About the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory
The Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) is a fixed, cabled observatory located in Edgartown, Massachusetts and the waters south of Martha’s Vineyard.
Commissioned in 2003, by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the MVCO has operated continuously to provide:
- Infrastructure to support research on the coastal ocean and atmosphere, coastal ocean ecosystems, the coupled ocean and atmosphere system, and advanced sensor testing and development;
- A reliable system of core sensors that allow continuous long term observations for climate studies, opportunistic sampling of extreme events, and a local climatology for intensive, short duration field campaigns; and
- A means for public outreach and educational programs to access the ocean and coastal ocean research.
The MVCO includes:
- An Air-Sea Interaction Tower (ASIT) located further offshore in 17-m of water equipped with a top-side node for both air-side or underwater instrumentation;
- A bottom-mounted subsurface node for underwater instruments located in 12 m of water approximately 1.5 km south of Edgartown Great Pond;
- A 10-m meteorological mast at the South Beach State Park in Edgartown, MA, providing shore-side meteorological and beach observations; and
- A shore lab located at the Katama Air Park in Edgartown, MA, that provides power and communications links to the rest of the observatory.
User Information
The MVCO is available for use by science parties within and outside of WHOI.
For more details on MVCO infrastructure