Journal articles: 'United States. National Oceanic and Atmspheric Administration' – Grafiati (2024)

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Abstract The United States has had three operational numerical weather prediction centers since the Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit was closed in 1958. This led to separate paths for U.S. numerical weather prediction, research, technology, and operations, resulting in multiple community calls for better coordination. Since 2006, the three operational organizations—the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and the National Weather Service—and, more recently, the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, have been working to increase coordination. This increasingly successful effort has resulted in the establishment of a National Earth System Prediction Capability (National ESPC) office with responsibility to further interagency coordination and collaboration. It has also resulted in sharing of data through an operational global ensemble, common software standards, and model components among the agencies. This article discusses the drivers, the progress, and the future of interagency collaboration.

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Significant portions of the United States (U.S.) property, commerce and ecosystem assets are located at or near the coast, making them vulnerable to sea level variability and change, especially relative rises. Although global mean sea level (MSL) and sea level rise (SLR) are fundamental considerations, regional mean sea level (RSL) variability along the boundaries of U.S. along the two ocean basins are critical, particularly if the amplitudes of seasonal to annual to inter-annual variability is high. Of interest is that the conventional wisdom of the U.S. agencies, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which both contend that the sources of sea level rise are related principally to heat absorption and release by the ocean(s) to the atmosphere and vice versa, and by Polar glacier melting and freshwater input into the ocean(s). While these phenomena are of great importance to SLR and sea level variability (SLV), we assess a suite of climate factors and the Gulf Stream, for evidence of correlations and thus possible influences; though causality is beyond the scope of this study. In this study, climate factors related to oceanic and atmospheric heat purveyors and reservoirs are analyzed and assessed for possible correlations with sea level variability and overall trends on actionable scales (localized as opposed to global scale). The results confirm that oceanic and atmospheric temperature variability and the disposition of heat accumulation or the lack thereof, are important players in sea level variability and rise, but also that the Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, the Arctic Oscillation, the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation, Solar Irradiance, the Western Boundary Current-Gulf Stream, and other climate factors, can have strong correlative and perhaps even causal, modulating effects on the monthly to seasonal to annual to inter-annual to decadal to multi-decadal sea level variability at the community level.

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On 5 February 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (hereinafter, NOAA),within the United States (hereinafter, US) Department of Commerce, published a Proposed Rule to create a seafood traceability programme. The programme intends to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (hereinafter, IUU) fishing, prevent fraudulent trade and to serve as the contribution of the US to the global action to combat IUU fishing, along the lines of other similar regulatory frameworks, such as the EU's extensive regulationon IUU fishing. However, despite the legitimate objectives of the measure, it is imperative that regulators take into account the potential consequences for international trade when designing such programmes.

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Abstract In recent years, a growing partnership has emerged between the Met Office and the designated U.S. national centers for expertise in severe weather research and forecasting, that is, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and the NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC). The driving force behind this partnership is a compelling set of mutual interests related to predicting and understanding high-impact weather and using high-resolution numerical weather prediction models as foundational tools to explore these interests. The forum for this collaborative activity is the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed, where annual Spring Forecasting Experiments (SFEs) are conducted by NSSL and SPC. For the last decade, NSSL and SPC have used these experiments to find ways that high-resolution models can help achieve greater success in the prediction of tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds. Beginning in 2012, the Met Office became a contributing partner in annual SFEs, bringing complementary expertise in the use of convection-allowing models, derived in their case from a parallel decadelong effort to use these models to advance prediction of flash floods associated with heavy thunderstorms. The collaboration between NSSL, SPC, and the Met Office has been enthusiastic and productive, driven by strong mutual interests at a grassroots level and generous institutional support from the parent government agencies. In this article, a historical background is provided, motivations for collaborative activities are emphasized, and preliminary results are highlighted.

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Abstract. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has completed the installation of a 30-site demonstration network of wind-profiling radars in the central United States. The network is being used to demonstrate and assess the utility of wind profiler technology in a quasi-operational environment, and to help define operational requirements for possible future national networks. This paper describes two automated quality control methods designed to remove erroneous winds from the hourly network data. Case study examples and statistical evaluation of the performance of each method are also presented.

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Abstract The threat of damaging hail from severe thunderstorms affects many communities and industries on a yearly basis, with annual economic losses in excess of $1 billion (U.S. dollars). Past hail climatology has typically relied on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Climatic Data Center’s (NOAA/NCDC) Storm Data publication, which has numerous reporting biases and nonmeteorological artifacts. This research seeks to quantify the spatial and temporal characteristics of contiguous United States (CONUS) hail fall, derived from multiradar multisensor (MRMS) algorithms for several years during the Next-Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) era, leveraging the Multiyear Reanalysis of Remotely Sensed Storms (MYRORSS) dataset at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). The primary MRMS product used in this study is the maximum expected size of hail (MESH). The preliminary climatology includes 42 months of quality controlled and reprocessed MESH grids, which spans the warm seasons for four years (2007–10), covering 98% of all Storm Data hail reports during that time. The dataset has 0.01° latitude × 0.01° longitude × 31 vertical levels spatial resolution, and 5-min temporal resolution. Radar-based and reports-based methods of hail climatology are compared. MRMS MESH demonstrates superior coverage and resolution over Storm Data hail reports, and is largely unbiased. The results reveal a broad maximum of annual hail fall in the Great Plains and a diminished secondary maximum in the Southeast United States. Potential explanations for the differences in the two methods of hail climatology are also discussed.

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Abstract The United States experienced a severe drought that peaked in 2012 and was characterized by near-record extent, record warmth, and record dryness in several areas. For some regions, the 2012 drought was a continuation of drought that began in earlier years and continued through 2014. The 1998–2014 drought episode is compared to the two other major drought episodes of the twentieth century in terms of duration, areal extent, intensity, and spatial pattern using operational datasets produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Centers for Environmental Information. It is characterized by more short-term dryness, more concurrent (regional) wetness, and warmer temperatures than the other two drought episodes. The implications of these differences for water resource managers and decision-makers are discussed.

