operational program improves nws seasonal forecaststhis inventory of physical and biologi-cal data...

U.S. DEPARTMENTOF COMMERCE

National Oceanicand AtmosphericAdministration

Vol. 8, No. 1 ● September 1997

EARTH SYSTEM MONITOR

A guide toNOAA's data and

informationservices

INSIDE

3News briefs

5The NOAA CentralLibrary and coastalocean information

9The Earth’s changing

magnetic field onrecord at NGDC

11GOIN: The U.S.-Japan

Global ObservationInformation Network

13NASA/NOAA

Prototype Long TermArchive Project

14NODC’s InternetSecurity System

15Data productsand services

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NODC Altimetry Lab tracks 1997 El NiñoOperational program improves NWS seasonal forecasts

▲ Figure 1. A sample series of sea level deviation maps from TOPEX/POSEIDON showing evolution of the 1997 El Niño. The data are pro-vided in near-real time (2-day delay) by the NODC Laboratory forSatellite Altimetry. Because of their high accuracy (5 cm), the T/P dataare being assimilated in the NOAA/NCEP model to improve seasonalforecasts. Sea heights shown are relative to the 1992-95 mean. Thissequence shows the ocean’s response to changes in tropical winds.Sea level drops in the west and rises in the east, producing changes inocean circulation and sea surface temperature which ultimately alterglobal patterns of rain and atmospheric temperature. For color mapsat 10-day intervals, see http://ibis.grdl.noaa.gov/SAT/near_rt/enso/topex_97.html

Bob CheneyChief, Laboratory forSatellite AltimetryNational OceanographicData CenterNOAA/NESDIS

The TOPEX/POSEIDON(T/P) altimeter satellite, whichwas launched in 1992 as a re-search mission of the Americanand French space agencies, hasrecently become an integral partof NOAA’s operational satellitesystem for monitoring theoceans. The transformation wasachieved through the efforts ofNODC’s newest division, theLaboratory for Satellite Altim-etry (LSA), working togetherwith the Jet Propulsion Labora-tory (JPL) and the NavalOceanographic Office(NAVOCEANO). Since late 1996,the highly-accurate sea levelobservations provided by T/Phave been available with a delayof only two days—fast enoughto be included in the weeklyocean model run of the Na-tional Weather Service—andjust in time to follow develop-ment of the 1997 El Niño (Fig-ures 1 and 2).

NOAA’s experience withsatellite altimetry dates back toGeos-3 in 1975. At that timealtimeter data were viewedlargely as a means of determin-ing the marine gravity field, andthe program was thus sponsoredby the National Ocean Service’s(NOS) National Geodetic Sur-vey. But as other altimeter mis-sions were flown (Seasat in1978; Geosat during 1985-89)and new applications were de-veloped, the work expanded toinclude aspects of physicaloceanography such as the GulfStream, sea level variability, andtropical ocean dynamics. In

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2 September 1997EARTH SYSTEM MONITOR

EARTH SYSTEM MONITOR

The Earth System Monitor (ISSN 1068-2678) is published quarterly by the NOAAEnvironmental Information Services office.Questions, comments, or suggestions forarticles, as well as requests for subscrip-tions and changes of address, should bedirected to the Editor, Sheri A. Phillips.

The mailing address for the EarthSystem Monitor is:

National Oceanographic Data CenterNOAA/NESDIS E/OC1SSMC3, 4th Floor1315 East-West HighwaySilver Spring, MD 20910-3282

EDITORSheri Phillips

Telephone: 301-713-3280 ext.127Fax: 301-713-3302

E-mail: [email protected]

DISCLAIMERMention in the Earth System Monitor ofcommercial companies or commercialproducts does not constitute an endorse-ment or recommendation by the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administrationor the U.S. Department of Commerce.Use for publicity or advertising purposes ofinformation published in the Earth SystemMonitor concerning proprietary productsor the tests of such products is notauthorized.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCEWilliam M. Daley, Secretary

National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration

D. James Baker,Under Secretary and Administrator

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NODC Altimetry Lab, from page 1

▲ Figure 2. Sea level near the Galapagos Islands in the eastern equatorial Pacific mea-sured by the T/P altimeter. The abrupt, 30-cm rise since the beginning of 1997 indicatesthe beginning of a warm, El Niño event. The July 1997 height of 25 cm is as high asduring the 1982 El Niño, the largest warm event of the century.


1991 the altimeter program was movedto the NOS Office of Ocean and EarthSciences and finally in 1997 to the Na-tional Environmental Satellite, Data,and Information Service’s NationalOceanographic Data Center. The LSA isnow a leader in many facets ofaltimetric applications, providing scien-tific analyses that range from maps ofthe ocean floor to determination of glo-bal sea level rise.

Most recently, the Lab’s focus hasbeen on improving the operational,near-real time flow of altimetric sealevel data. The operational value of al-timetry depends not only on the turn-around time, but also on the accuracy ofthe measurements.

For example, altimeter data fromthe European Space Agency’s ERS-1 sat-ellite (1991-96) were processed byNOAA in near-real time throughout themission, but the quick-look satelliteorbits contained large-scale errors of upto 1 meter. These data were thereforeuseful for finding the edges of mid-

ocean eddies and fronts like the GulfStream, but they were not sufficientlyaccurate to be used in general circula-tion models of the ocean.

This is where the T/P satellite hasprovided a breakthrough. In addition toits precision altimeter, T/P carries a Glo-bal Positioning System (GPS) receiverwhich is capable of quickly determiningthe position of the T/P satellite towithin a few centimeters. Once the JPLteam learned how to use the GPS data aspart of an automated orbit determina-tion system, a new era in global oceanmonitoring began.

The present T/P near-real time sys-tem is a model of interagency collabora-tion. JPL receives the raw altimeter datafrom the satellite several times a dayand forwards them to NAVOCEANO,where an interim data set is constructedand stored. The next day, JPL uses GPSdata from a global network of groundstations plus those from the T/P receiverto compute a precise satellite orbit.These refined altimeter observations areprovided to NOAA’s altimetry lab forfurther processing. An adjustment isfirst performed to remove large-scaleerrors remaining in the data. T/P sealevel profiles are then compared to theprevious 4 years of data along thesame tracks. Finally, 2 days after the

Laboratory for Satellite AltimetryNational Oceanographic Data CenterSSMC3, 3rd Floor, Room 36201315 East-West HighwaySilver Spring, MD 20910-3282E-mail: [email protected]

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3September 1997 EARTH SYSTEM MONITOR

News briefsNew Lake Erie bathymetry to bedisplayed in museum

A new bathymetric map of Lake Eriewill be displayed in the Great Lakes Sci-ence Center in Cleveland, Ohio, duringthe Ohio Lake Erie Conference, September18 through September 20. The Confer-ence will be hosted by the InternationalJoint Commission for the Great Lakes andthe Ohio governor’s Lake Erie Commis-sion. Focus will be geared toward environ-mental organizations, researchers andGreat Lakes representatives, along withpublic officials from local, state, Federaland Canadian governments. The full colorLake Erie map will be available fromNGDC in October, along with a CD-ROMcontaining downloadable imagery anddata used in the compilation of thebathymetry.

