Podcasts: October 2011

Making Waves: Value of Hawaii's Coral Reefs

Episode 86 | 10.27.11

A peer-reviewed study commissioned by NOAA shows the American people assign an estimated total economic value of $33.57 billion for the coral reefs of the main Hawaiian Islands.

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Links:

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

Hawaii’s coral reef ecosystems worth $33.57 billion per year

What is a coral reef made of? (Ocean Fact)

Diving Deeper: Height Modernization

Episode 33 | 10.20.11

How do we rely on elevation data every single day? What do geodesists need to quickly and efficiently measure heights? Learn this and more in today's Diving Deeper, an interview with Renee Shields from the National Geodetic Survey on height modernization.

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Links:

Making Waves: Building a Better Geoid

National Geodetic Survey

Height Modernization Outreach and Education

Explore: Height Modernization

Making Waves: Building a Better Geoid

Episode 85 | 10.13.11

Figuring out the exact location of a point on the Earth's surface in three dimensions is what the science of geodesy is all about. Thanks to the network of satellites in space known as the Global Positioning System, we can determine latitude and longitude with great accuracy. Heights, however, are a trickier business to nail down.

In this episode, we talk with NOAA Chief Geodesist Dru Smith to learn how scientists are using measurements of gravity to refine a complex mathematical model of the Earth's shape known as the geoid. Once the new model is deployed, the hope is that we'll be able to use GPS receivers to figure out our current elevation in most places across the nation within an accuracy of two centimeters or less.

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