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Several recent oil spills in the United States have had the potential to impact large numbers and multiple populations of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), namely the Macondo-252/Deepwater Horizon oil spill from April 2010, the Texas City Y event in March 2014, and the Refugio Beach oil spill in May 2015. In each of these spills, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and partners have engaged in significant activities during and following the spills, to both respond effectively to minimize impacts and assess the effects of oil spills on marine mammals. Experience gained during these spills has led to improved preparedness for future events with potential involvement of marine mammals. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has developed the “National Pinniped and Cetacean Oil Spill Response Guidelines,” which are available online. These guidelines provide a broad national overview of response activities, a proposed organizational structure, and considerations to identify, recover, treat, and sample oiled and potentially oiled marine mammals. Further development of a response framework includes regional preparedness plans for marine mammals, based on the national guidelines but with regionally appropriate modifications to reflect local considerations, including species likely to be impacted, geographic concerns, and understanding of local cultural practices. Efforts are underway to improve training opportunities through a national exercise plan and to track trained and qualified individuals for potential deployment. For assessment, NMFS and NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) have partnered to develop the “National Marine Mammal Oil Spill Assessment Guidelines” to facilitate early, efficient, and effective assessment of impacts from oil spills on marine mammals as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process. This paper will outline the current status of these products and their role in marine mammal assessment and response in the U.S., raise awareness of marine mammals within oil spills, and identify potential resources for marine mammal response and assessment in other countries.

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Abstract 2017-321 The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility, Ohmsett, plays a critical role in advancing oil spill response capabilities through research, development, testing, and training. Ohmsett’s 10 million liter (l) saltwater wave tank provides an independent venue to conduct research and development with full-size response equipment using real oil, in realistic, repeatable conditions. This paper will discuss recent research and development conducted at Ohmsett, including: Remote sensing of surface oil by BSEE, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Army, the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA); using acoustics to measure oil slick thickness; creating large volumes of emulsions for Ohmsett tests; mechanical recovery of chemically treated, undispersed oil; skimmer testing in diminishing slick thickness; a USCG and BSEE test of a skimmer ice management system; and an autonomous skimmer development. This paper will summarize the setup and methodology used during recent testing, training, and research conducted at Ohmsett. Reports of BSEE funded oil spill response research can be found at https://www.bsee.gov/site-page/master-list-of-oil-spill-response-research.

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Commercial, recreational, and indigenous fisheries are critical to coastal economies and communities in the United States. For over three decades, the federal government has formally recognized the impact of fishery disasters via federal declarations. Despite these impacts, national syntheses of the dynamics, impacts, and causes of fishery disasters are lacking. We developed a nationwide Federal Fishery Disaster database using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fishery disaster declarations and fishery revenue data. From 1989-2020, there were 71 federally approved fishery disasters (eleven are pending), which spanned every federal fisheries management region and coastal state in the country. To date, we estimate fishery disasters resulted in $2B (2019 USD) in Congressional allocations, and an additional, conservative estimate of $3.2B (2019 USD) in direct revenue loss. Despite this scale of impact, the disaster assistance process is largely ad hoc and lacks sufficient detail to properly assess allocation fairness and benefit. Nonetheless, fishery disasters increased in frequency over time, and the causes of disasters included a broad range of anthropogenic and environmental factors, with a recent shift to disasters now almost exclusively caused by extreme environmental events (e.g., marine heatwaves, hurricanes, and harmful algal blooms). Nationwide, 84.5% of fishery disasters were either partially or entirely attributed to extreme environmental events. As climate change drives higher rates of such extreme events, and as natural disaster assistance requests reach an all-time high, the federal system for fisheries disaster declaration and mitigation must evolve in order to effectively protect both fisheries sustainability and societal benefit.

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Abstract A comprehensive evaluation of split-window and triple-window algorithms to estimate land surface temperature (LST) from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) that were previously described by Sun and Pinker is presented. The evaluation of the split-window algorithm is done against ground observations and against independently developed algorithms. The triple-window algorithm is evaluated only for nighttime against ground observations and against the Sun and Pinker split-window (SP-SW) algorithm. The ground observations used are from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Central Facility, Southern Great Plains site (April 1997–March 1998); from five Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD) stations (1996–2000); and from the Oklahoma Mesonet. The independent algorithms used for comparison include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service operational method and the following split-window algorithms: that of Price, that of Prata and Platt, two versions of that of Ulivieri, that of Vidal, two versions of that of Sobrino, that of Coll and others, the generalized split-window algorithm as described by Becker and Li and by Wan and Dozier, and the Becker and Li algorithm with water vapor correction. The evaluation against the ARM and SURFRAD observations indicates that the LST retrievals from the SP-SW algorithm are in closer agreement with the ground observations than are the other algorithms tested. When evaluated against observations from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the triple-window algorithm is found to perform better than the split-window algorithm during nighttime.

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On October 15, 1992, the horizontal geodetic reference system used for all aeronautical charts and chart-related products published by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Ocean Service (NOS) changed from the North American Datum of 1927 (NAO 27) to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAO 83). The Global Positioning System (GPS) now allows satellites to define much more accurately geographic locations in terms of latitude and longitude, utilizing an earth centered reference system; the NAO 83 is based on this new technology. As a result, the latitude and longitude of almost all points in the National Airspace System (NAS) were revised. The greatest coordinate s hifts were in Hawaii and Alaska where latitude moved by as much as 1200 feet and longitude by up to 950 feet. In the conterminous U.S., the largest changes were approximately 165 feet in latitude and 345 feet in longitude. The impact to aeronautical navigation in the C.S. of the datum shift from NAO 27 to NAO 83 was not limited to aeronautical charts and related publications. All Flight Management Systems (FMSs) and Air Traffic Control Systems (ATCs) had to be modified to accept and utilize the NAO 83 coordinates. The impact of the implementation of NAO 83 on aeronautical navigation in the United States was s gnificant.

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In 2014, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) utilized unique partnerships with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the US Coast Guard for the first comparative testing of two unmanned aircraft systems (UAS): the Ikhana (an MQ-9 Predator B) and a Puma All-Environment (Puma AE). A multidisciplinary team of scientists developed missions to explore the application of the two platforms to maritime surveillance and marine resource monitoring and assessment. Testing was conducted in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a marine protected area in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. Nearly 30 h of footage were collected by the test platforms, containing imagery of marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, marine debris, and coastal habitat. Both platforms proved capable of collecting usable data, although imagery collected using the Puma was determined to be more useful for resource monitoring purposes. Lessons learned included the need for increased camera resolution, co-location of mission scientists and UAS operators, the influence of weather on the quality of imagery collected, post-processing resource demands, and the need for pre-planning of mission targets and approach to maximize efficiency.