NOAA seeks entries for a BeringSea ecosystem metadatabase

This inventory of physical and biologi-cal data will help researchers, managers,students, fishermen, and the general pub-lic investigate and understand the com-plex ecosystem of the Bering Sea. Theinventory will be presented in an indexed,annotated catalog (metadatabase) avail-able through various mechanisms, includ-ing the World Wide Web (WWW). Thoseseeking more information or havingknowledge of data that would enhancethe metadatabase are urged to registerthrough the WWW at URL http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/bering/mdb/, or contact Dr.Bern Megrey, NOAA/AFSC, 7600 SandPoint Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115, USA,206-526-4147, [email protected].

When completed, the metadatabasewill address a serious deficiency identifiedin 1996 by the National Research Council.In their report on the Bering Sea ecosys-tem, the council flagged the lack of such adatabase as the one major impediment tostudying the Bering Sea. Many differenttypes of physical and biological data havebeen already collected, such as: single-point and gridded time series, repetitiveobservations from earth orbiting satellites,ocean surveys of physical and biologicaloceanographic significance, specimencollections, and historical records of ani-mal population changes.

Data are available from at least thelast century, and in the last two decadesthe Bering Sea has been the subject ofclose scrutiny by such major research pro-grams as the Outer Continental Shelf Envi-

ronmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP)and Processes and Resources of the BeringSea Shelf (PROBES). What is needed, andwhat NOAA Environmental Services DataInformation Management has fundedthrough this project, is a single, stand-alone resource that will reference as muchhistorical data as can be located.

Benefits will be immediate and con-tinuous. Recently the Bering Sea’s eco-nomic and biological significance hasprovided impetus for the proliferation of anumber of active regional studies includ-ing: the joint North Pacific Marine Sci-ences Organization/GLOBal oceanECosystems dynamics Climate Changeand Carrying Capacity (PICES/GLOBECCCCC) study and the Bering Sea ImpactsStudy; national studies (Bering Sea Fisher-ies-Oceanography Coordinated Investiga-tion, Southeast Bering Sea CarryingCapacity, Bering Sea Ecosystem Study);and international research efforts (PICES/GLOBEC, and Japanese and Russian pro-grams); these investigations are directedat understanding the dynamics of theBering Sea ecosystem. All of these currentprograms have field and data collectioncomponents associated with them and arein a position to contribute to, and benefitfrom, the metadatabase.

ACCESS Project statusThe development of the Accelerated

Coastal Community Environmental Sci-ence Service (ACCESS) Project continuesto progress. Discussions with Dr. PaulDammann of NOAA’s Atlantic Oceano-graphic and Meteorological Laboratory(AOML) have focussed on the details ofthe instrumentation and the implementa-tion of the data operations structure. Dr.Dammann will draft the list of instrumentsand Michael Crane of the NationalOceanographic Data Center (NODC) willprepare the text of the data capture, dataprocessing, data distributing and datamanaging elements. The model for thisproject is the NASA Pathfinder Programwith the active promotion of data distribu-tion to constituents via the Web and otherInternet pathways. The U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency is funding this projectto assure the protection of the reef trackoff the Port of Miami.

NGDC leads successful fieldexpedition in Greenland

Dr. Jonathan Overpeck of the Na-tional Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)recently returned from southwestGreenland, where he led a successful ef-fort to survey and sample lakes for use inreconstructing past variability in thecircum-Labrador Sea region. This work,carried out in collaboration with the Geo-logical Society of Denmark andGreenland, focussed on lakes that willyield annually-dated paleoclimate timeseries stretching back centuries. Theseseries will allow the testing of key hypoth-eses regarding ocean and atmosphericvariability in the North Atlantic region.The new time series should also providethe first definitive answer to the questionof whether Norse settlements disappearedaround AD 1500 in response to climate.

NSSDC agrees to participatein GOIN

Dr. Joe King, director of the NationalSpace Science Data Center (NSSDC), andDr. Herbert W. Kroehl of the NationalGeophysical Data Center (NGDC), re-cently held discussions at the NSSDC onthe mutual benefit obtained through jointparticipation in the Global ObservationInformation Network’s (GOIN) space envi-ronment pilot projects. Dr. King agreed tosend data from the WIND satellite in nearreal-time for inclusion in the retrospectivemodeling project. The Solar-TerrestrialEnvironment Laboratory in Japan will thenmodel the Earth’s magnetosphere on anhourly basis and share the results with theGOIN partners. This will be the first realuse of the GOIN established network con-nections.

NOAA librarian participates innational forum

The Federal Library and InformationCenter Committee (FLICC), a division ofthe Library of Congress, sponsored NOAAlibrarian Doria Grimes in attending theannual meeting of the White House Con-ference on Library and Information Ser-vices Task Force in Little Rock, AR fromAugust 7-10, 1997. The results were a re-affirmation of decennial White House Con-ferences on libraries, the next one being inscheduled for 2001. Formal liaisons withother library advocacy groups were thesecondary outcome. Mrs. Grimes repre-sented federal libraries at this meeting.


▲ Figure 3. A view of the Pacific Ocean on January 1987 constructed from Geosataltimeter data. High sea level extends 10,000 km along the equator with values up to 20cm above normal for January. This is the signature of downwelling Kelvin waves, theocean’s response to anomalous westerly winds in the western Pacificwhich initiated the 1986-87 El Niño.


keep the ocean model from deviatingtoo far from reality and result in moreaccurate forecasts. A specific examplewas during 1995-96, when salinity in

NODC Altimetry Lab, from page 2observations were collected, a globalrecord is constructed providing sealevel deviations accurate to about 5centimeters.

This operational system providesan effective monitoring tool for follow-ing phenomena such as El Niño, butthe real payoff is using the T/P data toimprove forecasts of oceanic and atmo-spheric conditions several seasons inadvance. This long-sought NOAA goalhas finally been achieved after years ofdevelopmental work by the LSA andNCEP (NOAA’s National Centers forEnvironmental Prediction). Once pro-cessed to the level of sea level devia-tions, the T/P data are transmitted toNCEP where they are combined in anumerical ocean model with other ob-servations such as wind, sea surfacetemperature, and upper ocean thermalprofiles. Ocean conditions are updatedeach week and, when coupled to anatmospheric model, provide the basisfor seasonal forecasts of sea surfacetemperature.

Assimilation of data from ships andbuoys has been ongoing for severalyears but operational use of satellitealtimeter data was only initiated atNCEP in early 1997. The altimeter data

the western Pacific was unusually low.Because little salinity data are available,the model drifted off substantially,causing sea level errors in the model ofup to 10 cm. But tests showed that as-similation of the altimeter measure-ments would have corrected thesituation, yielding a more accurate de-piction of the surface circulation andbetter seasonal forecasts of sea surfacetemperature. Color maps of sea levelfrom T/P and forecasts of sea surfacetemperature through early 1998 can beviewed at http://ibis.grdl.noaa.gov/SAT.Click on “1997 El Niño Viewed byTOPEX”.

