Images from the Field
Aerial view of the Marine Operations Center-Pacific in Newport, Ore.
With NOAA Ships MacArthur II, Rainier, Oscar Dyson, Fairweather and Bell M. Shimada alongside.
High resolution image
Photo: USCG
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Director's Message
On Jan. 17, Commerce Secretary Bryson held an all-hands meeting in Silver Spring to address President Obama’s plan to ask Congress for the authority to reorganize and consolidate the government. The intent is to strengthen the ways that American businesses can work with the government to compete, export, and grow. At this stage, the President is focused on getting this consolidation authority from Congress. Once that authority is granted, a more detailed proposal will be outlined, following consultation with a broad range of stakeholders including Congress. Secretary Bryson indicated that under this plan NOAA would be moved to the Department of the Interior. NOAA and OMAO leadership are following these developments closely and will keep you informed as more information becomes available. Secretary Bryson also emphasized that the missions of NOAA remain essential to the nation and would continue regardless of any reorganization. At OMAO, our mission to safely operate NOAA ships and aircraft is unchanged. I’m proud to lead such a dedicated group of people and will continue to advance the best interests of OMAO. The nation depends on your work. Stay focused and safe.
Sincerely,
RADM Jonathan W. Bailey
OMAO News
NOAA P-3 Departs for 'Ocean Winds' MissionA NOAA research aircraft headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, last week for a month-long mission to validate ocean wind speed measurements taken by satellites. During the project, dubbed Ocean Winds, the WP-3D Orion, known for its hurricane hunting work, will gather data over the North Atlantic in high-wind and heavy precipitation conditions. Scientists will use the data to calibrate and validate surface wind measurements from the European ASCAT and the Indian OceanSat2 weather satellites. Researchers on board the specialized NOAA aircaft (N43RF) will also study how satellite-based wind measurements are affected by sea surface temperature variations.
NOAA Ship Ka‘imimoana Departs on Multi-purpose Cruise
NOAA Ship Ka‘imimoana set sail last week on a 35-day mission to Costa Rica. Along the way, the ship will service Tropical Atmosphere and Ocean (TAO) and Deep-ocean and Assessment and Tsunami Reporting (DART) buoys along the 110W and 95W meridians. In addition, the ship will host an array of atmospheric and climatic projects by the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Hawaii, Hokaido University (Japan) and the University of York (England). Follow the ship’s progress on the recently improved Ship Tracker.
NOAA Gulfstream IV Gathering Storm Data Over Pacific
NOAA’s Gulfstream IV-SP aircraft has been deployed to the Pacific to enhance winter storm forecasts for the entire North American continent. Operating out of a U.S. Coast Guard air station in Honolulu, the G-IV and crew are collecting and quality checking data on wind speed and direction, pressure, temperature and humidity from sensor probes dropped from the plane. NOAA forecasters use the information to predict the location and intensity of high winds, destructive surf conditions, severe weather and flooding rainfall caused by winter storms. The winter storms reconnaissance mission continues through February. The G-IV, which is also used for hurricane surveillance, is based at the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Tampa, Fla.
NOAA Ships Donate Mattresses to Local Charities
NOAA Ship Fairweather and NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson donated 87 mattresses to two local Oregon charities in January. Volunteers from South Lincoln Resources collected 37 of the 87 mattresses recently replaced aboard the two ships, which are currently alongside at the NOAA Marine Operations Center-Pacific facility in Newport, Ore. Officers from Fairweather and Oscar Dyson delivered the remaining 50 mattresses to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, in Eugene, Ore. to be recycled. South Lincoln Resources serves working families, single-parent families, and retired and disabled residents who are on fixed incomes, by providing beds, furniture and working appliances. St. Vincent de Paul is the largest mattress recycler in North America. In addition to preventing recyclable materials from entering landfills, the program creates local entry-level jobs with transferable skills.
Working for You
Last August CAPT Steve Manzo (ret) relieved RDML Mike Devany as Director, Marine Operations Centers (MOC), allowing RDML Devany to step into his current role as Director, Marine and Aviation Operations Centers (MAOC). CAPT Eric Berkowitz was recently assigned as the deputy director of MOC. Co-located in Newport, Ore. with the Marine Operations Center-Pacific (MOC-P), MOC facilitates customer service to OMAO ships and the programs they support, prioritizes safety and facilitates efficient ship fleet operations. Both MOC-P and Marine Operations Center-Atlantic (MOC-A) report to MOC. While MOC-P and MOC-A focus on day-to-day ship operations and program execution, MOC handles mission support activities such as personnel, resource management, marine engineering, and electronics engineering.
In the Spotlight
NOAA ships are in the data collection business. Our vessels gather information about everything from ocean temperature, depth and salinity to wind speed, humidity, and barometric temperature. To meet the challenge of processing all that data—and more—OMAO’s Systems Development Branch developed special software that collects, displays and archives data from a ship’s navigational, meteorological and oceanographic instruments. SCS has proven to be such a valuable tool for ship operators and researchers that it has been adopted by other ocean agencies, both in the United States and abroad. LT Laura Gallant recently interviewed CDR Ralph Rodgers with OMAO’s Marine and Aviation Operations Centers about SCS and its growing popularity.
