The Hudson River transits approximately 13 million tons of cargo each year to Central New York, Western Massachusetts, and Western Vermont (U.S. Army Corps, 2023). Stretching 145 miles from New York Harbor to the Port of Albany, the channel narrows to 400 ft wide at times with limited areas for anchorage creating real navigational challenges. Pilots from the Hudson River Pilots Association carefully guide vessels along this tidal stretch of river, ensuring safe navigation and sustaining commerce in the region.
In March, members of the MARACOOS team visited the Norrie Point Environmental Center to celebrate the installation of the Norrie Point webcam and spoke with Sam Zapadinsky, Hudson River Pilot, about how additional cameras along the river could enhance near real-time visibility data to support safe navigation in the waterway. The Hudson River Valley is susceptible to unpredictable fog making near real-time visibility data critical for pilots’ decisions to continue the transit up the river. Not only is the Norrie Point webcamera helping pilots monitor current river conditions, but imagery captured from the camera also supports researchers at the Hudson River National Estuary Research Reserve (HRNERR) in monitoring environmental changes.
The success of the Norrie Point webcamera was made possible through a partnership between the Hudson River Pilots Association, which provided the camera, and HRNERR, which handled installation and technical support. MARACOOS continues to support fog and visibility monitoring along the river through data product development, data management, and archiving.
The Norrie Point webcamera is part of the Webcam Coastal Observing System (WebCOOS). Imagery captured from the cameras helps monitor environmental changes and provides critical data to accurately forecast coastal hazards that affect people and communities.
Learn more about MARACOOS webcamera work.
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