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Deploys "Smart Buoy” Near Mouth of the Rappahannock River
NOAA Deploys "Smart Buoy” Near Mouth
of the Rappahannock River
Buoy Marks Captain John Smith Chesapeake National
Historic Trail
July 18, 2008
 The
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office will deploy a “smart buoy”
on Saturday at the mouth of the Rappahannock River to take
observations of the Bay's changing conditions. A part of the
Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS),
this is the fourth interpretative buoy to mark the Captain
John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
The buoy will be deployed off Stingray Point,
near Deltaville, Va., to mark the 400th anniversary of Captain
John Smith's exploration of the region. In July 1608, while
using a sword to fish in shallow waters near the mouth of
the Rappahannock River, Smith was stung by a stingray and
nearly died. The peninsula where this incident occurred was
later named "Stingray Point."
The buoy collects weather, oceanographic
and water-quality observations and transmits this data wirelessly
in near-real time. CBIBS is the only operational
buoy system in the Bay dedicated to maintaining the broad
range of measurements necessary to track Bay restoration progress.
Online educational resources are also available.
“These ‘smart buoys’ are
an example of NOAA’s advancements in Earth observing
systems,” said Mary Glackin, deputy under secretary
of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. “NOAA is working
to improve our understanding of dynamic coastal areas like
the Chesapeake Bay and how areas like the
Bay are affected by changes in the global ocean."
Glackin and U.S. Representative (VA) Robert
Wittman will participate in a deployment ceremony at Stingray
Point Saturday as part of the region's commemoration of Smith's
explorations during the summer of 1608. "Placement of
this NOAA buoy is an important addition to the Captain John
Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and an important
tool to gain additional scientific and ecological information
about the Chesapeake Bay," said Wittman.
This is the second Chesapeake Bay Interpretive
Buoy in the Commonwealth, the other buoy is located at Jamestown,
Va. Additional buoys are currently in operation in Maryland
at the mouth of the Potomac River and at the mouth of the
Patapsco River near Baltimore. Two more buoys will be launched
later this summer on the Elizabeth River at Norfolk, Virginia
and one on the Susquehanna River off Havre de Grace, Maryland.
 “This
is the fourth buoy in the expanding Chesapeake Bay Interpretive
Buoy System,” said Peyton Robertson, director of the
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. “Placing
this buoy off of Stingray Point will enhance our observations
of the changing conditions of the Chesapeake Bay, provide
real-time information for mariners, and mark a significant
spot in Captain Smith's remarkable exploration of the New
World.”
The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National
Historic Trail covers 3,000 miles along parts of the Chesapeake
Bay and its tributaries along routes taken by Captain John
Smith in 1607 and 1608 to chart the land and waterways of
the Chesapeake Bay. The trail highlights the natural history
of the Bay and provides new opportunities for recreation,
education, and tourism in the Chesapeake Bay region, and encourages
stewardship of this national treasure.
The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office focuses NOAA’s
capabilities in science, service, and stewardship to protect
and restore the Chesapeake Bay.
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