Important Notes:

• You must have a media player capable of playing mpeg or wmv movies.
  
• When a link is clicked, you might be prompted to save the movie or launch it with your default media player. Both selections will work, but it is recommended that you allow your default application to open it automatically. Also be advised that some browsers will automatically download and play movies when the link is clicked. It will be necessary to change your system settings if you want to disable this feature.
  
• The typical movie file size is 100 MB. Significant download time, particularly for those with dial-up internet connections should be expected.

Avalanche

• Avalanche Videos - look under "Snowmelt Flooding"
• Avalanche Safety (270 MB .wmv) - Jill Fredston of the Alaska Mountain Safety Center discusses avalanche risk and causes in Alaska. She talks about the Alaska Mountain Safety Center's role in consulting, teaching and forecasting. She also discusses the Alaska Avalanche School and its role in hands-on training. She stresses the need to see the mountain on its terms and to stay alert to avalanche conditions.

Aviation

• Center Weather Service Unit Overview (72 MB .mpg) - Kristine Nelson, Meteorologist in Charge, discusses the role of the 21 Center Weather Service Units and their support of the Federal Aviation Administration. She covers products and services, including how the Anchorage CWSU protects air traffic and services provided during volcanic ash eruptions.
• AAWU Products and Services (74 MB .mpg) - Jeff Osiensky, Deputy ESSD Chief, Regional Aviation Meteorologist, Volcanic Ash Program Manager and former Meteorologist in Charge, discusses Alaska Aviation Weather Unit products and services. He covers forecast operations and the AAWU’s role in protecting against aviation hazards, including the AAWU serving as one of nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers worldwide. He explains the dangers of volcanic ash to aircraft and the importance of forecasting ash trajectories.

B-Roll

• See NOAA’s B-Roll Site

Climate

• Climate Change - Aleut Perspective (77 MB .wmv) Larry Merculieff, an Aleut from Saint Paul Island, discusses climate change through Native Alaskan eyes.
• Coastal Storm Surge in Alaska (85 MB .wmv) Sam Albanese, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, provides insight into storm surges along Alaska's Bering Sea coast. He covers the timing and frequency of fall storms, the interaction of swell with ice pack and what people can do to prepare for the effects of storm surge.
• See ’Satellites and El Nino’ under ’Satellites’ on NOAA B-Roll Page
• See ’Earth Observations/Climate’ on NOAA B-Roll Page
• See ’El Nino’ on NOAA B-Roll Page
• Alaska Native Science Commission Overview (109 MB .mpg) - Larry Merculieff of the Alaska Native Science Commission talks about the role of the commission and how it supports traditional, native knowledge. He discusses human impacts of climate change and efforts to preserve knowledge through the generations. He speaks of changes in sea ice, habitat, coastal erosion, migration and weather patterns, storm locations and intensities. He stresses the need to bridge gaps between Elders and modern scientific ways, and speaks of the importance of story telling venues for Elders such as the Alaska Native Oratory Society, the Elders and Youth Conference and stewardship camps.
• Alaska Climatology - Part 2 (118 MB .mpg) - Dr. John Papineau, Climate Focal Point, discusses Alaska climate processes including Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
• Alaska Climatology - Part 3 (113 MB .mpg) - Dr. John Papineau, Climate Focal Point, discusses Alaska climate process interactions and global warming.
• Alaska Climatology - Part 1 (117 MB .mpg) - Dr. John Papineau, Climate Focal Point, discusses Alaska climate terminology, weather producers and patterns. He covers the Aleutian and polar jet streams, as well as zonal, ridge and trough patterns, and data integrity.

Digital Services

• Impact of Interactive Forecast Preparation System - Fairbanks (87 MB .mpg) - Tim Shy, meteorologist, discusses the impacts of the Interactive Forecast Preparation System on Fairbanks forecasters and customers.
• Impact of Interactive Forecast Preparation System - Juneau (80 MB .mpg) - Tom Ainsworth, Meteorologist in Charge, discusses the impacts of the Interactive Forecast Preparation System on Juneau forecasters and customers.
• Impact of Interactive Forecast Preparation System - Anchorage (80 MB .mpg) - Sam Albanese, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, discusses the impacts of the Interactive Forecast Preparation System on Anchorage forecasters and customers.

Dissemination

• See ’NOAA Weather Radio’ under ’Weather’ on NOAA B-Roll Page
• Emergency Alert System (90 MB .wmv) - Dennis Bookey, co-chair of the Alaska Emergency Communications Committee, discusses the Emergency Alert System. He talks about its origin and operation during emergencies such as tsunami warnings. He explains the decision in Alaska to issue an EAS alert to the entire state during all tsunami warnings. He also covers the origin of the Amber Alert for child abductions.

