With the coldest months of the year just ahead, CBIBS team is laying out their plans for buoy operations over the winter. This year, we plan to keep five buoys in the water through the winter:
While we anticipate keeping these buoys in through the winter, we will monitor conditions at each of those locations closely. If observed or forecasted conditions warrant, we may pull a buoy to keep it safe from potential ice damage.
A CBIBS buoy was deployed at Jamestown in early summer 2021. Unfortunately, hardware and sensors on that buoy failed shortly after it went into the water. Due to the unavailability of some replacement parts, and backlog of repairs with some manufacturers, we do not have the parts to repair this buoy or deploy another one before colder weather arrives. In addition, we would usually pull the Jamestown buoy for the winter because it is in fresher water (freezes at a higher temperature) than other locations. So that buoy will not be redeployed in 2021.
Every winter, the team works on maintaining buoys and sensors that have been pulled from the water to get them ready for redeployment. This year, they will also work on plans for the 2022 buoy season.
We plan on operating buoys at eight locations around the Bay in 2022, and anticipate reaching that full deployment level in late spring/early summer 2022. We look forward to sharing information on where additional CBIBS buoys will be deployed with you once those decisions are made in early 2022.