NOAA 200th Postcards from the Field October 2007
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Region handles the management
responsibilities mandated by the Fur Seal Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act regarding fur seals and National Marine Fisheries Service property in the Pribilof Islands.
The Pribilof Islands are the primary breeding and haul out areas for over one million Northern Fur Seals. Other responsibilities of the Alaska Region require the
maintenance and upkeep of five buildings under National Marine Fisheries Service ownership. These support facilities are necessary to conduct management and research
activities in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska. NOAA, through its Office of Response and Restoration, Pribilof Project Office, is also responsible for site characterization
and restoration activities on the St. George and St. Paul Islands in Alaska. Between 1997 and 2007, NOAA restored over 100 debris and contaminated soil and groundwater
sites on the two islands. Debris, primarily in the form of old cars, trucks, tractors, barrels, storage tanks, pipes, and marine jetsam amounted to eight thousand tons.
Active restoration activities are expected to be completed during 2007. Pictured on site at St. Paul Island are (from left): William Jones, Suzanne Johnston, John
Lindsay, and Jay Ver Hoef.
The officers and crew of NOAA Ship ALBATROSS IV wish all of NOAA a "Happy 200 Years of
Science and Service to our Nation." The ALBATROSS provides operational support to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center as a fisheries research platform and has been
doing so for the past 45 years. Her predecessor vessels, ALBATROSS I, II, & III, have done the same since 1882. Pictured (from left): Master Stephen Wagner, ENS
Cris Daniels, ENS Chad Meckley, LCDR Kurt Zegowitz, ENS Chris Skapin, ENS Jonathan Heesch, Pete Langolis, Carl Coonce, Bruce Schoon, Kevin Cruse, Robert Haverty,
Edward Nyamweya, Brandon Balducci, Abe Goldberg, Steve Flavin, Mike Conway, and Rick Rozen.
Scientists from NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) participated
on NASA's Tropical Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling mission (TC4) based at the Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, from 13 July
to 11 August 2007. The purpose of the mission was to increase our understanding of the coupling between cloud processes and atmospheric composition in tropical
convection and implications for climate change. Measurements from ESRL included water vapor and other trace gases such as carbon monoxide and chlorofluorocarbons,
cloud particles, and radiation. ESRL scientists included NOAA employees from the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the Cooperative Institute of Research in
Environmental Sciences of the University of Colorado. Pictured (from left) in front of the tail section of the NASA WB-57F aircraft in the NASA hangar are Holger
Voemel, Karl Froyd, Troy Thornberry, Geoff Dutton, Fred Moore, Jim Elkins, Dave Fahey, Ru-Shan Gao, Laurel Watts, Ryan Spackman, and Joshua Schwarz.
The Communication and Education Division of the National Ocean Service teamed up with the Des
Moines’ National Weather Service at the Iowa State Fair to highlight NOAA as part its 200th Celebration. This collaborative project featured "Terri the Robot"
who explained to many of the one million attendees the importance of the oceans, coasts and weather. Terri also highlighted the benefits of NOAA weather radio and
provided historical details of NOAA and its various agencies. Fairgoers also had the opportunity to learn about weather and oceans through various multimedia displays
and posters. Pictured (from left): Jim Girardi, President of Conceptual Visions (Terri's Owner); Brenda Brock, MIC Des Moines, IA; Brad Fillbach, HMT Des Moines;
Jeff Johsnon, WCM Des Moines; Terri the robot; Thomas Cox, NOS Chief of Communications and Education; Lynn Maximuk, NWS Central Region Director; Mario Bory, Conceptual
Visions; Craig Cogil, Forecaster Des Moines; and Bridget Moe, Floyd County, IA, Emergency Manager. 
National Status & Trends Program (NS&T) scientists from NOAA's
Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment pose with their collaborators aboard the fishing vessel "Columbia," including a representative of the Alaskan Native
village of Port Graham. The crew are partnering on a study to assess habitat conditions that influence the biodiversity and distribution of soft bottom benthic
invertebrate communities in the region – including Kachemak Bay, Alaska, site of the largest National Estuarine Research Reserve. In August, this team sampled
throughout the bay to characterize benthic community distribution and condition, sediment contaminant concentrations, and toxicity – the standard suite of
observations that NOAA's NS&T use to assess the likelihood of impacts from chemical pollution. Pictured (from left): Tim Roberston, Kimani Kimbrough, Ian Hartwell,
Herman Moonin, John Crosbie, Everett Anderson, and Glenn Seaman (kneeling in front).
