AVP

The Institute’s Autonomous Vertical Profilers (AVP) cast a YSI Exo or 6600 sonde slowly from the surface to the bottom every 30 minutes. Data collected includes: Depth, Temperature, Salinity, Chlorophyll, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, and at some sites, pH. In addition, wind speed and direction data is collected during each cast. This data is uploaded to IMS as it is collected where it is processed, plotted and archived. Historical AVP data going back as far as 2003 is available from several sites including:

• Jordan Lake (multiple sites)
• The New River at Stones and Morgan Bays.
• The Neuse River estuary (multiple sites)

Above-right are examples of the types of graphs generated daily from the data. (By clicking on the graph, you can view it larger.) For more information about this data please contact Tony Whipple from the Luettich lab.

ModMon

The Neuse River Estuary Modeling and Monitoring Project (ModMon) is a collaborative effort between the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences and the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (NC-DENR). The project involves modeling and monitoring of water quality and environmental conditions in North Carolina’s Neuse River Estuary (pictured left). This collection of data allows assessment of nutrient-eutrophication dynamics, algal blooms, hypoxia, fish kills and other public health concerns.
ModMon is funded by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Division of Water Quality, DWQ), the Lower Neuse Basin Association (LNBA), and the Neuse River Compliance Association (NRCA).  For further information, please go to the ModMon website or contact Nathan Hall.

Longline Shark Survey

The UNC-IMS longline shark survey has been conducted continuously since 1972 by the faculty, staff, and students of the Institute of Marine Sciences. The survey was initiated by Dr. Frank Schwartz, who remains active in the survey and who made his thousandth shark research expedition in 2011. Currently, the shark survey is an IMS-wide effort, with data collection and curation maintained by the Coastal Fisheries Oceanography and Ecology Lab group. The shark survey consists of biweekly cruises, April-November of each year, within Onslow Bay off the central coast of North Carolina near Cape Lookout. During each cruise, shark populations are surveyed 1.5 km and 11 km from shore (100 hooks on a longline at each station). Survey methods have remained consistent over this 45-year period.

This data posting provides survey results and information to resource managers, researchers, NGOs, and other organizations, as well as the public for their use. Any such use should acknowledge the source as the UNC-IMS longline shark survey from this website.

Shark catches and size data can be explored using the following link. With this visualization tool, visitors may use simple drop-down boxes and slidebars to select and display species-, season- (April-November), and year-specific (1972-present) data in graphical form. Menu options also include metadata, data modeling, and raw data pages to support and contextualize visualizations. Questions regarding the app or the UNC-IMS shark survey can be directed to: Joel Fodrie, jfodrie@unc.edu.