The regional issue of nutrient loading

An essential step in monitoring changes in Puget Sound waters is establishing an ongoing time series of both physical and chemical “signatures” for various locations throught the Sound. The Oceanic Remote Chemical Analyzer (ORCA), which provides in-situ and remote monitoring of water quality is an autonomous moored profiling system providing near real-time data streams of water and atmospheric conditions. It consists of a profiling underwater sensor package with a variety of chemical and optical sensors, and a surface mounted weather station, solar power system, winch, and custom computer and software package equipped with WIFI/cellular communication. Since its deployment in 2000, the ORCA system has provided a near-continual stream of high-resolution water quality data from locations in the Puget Sound, Washington State. There are currently 4 ORCA mooring systems deployed, all in Hood Canal, a long arm of the Puget Sound west of the main basin. Past deployments of the ORCA system have been in South Puget Sound (Carr Inlet) and the main basin of Puget Sound (near Point Wells).

This project was initially funded by a PRISM partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the preliminary design and deployment. Subsequently, the partnership funded activities in redeployment, student involvement in data exploration, education, and outreach. The PRISM/ORCA program continues to play a primary role in near real time marine observations for Puget Sound.