LG: What, in your view, makes SCS such a valuable and popular tool?
RR: SCS software is so flexible it can be customized to work with a variety of sensor configurations and aboard many different types of platforms.
LG: What other agencies are using SCS?
RR: Nationally, the software is used by the U.S. Coast Guard, and many vessels in the University-National Oceanography Laboratory System (UNOLS). Internationally, it’s being used by the South African National Antarctic Program, the British Antarctic Survey, Canadian Coast Guard, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science, and Japan Marine Science and Technology Center.
LG: I understand that the Irish Marine Institute has also adopted SCS.
RR: Yes. The Irish Marine Institute (MI), which is the national agency responsible for marine research, technology development and innovation for the Republic of Ireland, is the latest to use SCS. It would be fair to say they are NOAA’s equivalent for managing a national scientific fleet. NOAA has granted the software license free of charge to the MI, as it does for other research vessels. However, NOAA/OMAO retains all rights to the software.
LG: What kind of vessels does MI have?
RR: The MI operates two research vessels: The R/V Celtic Explorer, which is a low-noise multipurpose research vessel designed for undertaking a wide array of offshore and deep-sea survey operations, and the R/V Celtic Voyage, a multipurpose vessel used in coastal research and offshore survey operations.
LG: How does marine science in general benefit from having so many ships using SCS?
RR: There are two potential benefits to widespread use of the software: compatibility for archiving and reduced costs since no other agency has to duplicate NOAA’s efforts in developing the capability. Of course, this spirit of collaboration is important both for agencies and for the international scientific community.
LG: Is OMAO’s SCS software becoming an industry standard?
RR: As widespread as it is now, I think it would be safe to say it is an industry standard.
Bravo Zulu!
OMAO met its Combined Federal Campaign pledge goal for 2011. Many thanks to all who participated and to OMAO CFC keyworkers Mary Ortiz, Darlene Dufour, Lori Bast, LTJG Laura Gibson and Andrew Ferguson. For those who would still like to contribute, it’s not too late. The e-giving option is no longer available, but the CFC paper pledge deadlines has been extended to Feb. 29. If you did not have a chance to give via the e-giving option before the holidays, your office keyworkers can provide you with a pledge form so you can still contribute to the campaign.
Coming and Going
Electronics Engineering Branch Chief Frank Colohan retired from NOAA in December after 26 years with OMAO and 30 years of federal service. We thank him for his service and wish him all the best.
Change of Command:
- CDR Peter Fischel relieved CDR Jeremy Adams as commanding officer of NOAA Ship Pisces on Dec. 8. CDR Adams has reported as the NOAA liaison to the U.S. Coast Guard.
- CDR James Crocker relieved CAPT David Neander as commanding officer of NOAA Ship Fairweather on Jan. 12.
- CDR Scott Sirois relieved CDR Todd Bridgeman as commanding officer of NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada on Jan. 26. CDR Bridgeman will report to Commissioned Personnel Center as Chief, Officer Career Management Division.
The following employees reported aboard in November and December:
- James Best, Able Seaman, Thomas Jefferson
- Belinda Goody, Program Support Assistant, MOC-P
- Monica Gourd, Supervisory Budget Analyst, MOC Resource Management Branch
- Geoffrey Wilke, Naval Architect, Marine Engineering Branch
- Elisabeth Cousins, Budget Analyst, Resource Management Division
- Cathy Shrestha, Budget Analyst, Resource Management Division
The following Wage Mariner positions were filled internally during the months of November and December:
- Thomas Jefferson – Chief Engineer – Thomas Cleary
- Thomas Jefferson – Senior Hydrographic Survey Technician – Frankie Daniel
- Oscar Dyson – Second Assistant Engineer – Vicente Fernando
- Rueben Lasker – Chief Engineer – Jeffery Hokkanen
- Thomas Jefferson – Chief Hydrographic Survey Technician – Peter Lewit
- Nancy Foster – Second Assistant Engineer – Carlito Delapena
- Fairweather – Second Assistant Engineer – Shauna Glasser
- Oscar Dyson – Fisherman – Robert MacDonough
The Exchange
Frequently asked questions, answered...
Question: I hear that OMAO has developed a new strategic plan. What is the purpose of the plan?
Answer: The OMAO Strategic Plan will provide future direction for OMAO by aligning the organization’s goals with the NOAA Strategic Plan, setting priorities, and identifying resources required to meet mission requirements. Draft strategic planning documents and frequently asked questions about the plan are available on the Inside OMAO website. (NOAA email user name and password required.) Questions may also be directed to Jeffrey Anderson (Jeffrey.A.Anderson@noaa.gov) with the OMAO Program Services Division.
On the Radar
- Jan. 16-Feb. 3: Working Diver Course, Key West, Fla.
- Feb. 6-16: Mid Grade Officer Training, Kansas City, Mo.
The Water Cooler
The OMAO Nexus editorial team receives many great photos from the field each year. To see some of the best unpublished OMAO photos of 2011, click here.