CeNCOOS (Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System)

Focus: Water conditions and Bay surface currents
Organizations: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and UC Davis

Funded by NOAA and based in Moss Landing, California, CeNCOOS brings together a variety of ocean-related data from the central and northern California coasts.

The CeNCOOS data portal.

BEACON (BErkeley Atmospheric C0₂ Observation Network)

Focus: Bay Area air quality, including carbon dioxide
Organization: University of California, Berkeley

Rather than use a few very sensitive instruments, UC Berkeley’s BEACON project is building a network of many medium-quality air sensors. Together, they are creating a high-resolution picture of real-time air pollution.

The BEACON project's home page.

CO₂ Coastal & Open Ocean Mooring Network 

Focus: Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and ocean water
Organization: NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

A network of dozens of buoys just like ours are located around the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Each buoy measures carbon dioxide in the ocean water and in the air. Scientists use this data to better understand how the ocean is involved in the carbon cycle on Earth.

NOAA's CO₂ Buoy Network data portal. 

Water Quality and Suspended-Sediment Transport Network

Focus: Bay and Delta water conditions and turbidity
Organization: U.S. Geological Survey

Dozens of sensors across the Bay and Delta measure water quality and turbidity, helping create a picture of the Bay’s tidal cycles and the movement of sediment.

Boundary Layer Network

Focus: Atmospheric profiling (temperature, pressure, humidity)
Organizations: Earth Networks and Scripps Institution of Oceanography

This network of radiometers, which profiles the temperature, pressure, and humidity from ground level up through the atmosphere, helps meteorologists improve local weather forecasts.

Physical Oceanography Real-Time System (PORTS)

Focus: Tides, water currents, and weather
Organization: NOAA National Ocean Service

PORTS provides real-time data to cargo ship pilots and other mariners to help them safely navigate through San Francisco Bay and other harbors around the country. This data includes measurements and predictions of water levels, currents, salinity, and weather.