TOPEX/POSEIDON is not the firstsatellite altimeter to monitor El Niño.That distinction belongs to Geosat,which captured a dramatic sequence ofevents in the 1980s when the tropicalPacific oscillated between El Niño(warm) conditions in 1987 to a strongLa Niña (cold) event the following year.The Geosat data were initially classifiedsecret, so the NOAA altimeter lab wasforced to operate in a secure environ-ment at the John Hopkins AppliedPhysics Lab. Only after converting thesecret altimeter data into unclassifiedmeasurements of relative sea level

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NOAA / Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry

The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) welcomes its newest Divi-sion: the Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry. The transfer of this group from the NOAANational Ocean Service to the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Informa-tion Service—the NOAA line office that includes the NODC and the other NOAAnational data centers—had been pending for more than a year and finally becameofficial on August 4th, 1997. The Laboratory consists of two groups and several visit-ing scientists:

The oceanography group specializes in sea level variability as it relates to oceancirculation and climate change, production of high-quality altimeter data sets (suchas the new Geosat CD-ROMs), and operational assimilation in ocean models to im-prove El Niño forecasts. The geophysicists use the same data to derive maps of themarine gravity field, study the dynamics of the Earth’s crust, and estimate globalocean bathymetry. Graphics, publications, data sets, and analyses can be found atthe Lab’s home page (http://ibis.grdl.noaa.gov/SAT), which is already linked to theNODC Web site (http://www.nodc.noaa.gov).

NOAA Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry joins NODC

Oceanography:Robert Cheney (Division Chief)Laury Miller, John Lillibridge,C. K. Tai, John Kuhn

Geophysics:Dave McAdoo, Karen Marks,Walter Smith

Visiting scientists:Carl Wagner, Femke Vossepoel, Jim Carton


The NOAA Central Libraryand coastal ocean information

Unique historical and modern collections provide a wide variety of coastal information

NOAA Central LibraryNOAA/NESDISSSMC3, 2nd Floor E/OC41315 East-West HighwaySilver Spring, MD 20910E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.lib.noaa.gov

Albert E. ThebergeNOAA Central LibraryNOAA/NESDIS

The NOAA Central Library servesas a clearinghouse for sources of infor-mation for NOAA staff and researchersin the subject fields of oceanic and at-mospheric research. On any given day,NOAA Reference Librarians field ques-tions about hurricanes, tornadoes,yesterday’s weather in Sioux City, Iowa,marine fisheries, coastal policies, ormarine mining, for example. Some ofthese questions are answered in-houseand others are referred to the appropri-ate agency or individual for response.As the coastal ocean initiatives gainmomentum, the information resourcesof the NOAA Central Library and thesatellite libraries of the NOAA-widelibrary system will play a key role inassisting those searching for this infor-mation. The NOAA Central Library canalso serve as a focal point to expeditethe flow of information among univer-sities, industry, and other governmentagencies seeking to collaborate oncoastal ocean projects. The NOAA Central Library is thedirect descendant of the first majortechnical library in the United States,the Coast and Geodetic Survey Library.It is the flagship library of the NOAALibrary System and is uniquely situatedto provide researchers and policy-mak-ers with information concerning thecoastal ocean on an unprecedentedscale. Its collections cover the NationalOcean Survey, the National WeatherService, the National Marine FisheriesService, and the Office of Oceanic andAtmospheric Research. The NOAA Li-brary is one of the few libraries in theworld that is capable of meeting theneeds of integrated research teams con-

cerned with the physical, biological,geological, chemical, and meteorologi-cal aspects of the coastal ocean (Figure1).

Not only does the NOAA Librarysystem have the most up-to-date infor-mation on many of these subjects, butit also is the only library in the UnitedStates whose historic collections coverthe inception of the Survey of theCoast, the establishment of nationalmeteorological observing systems, andthe beginning of fisheries studies in thecoastal waters of the United States. Thecollection continues in an unbrokenchain from the beginnings of the ances-tral agencies through the NOAA of to-day.

The NOAA modern collection Two copies of all NOAA publicationssuch as NOAA Technical Reports,NOAA Technical Memorandums, andSpecial Scientific Reports are found inthe NOAA modern collection. Principalinvestigators reports on major projectssuch as the Outer Continental ShelfEnvironmental Assessment Program(OCSEAP) and the California Coopera-tive Oceanic Fisheries Investigations(CalCOFI) are included. Publicationsfrom the Army Corps of EngineersCoastal Engineering Research Center,Smithsonian Institution, and Environ-mental Protection Agency are alsofound. Other items of interest are hun-dreds of specialty bibliographies de-signed specifically for various aspects of

▲ Figure 1. The NOAA Central Library contains thousands of publications from theoceanic, atmospheric, and fisheries sciences. The above titles and other coastal sciencevolumes are available from the Library’s modern collection.



the physical and biological aspects ofthe coastal ocean, hundreds of proceed-ings of annual meetings, specializedsymposia, and thematic atlases.

The Journal Collection The NOAA Central Library presentlysubscribes to approximately 400 jour-nals. At least half contain informationof value for coastal ocean researchersand policy makers. Integrated with thepresent active collection are over 2000journal titles that the NOAA CentralLibrary and predecessor agencies haveacquired. As with the growing collec-tion of present-day journals, at leasthalf of these are of interest to coastalocean researchers. Some series are notable for theirhistorical significance to scientific re-search. For instance, the Transactions ofthe American Philosophical Society arecontinuous from Vol. 1 (published in1789) until the late nineteenth century.A complete set of the Journal of theFranklin Institute from Vol. 1, No. 1,published in 1826 extending to 1974

also resides in the NOAACentral Library, as does anearly complete set of theMemoirs of the AmericanAcademy of Arts and Sci-ences which was first pub-lished in 1785. Otherscientific periodicals dat-ing from the 1800s withlong periods of continu-ity include the Proceedingsof the American Associationfor the Advancement ofScience and Science maga-zine. Modern titles tendto be subject specific suchas the Journal of AquaticAnimal Health (Vol. 1, No.1, 1989,) the Journal ofCoastal Research (Vol. 1,No. 1, 1985,) and theJournal of Crustacean Biol-ogy (Vol. 1, No. 1, 1981,)from their beginnings upuntil the most recentissue. The available sourcesof information in thejournal collection is virtu-ally overwhelming forinvestigators desiring to

do literature searches prior to com-mencing field research. The value ofthe modern journal collection is en-hanced by access to various electronicbibliographic services; while for older

material, the NOAA Central Library hasat least 200 pertinent published bibliog-raphies that can serve as the beginningpoint for any exhaustive literaturesearch on various aspects of the coastalocean.