Greetings from the hydrologic community of NOAA's
National Weather Service. In July the third biennial Hydrologic Program Managers Conference was held at the National Weather Service Training Center in Kansas City,
Missouri. This four-day event hosted nearly 200 participants. Conference goals included strengthening partnerships, sharing best practices, and understanding the
national plan to improve and expand hydrologic services and its relationship to broader water management issues. The Acting National Weather Service Deputy Director,
Vickie Nadolski, provided the keynote presentation. Other presenters who contributed to a very successful conference were National Weather Service personnel, NOAA's
Coastal Services Center, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Drought Mitigation Center, National
Hydrologic Warning Council, and the Public Works Department of Overland Park, Kansas.
Representatives
from NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and Argo Program Office participated in a workshop in Accra, Ghana, designed to promote
Argo capacity building for Atlantic nations in Africa. Argo is a broad-scale, global array of floats that measure temperature/salinity in the Ocean and constitutes a major component of the Global
Ocean Observing System. The workshop focused on using data products from Argo and other observing systems to learn what is needed locally, facilitate the development of products locally, and
engage the nations of the region in implementing Argo. There were more than 40 participants in the workshop representing 12 nations from West Africa stretching from South Africa to Senegal,
the U.S., Canada, and France. 
In July 2007, NOAA partnered with Washington Sea Grant and the University of
Washington Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Oceans (JISAO) to host the fifth annual NOAA Science Camp in Seattle. During the week-long camp, 53
middle-school-aged campers worked on a hypothetical fish kill in the Puget Sound and learned about NOAA science through hands-on activities. At the end of the week,
the campers applied the knowledge they had learned during the activities to investigate the cause and impacts of the fish kill, and presented their conclusions to
the scientists, families and friends. Joining the WSG camp staff were scientists from NOAA Fisheries Service, NOAA Ocean Service, National Weather Service,
NOAA Research, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, and JISAO. In the bottom photo, pictured from left, are Curran Fey and Dr. Nick Bond from JISAO
who show campers a TAO buoy used to collect oceanographic data.
Representatives
from the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Integrated Program Office Management Operations Division recently visited Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to learn
more about our Air Force partners, the satellite, and how the satellite will be launched into orbit. The group took a moment for a photo at the Delta Rocket Launch facility. Pictured (from left):
Sharon Snead, Kim Chamberlain, MSgt David Johnson, Jenny Moore, Maria Jones, Dana Rivas, Donnise Brooks (in back), Tee Spencer, Kelvin Moore (in back), Tina Reid, John Wu, and Arlene Craig.
This postcard from the field should be called the "Postcard from the Edge"! When the Weather Forecast Office Mount
Holly, New Jersey radar's bull gear failed, it was up to the ROC (Radar Operational Center) Engineering branch to get the system back up and running. This repair
required a delicate balance of skill, knowledge, and most of all, team work. To replace the bull gear, the entire upper portion of the radar antenna had to be
lifted up and secured before the bull gear could be replaced. This picture shows the antenna lifted up and secured. This is normally a 7-10-day job, but Terrel
Ballard and his team were able to complete the job in 6 days. This is just one example of the outstanding work the National Weather Service's Engineering side of
the house has to do, to keep it all working and the data flowing. Pictured (from left): Jimmy Roper, Ray Lena, Matt Lynch, Bobby Harp, Mike Shattuck, and Terrell
Ballard.
Aloha from Kauai! The NOAA 200th Celebration was commemorated at the 10th Annual Kauai Family Ocean Fair at
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (KPNWR) this summer. Overlooking the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS), this refuge is an
important partner in education, outreach, and monitoring. This photo shows the sponsors (HIHWNMS, KPNWR, and Kilauea Point Natural History Association) and most of
the exhibitors, workshop presenters, and sanctuary and refuge volunteers who helped make the fair -- Kauai's largest ocean education event -- an outstanding
success. NOAA personnel participating in the fair included Gregory Hall, Randy Calaway, Nadia Sbeih, Divina Corpuz, Ed Carlson, Wende Goo, Tanya Ochoa, Mimi
Olry, Andy Collins, Stephanie Lachance, Anne Walton, Jean Nishida Souza, and Sheri Knapp.
