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NOAA Work in Ionosonde Data Featured at International Meeting [August 2008]
Ionosonde project team members from NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) presented a paper at the XXIX General Assembly of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) in Chicago, Illinois held August 9-16, 2008. A new ionosonde real time data exchange format that was co-developed by NGDC scientists was approved as an international standard by the Ionosonde Network Advisory Group. Twenty-six oral papers and 24 poster presentations utilized ionosondes and ionosonde data, many of which were provided by NGDC. Internationally recognized scientists noted NGDC efforts to provide relevant ionosonde data sets and announced plans to use more of these data in the near future. NGDC was encouraged to continue its efforts to obtain and distribute long term, high quality ionosonde observations for both space weather and space climate applications.
Significance: NGDC provides scientific data stewardship of global sounder observations. Within NOAA, these data are used to support real-time space weather operations at the National Weather Service Space Weather Prediction Center and at the Air Force Weather Agency.
Outcome: This effort supports the Goal 3 objective of demonstrating global leadership on environmental issues.
( or 303-497-4331)
National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) supports NOAA regional teams with new outreach material [August 2008]
NGDC provided the NOAA Alaska and West Regional Teams with postcard sized hand-outs featuring color, three dimensional images of digital elevation models (DEMs) developed to support tsunami forecasting and modeling efforts at the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). The Alaska Regional Team will distribute the postcards of Sand Point, King Cove and Dutch Harbor, Alaska DEMs during an August 23, 2008 open house for the Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping 'Hydropalooza' Project to map Kachemak Bay, Alaska (http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hydropalooza/). Two NOAA research vessels, the FAIRWEATHER and the RAINIER, and the NOAA Citation aircraft, are supporting the project by collecting data that will allow scientists, policymakers, and local agencies to better understand the unique features of Kachemak Bay's coast and sea floor. The Western Regional Team will distribute the postcards of Monterey, California; Astoria, Oregon; La Push, Washington; and King Cove, Alaska during a 'NOAA and our Planet' event at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport Oregon on August 22, 2008. (http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-305-Aquarium_to_Host_"NOAA_and_Our_Planet"_Day_August_22)
The aquarium event will feature educational activities about NOAA and provide an opportunity for visitors to meet with NOAA scientists and representatives to learn about the products and services NOAA produces.
Significance: NGDC develops U.S. coastal, integrated bathymetric-topographic DEMs as part of an on-going collaboration across NOAA to support the tsunami forecast and warning system being developed by PMEL for the Tsunami Warning Centers. The DEMs are compiled from the best available digital data obtained from U.S. federal, state and local agencies, and will increase the accuracy with which NOAA's tsunami modeling efforts will forecast inundation in coastal regions.
Outcome: This activity supports the general goal to improve our environmental and marine infrastructure and to develop a more robust Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
( or 303-497-6767)
Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Solicits NOAA Information on Space Weather [August 2008]
Major Soontae Park and Captain Ho Seung Choi (ROKAF), visited the National Weather Service (NWS) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and the NESDIS National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) to discuss the ROKAF's interest and progress in developing ROKAF capabilities in space weather. By 2012, the ROKAF hopes to establish an operational space weather flight to support the space environmental needs of the Korean Ministry of National Defense. In addition, the ROKAF plans to have in place by 2015 a domestic space weather observational capability located on the Korean island of Jejodo. Major Park and Captain Choi expressed interest in working with SWPC and NGDC to strengthen Korea's space weather infrastructure.
Significance: NOAA can assist U.S. allied efforts to improve their environmental infrastructure.