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The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) calculates the surge probability distribution along the coast from their long-term tidal stations. This process is sufficient for predicting the surge from common storms but tends to underestimate large surges. Across 23 long-term tidal stations along the East Coast of the United States, 100-year surges were observed 49 times, although they should have occurred only 23 times. We hypothesize that these 100-year surges are not the tail outcome from common storms but are actually caused by major hurricanes. Matching these 100-year surges with major hurricanes revealed that major hurricanes caused 43 of the 49 surges. We consequently suggest a revised approach to estimating the surge probability distribution. We used tidal data to estimate the probability of common surges but analyzed major hurricane surges separately, using the return rate of major hurricanes and the observed surge from each major hurricane to predict hurricane surges. The revision reveals that expected coastal flooding damage is higher than we thought, especially in the southeast United States.

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ABSTRACT Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps are important tools for oil spill planning and response measures worldwide. The United States, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has developed standardized guidelines for preparing ESI maps. The U.S. Navy stationed in Japan requested ESI maps for oil spill contingency and training purposes. Since Japan does not have national ESI guidelines, NOAA guidelines were used in preparing the maps. This effort proved to be challenging. Japanese agencies were contacted to collect existing data, and geographical information was compiled from numerous sources. The site surveys of the coastal areas surrounding the U.S. Navy bases in Japan also was done with added awareness of the unique physical features and habitats in Japan. This experience has lead to recommendations for standardized guidelines for Japan and for the corroboration of Japanese agencies to ease the collection and synthesis of data.

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Abstract This study reports on the operational utility of ocean surface vector wind (SVW) data from Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) observations in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) covering the coastal United States, including island states and territories. Thirty-three U.S. coastal WFOs were surveyed, and 16 WFO site visits were conducted, from late summer 2005 to the 2005/06 winter season, in order to quantify the impact of QuikSCAT SVW data on forecasts and warnings, with a particular focus on operations affecting marine users. Details of the survey design and site visit strategies are described. Survey results are quantified and site visit impressions are discussed. Key findings include (i) QuikSCAT data supplement primary datasets and numerical weather prediction fields, in the manual production of local public (weather) and marine forecasts and warnings; (ii) operational utility of satellite SVW data would be enhanced by SVW retrievals of finer temporal resolution, closer to the coasts; and (iii) rain flags in the SVW data have little impact on utility for WFO operations.

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ABSTRACT Most of the oil spills in marine, estuarine, or freshwater environments of the United States are small (less than 1,000 gallons) and result in minimal injury to natural resources or little to no loss of services. However, federal, state, and Indian tribe trustees for natural resources are entitled under a variety of laws, including the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, to collect damages (money) from responsible parties to compensate for the foregone services and restoration of the services provided by the natural resources. Alaska, Washington, and Florida have developed a formula-based approach to calculating natural resource damages resulting from most spills; the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and several other states are considering developing a compensation formula. The ideal compensation formula is a simplified assessment process that (a) can be applied rapidly, (b) requires relatively small transaction or assessment costs, (c) requires minimal site- and spill-specific data as inputs, (d) is based on generally accepted scientific and economic principles and methods, and (e) results in damage values acceptable to both the trustees and the responsible party. In theory, a compensation formula could be applied to most small oil spills in United States waters.

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ABSTRACT Since at least 1992, state and federal trustees have struggled to deal with episodic “mystery” spills that have impacted thousands of seabirds and compromised hundreds of miles of California coastline. In November 2001, another of these mystery events spurred the United States Coast Guard (USCG), state, and federal trustees to initiate a cooperative response and investigation. As impacts from the same oil type continued into January, it soon became evident that this oil most probably stemmed from a submerged source and not transient vessels. By February 2002, a source was identified for this and many of the previous mystery spills —the 1953 wreck of the cargo ship SS Jacob Luckenbach, fully fuelled and laden with materials for the Korean War effort. The vessel now sits in 176 feet of water, 17 miles off San Francisco Bay in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The Luckenbach itself is an historic resource, protected by the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) 16 U.S.C.470 et seq and the National Marine Sanctuary Act (NMSA) 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq. as amended by Public Law 106–513. The wreck rests in one of the most biologically productive regions of California, home to countless sensitive resources including several listed species, and is within a series of marine protected areas. The Unified Command (UC) comprised of USCG, California Department of Fish and Game's Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) and other state and federal agencies, were faced with an unusual set of challenges. First, finding accurate historical information about the vessel and its cargo, determining liability, and coordinating salvage and recovery operations complicated by both historical and ecological trustee issues during the Sanctuary's most biologically active and sensitive season. NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) played a particularly strong role in this response. Linked closely to the UC through NOAA's Scientific Support Coordinator, NMSP provided invaluable support in determining possible sources - engaged knowledgeable local divers in the process, located key historical documentation about the wreck, tracked down original owners and hull insurers, and assisted in the coordination of input from all trustees. Closely integrated coordination was a key factor in preparing for and determining the outcome of this response.

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Abstract In August 2016, the National Weather Service Office of Water Prediction (NWS/OWP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) implemented the operational National Water Model (NWM) to simulate and forecast streamflow, soil moisture, and other model states throughout the contiguous United States. Based on the architecture of the WRF-Hydro hydrologic model, the NWM does not currently resolve channel infiltration, an important component of the water balance of the semiarid western United States. Here, we demonstrate the benefit of implementing a conceptual channel infiltration function (from the KINEROS2 semidistributed hydrologic model) into the WRF-Hydro model architecture, configured as NWM v1.1. After calibration, the updated WRF-Hydro model exhibits reduced streamflow errors for the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) and the Babocomari River in southeast Arizona. Model calibration was performed using NLDAS-2 atmospheric forcing, available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), paired with precipitation forcing from NLDAS-2, NCEP Stage IV, or local gauge precipitation. Including channel infiltration within WRF-Hydro results in a physically realistic hydrologic response in the WGEW, when the model is forced with high-resolution, gauge-based precipitation in lieu of a national product. The value of accounting for channel loss is also demonstrated in the Babocomari basin, where the drainage area is greater and the cumulative effect of channel infiltration is more important. Accounting for channel infiltration loss thus improves the streamflow behavior simulated by the calibrated model and reduces evapotranspiration bias when gauge precipitation is used as forcing. However, calibration also results in increased high soil moisture bias, which is likely due to underlying limitations of the NWM structure and calibration methodology.

