After Dark: Seaworthy

Have you ever wondered how oceanic buoys operate and what they measure, or what critters cling to their undersides? Join marine scientists, technicians, and educators as they pull a one-ton carbon dioxide (CO₂) buoy out of the water and explore its scientific instruments and the organisms that have colonized the buoy bottom. On loan to us from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the CO₂ buoy has been anchored between Piers 15 and 17 since April 2013, collecting data on water temperature, salinity, and CO₂ levels in the atmosphere and in San Francisco Bay. Every year, we pull it out of the water to calibrate and replace the sensors and to clean off corrosion and marine organisms.