Wind field map of Hurricane Dennis that incorporates real-timemeasurements from an experimental stepped frequency microwaveradiometer sensor.

Volume 3, Number 9September 1999 Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

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NOAA Hurricane Scientists Achieve Long-Time Goal ofIncorporating Real-Time Data

Hurricane forecasters used a new measurement technology to accomplish their long-term goal of improved observations and forecasts of sea-level winds in hurricanes. OnAugust 29, 1999, scien-tists from the NationalOceanic and AtmosphericAdministration’s AircraftOperations Center andHurricane Research Divi-sion (HRD) of AOMLsuccessfully transmittedsea-level wind measure-ments from HurricaneDennis using an experi-mental instrument aboardone of the NOAA “hurri-cane hunter” researchreconnaissance aircraft.

The new measure-ments were incorporatedinto HRD’s real-time hur-ricane wind analysissystem and combinedwith conventional winddata from buoys, ships,Global Positioning Sys-tem (GPS) dropwind-sondes, and satellite cloud tracking to determine Dennis’ wind field. Forecasters at theNational Hurricane Center used the enhanced wind field as guidance to distribute warn-ings of gale force winds (40 mph or higher) over coastal North and South Carolina.

“What this new set of data provides is continuous measurement of wind speed over alarge area,” says NOAA/AOML hurricane wind field expert Mark Powell. “Based onsuccessful comparison to observations such as buoys and coastal weather stations, thedata from the new instrument was accepted by the HRD analysis system in real-time andused by the National Hurricane Center.”

The technology in this experiment featured a stepped frequency microwave radiometer(SFMR) built by the University of Massachusetts and Quadrant Engineering in Amherst,Massachusetts. The SFMR measured the signal returned by the surface beneath theaircraft as it was churned up by hurricane winds. This technology (continued on page 2)

ENVIDS Provides WebAccess to AOML Data Sets

AOML’s new Environmental IntranetData Server, ENVIDS, became operationalin August 1999. ENVIDS is the productof a two-year effort to provide interactive,on-demand World-Wide Web access to avariety of environmental data sets compiledat AOML. Access to and retrieval of datais facilitated by viewing and/or retrievingselected data sets using a Web browser.Current ENVIDS data sets include:

• Oceanographic sounding data (CTDs[conductivity-temperature-depth] from thetropical Pacific and XBTs [expendablebathythermographs] from the Atlantic)

• Flight-level data from hurricane recon-naissance missions

• Biology and ocean chemistry data (pro-vides a hyperlink to the Ocean ChemistryDivision data server)

• 1998 World Ocean Atlas (WOA98)

Global Lagragian drifter data and dataabout the history of hurricanes in theAtlantic basin will be added to ENVIDS inthe future. The URLs for the ENVIDSIntranet web site are:

http://db/dbwebhttp://db.aoml.noaa.gov/dbweb

Comments, ideas, and/or suggestions forimproving ENVIDS are welcome.

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year 2000 (FYyear 2000 (FYyear 2000 (FYyear 2000 (FYyear 2000 (FY-2000) begins-2000) begins-2000) begins-2000) begins-2000) beginsOctober 1, 1999October 1, 1999October 1, 1999October 1, 1999October 1, 1999

Closeup of northwest region of Turkey showing location of massive 7.4earthquake.

has been in use for research purposes fora number of years, but has never been avail-able in real-time for forecasting.

The measurements from the SFMR sen-sor provided a critical addition to existingtools for wind speed measurements, saidPowell. Dropwindsondes deployed fromaircraft flying through and around a hurri-cane have been instrumental in providingpoint observations within a storm, sendinginformation every half second. Winds mea-sured at approximately 10,000 ft by theU.S. Air Force and NOAA hurricane re-connaissance aircraft are used in atmo-spheric models to estimate surface winds,resulting in as much as 20% uncertainty.By incorporating the SFMR wind speeddata, scientists hope to reduce this uncer-tainty to provide more accurate forecastsfor coastal communities.

“The SFMR gives us much more com-plete storm coverage at the surface thanthe sondes, and at a fraction of the cost”said Peter Black, the HRD scientist whohelped develop the SFMR. “Eventually wehope to see this instrument on all hurricanehunter aircraft.”

Official NOAA press release of September2, 1999. Contact: Erica Van Coverden(coverden@aoml.noaa.gov or 305-361-4541).

(continued from page 1)

Daily Tropical Weather Discussion

12:30 p.m. (Weekdays)4th Floor Map Room

Approx. 20 minutesIn support of the Hurricane Research Division’s annual Hurricane Field Pro-gram, join us for daily map discussions about tropical cyclones around theworld, with a focus on Atlantic hurricanes. Each week a new volunteer will leadthe discussions. For more information, contact Chris Landsea(landsea@aoml.noaa.gov or 305-361-4357).

Former Director Returns Safely from Vacation in TurkeyHugo Bezdek, AOML Director from 1979-1997, traveled to Turkey this past August

for a vacation. During his visit, Turkey experienced a massive 7.4 earthquake.Hugo began his vacation in Turkey with a visit to the city of Istanbul on August 7th.

He traveled with friends to Amasaya a few days later to view the last total solar eclipse ofthe 20th century on August 11th. Atmospheric conditions for viewing the eclipse wereso ideal at Amasaya that television pictures and footage of the event, which lasted ap-proximately 2 minutes, 45 seconds, were broadcast locally and internationally.

After the eclipse,Hugo and friends trav-eled to the ancient cityof Ankara. On August16th, they left Ankarato visit the village ofUrgup in Cappadocia,southeast of Ankara.The following morningat 3:00 a.m. local timethe 45-second earth-quake struck. Fortu-nately, Urgup was notaffected. Ankara, lo-cated about 160 milesfrom the earthquakeepicenter did, however,experience the quake,but not seriouslyenough to cause anydeaths or structuraldamage. The north-western industrial cityof Izmit, closest to theearthquake’s epicenter,suffered massive de-struction and damage.While the official deathtoll is estimated at just over 15,000 people, the unoffical estimate is as high as 30,000.Istanbul also experienced damage from the earthquake in a few of its districts.

