Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS) is a network of observational

buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

s that are deployed throughout the Chesapeake Bay to observe the estuary's changing conditions and to serve as way points along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. They are maintained by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These "smart buoys" observe and record meteorological, oceanographic and water quality data which can be obtained in real-time by using mobile apps or by visiting http://buoybay.noaa.gov/. CBIBS is an operational buoy system in the Chesapeake Bay dedicated to maintaining a broad range of measurements necessary to track Bay restoration progress.

Location of the buoys

The system's operational buoys are located: * at the mouth of the Severn River (near

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

) * off the mouth of the

Little Choptank River The Little Choptank River is a tidal river in Dorchester County in the U.S. state of Maryland. The river rises at the confluence of Lee Creek and Gary Creek west of Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county ...

at Gooses Reef * at the mouth of the Potomac River (near Point Lookout, Maryland) * at the mouth of the Rappahannock River (near

Stingray Point Stingray Point is a small community on the Chesapeake Bay near the village of Deltaville in Middlesex County, Virginia Middlesex County is a county located on the Middle Peninsula in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the pop ...

and Deltaville, Virginia) *at the mouth of the York River (near Perrin, VA) 37.20063 N 76.26598 W * in the James River (near

Jamestown, Virginia The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James (Powhatan) River about southwest of the center of modern Williamsburg. It was ...

) Other buoys have been deployed in the past, at: *at the mouth of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

(near

Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which ...

) * at the mouth of the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...

(near

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

) *in the Elizabeth River (near

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

) * at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (near Cape Henry, Virginia) *in the Upper Potomac River south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (near Alexandria, Virginia)

Types of data observed

The buoys observe and record a wide variety of meteorological, oceanographic, and water quality real-time data including air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, wave height and direction, currents, water temperature,

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...

, dissolved oxygen,

chlorophyll Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...

, and turbidity. Anyone can obtain the data by using mobile apps or by going to http://buoybay.noaa.gov/. Some buoys have an instrument that can track the passage of Atlantic sturgeon and other fish tagged by scientists.

Relationship to other ocean observing systems

CBIBS is a component of the Chesapeake Bay Observing System (CBOS) and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).

Partners

A variety of partners have helped with the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System over the years, including the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...

and Coast Guard Auxiliary, the National Park Service, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Chesapeake Conservancy, the Conservation Fund, the National Geographic Society, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail,

Dominion Power Dominion Energy, Inc., commonly referred to as Dominion, is a North American power and energy company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia that supplies electricity in parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and supplies natural gas t ...

, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the

Nauticus Nauticus is a maritime-themed science center and museum located on the downtown waterfront in Norfolk, Virginia, also known as the National Maritime Center. History Nauticus was incorporated under the National Maritime Center Authority in Febr ...

museum (located in Norfolk, Virginia).

Data users

CBIBS data is relied on by a variety of users including meteorologists, recreational boaters, fishermen, commercial mariners, scientists,

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

s, and natural resource decision makers.

Link to the National Historic Trail

In addition to providing real-time data about the Bay's changing conditions, CBIBS also marks and interprets the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, the first water trail in the National Historic Trail System. This trail is administered by the National Park Service and commemorates Captain Smith's exploratory voyages in the Bay during the summer of 1607 and 1608.

References

External links

*
Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System Facebook page

NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office homepage

Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail homepage

Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail homepage

Conservation Fund homepage

Chesapeake Bay Foundation homepage
{{authority control Buoyage Chesapeake Bay watershed James River Watershed Maritime safety National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Potomac River watershed