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Abstract Rain-rate retrievals from passive microwave sensors are useful for a number of applications related to weather forecasting. For example, in the United States, such estimates are useful for offshore rainfall systems approaching land and in regions where the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network is inadequate. Improvements have been made to the rain-rate retrieval from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POESs). The new features of the improved rain-rate algorithm include a two-stream correction of the satellite brightness temperatures at 89 and 150 GHz, cloud- and rain-type classification for better retrieval of rain rate, and removal of the two ad hoc thresholds in the ice water path (IWP) and effective diameter (De) retrieval where the scattering signals are very small. In this paper, the new algorithm has been compared to the previous NOAA operational algorithm. In particular, the better utilization of the measurements at and above 150 GHz is shown to produce improved sensitivity to light rainfall associated with winter season storm systems. This improvement is demonstrated through a wintertime case study over southern California during February 2003.

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ABSTRACT Recent incidents within our National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS), throughout the United States, and around the world have led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to begin to look proactively at catastrophic hazardous material releases from submerged sources. Not knowing and understanding the reality of the ecological and economic impacts associated with submerged threats (such as vessels, pipelines, abandoned wellheads, ammunition, and chemical weapon dumpsites) is no longer an option for the nation'S leading ocean agency. Reactive strategies for addressing these threats after a release incident have proved to be ineffective and costly. For example, the decade-long release of heavy fuel oil from the MIV Jacob Luckenbach off the coast of California not only caused the loss of thousands of seabirds, but also cost the nation upwards of $20 million dollars to mitigate and remove the oil from the sunken cargo ship. We know there are potential threats out there and the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) is taking the proactive first steps in understanding this issue. NOAA'S NMSP and the Office of Response and Restoration'S Hazardous Materials Division have developed the Resources and Undersea Threats Database (RUST). RUST addresses the need for a centralized planning tool to safeguard the marine, historical, and cultural resources within the NMSP. This paper addresses database development and how meeting present needs of the database will shape future uses as a response and planning tool for the United States Coast Guard (USCG), state and federal resource protection staff, oil spill responders, and coastal environmental planners.

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Abstract With a goal of improving operational numerical weather prediction (NWP), the Developmental Testbed Center (DTC) has been working with operational centers, including, among others, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the U.S. Air Force, to support numerical models/systems and their research, perform objective testing and evaluation of NWP methods, and facilitate research-to-operations transitions. This article introduces the first attempt of the DTC in the data assimilation area to help achieve this goal. Since 2009, the DTC, NCEP’s Environmental Modeling Center (EMC), and other developers have made significant progress in transitioning the operational Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) data assimilation system into a community-based code management framework. Currently, GSI is provided to the public with user support and is open for contributions from internal developers as well as the broader research community, following the same code transition procedures. This article introduces measures and steps taken during this community GSI effort followed by discussions of encountered challenges and issues. The purpose of this article is to promote contributions from the research community to operational data assimilation capabilities and, furthermore, to seek potential solutions to stimulate such a transition and, eventually, improve the NWP capabilities in the United States.

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AbstractEvaluation of the standardized precipitation index (SPI) dataset published monthly in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA/NCEI) climate divisional database revealed that drought frequency is being mischaracterized in climate divisions across the United States. The 3- and 6-month September SPI values were downloaded from the database for all years between 1931 and 2019; the SPI was also calculated for the same time scales and span of years following the SPI method laid out by NOAA/NCEI. Drought frequency is characterized as the total number of years that the SPI fell below −1. SPI values across 1931–90, the calibration period cited by NOAA/NCEI, showed regional patterns in climate divisions that are biased toward or away from drought, according to the average values of the SPI. For both time scales examined, the majority of the climate divisions in the central, Midwest, and northeastern United States showed negative averages, indicating bias toward drought, whereas climate divisions in the western United States, the northern Midwest, and parts of the Southeast and Texas had positive averages, indicating bias away from drought. The standard deviation of the SPI also differed from the expected value of 1. These regional patterns in the NCEI’s SPI values are the result of a different (sliding) calibration period, 1895–2019, instead of the cited standardized period of 1931–90. The authors recommend that the NCEI modify its SPI computational procedure to reflect the best practices identified in the benchmark papers, namely, a fixed baseline period.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Emergency Response Division’s success over 40 years draws on the nascent and sustained vision of its founders and the people that dedicated themselves to providing state of the art science in combatting oil spills and hazardous material releases. Lessons in research, development, partnership, reinvention, reorganization, and adaptation season the story that describes what is now the scientific touchstone in the United States’ maritime spill response vanguard. But the voyage to present day was (and is) not all smooth sailing. The scientists who built the unit and staffed it for decades recall the best, worst, and in between history of a small but highly influential division in the Federal government that helped pioneer spill science in the United States and internationally by responding to over 4,000 incidents. This retrospective highlights the genesis and growth of the 1970’s Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP) and its evolution through Hazardous Materials Response Division (HMRD) to the now Emergency Response Division (ERD). The paper concludes with the vision of what growth areas lie ahead for the Division and oil spill response.

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ABSTRACT The Hazardous Materials Response Branch (HMRB) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has added two new members to the CAMEO (Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations) family of planning and response computer software. CAMEO SSC has taken some of the tools and capabilities from previous CAMEOs and applied them to assist the network of Scientific Support Coordinators (SSC) that HMRB maintains in coastal regions of the United States. CAMEO MSO shares several modules with CAMEO SSC and was designed to be used by U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Offices for planning and for the first stages of oil spill response. These tools can be made available on high-end IBM-compatible machines operating under the Windows environment. This paper describes and demonstrates the principal modules that make up the programs and discusses possible future directions.

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Investigation of submerged cultural heritage is an important area of archeological focus. However, the expense of acquiring the necessary data to conduct studies of underwater landscapes is often prohibitive to many researchers. Within the United States, highly resolved bathymetric data are openly available from governmental agencies, and yet little to no marine archaeological exploration has occurred using this information. Here, we investigate the archaeological utility of freely available bathymetric datasets from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States. These datasets have not previously been utilized for archaeological publications, and include swath bathymetric and topographic LiDAR data, which are widely used by marine archaeologists. We present three case studies from Long Island, New York, coastal Massachusetts (on the Eastern coast of North America), and New Orleans (on the Gulf Coast of North America) to demonstrate the potential of this open-access information for locating shipwreck sites. Results indicate that shipwrecks at varying levels of preservation can be identified at depths up to 160 m, and that even in extremely turbid waters, bathymetric LiDAR can detect some wreckage. Following this assessment, we develop an automated shipwreck detection procedure using an inverse depression analysis. Our results are promising for automated detection methods in marine archaeology research. We argue that archaeologists in the United States should take advantage of these freely available data, as it is possible that these bathymetric data can be used for detection and conservation of cultural and environmental resources even without large funding acquisitions.

