IFOP-SOFAR Strategic Alliance allows smart buoys deployment to measure waves, temperature, currents and wind.
June 20th, 2023Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) made a strategic alliance with Sofar Ocean (Sofar) to deploy Drift Marine Buoys in national waters for waves measurementss and currents estimation. The first shipment of 10 buoys was received at IFOP’s offices in Valparaíso, by Hernán Reyes, Oceanography section chief, who explained “then they will be shipped and deployed on Abate Molina Research Vessel. The buoys are part of an oceanographic study sponsored by the US Naval Research Office (ONR) and once launched, Sofar will share wave and wind data from its global network of buoys ”.
These buoys will be deployed along the Chilean coast in Acoustic and Bioceanographic cruises carried out by the Oceanography Department (DOMA) and IFOP’s Fisheries Research Division Direct Assessments Department . These drift buoys will mainly send wave and trajectory data using satellite communication and are part of IFOP developed actions to monitor Climatic Change with the aim of contributing to fisheries and aquaculture sustainability.
Brad Parks, Olaunu Vice President and consultant with EDF, explained that “innovative characteristics of miniaturized components, sensors as well as the materials with which they are built, make these buoys optimal to contribute to research data requirements. National and international associated with Climatic Change warning systems and monitoring. This type of low-cost, scientific-quality instrument will provide data that will allow monitoring the ocean’s surface state as well as feeding and validating numerical models that generate future projections ”.
Sebastien Boulay, Sofar Business Development Director, indicated that “these buoys will be part of Sofar Ocean’s real-time ocean intelligence platform, which is powered by thousands of offshore and coastal drift buoys that cover the oceans of the world and that provide real time data on waves, wind, temperature, currents ”.
Dr. Letelier, Fisheries Development Institute head of DOMA, revealed that “particular indicators derived from data from these buoys in South East Pacific will contribute unique data to Climatic Change data monitoring and visualization system, prototype system built on the project basis “Interoperable Information System, which systematizes and integrates fishing, aquaculture and climatic change data” (www.ifop.cl) “.
Sergio Palma Silva, EDF Océanos Chile Senior Manager, stated that “this strategic alliance allows the incorporation of new and unique information to climatic change monitoring system that IFOP is developing and that together are a key national piece in the“ Alert System, Prediction and Observation (SAPO) for fisheries resilient to climatic change in Humboldt Current Great Marine Ecosystem ”which, coordinated by EDF, is being built by IMARPE from Peru, INP from Ecuador and IFOP from Chile; with the aim of positioning Science as a key actor for decision-making and in various public policies development regarding fisheries management and mitigation and adaptation alternatives for climatic change, where technological Systemsare are part of social and economic challenges “