New “NOAA Sentinel” Station Dedicated in Bay St. Louis, Miss.

Jill Brown
Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services
NOAA National Ocean Service

On August 22, NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) held a dedication ceremony with Mississippi U.S. Senator Thad Cochran and U.S. Representative Gene Taylor to mark the successful installation of a NOAA Sentinel at the Bay Waveland Yacht Club in Bay St. Louis, Miss. This station is one of four NOAA Sentinels being deployed in Mississippi and Louisiana to help protect the coastal areas most vulnerable to severe storms. Three other Sentinels were also installed this summer along the Louisiana coast at Shell Beach, Calcasieu Pass, and Amerada Pass. 

NOAA Sentinels are water-level observing stations, which have been strengthened to ensure improved delivery of real-time storm tide data during severe coastal events. Built to withstand category 4 hurricanes, the size and stature of these structures impart a substantial presence along the Gulf Coast. Therefore, CO-OPS has named these hardened stations as “NOAA’s Sentinels of the Coast” for their strength and ability to keep constant watch over our nation’s dynamic coastal waters. NOAA Sentinels measure and disseminate real-time water level and meteorological observations. All of this information helps coastal authorities prepare for, mitigate, and respond to storm tides generated by severe coastal storms. 

NOAA water-level and meteorological data are key components of coastal decision making before, during, and after major storm events. This information is critical to develop vulnerability assessments; provide more accurate marine weather and flood forecasts, evacuation planning and execution; determine when to open and close locks; and facilitate the reopening of ports after storms pass. The NOAA Sentinels hardening effort was born out of NOAA’s recognition of the critical need for accurate data at the height of storms.

NOAA Sentinels provide vertical control for emergency hydrographic surveys required to open ports and harbors for commerce following storm events. Post-storm reports are created using verified data to provide an overview of the water level impacts. Technical reports also supply a more detailed analysis of storm-induced water levels and historical storm comparisons.

In addition to the real-time uses of NOAA Sentinels’ information, archived data are used in many coastal protection engineering projects including levee construction and evacuation route planning, and verification of storm surge forecast models.

NOAA staff participating in the Bay Waveland press event included:  Michael Szabados, CO-OPS Director; David Mooneyhan, Director, Gulf Coast Geospatial Center; Dr. La Donn Swann, Director, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium; Kate Bosley, CO-OPS Outreach Coordinator; Tom Landon, CO-OPS National Water-Level Program Lead; and Zach Jeffries, CO-OPS Engineer.