Searching the NOAA Catalog The wealth of information availablein the NOAA Library System as relatedto the coastal ocean is readily apparentupon performing rudimentary searchesof the 200,000+ records in the NOAA-wide automated catalog, NOAALINC.NOAALINC is accessible through theInternet via the NOAA Central Libraryhome page (http://www.lib.noaa.gov/).The key words COAST$, ESTUAR$, SEAGRANT, FISHE$, and MARINE POLLU-TION produce significant results indisplaying the magnitude of the avail-able resources. Searches were also per-formed on these terms for the 23libraries in the NOAA System and forthe Silver Spring Central Library. Theresults are impressive for both the totalresources available through the NOAALibraries and the percentage of all titlesfound in the NOAA Central Library atSilver Spring. Table 1 displays the number ofworks found in listed categoriessearched on within NOAALINC. Thecolumn labeled ALL LIBRARIES indi-cates the number of references foundthroughout the NOAA Library System

FISHE$ 12929 8504

COAST$ OR ESTUAR$ 9212 6506

SEA GRANT 4056 3584

MARINE POLLUTION 1089 823

GREAT LAKES 1052 642

GULF OF MEXICO 956 675

WOODS HOLE 833 412

CONTINENTAL SHELF OR SLOPE 624 430

CHESAPEAKE BAY 550 370

SCRIPPS 385 271

OIL SPILL 347 252

PUGET SOUND 294 204

COLUMBIA RIVER 268 150

MARINE MAMMALS 259 158

NEW YORK BIGHT 207 169

▲ Figure 2. Coastal ocean information is readily avail-able through the NOAA Library online catalog, accessiblethrough the NOAA Central Library site at http://www.lib.noaa.gov.

▲ Table 1. Results of a selected subject search of NOAALINC. The “$” symbolrepresents a wildcard.

SEARCH ON ALL LIBRARIES SILVER SPRING

NOAA Library, from page 5


▲ Table 2. Indication of geographic range of holdings. The “$” symbolrepresents a wildcard.

while the column labeled SILVERSPRING indicates the number of hold-ings related to the subject matter foundat the NOAA Central Library. The numbers displayed only repre-sent holdings in the main stacks and donot indicate the wealth of materialavailable within the Journal Collectionsof the NOAA Library System.

Table 2 illustrates the geographicdiversity of the holdings of the NOAALibrary System. For Table 2 a search wasinstituted on the state name and(COAST$ or ESTUAR$) as an example ofa possible search for available informa-tion regarding a given state. Table 2 isordered from states with oceanic bor-ders or insular territories with the mostinformation to the least information

for the particular search query. The lastsix entries in Table 2 are Great Lakesstates ordered from most available in-formation to least available informa-tion for the query used to develop thetable. ALL LIBRARIES refers to the 23libraries in the NOAA System whileSILVER SPRING refers to the NOAACentral Library.

Historical and modern academic worksThe NOAA Library contains nearly

complete collections of ocean-relateddocuments from the Scripps Institutionof Oceanography, the Woods HoleOceanographic Institution, Texas A&MSchool of Oceanography, Oregon StateUniversity, University of Washington,University of Rhode Island, Virginia

California 693 414Washington 554 289Florida 534 320Texas 497 428North Carolina 296 227Oregon 278 159Alaska 277 204New York 251 205Louisiana 218 171Mississippi 180 151Virginia 175 141Massachusetts 172 122South Carolina 167 110Maryland 153 115Georgia 152 119Hawaii 146 67Alabama 120 104Maine 114 85Delaware 113 94Rhode Island 104 81New Jersey 96 64New Hampshire 47 43Puerto Rico 33 21Connecticut 27 22Guam 18 11Virgin Islands 17 14American Samoa 4 2Michigan 80 50Ohio 34 20Wisconsin 23 18Illinois 14 11Indiana 12 10Minnesota 11 8

STATE AND(COAST$ OR ESTUAR$)

NOAALINCALL LIBRARIES

SILVER SPRING


Institute of Marine Science, the JohnHopkins Chesapeake Bay Institute, andvirtually every oceanographic schoolwith associated laboratories in theUnited States. Over 4000 Sea Grantpublications reside in the NOAA LibrarySystem with about 85% of those titleslocated at the Central Library.

Historical works on coastalocean information• The Central Library houses the com-plete series of the Superintendent’sReports of the Coast Survey and Coastand Geodetic Survey from 1844 on-ward; a complete collection of CoastPilots describing the coast and its pecu-liarities and anticipated meteorologicalconditions in given areas from the mid-1850s onward; special reports describ-ing the evolution of instrumentationused within the Coast and GeodeticSurvey for hydrography, current stud-ies, and tide studies; and many scien-tific reports concerning the firstscientific estuarine studies in theUnited States.• Historic climatological informationincludes the complete series of U.S.Weather Service annual reports begin-ning with the Reports of the Army Sig-nal Service in 1871; a complete series ofSmithsonian Institution Reports begin-ning in 1847 which encompass na-tional meteorological observationsprior to the establishment of a nationalweather service; and special publica-tions of the Weather Service detailingthe evolutionary trail of weather instru-mentation and observing methods.These are invaluable sources of infor-mation for those seeking an under-standing of coastal changes as relatedto climatic changes as the parametersbeing measured today may not be thesame as those being measured duringthe nineteenth century.• Fisheries researchers will find a com-plete set of the annual reports andbulletins of the Fish Commission andBureau of Commercial Fisheries begin-ning from its inception in 1871. Thesecontain observations on commercialfisheries, coastal ecology, coastal oceanphysical oceanography, and informa-tion on the evolution of techniquesand instrumentation used by fisheriesscientists in measuring fish stocks.


▲ Figure 3. Above left is a page from the oldest book in the NOAA Library collection(printed in 1485). Opusculu repertorii prognosticon is a Latin translation of the Greek byHippocrates, in which he describes how weather affects the human body. Above right isa page from Notes on the Coast of the United States by the second Superintendent of theU.S. Coast Survey, Alexander D. Bache. These Notes provided the naval strategy for theUnion blockade of Southern ports during the Civil War.

▲ Figure 4. Dune grasses at Topsail Beach, North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Janice Beatty, NOAA Central Library.

• As a Federal Depository for NOAA-related topics, the NOAA Central Li-brary contains all current federal lawsassociated with the use and study of thecoastal ocean, supporting the evolutionof federal coastal ocean policy and the

law of the sea. Publications by othergovernmental agencies related to thecoastal ocean, such as the United StatesGeological Survey, the EnvironmentalProtection Agency, the SmithsonianInstitution, the Army Corps of Engi-neers, and various elements of the

NOAA Library, from page 7

United States Navy are indexed andcatalogued. Works of the NationalAcademy of Sciences, the Carnegie In-stitution of Washington, and statenatural resource agencies are also foundin the collection.