National Weather Service San Diego has been working with Dr. Chung-Sheng (CS) Wu of the
National Weather Service's Meteorological Development Laboratory to help better forecast the occurrence of rip currents. Rip currents are one of the primary
weather/water hazards faced by beachgoers in San Diego and Orange County, with many rescues every year. Dr. Wu has been studying and modeling the beaches in
southern California over the past two years and will be working with the Encinitas Lifeguards and the Weather Service Forecast Office in San Diego to receive
twice-daily rip current and beach observations. Pictured (from left) are Senior Lifeguard Dave Brown, Ed Clark, Jim Purpura, Ivory Small, Sgt. Rob Viera - Encinitas
Lifeguard, Lifeguard Rory Allen, Encinitas Marine Safety Captain Larry Giles, Dr. Wu, Jennifer Chase, and Noel Isla.
Greetings from Chicago! The nation's Port
Meteorological Officers gathered at the Argonne National Laboratory to discuss the state of the U.S. Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) Project and commemorate NOAA's 200th
Celebration. The mission of the VOS project is to collect and disseminate critical real-time maritime weather observations through the recruitment and support of ships
to fulfill national needs and international agreements supporting commerce, forecasts and warning programs, and the Safety Of Life At Sea worldwide. Pictured (from left):
Carroll Ward, Robert Webster, Mike Looney, Jeff Lorens, Edward Fenelon, Jack Warrelmann, Richard Courtney, Daniel Curtis, Pete Gibino, NWS Cline Award Recipient
Amy Seeley, Chris Fakes, Tim Kenefick, Paula Campbell, Tom Townsend, Lynn Maximuk, Peggy Alander, Larry Hubble, Jim Luciani, Robert Luke, Sergio Marsh, Bill
Burnett, and Jim Jones.
NOAA Port Agent Joanne Pellegrino, stationed in Toms River, New Jersey, removes an
otolith (ear bone) from a Golden Tilefish, as part of a biological sampling exercise. Port Agents visit docks where fish are off loaded by commercial fishers
to take samples, measure, and weigh the fish. They sometimes remove the ear bone to determine the age and growth of the stock of fish. Agent Pellegrino sent
this specimen to the lab in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where scientists will count the otolith rings, as in a tree, to determine the age. All of this work helps
scientists learn more about the strength of the fish populations. This particular fish was caught by a New Jersey commercial fishing vessel.
After an All-Hands meeting at NOAA
Fisheries' Southeast Regional Office in St. Petersburg, Florida, employees gathered with signs commemorating NOAA's 200 years of service. Pictured (from left, first row):
Ellie Roche, Kelly Donnelly, Dr. Joseph Kimmel, Britni Tokotch, Peter Hood, Susan Covell, Kate Michie, David Buker, and Amanda Frick. Second row (from left): Mark
Godcharles, Joyce Mochrie, Bob Williams, Terri Almquist, Karla Reece, Heather Blough, Sarah Heberling, Stacey Carlson, Eric Hawk, and Kyle Baker. Third row (from left): Kim
Amendola, Janet Miller, David Dale, Carolyn Sramek, Michael McLemore, Virginia Fay, Michael Justin, and Monica Smit-Brunello. Fourth row (from left): Robert Sadler,
Michael Bailey, Barbara Niswander, Jeff Brown, Jeanette Dudley, Sarah DeVido, Julie Weeder, Rod Dalton, and Michael Henderson; Fifth row: Andrew Strelcheck, Randy
Blankenship, Tanya Hawkins, Andrew Herndon, Jason Rueter, Ann Montgomery, and Shelley Norton.
Greetings from the Florida State University (FSU) in
Tallahassee, Florida, home of the Seminoles, the FSU Department of Meteorology, and - most importantly - the co-located National Weather Service Forecast Office. The
Weather Forecast Office Tallahassee is responsible for southeast Alabama, southwest and south central Georgia, the eastern Florida Panhandle, and the Florida Big Bend,
including the coastal waters of the northeast Gulf of Mexico. The office moved to the Florida State University campus in March 2002, and is involved in numerous
collaborative activities with the University faculty and students. Pictured (from left) are Bob Goree, Ron Eimiller, Irv Watson, Bob Duggan, Alex Gibbs, Kelly
Godsey, Tony Freeman, Mike Jamski, Mark Wool, Paul Duval, and Joel Lanier.
