2003
8/7/03 – Undergraduate atmospheric science student Melissa Ou is selected to become the new “formal” undergraduate intern for the project. Once all the ferry data are being transferred in real-time to MSRC, Melissa will help transfer the data needed by NWS to the Upton, NY office and help integrate it into their operations. Welcome aboard Melissa.
8/5/03 – After providing a great amount of help to the ferry project, undergraduate atmospheric science student Joseph Giannotti rotates off as the “formal” undergraduate intern for the project. Joe was a great help in developing the algorithm for correcting the winds for the movement of the vessel, in adding to and maintaining the SoundScience web page, and in providing the means to routinely extract MM5 numerical forecast data over the Long Island Sound so that forecast verification work can get underway. We hope Joe will continue interacting with the ferry project/data in terms of his undergraduate research efforts.
7/31/03 – We would like to express our thanks to REU student Jeremy Shambaugh and Prof. Roger Flood for giving us a copy of one of the ferry-related products from their summer research project – a Long Island Sound bathymetric chart overlaid with the location of the ferry tracks from January to June 2003.
7/31/03 – After a significant amount of work, REU student Shaunna Vargas makes a presentation of the ferry data that she analyzed and used to make an estimate of the net surface heat flux. Her efforts over the last few weeks helped to provide software for reading in the raw ferry data, identify a number of sensor issues that needed correction, and help demonstrate the utility of the ferry data. Thanks for the help.
7/31/03 – MSRC’s summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program concludes with a number of public presentations related to the use of the data collected from the ferry A big thanks goes to Professor Josie Aller for developing a maintaining such a interesting and rewarding program.
7/25/03 – Computer science student, Dwayne Mason, provides a demo of the data delivery component of the web pages that the undergraduate computer sciences students are building. The demo looks great and the system is expected to be in place by late summer.
7/10/03 – Tom Wilson reports that the computer to provide data delivery for the SoundScience web page has been configured and is ready for the undergraduate computer science team to access and begin transition their software too.
6/30/03 – All the raw archived data from all the sensors for the month of June is provided to REU student Shaunna Vargas who will develop software to read the (typically) 1-second data and produce 1-minute averages of quality controlled data.
6/27/03 – UConn collaborator, Dan Codiga, reports on the recovery of the three profilers deployed in April. The profiler in the eastern Sound recorded at least one month of good data, the profiler in the central Sound (near the PJ-BP ferry transect) recorded at least two months of good data, and (unfortunately) the profiler in the western Sound malfunctioned after only a couple days.
6/19/03 – The first set of real-time data is transferred from the ferry to the Marine Sciences Research Center. At present this data consists of date, time, ship position, speed and heading. It is expected that more variables will be available in the coming weeks.
6/10/03 – The SoundScience ferry project is selected to play a central role in MSRC’s summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). This program, lead by Professor Josie Aller, is supported by the National Science Foundation and the New York Sea Grant. This summer’s program intends to utilize the data collected by the ferry to learn more about marine-atmosphere interactions between over the Long Island Sound. On this particular day, the REU students – who come from a number of universities across the country, are given a tour of the vessel and a description of how the observational system works.
6/7/03 – Stony Brook University hosts an Alumni Day. The SoundScience ferry project is one of the features included in the activities hosted at MSRC. Additional photos of the day’s activities can be found on the MSRC web page.
6/2/03 – Professor Kelly initiates the participation of two additional Computer Science students, David Turner and Amha Mogus, to the data delivery web team.
5/22/03 – Data recording begins from the sea surface temperature and rain sensors.
5/23/03 – After helping developing much of the framework for the data delivery web pages, Computer Science students Rajeev Jacob and Ritesh Israni graduate (Congratulations!) and thus rotate off the team. We welcome two new Computer Science students, Irina Korsakova and Dwayne Mason, who will take over this part of the project.
5/8/03 – Data recording begins from the pyranometer (solar), pyrgeometer (infrared), relative humidity, wind and air temperature sensors.
4/22/03 – UConn collaborator, Dan Codiga, deploys three profilers across the Long Island Sound. These profilers are intended to observe the character of the developing stratification that is expected over the coming weeks.
3/28/03 – Meeting between the Computer Science group (see 1/28/03) and SoundScience team members indicate good progress towards developing a state of the art data delivery system for the web.
3/5/03 – UConn collaborator, Dan Codiga, visits MSRC/SUNY to present a seminar entitle # 03/05/03 11:30am, Wednesday, Endeavour 120 “Long Island Sound Circulation and Stratification Sampled by Ferry and by Moored Profilers”.
1/28/03 – The first formal meeting is held between Professor Robert Kelly of Computer Science and a number of the SoundScience team members to develop the actual framework for two of his students, Rajeev Jacob and Ritesh Israni, to develop the data delivery pages for the SoundScience web page.
1/16/03 – Barometer is operating and its data is being recorded. Real-time telemetry of atmospheric surface pressure, ship heading, speed and position, bottom depth, current velocity profiles, and a number of data quality parameters back to MSRC/SUNY has successfully begun.