Emergency Preparedness

• Delivering Aid to Alaska - This FEMA video highlights the logistical difficulties encountered when delivering aid to remote villages.
• North American Outdoor Institute (70 MB .wmv) - Debra McGhan, Executive Director of NAOI, discusses NAOI and its mission to promote and educate people on outdoor recreation safety and preparedness.
• River Watch - Spring Breakup Flooding Preparedness (83 MB .mpg) - John Madden, Director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, discusses the River Watch Program. He describes how National Weather Service hydrologists and state of Alaska emergency specialists fly over rivers to take observations. These observations, combined with those from locals, feed models that help predict which rivers are most likely to flood during spring breakup.
• Are You Prepared for a Tsunami? (83 MB .mpg) - John Madden, Director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, discusses the Division's responsibilities for the safety and security of the people and economy of Alaska, including preparedness, response and recovery. He discusses the tsunami threat, awareness week, informational resources, detection, and response.
• NOAA Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Overview (313 MB .wmv) - Dr. John Whitney, Alaska Scientific Support Coordinator, discusses HAZMAT's role providing technical and scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and other agencies during oil and chemical spill events. He details how HAZMAT provides chemical identification, trajectory analysis, emulsification rates, and dispersion modeling.

Forecasting

• See ’Satellites’ on NOAA B-Roll Page
• See ’Weather’ on NOAA B-Roll Page
• Temperature Inversions (92 MB .mpg) - Eric Stevens talks about inversions of the normal temperature profile: causes, magnitudes, effects, and difficulty forecasting.
• How Terrain Creates Microclimates (92 MB .wmv) - Eric Stevens details how terrain impacts winds and creates microclimates. He stresses how local terrain modifies the impacts of broad scale weather systems, creating phenomena such as the Tanana Valley Jet and Chinook winds.
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (270 MB .wmv) - Bill Pichel discusses Synthetic Aperture Radar, and how it shows variations in winds at the ocean surface. He discusses how this data, available from Canadian satellites, is useful for displaying storm fronts, frontal areas, coastal wind variations, and ice properties.
• Forecasting in Alaska - Part 2 (111 MB .mpg) - Bob Hopkins, Meteorologist in Charge, further examines the challenges of forecasting in Alaska, and the role of the Weather Service Offices.
• Forecasting in Alaska - Part 1 (106 MB .mpg) - Bob Hopkins, Meteorologist in Charge, discusses the unique challenges of forecasting in the land of extremes. He covers forecast area, rapidly changing and extreme weather, complex terrain and data sparcity.

Hydrology

• 'Flood Safety in a Car' Podcast
• 'Flood Safety at Home' Podcast
• 'The Hidden Danger: Low Water Crossing'
• Delivering Aid to Alaska - This FEMA video highlights the logistical difficulties encountered when delivering aid to remote villages.
• Moving Water - Adventure or Danger? - This video examines hidden dangers of white water rafting and adventuring into arroyos, storm drains, canyons and caves.
• Avalanche Videos - look under "Snowmelt Flooding"
• Debris Flow - look under "Debris Flow" to see what happened to the burnt slopes above Devore, CA after rainfall
• Landslide - look under "Debris Flow" to see a landslide occurring into a creek
• Water's Fury - This joint NOAA-Weather Channel video covers the impacts of river and flash floods upon people, the economy and the landscape. Showing actual footage, the video explains how these events happen, the role of the National Weather Service in flood prediction and warning, and the interactions with emergency managers. It details the roles of agency partners and volunteers who supply vital data necessary for predicting floods, as well as how water managers conduct controlled releases.
• Ice Jam Flooding in Alaska (67 MB .wmv) Larry Rundquist discusses the ice jam flooding that occurs along the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers during the spring breakup season, including the effects of these floods upon local residents.
• Ice Jam Flooding Video - look under "Snowmelt Flooding"
• River Watch - Spring Breakup Flooding Preparedness (83 MB .mpg) - John Madden, Director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, discusses the River Watch Program. He describes how National Weather Service hydrologists and state of Alaska emergency specialists fly over rivers to take observations. These observations, combined with those from locals, feed models that help predict which rivers are most likely to flood during spring breakup.
• Volunteer Pilots Submit River Observations (171 MB .wmv) - Larry Rundquist discusses the River Watch program. He explains how volunteers submit pilot reports of river observations during spring breakup that help the National Weather Service and the State of Alaska to protect people who live along the river from ice jam flooding.
• Role of NWS Hydrologist - Part 1 (85 MB .mpg) - Dr. John Papineau, Service Hydrologist, describes various types of floods in Alaska and the duties of National Weather Service service hydrologists. He covers the role of the nation's 13 river forecast centers, including the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center.
• Role of NWS Hydrologist - Part 2 (126 MB .mpg) - Dr. John Papineau, Service Hydrologist, further discusses flooding in Alaska and Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center operations.
• Yukon River Ice Breakup - Galena
• Danger - Thin Ice