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ABSTRACT The United States and Canada share more than 1,400 miles of aquatic border between the St. Lawrence River and western Lake Superior. To effectively deal with regional oil and hazardous material spills that can equally affect either side of the border, Canadian and U.S. agencies have formed a cooperative agreement under the CANUSLAK plan to share resources and information before and during spill occurrences. Primary agencies involved include the Canadian and U.S. coast guards, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Canadian Environmental Protection Service (Emergencies Program). Examples of prespill cooperation, as discussed in this paper, include the joint preparation of contingency plan annexes and shoreline sensitivity atlases for the St. Lawrence River, Detroit-St. Clair River area, and St. Marys River. Cooperation during spills, also discussed, is illustrated by the exchange of information either by direct participation of both countries during response and cleanup or by advisory representation.

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The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) has been the de facto operational drought monitoring product for the United States for the last two decades. For most of this time, its coverage included the 50 States and Puerto Rico. In 2019, coverage was expanded to include the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). The geography, geomorphology, and climatology of the USAPI significantly differ from those of the mainland U.S. (CONUS) and they posed a unique challenge for the USDM authors. Following National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) priorities for development of products in collaboration with users in what is termed “use-inspired science”, NOAA agencies conducted several workshops to identify data and impacts relevant for, and develop drought monitoring criteria appropriate for, the USAPI. Once the criteria were identified and data processing systems were set up, the USAPI were included as part of the operational USDM drought monitoring beginning in March 2019. The drought monitoring criteria consist of weekly and monthly minimum precipitation thresholds for triggering drought, and they follow the USDM “convergence of evidence” methodology for determining the severity level (Dx) of the drought spell.

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Disaster is one of the most important researches because every country in the world has their own disaster potential. Disaster assessment improves over time due to technological and information advancements; and it is very reliant to a long period of data record. Disaster information is already available online in various websites, and is presented in form of map, data, video and multimedia contents. Each country has different disaster information standards, the Web Usability and quality of disaster-related content. This research objective is to find good model WEBUSE and quality content both national and international disaster website. National disaster website includes: Geospatial Information Agency (Badan Informasi Geospasial/BIG), Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika/BMKG), National Disaster Management Authority (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana/BNPB); while international website includes: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and United States Geological Survey (USGS). Usability comparison method uses the WEBUSE questionnaire with 4 categories, content organization and readability, navigation and links, user interface design, and performance and effectiveness; while the disaster-related content quality is measured using scoring method, with 4 categories, the geospatial information, data quality, product, and accessibility, according to United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The usability level analysis for all 5 websites are classified as “good”, with USGS achieving the highest score of 0.703. As for the disaster-related quality content analysis result, USGS fulfills all categories.

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Abstract. The National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC) operated in the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides the operational forecast guidance for ozone and fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) over the contiguous 48 US states (CONUS) using the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. The existing NAQFC uses climatological chemical lateral boundary conditions (CLBCs), which cannot capture pollutant intrusion events originating outside of the model domain. In this study, we developed a model framework to use dynamic CLBCs from the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, version 5 (GEOS) to drive NAQFC. A mapping of the GEOS chemical species to CMAQ's CB05–AERO6 (Carbon Bond 5; version 6 of the aerosol module) species was developed. The utilization of the GEOS dynamic CLBCs in NAQFC showed the best overall performance in simulating the surface observations during the Saharan dust intrusion and Canadian wildfire events in summer 2015. The simulated PM2.5 was improved from 0.18 to 0.37, and the mean bias was reduced from −6.74 to −2.96 µg m−3 over CONUS. Although the effect of CLBCs on the PM2.5 correlation was mainly near the inflow boundary, its impact on the background concentrations reached further inside the domain. The CLBCs could affect background ozone concentrations through the inflows of ozone itself and its precursors, such as CO. It was further found that the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) from satellite retrievals correlated well with the column CO and elemental carbon from GEOS. The satellite-derived AOT CLBCs generally improved the model performance for the wildfire intrusion events during a summer 2018 case study and demonstrated how satellite observations of atmospheric composition could be used as an alternative method to capture the air quality effects of intrusions when the CLBCs of global models, such as GEOS CLBCs, are not available.

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ABSTRACT Exercise and evaluation of the Pacific Annex of the Joint Contingency Plan Between the United Mexican States and the United States of America Regarding Pollution of the Marine Environment by Discharges of Hydrocarbons or Other Hazardous Substances (MEXUSPLAN) uncovered a significant need for joint training between spill responders, planners, decision-makers and stakeholders on both sides of our border. Sponsored by U.S. Coast Guard District 11 (USCG Dll) and the Second Mexican Naval Zone (ZN2), a series of training sessions were held for Mexican officials from the Northern Baja California region and Mexico City in early 2003. The first of these well-attended sessions was held in two locations: San Diego, CA and Ensenada, Mexico in February 2003. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hazmat facilitated the first session, the Joint Mexico-United States Oil Spill Science Forum. It provided a scientific view of oil spills. The following joint session facilitated by USCG Dll and held in Ensenada was a tabletop exercise designed in preparation for the signing of the MEXUSPAC Annex. Through the use of a spill drill scenario, this session included instruction and dialogue about the roles and responsibilities of both U.S. and Mexican spill responders. Both sessions included presentations from several agencies of the Regional Response Team IX/Joint Response Team: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, U.S. Dept. of the Interior and California's Office of Spill Prevention and Response. Industry partners also contributed topics of discussion, further complementing the U.S. response landscape. Mexican response agencies, including PEMEX, SAGARPA, SEMARNAT and PROFEPA, provided valuable input ensuring dialogue helping to identify additional joint response gaps. Upon the most significant gaps brought to light was the need for additional information regarding dispersant use by Mexican agencies, particularly in light of the approaching international SONS Exercise in April 2004. To this end, USCG Dll and NOAA HAZMAT developed and presented a modified Ecological Risk Assessment for their Mexican counterparts. Hosted by ZN2 in October 2003, this highly successful workshop brought together many key decision makers, planners and stakeholders from both sides of the border to discuss tradeoffs inherent in the use of existing spill response tools, including dispersants. Joint training and discussion sessions such as these are key to ensuring any measure of success in a joint spill response. Several additional training and discussion topics designed for the Mexican-U.S. joint response forum have been identified with many in the planning phase. Acknowledging the similarities as well as differences in response systems of our two nations' is essential to the success of these joint collaborations. Such continued efforts will help bridge existing gaps.

