Panama Installs Three New Tide Gauges with AMP and IMHPA Advisory

Panama plans to strengthen its capacity to monitor sea behavior with the installation of three new tide gauges that will expand the national oceanographic observation network and strengthen early warning systems, navigation safety, and scientific research. The project is being developed by the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama (IMHPA) and Fundación Natura with the advisory of the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP).

The equipment will permanently measure sea level and will be prepared to incorporate sensors that will record variables such as water temperature, acidity (pH), and allow for early detection of tsunamis through satellite transmission, contributing to more efficient management of coastal risks.

Oceanographer and physicist, Arnulfo Sánchez, head of the AMP's Environment Office, explained that the institution currently provides technical advice to IMHPA to identify sites that offer the best oceanographic and operational conditions for the installation of the equipment.

"Tide gauges must be located in areas that guarantee permanent security, easy access for maintenance work, and stable conditions, free from floods or phenomena that could affect their operation," Sánchez specified.

As a result of preliminary evaluations, Punta Coco, in the Las Perlas Archipelago, was identified as the first suitable location for the equipment's installation. Likewise, a marina located in the district of San Carlos, Panama Oeste province, meets the technical conditions to house a second device. The third location is still under evaluation, and among the options considered are the Achotines Laboratory and the pier under construction in the corregimiento of Cañas, in Tonosí, in the province of Los Santos.

Currently, the AMP operates a tide gauge installed in El Porvenir, Guna Yala region, donated in 2011 by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the University of Hawaii. This equipment transmits real-time information to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii and is part of the Global Tide Gauge Network, which shares oceanographic data with the international scientific community.

With the incorporation of the three new devices, Panama will significantly expand its marine monitoring capacity, generating strategic information for the preparation of nautical charts, the study of sea level behavior, climate change analysis, the planning of port, tourism, and fishing activities, as well as the collection and storage of historical series of oceanographic data of high scientific value.

Each tide gauge can cost approximately 50 thousand dollars, including sensors and five years of maintenance. The three tide gauges will be financed by Fundación Natura and installed on highly stable platforms that will incorporate underwater and surface sensors, in addition to solar panels that will guarantee their autonomous operation.

With this project, Panama will have four operational tide gauges, three on the Pacific coast and one in the Caribbean, while the AMP is also evaluating the installation of a fifth device at the Puerto Armuelles Multipurpose Pier in the province of Chiriquí, due to the seismic conditions of the area and its strategic importance for strengthening oceanographic monitoring and early warning systems for tsunamis.

This initiative will consolidate Panama as a regional benchmark in sea level monitoring and oceanographic information management, reinforcing navigation safety, the protection of coastal communities, and decision-making based on high-precision scientific data.