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‘El Niño’s Powerful Reach’
NOAA has joined the Smithsonian and NASA in creating “El Niño’s
Powerful Reach,” a compelling
new exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
Drawing on space-based observations, the exhibit is designed to build
public understanding of the dynamic interrelationships of Earth’s
four components -- life, air, land and water and ice – and to demonstrate
how their effects are felt around the globe.
El
Niño, the periodic warming of eastern Pacific Ocean waters,
is portrayed as a striking example of a physical phenomenon that has
vast global biological and cultural ramifications. Showcasing a broad
range of scientific disciplines, the exhibit guides visitors through
El Niño’s consequences and the complex interactions that produce
them. Ancient treasures from Smithsonian collections are combined
with space-based observations.
Smithsonian
Museum of Natural History/
Mitsuaki Takata
Over
the past century, sea temperatures have increased and corals
are living close to the maximum temperature they can withstand.
An El Niño event increases sea temperature even more.
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Courtesy
of Smithsonian Museum of Natural History & NASA
El Niño at its peak. The eastern Pacific, shown in red,
is abnormally warm.
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FULL STORY --
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New Team Member
Cited for Advancing Science & Policy
NOAA’s
Team Member of the Month is Dr. John J. Magnuson, professor
emeritus of zoology, and director emeritus of the Center for Limnology
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In nominating him, NOAA Fisheries
cited his leadership and intellect in advancing the interface of science
and policy on such difficult issues as protecting and managing Pacific
Salmon, safeguarding sea turtles and changing global climate. Dr.
Magnuson is cited as “always being a NOAA team member.”
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FULL STORY --
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Employee
of Month
An Outstanding Innovator
For NOAA & Nation
As chief
of a National Weather Service team at southern region headquarters
in Fort Worth, Paul Kirkwood is widely respected as an outstanding
innovator. He is recognized for exceptional ability in designing,
developing, and implementing time- and cost-saving measures that advance
use of the powerful AWIPS, or Advanced Weather Interactive Processing
System, and the related Interactive Forecast Preparation System. Now
he can add Employee of the Month to a considerable list of
kudos.
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FULL STORY --
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Newest
NOAA Buoy 'Fills Data Gap' in Marine Weather Forecasts
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Courtesy
of U.S. Coast Guard
NOAA's
National Data Buoy Center and the US Coast Guard launched a new data
buoy in early August off Florida's east coast. The buoy will give
National Weather Service meteorologists in Jacksonville more information
to develop better marine weather forecasts. It will further provide
oceanographers and biologists with improved data on water movements
below the surface.
Data buoys collect real-time observations of wind speed, wave heights
and air-and sea-surface temperatures. The newest buoy also reports
the water's salt content, a first for NOAA's buoys. Long-term salinity
measurements help scientists monitor changes in the underwater ecosystem,
including fish and plant life.
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FULL STORY --
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Making Every Dive Count
Coral Reef Survey/Fish Census Completed in
Florida Keys
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Dr. Jim
Bohnsack, of NOAA Fisheries Southeast Science Center in Miami, and
Dr. Jerry Ault,
of University of Miami, are just back from a month-long expedition
to comprehensively survey coral reefs and complete a fish and habitat
census along the Florida reef tract. A key goal? "To make every dive
count." This marks the first time a whole reef ecosystem has been
assessed in the Florida Keys at one time. News from North America's
largest living barrier coral reef is mixed. After just one year of
protection, the frequency of Goliath grouper in the Tortugas region
appears to have increased. But Jerry Ault said, "It took 28 dives
in Biscayne National Park before I saw the first legal-sized snapper
or grouper." The unprecedented expedition will allow scientists to
better assess the impacts of human activities and management effectiveness
in the Florida Reef Tract.
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Join the expedition--
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Check
out the scoreboard
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...and
the cap!
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Team NOAA treked to Baltimore's Camden Yards
where the scoreboard flashed "Welcome NOAA Ocean & Fish
Fans."
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One fan tells all --
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REUTERS/William
Philpott
In
100+ degree heat, President Bush and Commerce Secretary Don Evans
lined up a putt on the 18th green of Andrews Air Force Base. Check
out the Secretary's cap!
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By Natalie
D.B. Smith
Laws
that have been on the books for many years have resulted in buildings
throughout NOAA and the rest of the country being physically accessible.
NOAA employees, such as Nancy McCary of NOS, who use wheelchairs,
can fully participate in events like the recent Town Hall meeting
because the NOAA auditorium is accessible by both stairs and a ramp.
A new law, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which went into
effect a little more than a year ago, is providing a different kind
of ramp to accessibility.
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All Aboard!
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NOAA's
First Solar Imager
Captured on Video
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Dr. Diane Stanitski-Martin, a professor from Shippensburg University
in Pennsylvania, is NOAA's newest teacher-at-sea. She'll be answering
e-mail, writing daily logs, sending digital photos and developing
lesson plans. Diane is about to sail from Hawaii on NOAA's Ka'imimoana.
She arrives in the Marquesas Islands about September 5.
Join the tour, and encourage schools in your community to be on board
too. For more details, Jennifer.Hammond@noaa.gov or http://www.ogp.noaa.gov. |
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NOAA's Space Environment Center in Boulder has just released "Realizing
the Dream," a 22-minute educational video detailing the many people
and extensive effort invested in the successful flight of NOAA's first
solar imager. Early ../images indicate that the solar imager will provide
excellent information for forecasters and others interested in what
the sun is doing--in real time. The video captures the excitement
of a career-long effort finally completed. Copies are limited. For
more information, please contact Barbara Poppe barbara.poppe@noaa.gov.
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NOAA
Satellites Help Rescue Family in Alaska
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By Pat
Viets 
Thanks to NOAA environmental satellites and the U.S. Coast Guard,
a father, his 13-year-old son, and their dog, Honey, were rescued
in late July from a life raft floating in the Gulf of Alaska, 90 miles
southeast of Cordova. The family had abandoned their sinking, 32-foot
fishing vessel. Operated by NOAA and the Russian government, the satellites
are part of Sarsat, the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided
Tracking Program, Cospas-Sarsat.
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Dr. David Q. Wark
Dr. David Q. Wark, 84, a pioneering research meteorologist,
died July 30. Dr. Wark developed techniques to accurately measure
the temperature and humidity of the Earth's atmosphere using
satellite technology. His seminal work led to his recognition
as one of the founding fathers of NOAA's National Environmental
Satellite, Data and Information Service. Dr. Wark's 55-year
career at NOAA and its predecessor agencies extended beyond
his retirement in 1999 when he continued to work part-time on
technical remote sensing of atmospheric conditions. Dr. Wark's
outstanding legacy to NOAA and the Nation lives on.
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NOAA
Headliners
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NOAA's
2002 campaign runs through August 30. U.S. Savings Bonds are liquid,
long-term investments. Their value grows for 30 years, and the bonds
can be cashed anytime after six months. You can invest as little as
$50 per year, enjoy tax advantages and choose from 30-year fixed or
inflation-indexed earnings. U.S. Savings Bonds are easily purchased
through payroll savings or at most banks. Use your PIN and the Employee
Express System to learn about and purchase bonds.
http://www.employeeexpress.gov/knowbase.htm
#GeneralInfo4 (If you can't find your PIN, order a new one at: http://www.employeeexpress.gov/emain.htm)
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