Marine

• Marine Safety Videos

Marine Weather

• Coastal Storm Surge in Alaska (85 MB .wmv) Sam Albanese, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, provides insight into storm surges along Alaska's Bering Sea coast. He covers the timing and frequency of fall storms, the interaction of swell with ice pack and what people can do to prepare for the effects of storm surge.
• See ’Rip Currents’ under ’Oceans’ on NOAA B-Roll Page
• Lost Whaling Fleets of the Arctic Project (76 MB .mpg) - Brad Barr, Senior Policy Adviser for NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, discusses the whaling heritage of the western Arctic. He emphasizes the need to preserve whaling heritage and cites the 1871 and 1876 events in which 31 and 12 vessels were lost respectively. He discusses new techniques for sea bed mapping using LIDAR, magnetometer data, and robots.
• Voluntary Observing Ship Program (83 MB .mpg) - Larry Hubble, Anchorage Port Meteorological Officer and Upper Air Program Manager, talks about the Voluntary Observing Ship program and how ships provide valuable meteorological information. These observations feed models that improve weather forecasts.
• Alaska Ocean Observing System Overview (230 MB .wmv) - Molly McCammon, Alaska Ocean Observing System Director, talks about the mission and goals of the AOOS. She discusses goals of improving public safety, oil spill response, and fisheries management. She discusses the many challenges of data gathering in Alaska, and AOOS' investment in an integrated data management system. She covers the Prince William Sound pilot project and the importance of marine data to Alaska.
• Dangers of Vessel Icing (279 MB .wmv) - Joel Curtis, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, talks about vessel icing. He covers conditions that create vessel icing, and what mariners can do to protect themselves against this hazard.
• National Data Buoy Center Overview (175 MB .wmv) - Mike Burdette discusses ocean instruments used to gather weather information, as well as how the data is captured, used and disseminated to the National Weather Service and the public. He covers buoys, Coastal-Marine Automated Network (CMAN) stations, and Voluntary Observing Ships. The dial-a-buoy number has changed to 888-701-8992.
• Marine Winds - Part 1 (112 MB .mpg) - Joel Curtis, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, discusses marine wind dynamics and terminology.
• Marine Winds - Part 2 (107 MB .mpg) - Joel Curtis, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, further discusses marine wind dynamics and terminology.

NWS in Alaska

• WFO Fairbanks Products and Services (77 MB .wmv) - John Lingaas, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, discusses the unique challenges of forecasting for the northern portion of Alaska, and covers the special products and services provided.
• Navigating Alaska's NWS Websites (83 MB .mpg) - Sam Albanese, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, shows the wealth of information available on Alaska's National Weather Service websites.
• Forecasting in Alaska - Part 1 (106 MB .mpg) - Bob Hopkins, Meteorologist in Charge, discusses the unique challenges of forecasting in the land of extremes. He covers forecast area, rapidly changing and extreme weather, complex terrain and data sparcity.
• Forecasting in Alaska - Part 2 (111 MB .mpg) - Bob Hopkins, Meteorologist in Charge, further examines the challenges of forecasting in Alaska, and the role of the Weather Service Offices.
• Tsunami Warning Center Operations (394 MB .wmv) - Paul Whitmore, Director and former Scientist-in-Charge of the West Coast / Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, discusses warning center operations. He speaks of the types of products issued, how waves are monitored, tsunami characteristics, and how coastal residents should respond to earthquakes and tsunami warnings. He covers significant past tsunami events, tsunami data processing, tsunami warning dissemination and the TsunamiReady program. He explains the changes that came to the Center following the Indian Ocean tsunami.
• Center Weather Service Unit Overview (72 MB .mpg) - Kristine Nelson, Meteorologist in Charge, discusses the role of the 21 Center Weather Service Units and their support of the Federal Aviation Administration. She covers products and services, including how the Anchorage CWSU protects air traffic and services provided during volcanic ash eruptions.
• AAWU Products and Services (74 MB .mpg) - Jeff Osiensky, Deputy ESSD Chief, Regional Aviation Meteorologist, Volcanic Ash Program Manager and former Meteorologist in Charge, discusses Alaska Aviation Weather Unit products and services. He covers forecast operations and the AAWU’s role in protecting against aviation hazards, including serving as one of nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers worldwide. He explains the dangers of volcanic ash to aircraft and the importance of forecasting ash trajectories.
• Role of NWS Hydrologist - Part 2 (126 MB .mpg) - Dr. John Papineau, Service Hydrologist, further discusses flooding in Alaska and Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center operations.
• Role of NWS Hydrologist - Part 1 (85 MB .mpg) - Dr. John Papineau, Service Hydrologist, describes various types of floods in Alaska and the duties of National Weather Service service hydrologists. He covers the role of the nation's 12 river forecast centers, including the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center.
• Weather Service Office Operations (82 MB .wmv) - Ralph Morgan, Official in Charge, details the role of Alaska's Weather Service Offices, with emphasis upon the McGrath WSO. He describes the many services these offices provide, including short term forecasts, VHF marine radio broadcasts, river observations, StormReady support, and data studies. He discusses office interactions with the local communities, aviation contacts, and activities during the Iditarod.

