December 4, 2023 — Scientists from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center are using autonomous surface vehicles called Wave Gliders to study ocean health in Hawaiʻi. Wave Gliders are circumnavigating each of the Hawaiian Islands. They’re collecting data on ocean conditions that will be used to help estimate the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and fisheries across the state.
“We are primarily interested in measuring chlorophyll, which provides a good estimate of phytoplankton biomass in the ocean,” said Dr. Jamison Gove, an oceanographer with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and co-lead scientist on the project. “Phytoplankton are the basis for productive and healthy ecosystems, so knowing where and how much phytoplankton there are in the ocean aids in understanding the entire marine food-web,” added Dr. Gove.
The Building Blocks of Ocean Ecosystems
Phytoplankton are microscopic plants that live near the ocean surface. They are similar to land-based plants: They contain chlorophyll and require sunlight to live and grow. Phytoplankton are the base of the food chain. Their biomass—the total amount of them in a given region of the ocean—dictates fisheries yields and ecosystem productivity across the world.