SummaryThe NOAA Central Library and its

satellite libraries comprise a uniqueresource for studies of the CoastalOcean. Rare historical documents (Fig-ure 3) and data reside in these librariesas well as up-to-date information re-garding coastal ocean physical, chemi-cal, geological, and biological processes.A wealth of information concerningeconomic, social, and cultural uses ofthe coastal ocean is included. Time lineseries of data and information from theearliest inception of oceanic studies inthe United States in the early 1800s upto the present day are found in thecollection. Books, official series andreports of the main line components ofNOAA and their predecessor agencies,legal documents and treaties of theUnited States, professional journals,atlases, microfilm collections, videocollections, and photo collections thathave information related to the coastalocean (Figure 4) are all found in theNOAA Library system. The NOAA Li-brary System, and particularly theNOAA Central Library, is a rich re-source with a wealth of information forthe coastal ocean investigator. ■


The Earth’s changing magnetic fieldon record at NGDC

Geomagnetic data bring together a variety of disciplines at the National Geophysical Data Center

Solar-Terrestrial Physics DivisionNational Geophysical Data CenterNOAA/NESDIS325 BroadwayBoulder, CO 80303-3328E-mail: [email protected]

▲ Figure 1. An artist’s illustration showing both internal and external sources of theEarth’s magnetic field.

Herbert W. Kroehl, Leslie Morris, andSusan McLeanSolar-Terrestrial Physics DivisionNational Geophysical Data CenterNOAA/NESDIS

The Earth’s magnetic field resultspredominantly from electrical currentsflowing deep within the Earth’s inte-rior, in the upper atmosphere, and inthe near-Earth space environment (Fig-ure 1). These currents and associatedmagnetic field values vary dramaticallyin time and space. External currentsmay change the total magnetic field bya few percent within minutes and inter-nal currents may change the total fieldvalues by a few tenths of a percent peryear. The techniques used to measurethe magnetic fields resulting from thetwo sources are essentially independentof the platform carrying the instrumentor magnetometer, whether on a ship,plane, satellite or at a ground-basedobservatory.

The National Geophysical DataCenter collects, processes, analyzes, andservices geomagnetic data for NOAA’sNational Data Center and World DataCenter systems. Geomagnetic databring together the diverse scientificdisciplines represented at NGDC. TheSolar-Terrestrial Physics (STP) Divisionfocuses on external current systemswith high time resolution data fromGOES and DMSP satellites, magneticobservatories, and variations stationsoperated for specific scientific cam-paigns. The Solid Earth Geophysics(SEG) Division archives magnetometerdata from magnetic observatories andrepeat stations and from aircraft andpaleomagnetic data used in long-termstudies of the Earth’s main field. TheMarine Geology and Geophysics(MGG) Division archives include datafrom magnetometers operated during

marine surveys. The National Snow andIce Center archives magnetic data fromaircraft surveying the Arctic and Ant-arctic. The following describes the mag-netic data archives at NGDC byfocusing on their different applications.

NavigationThe discovery of the Earth’s mag-

netic field and its application to “com-pass navigation” can be traced back tothe Chinese around 250 BC (Campbell,1997). Maps or magnetic field modelsof magnetic declination, i.e. the anglebetween local magnetic and geodeticnorth or south, became a valuable na-tional resource until scientists from

different countries began sharing data.The first global picture of the Earth’smagnetic field as a great magnet waspresented by Gilbert around 1600. Thefirst mathematical solution used spheri-cal harmonic analysis and the first ap-plication to magnetic field models wasdone by Gauss in 1848. Similar tech-niques to those proposed by Gauss wererefined by Chapman and Bartels in1940 and are used today to build thestandard International GeomagneticReference Field (IGRF) models. Figure 2shows declination computed from theIGRF 1995 model. These global modelsand the annual mean and repeat sta-

▲ Figure 2. Magnetic declination as computed from the International GeomagneticReference Field set of coefficients for 1995.



tion data used in the model construc-tion are available from the SEG Divi-sion.

Today, magnetic field models areused in a variety of applications fromresource exploration to antenna align-ment. Magnetic field models andonboard magnetometers are used bysatellite operators to determine theinitial attitude of recently launchedsatellites, i.e. which way is up? In addi-tion, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)systems need the electrical state of theupper atmosphere as an input to accu-rately determine locations and head-ings on the Earth’s surface and inspace.

But GPS signals and the derivedlocations and headings are adversely

affected by changes in the external cur-rents. One minute magnetometer dataarchived by the STP Division are usedin the reduction of GPS signals and inthe preparation of magnetic activityindices which define times when theupper atmosphere is active or quiet.

Geophysical surveysFor several decades, land surveyors

used a compass-based instrument todefine the direction of individual prop-erty lines. As time elapsed, the mag-netic declination changed, as did theproperty lines unless the proper adjust-ment was made. Frequently, surveyorsquery the SE Division archives to cor-rect for annual changes in declinationfrom the initial survey to the current orrerun survey.

Geophysicists use magnetic surveysto assist their exploration for new min-eral deposits. “Magnetic anomalies”indicate changes in the Earth’s struc-ture near the surface where mineral oroil bearing deposits may have alteredthe local magnetic field. Since they arelooking for “magnetic anomalies”, theymust remove the fields generated byboth internal and external currents.The internal or main field is providedby magnetic field models and externalcurrents are derived from high timeresolution geomagnetic variations dataarchived by NGDC.

CommunicationHigh frequency radio waves can be

used to communicate over very long

▲ Figure 3. A four-panel figure (A through D) showing a session to select and browse one minute geomagnetic data resident in theSpace Physics Interactive Data Resource (SPIDR) system from four stations.

A. B.

C. D.

Geomagnetism, from page 9



GOIN: The U.S.-JapanGlobal Observation Information Network

▲ Figure 1. The GOIN brochure summarizes program partici-pants, objectives, and projects. The complete brochure is availableonline at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/GOIN/brochure.htm (re-quires Adobe Acrobat reader). Brochure image courtesy of D.Wilkinson, NOAA/NGDC.

Joint project aids in bilateral cooperation in Earth observation networks and data exchange

Environmental Information ServicesNOAA/NESDISSSMC3, Room 15448Silver Spring, MD 20910E-Mail: [email protected] – continued on page 12

Gerald S. BartonEnvironmental Information ServicesNOAA/NESDIS

In June 1997, NOAA hosted theGlobal Observation Information Net-work 1997 Workshop. The NationalGeophysical Data Center organized theWorkshop, which was held at the Na-tional Center for Atmospheric Researchatop the Rocky Mountains in Boulder,Colorado. The Global Observation In-formation Network (GOIN) is a jointproject between U.S. and Japanese orga-nizations to strengthen bilateral coop-eration in Earth observation infor-mation networks, involving both satel-lite and in-situ data. In 1993 PresidentClinton of the United States and PrimeMinister Miyazawa of Japan imple-mented GOIN. The GOIN project hasmade progress in its goals and has dem-onstrated the results of projects involv-ing networks, and the exchange ofatmospheric, oceanographic, land, andsolar-terrestrial data (Figure 1).

