of MEPS-Bay is the combination of measurements and models of ocean waves with measurements and models of the tidal and wind-driven currents in a coastal embayment. Mean currents are not included in most numerical models of coastal circulation making the MEPS-Bay system a leader in marine observation and forecasting research.