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This study investigates the trends in economic damages caused by three types of inland floods (flash flood, flood, and heavy rain) in the United States and the variations in related hazard and vulnerability indicators between 1996 and 2016. We explore the underlying mechanisms based on a survey-based dataset maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service. An annual average of 6518 flood occurrences was reported, which caused economic damages of 3351 million USD per year. Flash flood and flood contributed to 53% and 32% of total occurrences and was associated with a larger share of damaging events (SDE). Results show that the higher impacts by flood and flash flood on property and crop are partly attributed to the greater intensity of rainfall. In addition, flood has the highest unit cost of damages. Notably, despite an upward tendency in economic damages by flash floods, no evident change trend is observed for inland floods as a whole. Further analysis shows changes in economic damages by heavy rain and flash flood are mainly governed by the increased annual frequency and hazard intensity, but the change of trend in their vulnerability indicators (i.e., SDE and Damage Per Event (DPE)) is not obvious. Regarding floods, it was not possible to attribute the variations in economic losses to hazard and vulnerability, as no significant tendency is found except for an increasing SDE. Despite limitations of length of records, data collection, and methodology, the difference in economic impacts and the related hazard and vulnerability revealed in this study can help better target future adaptation and mitigation measures.

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AbstractThe air-freezing index (AFI) is a common metric for determining the freezing severity of the winter season and estimating frost depth for midlatitude regions, which is useful for determining the depth of shallow foundation construction. AFI values represent the seasonal magnitude and duration of below-freezing air temperature. Departures of the daily mean temperature above or below 0°C (32°F) are accumulated over each August–July cold season; the seasonal AFI value is defined as the difference between the highest and lowest extrema points. Return periods are computed using generalized extreme value distribution analysis. This research replaces the methodology used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to calculate AFI return periods for the 1951–80 time period, applying the new methodology to the 1981–2010 climate normals period. Seasonal AFI values and return period values were calculated for 5600 stations across the coterminous United States (CONUS), and the results were validated using U.S. Climate Reference Network temperature data. Return period values are typically 14%–18% lower across CONUS during 1981–2010 versus a recomputation of 1951–80 return periods with the new methodology. For the 100-yr (2 yr) return periods, about 59% (83%) of stations show a decrease of more than 10% in the more recent period, whereas 21% (2%) show an increase of more than 10%, indicating a net reduction in winter severity that is consistent with observed climate change.

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Abstract Significant concern has been expressed regarding the ability of satellite-based precipitation products such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) 3B42 products (version 6) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) morphing technique (CMORPH) to accurately capture rainfall values over land. Problems exist in terms of bias, false-alarm rate (FAR), and probability of detection (POD), which vary greatly worldwide and over the conterminous United States (CONUS). This paper directly addresses these concerns by developing a methodology that adjusts existing TMPA products utilizing ground-based precipitation data. The approach is not a simple bias adjustment but a three-step process that transforms a satellite precipitation product. Ground-based precipitation is used to develop a filter eliminating FAR in the authors’ adjusted product. The probability distribution function (PDF) of the satellite-based product is adjusted to the PDF of the ground-based product, minimizing bias. Failure of precipitation detection (POD) is addressed by utilizing a ground-based product during these periods in their adjusted product. This methodology has been successfully applied in the hydrological modeling of the San Pedro basin in Arizona for a 3-yr time series, yielding excellent streamflow simulations at a daily time scale. The approach can be applied to any satellite precipitation product (i.e., TRMM 3B42 version 7) and will provide a useful approach to quantifying precipitation in regions with limited ground-based precipitation monitoring.

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Abstract Temporal changes in stability and shear associated with the development of thunderstorms are quantified using the enhanced temporal resolution of combined Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) thermodynamic profile retrievals and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 404-MHz wind profiler observations. From 1999 to 2003, AERI systems were collocated with NOAA wind profilers at five sites in the southern Great Plains of the United States, creating a near-continuous dataset of atmospheric soundings in both the prestorm and poststorm environments with a temporal resolution of up to 10 min between observations. Median values for several standard severe weather indices were calculated for tornadic storms and nontornadic supercells. It was found that instability generally increases throughout the preconvective period, reaching a peak roughly 1 h before a tornado forms or a nontornadic supercell forms large hail. Wind shear for both tornadic and nontornadic storms starts to increase roughly 3 h before storm time. However, indices are highly variable between time and space and may not be representative of the environment at large.

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The original objective of theMega Rice Project (MRP) in CentralKalimantan, Indonesia – to convert onemillion hectares of tropical swamp forest to paddy fields – instead produced large areas of abandoned farmland with bare peat subject to frequent fires. To understand how peat fire occurrence is related to drought, we analyzed 1997 to 2007 United States Department Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hotspot data, sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies, and weather data. We found that peat fire activity was proportional to drought severity as determined by SST anomalies, and that peat fires – the number of hotspots – correlated strongly with SST anomalies, implying that MRP area peat fires are related to peat dryness. Surface fires start when ground water levels (GWL) are about 20 cm below the ground surface, and hundreds of such fires can occur with deeper GWL. A detailed and precise hotspot distribution map showed that large MRP areas (Blocks A and C) located on deep peat layers have high fire density due to ongoing human disturbance, classifying MRP area peat fires as a man-made disaster.

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AbstractIn spite of significant concerns about Hg contamination and its toxic impacts in the environment, limited studies have been carried out in Korea. The objectives of this study are to investigate the extent and degree of Hg contamination in soil, sediment, dust and sludge from various anthropogenic sources in Korea, and to understand the distribution patterns of Hg in the study areas. The anthropogenic sources of Hg contamination were divided into four major sources: (1) by-product from abandoned Au-Ag mines; (2) coal combustion; (3) cement production; and (4) industrial and domestic discharges. A calculation of enrichment factor and index of geoaccumulation for Hg in soils and sediments indicated that some samples from mining sites were enriched in Hg. In addition, Hg concentrations in marine sediments from industrial sites were above the Effects Range Median (ERM) criteria suggested by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA). Therefore, it can be concluded that samples from various sites were directly influenced by anthropogenic sources of Hg in the surface environment.