At the recent NOAA Fish Fry "Kansas Style" (burgers and brats), the staff
checked out a tractor from Yost Farm Supply as neighboring farmers prepare for wheat harvest on the High Plains. Our staff keeps busy helping our customers mitigate the
impact of drought, floods, and fires in the 19 counties we serve in Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. Forecasts are critical to the livelihood of many customers including
farmers, ranchers, and local businesses across the High Plains.
NOAA Fisheries Service Advanced Sampling Technologies
Working Group (ASTWG) is leading research into a non-lethal and more efficient method of assessing fish stocks. The ASTWG, a coordinated effort among all NOAA
Fisheries Science Centers, sponsored the acquisition of a small, portable, instrumented autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, that can be deployed from fisheries
survey vessels, small craft, or shore to augment or facilitate a variety of marine ecosystem investigations. NOAA Fisheries' first AUV is uniquely equipped with a
suite of acoustic and optical instrumentation that allows researchers to identify and survey fish and their physical and biological habitats without harming them.
Since May, 2007, the Advanced Survey Technologies Group at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center has successfully conducted approximately 30 AUV missions to test
and refine the vehicle's performance. AST members pictured (from left): Josiah Renfree, Steve Sessions, Randy Cutter, and David Demer.
Two
National Geodetic Survey field parties combined with crews from NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations Aircraft Operations Center to perform Airport Obstruction Surveys
this summer in support of safe navigation at 22 remote airports in Alaska. The surveys provide the Federal Aviations Administration accurate runway, navigational aid and obstacle
data required for the development of Global Positioning System instrument approach procedures and maintain the National Airspace System. Top photo (from left): Lt. William Pierce
(NOAA Corps), Lt. Nickie Lambert (NOAA Corps), Chief of Survey Party Ron Bailey (NGS), and Cartographer Andrew Serak (NGS). Bottom photo (from left): Lt jg. Jason Mansour
(NOAA Corps), Lt. Kristie Twining (NOAA Corps), Chief of Survey Party Timothy Wilkins (NGS) and Cartographer Joseph Kordosky (NGS).
Some of the NOAA Research leadership and management took a break during the annual Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Management Conference held in July at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma. The conference brought together Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research senior staff, deputy laboratory and program directors, headquarters and field managers with information technology, budget, finance,
and administrative staff. This year's theme was "Collaboration." Pictured (from left): Mark Brown, Kevin Kelleher, Dianne Burgess, Capt. Wade Blake, Dr. Richard
Spinrad, Craig McLean, Barry West, Joseph Klimavicz, Karen Kohanowich, Dr. Sandra Knight, Randee Exler, and Nancy Huang.
Employees from the NOAA National Weather Service
Quad Cities Weather Forecast Office pose with the NOAA 200th Celebration Banner in front of a very healthy corn field located in back of their office. Plentiful rainfall
during June and July, along with near seasonable temperatures, has produced an abundant corn and soybean crop in eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois thus far. The NOAA
National Weather Service Quad Cities Forecast Office provides weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for a 36-county service area covering portions of eastern
Iowa, northwestern Illinois, and extreme northeastern Missouri. Pictured (from left): Ray Wolf, Linda Engebretson, Steve Kuhl, John Haase, Sandra Stevens, Barb Mayes,
Donna Dubberke, Terry Simmons, Jeff Zogg, Terry Crouch, Tom Philip, David Sheets, and Mike McClure.
Decked out in NOAA logowear and commemorating
the 200th Celebration, 58 NOAA employees headed to Baltimore to root for the hometeam — and the Orioles beat the Chicago White Socks 2-0!
Aloha from the Pacific Island's Fisheries
Science Center Marine Debris Program! Twenty-four metric tons of abandoned lines and ghost nets were collected from the waters of Laysan Island, Kure Atoll,
and Pearl and Hermes Atoll in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands) during 16 continuous days of field operations.
Sitting or standing on the debris (from left): Jonathan Blodgett, Edmund Coccagna, Heather Sandison, Amy Long, Jubilee Felsing-Watkins, Stephan Charette, Sam Kahng,
and Derek LeVault. Sitting on the lavendar container (from left): Noah Pomeroy, Kevin Lino, Kevin O'Brien, Bonnie DeJoseph, Francis Mancini, Susan Cooper, and Max
Sudnosky.