1/6/03 – ADCP is working in conjunction with the GPS and compass and is recording data. Data acuisition software is in the process of being tuned to acheive optimal data quality.
2002
12/02 – Henry Bokuniewicz helps to initiate discussions between Duane Waliser and Professor Robert Kelly of Computer Science that pave the way for using the SoundScience project as a means of providing meaningful research and development projects for Prof. Kelly’s undergraduate students. Initial plans are to have one or two students develop the data delivery pages for the SoundScience web page.
12/2/02 – Robert Wilson attended the Southern New England Bite – Integrated Ocean Observing System workshop held at University of Rhode Island and described the objectives and framework of the ferry-based research project.
10/31/02 – The SoundScience ferry observation platform has been incorporated into the MSRC 2002 Summer Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program. Contact Professor Josie Aller for details of the program.
10/24-26/02 – Travis Baggett attended the New England Estuarine Research Society(NEERS) meeting that was held on University of Connecticut’s Avery Point Campus and presented a poster that described the objectives and framework of the ferry-based research project.
10/18/02 – UConn collaborator, Dan Codiga, recovers two of three profilers deployed on 8/12/02. One profiler, the one deployed in the western Sound, was apparently snagged by a tug/barge line and washed up near Hart Island / Bronx with the result that no data was recoverable from that unit. However, good data appears to be available from the central and eastern Sound deployments.
08/15/02 – Travis Baggett, 1st year incoming MSRC/ITPA graduate student, arrives to begin as the project’s graduate student. Welcome aboard Travis!
08/12/02 – UConn collaborator, Dan Codiga, deploys three profilers across the Long Island Sound. These profilers are intended to observe the character of the stratification and its expected breakdown over the coming weeks.
08/01/02 – Yasmine Bennouna completes her 5-month internship with the project and travels back to France. Adieu et merci.
06/3/02 – UConn collaborator, Dan Codiga, retrieves profiler deployed on 04/18/02. Early indications are that the deployment was a success.
05/28/02 – The name “Sound Science” is adopted for the purposes of promoting the Stony Brook / NYSG / BPJ Ferry portion of the project.
05/14/02 – The project name “Sound Science” starts to takes shape at a meeting between the Stony Brook scientific investigators and the communications personnel from Stony Brook University, New York Sea Grant, and Long Island Sound Study office.
05/01/02 – Funding from the National Weather Service to support the project’s undergraduate student for 1 year arrives. This support is intended to facilitate the NWS’ acquisition of the ferry-based observations.
04/18/02 – UConn collaborator, Dan Codiga, deploys profiler near PT Barnum ferry transit in the central Long Island Sound. This profiler is intended to observe the development of stratification over the coming weeks.
04/08/02 – PT Barnum ferry is dockside in Port Jefferson for entire week allowing the equipment installation to begin. This includes diver installation of ADCP in sea chest. See photos at right and click on photos for description.
03/01/02 – Yasmine Bennouna begins a 5-month internship on the ferry project as part of her graduate work at the Institute of Engineering Sciences in Toulon, France. Welcome aboard Yasmine!
02/01/02 – Official starting date for NYSG ferry-based research project.
2001
12/13/01 – Undergraduate atmospheric science major, Joseph Giannotti, is selected for the undergraduate intern. Welcome aboard Joe.
11/05/01 – PT Barnum ferry enters dry dock at Caddells Dry Dock in Staten Island. Sea chests for ADCP and sea-water intake installed. See photos below.
10/09/01 – Announcement: Undergraduate internship available that involves facilitating the collaboration between the National Weather Service and the ferry-based research project.
09/28/01 – After rigorous peer/technical and stakeholder review, Connecticut Sea Grant approves research funding for the University of Connecticut / Orient Point – New London component of the joint ferry-based research project.
09/17/01 – After rigorous peer/technical and stakeholder review, New York Sea Grant approves research funding for the Stony Brook University / Bridgeport-Port Jefferson component of the joint ferry-based research project.
06/11/01 – Proposal for Bridgeport-Port Jefferson ferry-based research project is submitted to New York Sea Grant ‘s biennial call for research projects. This proposal is submitted as a joint research project involving a parallel proposal to Connecticut Sea Grant from the University of Connecticut Marine Sciences Dept. based on the Orient Point – New London ferry.
2000
06/01 – Proposal for Bridgeport-Port Jefferson ferry-based research project to LISS research call is not selected for funding.
01/01 – Proposal forBridgeport-Port Jefferson ferry-based research project is submitted by Stony Brook University Marine and Atmospheric scientists to the LISS call for research projects.
1999
07/99 – Concept paper is developed by Stony Brook University Marine and Atmospheric scientists that provides the initial framework and objectives for a ferry-based research project based on the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson PT Barnum ferry.
06/99 – Correspondence between Stony Brook University Marine and Atmospheric scientists and the VP of Bridgeport – Port Jeffeson Steamboat Co. leads to a tentative agreement that will allow the PT Barnum to be used as a research-based observing platform.
Click on photos below for captions and descriptions.
