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Water Level Observation Network for Central America (RONMAC)
Final
Report
June 2000 – December 2001
Project Description
Background
Activities
Network
Design and Operation
Background
In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch, the fourth-most-intense Atlantic Ocean hurricane on record, battered Central America, resulting in damage estimated in the range of US$7.5 to US$8.5 billion for the region. Studies indicate that extreme events such as hurricanes are common in Central America and that their impact is likely to increase. Accordingly, a strong commitment is being made by regional governments and donor agencies to strengthen infrastructure and capacity to address these issues. The Water Level Observation Network for Central America (RONMAC) project was devised by the U.S. Government in direct response to the impact of Hurricane Mitch on four Central American countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
The Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment of the Organization of American States (OAS/USDE) executed the project. Other participating agencies were:
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United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as Funding Agency
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Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (CO-OPS/NOAA), of the US Department of Commerce, as Administrating Agency
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Regional Committee for Water Resources (CRRH), as Regional Coordinating Agency
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National agencies in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, as direct counterparts and beneficiaries of the RONMAC project
Objective
To provide support for the development and improvement of the geodetic framework of Central America with direct benefits to coastal resources management, coastal hazard mitigation and emergency planning, design and development of coastal infrastructure and harbor facilities, and coastal navigation.
Time Frame
The RONMAC Project was executed from June 2000 to December 31, 2001. It is fully expected that RONMAC will continue after the official participation of the OAS/USDE and CO-OPS/NOAA has ended, thanks to significant country buy-in and capacity-building during the project. CRRH’s role as the Regional Coordinating Agency will continue after the USAID funded phase of the Project ends.
Activities
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Installed state-of-the-art sea-level and meteorological monitoring stations in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua;
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Installed ground station and facilitated real-time access to and distribution of information;
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Updated the local mean sea level (MSL) data at these stations to support the development of a geodetic framework for Central America;
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Developed a national and regional capacity to install and maintain the stations and to conduct data acquisition, analysis, archiving, and dissemination using automated data-base management technology; and
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Strengthened professional and technical skills of host-country agencies and national and regional institutions through technology transfer and capacity building.
Network Design and Operation
The monitoring network installed under RONMAC consists of eight stations, located in the four countries: El Salvador (3), Guatemala (2), Honduras (1) and Nicaragua (2). Each of these stations automatically collects sensor readings for water level, barometric pressure, air temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, solar radiation, sea-surface temperature and wind direction, gust and speed, and GOES header information (See List of Compiled Data from RONMAC Stations). The data are transmitted via the GOES satellite to a Digital Readout Ground Station (DRGS) at three-hour intervals. (See Establishment of the Data Quality Control Laboratory)
The RONMAC stations were designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of coastal processes, and they possess more features than traditional “synoptic” meteorological sites. Digital air-acoustic sensors, used in all NOAA/NOS GLOSS and National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) monitoring stations, monitor the sea level, and a pressure “backup” sea-level sensor also monitors for redundancy. Air-sea interaction is monitored through sea-surface temperature, barometric pressure, rainfall, solar radiation, air temperature, wind and relative humidity. The siting of the stations was based on sea-level monitoring conditions, not other factors (e.g. wind monitoring conditions). (See General Design of RONMAC Monitoring Stations)
The remote components of the monitoring system design were based on the NOAA/National Ocean Service (NOS) Global Sea Level Observation System (GLOSS) standards. Primary data communication are transmitted via the NOAA/NESDIS GOES satellite system. This data communication system is also used by NOS for all GLOSS and NWLON stations in the northern and southern hemisphere. Second level local data communications is through line-of-sight (VHF) radio in two forms:
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Data are sent to a remote real-time display available to anyone within 20 kilometers. Local Port Authority Operations were provided with computers, software and the radio link to enable their monitoring and use of the data.[1] (See RONMAC Real-time Display)
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Data delivery is available via voice-generated data over Marine VHF Weather (WX) channels. This mode of delivery was selected because all Marine VHF radios are capable of receiving the 0 WX channels. These channels are used only in the United States and Canada, not in the Caribbean or Central America; therefore they were open for RONMAC data transmission. (See RONMAC Data Delivery Methods)
The RONMAC Coordinator is a key component in the operation of the network. The ongoing responsibilities of the coordinator include managing the hardware and software associated with the DGRS, monitoring the performance of the sensors and the data transmission, data Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC), and data archiving. The RONMAC Coordinator is also responsible for maintaining a public RONMAC Web page, with all the station information and data. (See Web-Site)
[1] In the case of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, the equipment was provided to the local branch of the National Weather Service (INETER).