GOIN is part of the United States-Japan Framework for a New EconomicPartnership. The goals of the Frame-work are “to deal with structural andsectoral issues in order to substantiallyincrease access and sales of competitiveforeign goods and services throughmarket-opening and macroeconomicmeasures, to increase investment, topromote international competitiveness,and to enhance bilateral economic co-operation between the United Statesand Japan” (Joint Statement on theUnited States-Japan Framework for aNew Economic Partnership, July 10,1993).

The GOIN initiative is imple-mented through the Joint ProgramWorking Group (JPWG) with co-chairsKenji Okuma, Deputy Director Generalof the Japan Science and Technology

Agency (STA), andGregory Withee,Deputy AssistantAdministrator ofthe U.S. NOAANational Satellite,Data and Informa-tion Service. TheJPWG is chargedwith meeting to“identify existinglinkages, to de-velop conceptualarchitecture, andto suggest imple-mentation strate-gies for bilateraland global net-work connectivity.This work will aimto expand linksamong existingnetworks on bothsides to promoteglobal change re-search, disastermonitoring, andother applicationsin support of up-coming U.S.-Japancooperative spacemissions, and tofacilitate collabora-tion in analyzingand using satelliteand in-situ data.”

NOAA and theSTA jointly organized the JPWG. Itsfirst meeting was held in Tokyo in Sep-tember 1993 to discuss conceptual ar-chitecture and existing networkcomponents. At this meeting the JPWGestablished a work plan to identify glo-bal observation information networks,to develop estimates of global observa-tion information traffic volumes, andto establish demonstrations to fosterimplementation of global observationinformation networks. A goal of thework plan is to provide a degree ofcrosscutting infrastructure by develop-ing connectivity and interoperabilitythrough the use of common ap-

proaches, overview software, sharing oftechnology, and coordination of net-work policies. The GOIN work planrelies principally upon existing agencyresources and systems. It provides thecoordination mechanisms and infra-structure required for these existingresources to achieve the goals of theGOIN (Figure 2).

The JPWG pursues the goals ofGOIN through the process of develop-ing cooperative test bed network ex-periments using commonrequirements, standards, approaches,and technology sharing. The JPWG


▲ Figure 2. The organizational structure of GOIN, available online at http://www.goin.nasda.go.jp:80/GOIN/INTRO/images/fig-1.gif.

GOIN, from page 11meets semi-annually to identify exist-ing linkages, to develop conceptualarchitecture, and to suggest implemen-tation strategies for bilateral and globalnetwork connectivity (particularlythrough demonstrations). This workimplements expansion of the linksamong existing networks on both sides.

The JPWG established the JointTechnical Working Group (JTWG) toaddress specific technical issues of con-cern to the JPWG. The JTWG is com-posed of technical experts from the

participating agencies who work to-gether to identify technical issues, ap-proaches, and implementations forspecific technical issues, e.g., protocolsfor network link interoperability.Membership in the JTWG is expectedto be flexible and to change over timein order to address the specific techni-cal concerns tasked to it by the JPWG.The JTWG reports its findings at thesemi-annual JPWG meetings.

The GOIN initiative is an ad hoccoordination process where participa-tion in GOIN and the programs it de-

velops are on a voluntary basis. As anad hoc initiative, GOIN has no directdedicated funding and emphasizes theuse of existing infrastructure and pro-grams in the agencies of the UnitedStates and Japan such as existingagency networks and data and informa-tion systems.

GOIN Projects are focused in fourareas corresponding to the Subgroupsof the JTWG: Networks, Atmosphereand Oceans, Land, and Solar-Terrestrial.There are pilot projects in each Sub-group. The GOIN 97 Workshop held inBoulder, Colorado in June 1997 focusedon reports of the status of the PilotProject. The Network Subgroup set upspecial network connections to assurethat online demonstrations of PilotProjects had good connectivity to sys-tems in Japan and the United States.Pilot Projects included atmospheric andoceanographic in-situ data, atmosphericand oceanographic satellite data, solar-terrestrial data, and metadata systems.Several projects showed the scientificapplications of many of the instru-ments from the Japanese AdvancedEarth Observation Satellite (ADEOS)such as 700 meter resolution chloro-phyll-a and sea surface temperaturedata. One of several metadata projectsmakes available 300 Japanese data setdescriptions as a separate node on theNOAA Environmental Services DataDirectory. The Land Subgroup discussednew cooperative research institutes inAlaska and Hawaii. The Solar-TerrestrialSubgroup presented two pilot projectsthat concern near-real time detection ofgeomagnetic storms and modeling ofthe near-Earth space environment.

The goals of the GOIN agreementare being met. The Projects demon-strated cooperative efforts betweenmany Japanese and U.S. organizations,demonstrated the interchange of datafor research uses, and showed increaseduse of the networks to transfer largevolumes of data across the Pacific in atimely manner so that the user canoperate in an online, real-time mode.For information about GOIN, see theWWW Page at http://www.goin.nasda.go.jp:80/. For information about theGOIN 97 Workshop, see the WWWPage at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/GOIN/brochure.htm. ■


The National Oceanic and Atmo-spheric Administration (NOAA) and theNational Aeronautics and Space Admin-istration (NASA) have developed aTechnical Implementation Agreement(TIA) between NASA/Goddard SpaceFlight Center (GSFC) and the NationalEnvironmental Satellite, Data, and In-formation Service’s (NESDIS) NationalClimatic Data Center. The TIA will de-velop a prototype to demonstrate thefunctionality of the proposed NOAA/NASA long term, permanent, archivefor NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth(MTPE) data. The project will assist inunderstanding the complexity and pos-sible difficulties for NOAA in undertak-ing the archive and service functionsfor the MTPE data.

With this scenario, NOAA wouldhave a much greater role in the servic-ing of the data to NASA MTPE research-ers, and the role for NOAA ofpermanently archiving the MTPE datacould be more complex. This prototypeis designed to demonstrate the pro-cesses involved in acquiring the dataand products, in limited interoperabil-ity with users, in working collocatedwith NASA, and in providing rapid ac-cess to data and products.

The agreed upon data sets are theTotal Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-Earth Probe (TOMS-EP) data set and the

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite-Micro Limb Sounder (UARS-MLS).NOAA will establish a NOAA PrototypeArchive Facility at NASA GSFC. NOAAwill simulate receiving level 1A datadirectly from the Goddard servicingfacility. NOAA will also simulate receiv-ing satellite derived products from theNASA Distributive Active Archive Cen-ters (DAAC). The NOAA PrototypeArchive Facility at GSFC will ingest,archive, and provide access to the dataand products. NASA researchers willaccess the data and products from theNOAA facility. The entire process willdemonstrate the functionality of thelong term archive to receive and servicedata and DAAC developed products.