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Abstract This paper summarizes the successful use of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-10 (GOES-10) and -12 (GOES-12), mainly beyond their retirement as operational satellites in the United States, in support of meteorological activities in South America (SA). These satellites were maneuvered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to approximately 60°W, enabling other countries in Central and South America to benefit from their ongoing measurements. The extended usefulness of GOES-10 and -12 was only possible as a result of a new image geolocalization system developed by NOAA for correcting image distortions and evaluated in collaboration with the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research. The extension allowed GOES-10 and -12 to monitor SA for an additional 7 years proving the efficiency of this navigation capability implemented for the first time in the GOES series well beyond the expected satellites’ lifetime. Such successful capability is incorporated in the new-generation GOES-R series. This practical and technological experience shows the importance of communication between scientists from the United States and SA for advancing Earth’s monitoring system through the development of novel software and derived products. For SA in particular, GOES-10 and -12 were employed operationally to monitor dry spells, relevant for agriculture and forest fire management and to nowcast severe weather for flash flood warnings. Additionally, GOES-12 detected the first registered tropical hurricane over the Brazilian coast. This paper describes some of the technical and operational challenges faced in extending the GOES-10 and -12 missions to provide coverage over South America and emphasizes the usefulness of their ongoing measurements benefiting Brazilian environmental monitoring.

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Abstract The U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) is a network of climate-monitoring stations maintained and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide climate-science-quality measurements of air temperature and precipitation. The stations in the network were designed to be extensible to other missions, and the National Integrated Drought Information System program determined that the USCRN could be augmented to provide observations that are more drought relevant. To increase the network’s capability of monitoring soil processes and drought, soil observations were added to USCRN instrumentation. In 2011, the USCRN team completed at each USCRN station in the conterminous United States the installation of triplicate-configuration soil moisture and soil temperature probes at five standards depths (5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 cm) as prescribed by the World Meteorological Organization; in addition, the project included the installation of a relative humidity sensor at each of the stations. Work is also under way to eventually install soil sensors at the expanding USCRN stations in Alaska. USCRN data are stewarded by the NOAA National Climatic Data Center, and instrument engineering and performance studies, installation, and maintenance are performed by the NOAA Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division. This article provides a technical description of the USCRN soil observations in the context of U.S. soil-climate–measurement efforts and discusses the advantage of the triple-redundancy approach applied by the USCRN.

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A GIS-enabled culvert design module is presented. This module employs Python programming to combine a proposed culvert location, topography, land use, and rainfall data to automatically design a culvert. The module is embedded within ESRI ArcGIS 10.4 software, providing a seamless single platform that eliminates error propagation associated with cross-platform data transfer as well as providing 95% time savings over traditional calculation methods. The module uses United States Geological Survey digital elevation data to analyze watershed topography. Runoff coefficients are determined from data available through the National Land Cover Database. Rainfall data are retrieved from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and combined with watershed and land use information to calculate peak discharge using the rational method. Peak discharge is then combined with culvert design parameters to design a single-barrel culvert. The module was used to redesign ten existing culverts along a highway in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, resulting in designs for updated land cover and rainfall conditions. Results from the techniques developed herein can be used for planning purposes and to highlight vulnerabilities in the existing infrastructure. The automation methods may be extended to other hydrologic objectives and runoff mitigation design such as open-channel design and detention or retention ponds.

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Abstract Missing observations at airports can cause delays in commercial and general aviation in the United States owing to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety regulations. The Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) has provided interpolated temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA) at airport locations throughout the United States since 2015, with these data substituting for missing temperature observations and mitigating impacts on air travel. A quality assessment of the RTMA is performed to determine if the RTMA could be used in a similar fashion for other weather observations, such as 10-m wind, ceiling, and visibility. Retrospective, data-denial experiments are used to perform the quality assessment by withholding observations from FAA-specified airports. Outliers seen in the RTMA ceiling and visibility analyses during events meeting or exceeding instrument flight rules suggest the RTMA should not be substituted for missing ceiling and visibility observations at this time. The RTMA is a suitable replacement for missing temperature observations for a subset of airports throughout most of the CONUS and Alaska, but not at all stations. Likewise, the RTMA is a suitable substitute for missing surface pressure observations at a subset of airports, with notable exceptions in regions of complex terrain. The RTMA may also be a suitable substitute for missing wind speed observations, provided the wind speed is ≤15 kt (1 kt ≈ 0.51 m s−1). Overall, these results suggest the potential for RTMA to substitute for additional missing observations while highlighting priority areas of future work for improving the RTMA.

Abstract:

Increasing sea level has the potential to place important infrastructure we rely on every day at risk, yet we lack good data to make decisions on what to do, when, and with what priority. The objectives of the research were to develop a method for estimating the time scales for various increments of sea level rise (SLR) throughout the 21st century, develop an accurate methodology for predicting impacts of SLR at the local level, and develop recommendations as to how existing data sources can be utilized to identify infrastructure vulnerable to SLR. The methodology was applied to southeast Florida using data from the Florida Department of Transportation, the United States Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other sources, integrated with low resolution light detection and ranging data, topographic data, and aerial photographic maps to identify potentially vulnerable infrastructure. Overlaying high resolution light detection and ranging data onto a base map enabled creation of mapping tools to evaluate potentially vulnerable infrastructure. Using these recommendations, a protocol was developed to use groundwater adjusted models in southeast Florida which indicated potential underestimation of the risk of damage to public infrastructure and private and public buildings.

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ABSTRACT Strategies for identifying and protecting sensitive inland areas under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) management have focused on major rivers and have built on the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) approach developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for marine environments. A watershed approach has been refined and applied to smaller rivers and streams in the southeastern United States. Existing standardized river classification schemes did not adequately address oil spill response issues. Thus a new stream reach sensitivity scheme was developed, based on (1) the degree of difficulty anticipated for the containment and recovery of spilled oil, and (2) the sensitivity and vulnerability of associated wetlands. This scheme considered the following factors: navigability, water flow patterns, stream size, occurrence of suitable collection points inherent in the stream type, and channel leakage and bifurcation. A reach sensitivity index (RSI) was prototyped using streams in South Carolina, and then was applied to the Leaf River watershed in Mississippi. The RSI is on a scale of 1 to 10. The final atlas and digital product are maps at a scale of 1:100,000 showing the RSI, sensitive biological and human use resources, and potential access and collection points.

