Scientists aboard NOAA's WP-3 Lockheed Orion aircraft N43RF will be flying through springtime Arctic pollution to find out why the region is warming — and summertime sea ice is melting — faster than predicted. Some 35 NOAA researchers are gathering with government and university colleagues in Fairbanks, Alaska, to conduct the study through April 23.

Called ARCPAC (Aerosol, Radiation, and Cloud Processes affecting Arctic Climate Change), the project is a NOAA contribution to International Polar Year 2008. The experiment will be coordinated with the agency’s long-term climate monitoring station at Barrow, Alaska, and with simultaneous projects conducted by NASA and the Department of Energy.

Scientists aboard the aircraft will use nearly 30 airborne sensors to answer questions about airborne particles, altered clouds, low-altitude ozone, and soot deposited on snow. Read the full story.

Students visit NOAA aircraft during 2007 Hurricane Awareness Tour

NOAA Hurricane Hunter Aircraft to Embark on Gulf Coast Tour

NOAA hurricane experts will travel aboard a NOAA WP-3 Orion turboprop Hurricane Hunter aircraft in a five-day, five-city tour of the Gulf Coast beginning April 14 to raise awareness of the hurricanes that can and have threatened the region.

The aircraft will visit Corpus Christi, Texas, Galveston, Texas, New Orleans, Louisiana., Apalachicola, Florida, and Ft. Myers, Florida. The public and media are invited to tour the aircraft and speak with the delegation.

The hurricane awareness tour has been conducted for more than 25 years, alternating between the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, and is followed by NOAA’s hurricane hazard education campaign during national Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 25 to 31. The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1. Read the full story.

RUDE current and former officers and crew at decommissioning ceremony

NOAA Ship RUDE is Retired

The Smallest NOAA Ship Made Big Contributions -- The 90-ft. NOAA ship RUDE (pronounced “Rudy”), best known for its round-the-clock efforts to find the wreckage from TWA flight 800 in July 1996 and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s aircraft in July 1999, was decommissioned at its home port at NOAA’s Marine Operations Center-Atlantic in Norfolk, Va. on March 25 after 41 years of service.

Former commanding officers and crew, including the first commanding officer, CAPT Donald Florwick, NOAA (ret.), and first Executive Officer CDR Karl Kieninger, Jr., NOAA (ret.) gathered for an emotional farewell to the ship. In keeping with tradition, presentation of the ship’s commissioning pennant was made to the ship's last commanding officer, LCDR Rick Brennan, and of the ship’s National ensign to Chief Boatswain Gordon Pringle as the longest-serving (14 years) crew member. The ship’s sign board was presented to Gilbert Rude’s granddaughter, Mrs. Julia Thomas, who was RUDE’s sponsor.

The ship’s operational area was primarily along the U.S. Atlantic coast in support of NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey, which is responsible for charting the nation's waterways in support of safe, efficient, and environmentally sound marine transportation. Read the NOAA Press Release for the full story.

Chief Bos'n Sliney tosses line to fishing vessel

CB William Sliney passes a heaving line to the crew of the disabled fishing vessel.
-- Photo by SST Kathy Hough

OSCAR DYSON Lends Support Beyond Usual Alaska Operations

NOAA Ship OSCAR DYSON briefly broke away from fishery research in March to conduct both simulated and real emergency operations under two very different scenarios.

On the evening of March 26, OSCAR DYSON responded to a call for assistance by a disabled fishing vessel drifting toward rocks near Afognak Island in Shelikof Strait. OSCAR DYSON towed the boat to a rendezvous with a second fishing vessel at Cape Douglas. The other fishing vessel had been dispatched from Homer, Alaska, earlier to tow the disabled vessel home, but was unable to arrive in time to prevent it from running aground. Fortunately, OSCAR DYSON was in the area to intervene. Six hours later, the disabled vessel was successfully transferred. Photo Captions: CB William Sliney passes a heaving line to the crew of the disabled fishing vessel. NOAA Ship OSCAR DYSON towing a disabled fishing vessel from the stern.

OSCAR DYSON served as a training platform to conduct medical evacuation drills for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) on March 13, 2008. The ship worked with two USCG rescue helicopters based at USCG Air Station Kodiak. Each of the two USCG aircraft and aircrew were provided with one hour of ship time while underway in Chiniak Bay. The drills are essential to conduct in order to assure that the ship’s outlined procedures would work in an emergency situation. Read the full story

New Video about NOAA

A "One NOAA" video produced by NOAA's National Ocean Service's video studio (Ocean Media) in Seattle, shows footage of our ships, aircraft, and diving operations. Take a look to see some of the work we do for NOAA. (Quicktime movie - 8.24MB)

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NOAA Aircraft to Probe Arctic Pollution