This demonstration complementsthe NOAA Virtual Data System architec-ture with a NOAA facility at NASAGSFC and the data being serviced fromanother location. There will be anevaluation phase to ensure suitableaccess to and servicing of data andproducts to meet the general user re-quirements of the U.S. Global ChangeResearch Program (USGRP), NOAA, andMTPE. NOAA will provide online ser-vice to NOAA as well as to NASA users.Under this demonstration proposal,NOAA will not develop and implementa new data archive, access, and/or dis-tribution technology, but will integrate

NASA/NOAA Prototype Long Term Archive Projectprototypical operations into existingNOAA systems.

At the end of the demonstration, areport detailing the transfer, archiving,and servicing functions will be pre-pared by NOAA and NASA MTPE. Thereport will evaluate baseline costs andsystem needs associated with the archi-val of the MTPE data by NOAA. Thereport will also evaluate the benefits ofthe collocated archive facility and therapid availability of the MTPE data. Theprototype will provide data access tomeet initial USGRP requirements. Thereport will use the prototype experienceto reanalyze these USGRP requirementsand the success of the prototype tofulfill those requirements.

Additionally, projections for vari-ous levels of long-term archive effortand associated costs will be refined byNOAA and MTPE. These will be pre-sented as additional costs abovebaseline, for providing enhanced datamanagement support services for theMTPE.

—Wayne M. FaasNational Climatic Data Center

Federal Plaza151 Patton Ave

Asheveille, NC 28801Phone: 704-271-4296

E-mail: [email protected] ■

Geophysics, from page 10distances. These signals reflect off boththe upper atmosphere or ionosphereand the Earth’s surface. Disturbances inthe ionosphere may result from achange in the electrodynamic structureof the ionosphere. These changes in theexternal current system are also cap-tured in the magnetic records. A dis-turbed ionosphere may absorb theradio wave or divert its path resultingin a loss of communication. The highertime resolution records available fromthe STP Division are used to help deter-mine which frequency to use whencommunicating between two locations.

Today, satellite communicationwith ground stations is critical and adisturbed ionosphere can result in avery temporary loss of the signal. Theprinciple problem is a rapid change indensity of the ionosphere over very

short distances. The equatorial iono-sphere is the most problematic. Thenew “cellular telephone satellite sys-tems” will experience similar problems.The ionospheric signature is recorded inthe one minute geomagnetic variationsdata.

Satellite anomaliesSome of the operational anomalies

experienced by satellite systems are dueto the external current systems. As thesatellite is inundated by a stream ofenergetic charged particles which carrythe external current, one part of thespacecraft may develop a charge relativeto other parts and the discharge maycause an operational anomaly. Theresponsible current system will have amagnetic signature that may be seen bymagnetometers on the ground or on

other satellites. These signals requirevery high data rates and are most fre-quently seen in data from high lati-tudes.

Scientific researchThe unique feature of magnetic

data is that it can record the effects ofall electrical currents that may be a verylong distance away from the magne-tometer. This is both its blessing and itscurse, because the exact location of thecurrent is very difficult to ascertain.

Space physicists use high time reso-lution geomagnetic variations fromsatellites and ground-based observato-ries to study the occurrence frequencyand electrodynamic structure of exter-nal current systems flowing in the near-Earth space environment. Figure 3



The NODC’s Internet Security SystemAs part of the ongoing effort to

upgrade and improve the NationalOceanographic Data Center’s (NODC)computing and communications sys-tem, the NODC implemented anInternet “firewall” security system inJune 1996. The IBM Internet Connec-tion Secured Network Gateway (SNG)installed at the NODC serves as a filterbetween NODC’s internal network (se-cure) and other networks (non-secure)on the Internet. The purpose of thefirewall is to prevent unauthorized ac-cess to internal NODC servers.

To provide access to NODC dataand information for the general public,the NODC mirrors certain data re-sources and systems on external serversoutside the firewall. The NODC’s sys-tem is a bastion firewall, a machinethat is placed between the secure(NODC internal) and the non-secure(Internet) network where the InternetProtocol (IP) forwarding is broken,which means no IP packet can gothrough this machine. As the routing isbroken, the only place from which youcan access both networks is the bastionitself. Therefore, only users who havean account on the bastion, with adouble identification (one for the bas-tion and one for the remote host), canuse services on both the networks.

There are three ways to use the IBMFirewall software, SNG. The NODC’sdesign consider-ations included:1. Filter Rules only -allows all traffic topass freely subject tospecific rules thatcan allow or denyspecific IP packets.2. Proxy - telnet andftp sessions from thesecure side “talk” toa telnet’d or ftp’ddaemon that con-trols the non-secureside. From the non-secure side, a telnet’ddaemon “talks” to asecure side daemon.Ftp is not allowedfrom the non-securenet to the secure net.This technique

breaks the connection between thesecure and non-secure networks. It alsomeans that two daemons are runningfor each user session thereby increasingthe work load on the firewall machine.Proxy is used in conjunction with filterrules.3. SOCKS - a client-server technology.Client software (e.g. rtelnet and rftp)must be installed on each machine inthe secure network that needs access tothe Internet. A SOCKS server runs onthe firewall machine to handle outgo-ing telnet and ftp sessions. Telnet andftp sessions from the non-secure net-work are controlled by filter rules.

The SOCKS server is an emergingstandard for application-level gatewaysthat does not require the overhead of amore conventional proxy server. TheSOCKS server is a bastion configurationsince the session is broken at thefirewall. The NODC chose to use theSOCKS implementation with filter rulesand a private (secure) network. SOCKSneeds to have new versions of the cli-ent code (known as SOCKSified clients)and a separate set of configuration pro-files on the firewall. The server machinedoes not need modification; it is un-aware that the session is being relayedby sockd.

The NODC SOCKSified clients wereinstalled on all machines in the private(secure) network. The NODC has an

additional RISC 6000 E30 that is config-ured to replace the firewall machinewithin a few hours should the firewallmachine fail completely.

The NODC also chose to use a Se-cure Net Keycard for those users whorequire telnet access to the secure net-work from the Internet or dial-up.Each authorized user has an account onthe firewall machine. When they telnetin, they are to enter their user name;the firewall machine then answers witha “challenge” number (instead of apassword) and the user enters the chal-lenge number on their Secure Card.The Secure Card displays an “answer”number on the firewall machine and ifit is the number that the firewall ma-chine expects at that instant, the telnetsession is established. This does notwork for ftp sessions as no incoming ftpsessions are permitted.