Ocean and Coastal Mapping

• Hydropalooza (72 MB .wmv) Directors Kris Holderied and David Christie introduce this seafloor mapping project and discuss the benefits, partnerships, and findings.
• Kasitsna Bay Laboratory (74 MB .wmv) Directors Kris Holderied and David Christie discuss the lab's emphasis on research, education and partnerships in coastal ocean services.

Radar

• Dual Pol Radar - This video explains the benefit of Dual Pol radar over conventional radar technology.

Thunderstorms, Lightning, Tornadoes

• See ’Severe Weather’ on NOAA B-Roll Page
• Convective Weather in Alaska - Part 2 (106 MB .mpg) - Carven Scott, Chief of NWS Alaska Region's Environmental and Scientific Services Division and former Science and Operations Officer, describes convective weather events including tornadoes, funnel clouds, cold air funnels and water spouts, and the differences between them. He also discusses the efforts to catalog these events in Alaska, and where people can go online for more information.
• Convective Weather in Alaska - Part 1 (96 MB .mpg) - Carven Scott, Chief of NWS Alaska Region’s Environmental and Scientific Services Division and former Science and Operations Officer, talks about severe weather in Alaska. He explains the causes of thunderstorms, how lightning discharges, and why convective weather is infrequent in Alaska.

Tsunami

• Interview with PMEL's Engineering Director - Chris Meinig, Director of Engineering, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, discusses his experiences in research and development and the advantages to conducting research in a Federal government laboratory.
• NOAA Tsunami Forecasting - Dr. Eddie Bernard discusses the impact of the Indian Ocean tsunami on research to improve forecasting, including DART buoys and the ingest of buoy data into numerical forecasting models at the nation's tsunami warning centers.
• Surviving the Tsunami: Stories of Hope - Reuters and the Red Cross document the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami tragedy with survivor stories and interactive graphics depicting the impact to over 13 countries.- Please Note: NOAA's National Weather Service provides a link to this external Web page because it may contain related information of interest to you. This link does not constitute an endorsement by the NWS of any information, products or services on this external Web site. The NWS does not own or operate these sites and is not responsible for site maintenance or data accuracy. Use this data at your own risk.
• NOAA's Tsunami Forecast Research (48 KB .mov)
• Narrated Animation of March 11, 2011 Honshu, Japan Tsunami Propagation
• NOAA Tsunami Animation Page
• Tsunami Survivor Stories - Please Note: NOAA's National Weather Service provides a link to this external Web page because it may contain related information of interest to you. This link does not constitute an endorsement by the NWS of any information, products or services on this external Web site. The NWS does not own or operate these sites and is not responsible for site maintenance or data accuracy. Use this data at your own risk.
• Scary Tsunamis - Bay Area researchers race to the scene of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to study the geologic history of tsunamis and when and where they may strike again.- Please Note: NOAA's National Weather Service provides a link to this external Web page because it may contain related information of interest to you. This link does not constitute an endorsement by the NWS of any information, products or services on this external Web site. The NWS does not own or operate these sites and is not responsible for site maintenance or data accuracy. Use this data at your own risk.
• West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (73 MB .wmv) - Cindi Preller, Tsunami Program Leader, provides insight into tsunami warning center operations and messages. She covers the types of data monitored, the messages issued and what they mean to the public and emergency managers, and where to look on the web for tsunami information. May 2009.
• Ocean Fury: Tsunamis in Alaska
• See ’Tsunami’ on NOAA B-Roll Page
• Plate Techtonics and Tsunami Origins - Cindi Preller, Tsunami Program Leader, explains the science behind tsunamis.
• Tsunamis: Know What to Do - Please Note: NOAA's National Weather Service provides a link to this external Web page because it may contain related information of interest to you. This link does not constitute an endorsement by the NWS of any information, products or services on this external Web site. The NWS does not own or operate these sites and is not responsible for site maintenance or data accuracy. Use this data at your own risk.
• Are You Prepared for a Tsunami? (83 MB .mpg) - John Madden, Director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, discusses the Division's responsibilities for the safety and security of the people and economy of Alaska, including preparedness, response and recovery. He discusses the tsunami threat, awareness week, informational resources, detection, and response.
• Tsunami Warning Center Operations (394 MB .wmv) - Paul Whitmore, Director and former Scientist-in-Charge of the West Coast / Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, discusses warning center operations. He speaks of the types of products issued, how waves are monitored, tsunami characteristics, and how coastal residents should respond to earthquakes and tsunami warnings. He covers significant past tsunami events, tsunami data processing, tsunami warning dissemination and the TsunamiReady program. He explains the changes that came to the Center following the Indian Ocean tsunami. 2004.
• TsunamiTeacher - an information and training kit that aims to build global capacity to respond to and mitigate tsunamis. Please Note: NOAA's National Weather Service provides a link to this external Web page because it may contain related information of interest to you. This link does not constitute an endorsement by the NWS of any information, products or services on this external Web site. The NWS does not own or operate these sites and is not responsible for site maintenance or data accuracy. Use this data at your own risk.
• Tsunami B-Roll from International Tsunami Information Centre
• NOAA's National Weather Service Responding to March 2011 Pacific Tsunami
• Alaska Governor Sean Parnell's "Get Ready for Tsunamis" PSA