200th Celebration greetings
from the R/V David Starr Jordan south of San Clemente Island, California. The photo was taken just prior to hauling in the final set of the annual juvenile pelagic
shark survey. The "2" and buoys represent "200" to commemorate NOAA's 200th celebration. Personnel include scientists from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, crew of
the R/V David Starr Jordan, a NOAA Teacher-at-Sea, and a number of volunteers. Shown (from left): Top - Eric Lynn, Ann Coleman, Lyndsay Field, Anne Allen, Noah Ben-Aderet,
Kena Romo-Curiel, Jose Coito, Elizabeth Eubanks, Chico Gomez, Victor Pinones, and Jeff Graham; Bottom - Leanne Laughlin, Heather Marshall, Dovi Kacev and Russ Vetter.
Greetings from San Simeon, California! The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
celebrated 15 years with an Ocean's Fair at the Coastal Discovery Center at San Simeon Bay, cooperatively managed by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
and California State Parks. Exhibitors at the event included the National Weather Service, NOAA's Office for Law Enforcement, and many others. Along with making
fish prints and models of ROV's (remotely operated vehicles), visitors also enjoyed the center's educational exhibits. The staff, volunteers, and exhibitors who
organized the Ocean's Fair are pictured here.
Greetings from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Many NOAA employees joined a group of key partners
from the American Association of State Climatologists for their annual national meeting in this scenic northwest locale. Most of the NOAA employees were from the
National Weather Service, representing the Central, Southern, and Western Regions along with National Weather Service Headquarters and the National Centers for
Environmental Prediction. NOAA's National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service as well as the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research were
also represented at this gathering. State Climatologists are important NOAA partners in observing, explaining, and forecasting the climate of the United States.
Discussions at this meeting ranged from improving climate monitoring and prediction to new and innovative ways of serving the climate needs of the American public.
Fish in Space? Well, not quite. However,
NOAA Fisheries Service personnel from across the country did gather with staff members of the Space Environment Center for this postcard. With the Space Environment
Center graciously allowing the use of their facilities, the Fisheries Permit team was able to hold their annual meeting at a location that not only reduced participant
travel time, but significantly reduced travel costs as well. Truly, one NOAA indeed! Pictured (front row, from left): Walter Ikehara, Jessica Gharrett, Bill Jacobson,
Carolyn Sramek, Brad McHale, LCDR Jim Illg, Kevin Ford, Steve Sayler and Bruce Marshak. Back row (from left): USAF Major Kathlene Dowdy, Tracy Buck, Norm Cohen, Mihail
Codrescu, Ron Zwickl, Kim Lucas, Glen Taylor, Christopher Rogers, Scott Sandorf, Chris Balch, Joe Kunches, Tom Defoor, Rhonda Stewart, John Bishop, Ted Hawes, David Hamm,
LTJG Matt Ringel, and SEC Director Dr. Thomas J. Bogdan.
After a 15-year hiatus, the Sturgeon Generals have returned! The National Marine Fisheries
Service-Southwest Regional Office, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement-Southwest Division, and NOAA General Counsel Office in Long Beach, California, have teamed
up once again in joining the Long Beach Thursday Night Softball League. The team pictured: (front row, from left): Tulimalefoi Martina Sagapolu, Eric Chavez,
Christina Ramirez, Kimberley Speech, Penny Ruvelas, and Joe Cordaro; (back row, from left): Scott Hill, Otha Easley, Sarah Dunsford, Jerry Hornof, Randy Miller,
and Christopher Keifer. Not pictured are Marty Golden, Christina Fahy, Maria Haris, and Jennifer Boyce. Go Sturgeons!
The Northwest Fisheries Science
Center Marine Biotoxin program and University of Washington scientists together with UCAR SOARS and Hollings Summer Internship students were aboard the NOAA Ship
McArthur II for a two-week research cruise to study the distribution and intensity of harmful algal blooms due to the toxic diatom, Pseudo-nitzschia. Together they
monitored for the toxin domoic acid, enumerate toxic cells, and deploy ocean drifters and moorings to monitor physical oceanographic parameters. Pictured (from left):
Stuart Hyde, Alisha Fernandez, Nicolaus Adams, Jim Johnson, Tom Conneley, Keri Baugh, Natalie Tsui, Shelly Nance, and Anthony Odell.