Outcome: This effort supports NOAA's goal to broaden and develop a more robust Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
( or 303-497-6323)
U.S. Law of the Sea team visits Norway [August 2008]
A team from the U.S. Interagency Task Force for the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) visited the United Nations Environmental Programme Global Resource Information Database (UNEP/GRID) in Arendal, Norway on August 4 and 5, 2008 and participated in a special United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) session at the 33rd International Geological Congress (IGC) in Oslo, Norway on August 6-9, 2008. The team consisted of Dr. Christopher Fox, Director of NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), Ms. Susan McLean, Chief of NGDC's Marine Geology and Geophysics Division, and Mr. Brian Van Pay from the Department of State's Office of Ocean Affairs. Discussions at UNEP/GRID Arendal included NGDC's support for their mission to build capacity in developing countries to construct UNCLOS ECS submissions and review of their technologies in support of that effort. NGDC's archive is the primary source of marine data supporting most nations' ECS submission packages, including the recently approved submission by Australia. The two-day conference at the IGC included presentations by numerous countries that are in the process of assembling ECS submission packages.
Significance: In May 2007, President Bush asked the Senate to accede to the UNCLOS as soon as possible. This action will allow the United States to delineate an Extended Continental Shelf under international convention that would increase the Nation's resource base. Following Senate action, the U.S. will have ten years to assemble a submission to the UN. NGDC has been designated as the data integration and analysis center for the U.S. effort.
Outcome: This effort supports the Goal 3 objective to demonstrate global leadership on environmental issues.
( or 303-497-6215)
National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) creates a new image of the "Age of the Oceanic Lithosphere" [August 2008]
NGDC has created a new color map graphically illustrating the age of the ocean floor, including labeled tectonic plates and boundaries. The image is based on the April 2008 Dietmar Muller, et al. 2-minute resolution grid representing the age of the oceanic crust and three companion digital models of age uncertainty, spreading rates, and spreading asymmetries of the world's ocean basins. Both the map and underlying data are available for free download from the NOAA/NGDC website (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/mggd.html), and the image is also offered as a presentation on NOAA's "Science On a Sphere" (SOS).
Significance: Compelling graphic representations of scientific data, especially displayed on NOAA's SOS, bring research results to a wide audience in an intuitive form, in support of NOAA's education and public outreach activities.
Outcome: This is in support of the Goal 3 objective to demonstrate global leadership in environmental issues and supports the general goal to solidify NOAA as an agency created to serve the general public.
(Elliot Lim)
National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Restores Boulder Station Ionospheric Sounding Instrumentation to Operation [August 2008]
In March 2004, the US Air Force donated an excess Digisonde 256 (D256) ionosonde to NGDC for use in the Boulder Station. Built in the 1980's, the D256 features a high power vacuum tube based transmitter. While functional, the D256 transmitter featured high levels of spurious radio frequency emissions, which steadily increased as the transmitter aged and recently began to fail. In July 2008, the failed transmitter was replaced with a solid state amplifier. Following a period of testing, the ionosonde was restored to reliable operation. In addition, the new amplifier greatly reduced unwanted radio emissions from the system.
Significance: This upgrade will allow NGDC to continue to reliably measure the space weather and climate over the US Western Region while reducing the impact on the radio frequency environment. These observations are important to long term climatology, science efforts such as coordinated ground/space observations and experiments, as well as the US civilian space weather program.
Outcome: This effort supports the Goal 3 objective to advance the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
( or 303-497-4331)
NOAA Scientist Promotes the Use of Nighttime Earth Observations at Asian Symposia [August 2008]
Dr. Christopher Elvidge of the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) delivered two invited presentations in Japan and China on the topic of nighttime observations of artificial earth lighting. On July 10th, 2008 at the 2008 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) meeting in Beijing, Dr. Elvidge gave a presentation titled "How Virtual Globes are Revolutionizing Earth Observation Data Access and Integration." At the Sixth International Symposium on Integrated Field Science at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan on July 26th, 2008, Dr. Elvidge gave a keynote address titled "A View of Humanity from Space." The next day he also presented a paper titled "Advances in DMSP Products and Services."
Significance: NOAA's active participation in international gatherings allows NOAA to share with colleagues from around the globe the current status of NOAA's continuing efforts in environmental science.
Outcome: This is in support of the Goal 3 objective to demonstrate global leadership in environmental issues.
( or 303-497-6121)
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