Temperature, salinity, and water chemistry data from quarterly bottom transects of the Comprehensive Environmental Monitoring Program at the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion plant in Keahole, Island of Hawaii 1993-2007 (NCEI Accession 0156980)

The NATURAL ENERGY LABORATORY OF HAWAII AUTHORITY (NELHA) is a state agency that operates a unique and innovative ocean science and technology park in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii. It supports an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) facility at Keahole Point on the west coast of the Island of Hawaii. Five stations along six transects have been established where quasi-quarterly bottom water measurements are acquired for temperature, salinity, bacteria, and 12 water chemistry parameters within 1993 to 2007. Data are collected from small boats. The original data were provided as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

Surface samples from these same transects are available in NCEI Accession 0156452. Ocean bottom sampling was included due to concerns related to dense cold seawater sinking to lower depths when returning to the environment. Surface water samples monitored the brackish, less dense groundwater intrusion into the marine water, which tends to float when ocean mixing energy is low. Due to new protocols in 2004 which did not require bottom samples, and because data indicated little or no difference from the surface waters, the bottom samples were discontinued in 2007.