Volcanic Hazards

• AAWU Products and Services (74 MB .mpg) - Jeff Osiensky, Deputy ESSD Chief, Regional Aviation Meteorologist, Volcanic Ash Program Manager and former Meteorologist in Charge, discusses Alaska Aviation Weather Unit products and services. He covers forecast operations and the AAWU’s role in protecting against aviation hazards, including serving as one of nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers worldwide. He explains the dangers of volcanic ash to aircraft and the importance of forecasting ash trajectories.
• Center Weather Service Unit Overview (72 MB .mpg) - Kristine Nelson, Meteorologist in Charge, discusses the role of the 21 Center Weather Service Units and their support of the Federal Aviation Administration. She covers products and services, including how the Anchorage CWSU protects air traffic and services provided during volcanic ash eruptions.
• Alaska Volcano Observatory Overview (234 MB .wmv) - Tina Neal speaks of the Alaska Volcano Observatory program, objectives, operations and role in warning dissemination during volcanic events. She discusses research, volcanic monitoring, the proximity of the Alaskan population to 41 active volcanoes, and why Alaska is so seismically active. She explains how the Alaska Volcano Observatory works with the National Weather Service and the Federal Aviation Administration during volcanic eruptions to protect the public and aviation communities.

Weather Observation

• Snow Measurement
• Voluntary Observing Ship Program (83 MB .mpg) - Larry Hubble, Anchorage Port Meteorological Officer and Upper Air Program Manager, talks about the Voluntary Observing Ship program and how ships provide valuable meteorological information. These observations feed models that improve weather forecasts.
• What is a Weather Spotter? (69 MB .mpg) - Dan Samelson, forecaster, describes the role of weather spotters, the information they report, and their importance to the National Weather Service mission.
• What is a Cooperative Weather Observer? (90 MB .mpg) - Dan Keirns, Surface Program Specialist, describes the role of cooperative weather observers, the information they report and their importance to the National Weather Service.

Winter Weather

• Dangers of Vessel Icing (279 MB .wmv) - Joel Curtis, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, talks about vessel icing. He covers conditions that create vessel icing, and what mariners can do to protect themselves against this hazard.
• Avalanche Safety (270 MB .wmv) - Jill Fredston of the Alaska Mountain Safety Center discusses avalanche risk and causes in Alaska. She talks about the Alaska Mountain Safety Center's role in consulting, teaching and forecasting. She also discusses the Alaska Avalanche School and its role in hands-on training. She stresses the need to see the mountain on its terms and to stay alert to avalanche conditions.
• Lake Effect Snow - Part 2 (101 MB .mpg) - Eric Stevens further discusses lake effect snow shower dynamics, and similar "ocean effect" snow shower dynamics in Alaska.
• Lake Effect Snow - Part 1 (115 MB .mpg) - Eric Stevens discusses lake effect snow showers. He covers related terminology, dynamics, and impacts.
• Danger - Thin Ice