Abstract:

The use of satellite data provides a far greater density and more uniform distribution of observations than the more classical modes of oceanographic data collection. By sacrificing some spatial resolution of the satellite data, it is possible to retrieve sea surface temperatures on a global basis that have absolute accuracies within 1�C of drifting buoy data. Five years of low resolution infra-red data from the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites have been analysed for the area of the Tasman and Southern Coral Seas. Monthly mean surface thermal patterns compare favourably with previous studies using Merchant Ship data. In the western Tasman Sea the East Australian Current can be clearly seen throughout the year, although the more transitory eddies often associated with the current system are not apparent. General circulation patterns off the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand show severe bending of the isotherms to the south. The nature of the surface thermal signal of the Tasman Front is quite different either side of the Lord Howe Rise and there is some doubt whether these two features are linked.

Abstract:

Due to the very large expanse of warm water in the northwest Pacific Ocean, typhoons are stronger and occur more frequently than hurricanes. In addition, there is usually a lack of unified high-resolution data of wind fields and bathymetry since multiple countries can be influenced by a typhoon. Therefore, we use multiple-resolution data in an adaptive simulation for typhoon-induced waves. Higher-resolution data are obtained from the government of Taiwan and are used for the area around Taiwan. In the other area, lower resolution data are adopted from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States. An adaption criterion is implemented such that the highest resolution numerical grids move with the typhoon in a large-scale simulation. The numerical results obtained by the large-scale simulation with multiple-resolution wind fields are improved over those obtained by a smaller scale simulation with the higher resolution wind field at buoys near Taiwan. In addition, the large-scale simulation also provides results for buoys where the higher resolution wind field is not available. In addition, a speedup of fourfolds by the dynamic adaption model over the partially uniform grid one is demonstrated.

Abstract:

This article addresses the measurement of temperature using easily fabricated and/or economical instruments. It describes techniques for measuring temperature with simple instrumentation, comments on our experiences in implementing the techniques, and provides a list appropriate references. The intent is to provide members of the Society with a ready reference to be used to respond to inquiries from earth and physical science teachers at the junior and senior high school level. The material should aid members who are interested in pursuing the educational initiatives described in Weather Education (Royal Meteorological Society, 1984) and in the AMS Guide to Establishing School and Public Educational Activities (American Meteorological Society, 1985). To assist members in advising teachers interested in including meteorology in science curricula, we will also include a few suggestions for student or class projects. Good references concerning meteorological observations and measurements in schools are the books by Trowbridge (1973) and Couchman et al. (1977), and the pamphlets by Geer (1975), Pedgley (1980) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (1979). The review articles by Mazzarella (1985) and Brock (1985) contain much useful information, as do the handbooks by the Meteorological Office (1981) and United States Department of Agriculture (1976).

Abstract:

ABSTRACT Abandoned and derelict vessels are a problem in almost every U.S. port and waterway, and these vessels can have significant impacts on the coastal environment and economy, including oil pollution, marine debris, and wildlife entrapment. They become hazards to navigation, illegal dumping of waste oils and hazardous materials and general public health hazards. Pollution response, including removal and disposal of these vessels can be complex and costly. As a result, many abandoned vessels are left in place unless they are obstructing or threatening to obstruct navigation, or threatening a pollution discharge. Faced with a growing number of abandoned vessels and costly interventions, the National Response Team (NRT) held a session on abandoned vessels during the 2011 Co-Chairs meeting in Dallas, TX. Representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) gave presentations about the scope of the problem and the need for national guidance for Federal On-Scene Coordinators (FOSCs). Based on issues presented and discussed during the session, the NRT Executive Secretariat agreed an interagency best practices document was needed. An Abandoned Vessel Response Workgroup was established, co-chaired by the USCG and NOAA, and was tasked with identifying: 1) best practices used for responding to abandoned vessels; 2) the regulatory and policy authority of each agency with a nexus to abandoned vessels; and 3) the roles and responsibilities of each agency pursuant to those authorities. This paper summarizes the report on authorities and best practices.

Abstract:

Abstract The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is transitioning the primary water level sensor at the majority of tide stations in the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) from an acoustic ranging system to a microwave radar system. Field comparison of the acoustic and microwave systems finds statistically equivalent performance when temperature gradients between the acoustic sensor and water surface are small and when significant wave height is less than roughly 0.5 m. When significant wave height is greater than approximately 0.5–1 m, the acoustic system consistently reports lower water levels. An analysis of 2 months of acoustic and microwave water level data at Duck, North Carolina, finds that the majority of differences between the two sensors can be attributed to systemic errors in the acoustic system and that the microwave system captures water level variability with higher fidelity than the acoustic system. NWLON real-time data products include the water level standard deviation, a statistic that can serve as a proxy for significant wave height. This study identifies 29 coastal water level stations that are candidates for monitoring wave height based on water level standard deviation, potentially adding a significant source of data for the sparsely sampled coastal wave fields around the United States, and finds that the microwave sensor is better suited than the acoustic system for wave height estimates.

Abstract:

Aquaculture is the fastest growing segment of the global food production sector, valued at $70.3 billion in 2004. In recent years, global capture fisheries have leveled off at around 95 mmt per year, with little or no prospect of increasing yields. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (UNFAO) has concluded that increases in future seafood supplies must come from aquatic farming. The United States (U.S.) industry has been among the fastest growing agriculture sectors. Domestic seafood from capture and culture fisheries provides about 20% of annual consumption, the balance coming from imports. Future supply will come from either increasing imports or, preferably, expanding domestic aquaculture and fisheries sources. The greatest opportunity for domestic growth is marine aquaculture, particularly placement of large and small farms in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Additional benefits can accrue if large-scale marine hatchery technology is developed, so that fingerlings can be produced for wild stock enhancement and management. Currently, there is no permitting and leasing regime for ocean farming in the U.S. EEZ. In response to several national commissions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) is spearheading a bold effort to implement long-term marine aquaculture development objectives and create an EEZ permitting and leasing mechanism. Enabling legislation, entitled the National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2007, is before Congress. Anchoring fish farms in the relatively shallow near shore and the EEZ is an exciting prospect for greater U.S. seafood self-sufficiency. However, there are many institutional, environmental and technical issues to resolve. More compelling is the prospect of developing new marine aquaculture technologies, e.g., single-point moorings, untethered cages, and integrated multi-trophic systems, to sustainably utilize the deep ocean beyond the EEZ. Successfully tackling this looming challenge will need the diverse expertise of the U.S. marine technology industry.