—Natalie WongADP Support Division

National Oceanographic Data CenterNOAA/NESDIS

SSMC3, 4th Floor1315 East-West Highway

Silver Spring, MD 20910-3382E-mail: [email protected] ■

▲ Figure 1. The NODC Firewall


Data productsand services

CONTACT POINTS

National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)704-271-4800

Fax: 704-271-4876E-mail: Climate Services - [email protected] Satellite Services -

[email protected]: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/

National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)303-497-6419

Fax: 303-497-6513E-mail: [email protected]

WWW: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/

National Oceanographic Data Center(NODC)

301-713-3277Fax: 301-713-3302

E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.nodc.noaa.gov

NOAA Environmental Services Data Directory

301-713-0572(Gerry Barton)

Fax: 301-713-1249E-mail: [email protected]

WWW: http://www.esdim.noaa.gov/#data-products

NOAA Central LibraryReference Services:

301-713-2600Fax: 301-713-4599

E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.lib.noaa.gov/

Geomagnetic Data Library onlineThe National Geophysical Data

Center (NGDC) has completed the pre-liminary imaging process for the Geo-magnetic Data Library (GDL). This projectbegan in mid-1996, when approximately2200 unique charts from locations world-wide were transferred from the U.S. NavalOceanographic Office to NGDC. NGDChas enhanced the library data base andgenerated “inventory” images. The gen-eral character of the original map is cap-tured but fine details are not recorded. Aprototype version of the WWW searchengine which couples the inventory im-age and the associated database param-eters has been developed. Approximately800 of these charts are from U.S. agenciesand will be made available on NGDC’sWeb site. The remaining images will beadded as permissions from non-U.S.agencies are obtained.Contact: NGDC

New service in SeattleThe “Ask a Librarian” service on the

NOAA Seattle library web site (http://www.wrclib.noaa.gov/lib/) has been re-vised and is now a referral service to websites related to marine and atmosphericscience topics. Sidney Stillwaugh, NODCLiaison Officer, has agreed to participatein the reference service and will aid inrouting users to sites pertaining to marineand atmospheric data (Maureen Woods,E/OC43, 206-526-6241).Contact: NOAA Seattle Library

NCDC World Wide Web updatesThe National Climatic Data Center

(NCDC) has implemented a new methodfor ordering CD-ROM products through aWeb-based ordering system located onthe Products, Publications, and Servicessection of NCDC’s homepage (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov). Customers can noworder all NCDC CD-ROM productsthrough NCDC’s website using their VISA,MasterCard, American Express, or NCDCOpen Account. CD-ROMs orderedthrough this Web-based system are at adiscount price to those ordered via othermeans (such as by phone). This summer,NCDC will add their most popular publi-cations to the ordering system, and willplace a new NCDC homepage with im-proved user interfaces online.

NCDC has also expanded its Webpage on weather events of 1993-1997. Itnow provides quick access to 22 reports

covering extreme weather events andstorms of the past 5 years. Recent addi-tions for 1997 include the March floodingand tornadoes in the Mississippi and OhioValleys, the Northern Plains flooding, andthe May tornadoes in Texas. It also linksto a complete report on the 1996 hurri-cane season, and to NCDC’s latest updateon “Billion Dollar Weather Disasters of1980-1997.” Weather event reports canbe located at URL: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/rcsg/weather-events.html.Contact: NCDC

Data centers provide neweducational resources online

The NOAA Paleoclimatology Programhas created a series of Web pages de-signed to explain the science of paleocli-matology and current global changeissues to lay persons. As the Web has be-come more universal, greater numbers ofnon-technical users are reaching NOAA

and other agency Web pages, makingeducation a necessary function of techni-cal Web sites. This educational site offersa paleoclimatology science primer andaccess to a collection of other sites relatedto paleoclimatology, which detail the useof various investigative methodologiesfrom pack rat collections to coral cores tovolcanoes and fossil plant material. TheURL is: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/education.html.Contact: NGDC

Solar Flare IndexDr. Tamer Atac and Dr. Atila Ozguc,

Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Re-search Institute in Istanbul, Turkey, havesent the National Geophysical Data Cen-ter (NGDC) their daily solar cycle 22 SolarFlare Index, 1986-1996. This index isbased on earlier work by J. Kleczek of theCzech Republic. The importance of a flareis multiplied by its duration, giving thetotal energy emitted by the flare. Dailysums for the northern and southern hemi-spheres are computed, as well as for thetotal solar disk. The NGDC-grouped solarflare archive data were used in prepara-tion of the indices. The indices will appearin the next issue of NGDC’s publication,Solar-Geophysical Data, and reside onNGDC’s File Transfer Protocol anonymousaccount of “Solar Databases” for GlobalChange Models.Contact: NGDC

National Radar Mosaic onlineThe National Climatic Data Center

(NCDC) has placed national WSR-88DDoppler Radar (aka NEXRAD) mosaicreflectivity images on line for web users tobrowse. Images can be reached throughthe NCDC web site under What’s New; orusers may go directly to http://www4.ncdc.noaa. gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?WWNEXRAD~Images. The images areproduced by Weather Services Interna-tional (WSI) and provided through theGlobal Energy and Water Cycle Experi-ment Continental-Scale InternationalProject (GCIP). Mosaic images are avail-able once daily from April 1, 1995through April 18, 1997, and hourly fromApril 19, 1997 to the present time. Theavailability of the most recent images isdelayed approximately two days to com-ply with copyright requirements. DickCram of NCDC is the coordinator of thiseffort.Contact: NCDC


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change could the Geosat observationsbe released to the general public. Allthe work was worth the effort, however,as the images that emerged fromNOAA’s Geosat project forever changedthe way in which El Niño and the oceanin general is perceived. As shown inFigures 3 and 4, El Niño and La Niña areglobal-scale phenomena whose signa-tures stretch across the entire breadth ofthe Pacific, spanning one-third of theEarth’s circumference.

The Laboratory for Satellite Altim-

▲ Figure 4. Sea level in April 1988 when values along the equator were 20 cm belownormal. Easterly wind anomalies throughout 1988 lowered sea surface temperatures inthe equatorial Pacific, creating a cold event known as La Niña. Color versions of Figures3 and 4 are available online at: http://ibis.grdl.noaa.gov/SAT/gdrs/geosat.html.

-30 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Geosat Sea Level Deviation Apr 88

H (cm)

NOAA / Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry

etry will participate in three upcomingsatellite altimeter missions, all of whichwill have operational aspects. TheNavy’s Geosat Follow-On (GFO) satellitein late 1997 will be followed two yearslater by Jason-1 (the follow-on to T/P)and the European Space Agency’sEnvisat. Based on the success of the T/Passimilation project, the near-real timeflow of altimeter data to NCEP andother international weather centers willcontinue to be a priority. ■

illustrates a selection and browse sessionconducted from the Space Physics Inter-active Data Resource system. Some ofthose studies are conducted by scientistsat NGDC. Geophysicists use magneticdata from ground-based and satellitedata to study the Earth’s magnetic fieldand its extension into space. Geologistsuse magnetic data to study the structureand evolution of the Earth’s crust.

ConclusionGeomagnetic data are unique and

are used in numerous applications re-quiring magnetic models or direct mea-surements; high temporal or low

temporal resolution; polar or equatorialregions; ground-based or satellite-bornemeasurements, etc. The national ar-chives at NGDC are able to meet mostrequirements for the stated applications.NGDC’s geomagnetic data can be ac-cessed on the Web at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/potfld/geomag.html or inspecific topical areas at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov: 8080 and http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/geodas/ geodas.html. ■

Geophysics, from page 13

operational program improves nws seasonal forecaststhis inventory of physical and biologi-cal data...

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