Much of Turkey sits on an earthquake-prone belt known as the North Anatolian fault,a 900-mile crack in the earth. The North Anatolian fault is a “strike-skip fault,” muchlike the San Andreas fault in California, characterized by the horizontal movement ofrocks on one side of the fault sliding past rocks on the other side. Seven earthquakeshave occurred along the North Analtolian fault since 1939, when a record 8.0 quakekilled an estimated 40,000 people in the eastern province of Erzincan.

We are relieved that Hugo is back in Miami safe and sound. Welcome home, Hugo!

New, governmentpicture identifica-tion cards arebeing processed andd i s t r i b u t e dthroughout AOML.

If you haven’t had your picturetaken for a new ID card, pleasecontact Sharon Kenefick, AOMLreceptionist, to schedule anappointment (305-361-4420 orreceptionist@aoml.noaa.gov).AOML staff members are encour-aged to wear their new ID cardsto distinguish them from the manyguests that daily visit the AOMLfacility. The ID cards can also beused as proof of employment onVirginia Key/Key Biscayne whenpurchasing Rickenbacker Causewayannual passes.

GOV’T IDCARDS

CongratulationsNirva Morisseau-Leroy, Oracle Data-

base Administrator and Application Devel-oper for AOML’s Hurricane ResearchDivision, has written a book about theSQLJ programming language. Oracle 8iSQLJ Programming: Database Program-ming in Java for Enterprise SystemsDevelopment “targets database applicationdevelopers who wish to use cutting-edgetechnology to vend information over theWeb. The SQLJ language specifies theintegration of SQL statements in Javaprograms.” Coauthors include MartinSolomon, Computer Science Professor atFlorida Atlantic University, and GeraldMomplaisir, former director of AOML’sComputer Networks and Services Division.The 608-page book has been published byOsborne/McGraw-Hill and will be availablefor purchase in November 1999.

Chunzai Wang, Oceanographer with thePhysical Oceanography Division, has beenselected to serve on the ERL OutstandingScientific Paper Selection Panel. The panelwill determine the winner(s) of the 1999ERL Outstanding Scientific Paper Award.

FarewellLTJG Ginger Garte, NOAA Corp officer

assigned to AOML’s Ocean ChemistryDivision, resigned from the NOAA Corpson September 3, 1999. Ginger joins Car-nival Cruise Lines to become a supervisorin their newly developed EnvironmentalHealth and Safety Division. DuringGinger’s two year tour of duty at AOML,she assisted Ocean Chemistry Division sci-entists with several sediment programresearch projects. Ginger also served asAOML’s 1999 Morale, Welfare, andRecreation Committee chairperson and vol-untarily taught aerobics classes to the staffof AOML, Southeast Fisheries, andUniversity of Miami’s Rosenstiel School ofMarine and Atmospheric Science. Best ofluck to Ginger for her continued success.

September Guest Seminars*September 2, 1999 LowLowLowLowLow-wavenumber structure and evolution of-wavenumber structure and evolution of-wavenumber structure and evolution of-wavenumber structure and evolution of-wavenumber structure and evolution of

the hurricane inner core observed by air-the hurricane inner core observed by air-the hurricane inner core observed by air-the hurricane inner core observed by air-the hurricane inner core observed by air-borneborneborneborneborne dual-Doppler radardual-Doppler radardual-Doppler radardual-Doppler radardual-Doppler radarPaul ReasorDepartment of Atmospheric SciencesColorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado

September 15, 1999 Diagnostics of the Surface Momentum FDiagnostics of the Surface Momentum FDiagnostics of the Surface Momentum FDiagnostics of the Surface Momentum FDiagnostics of the Surface Momentum Fieldieldieldieldieldin the Pin the Pin the Pin the Pin the PacificacificacificacificacificDonald B. OlsonUniversity of Miami/Rosenstiel School of Marineand Atmospheric Science, Miami, Florida

September 17, 1999 RRRRRelationships between ENSO phase andelationships between ENSO phase andelationships between ENSO phase andelationships between ENSO phase andelationships between ENSO phase andAAAAAtlantic circulation response from antlantic circulation response from antlantic circulation response from antlantic circulation response from antlantic circulation response from anAfrican perspectiveAfrican perspectiveAfrican perspectiveAfrican perspectiveAfrican perspectiveMark JuryUniversity of Zululand,KwaDlangezwa, South Africa

*Seminars begin at 3:00 p.m. in the first floor conference room. Coffee and teaare served at 2:45 p.m.

Rickenbacker Causewayannual passes (C-Pass andC-Card) must be renewedby October 1, 1999. Forinformation and questions,

contact the Rickenbacker Causeway TollPlaza at (305) 854-2468.

Project H.O.P.E. Dispels Myths About EpilepsyPaul Dammann, oceanographer

with AOML’s Ocean AcousticsDivision, has become a mentor forProject H.O.P.E. (Helping OtherPeople with Epilepsy). The programis sponsored by the Epilepsy Foun-dation of America, a national vol-unteer health organization dedi-cated to the prevention and cure ofseizure disorders, alleviation of theireffects, and promotion of optimalquality of life for people affected bysuch disorders.

Project H.O.P.E. seeks to edu-cate the public about epilepsy andto dispel myths and misconceptionsconcerning the condition. Paul is one of only six individuals in the United States toundergo and complete the training to become a Project H.O.P.E. mentor. He becameinvolved with Project H.O.P.E. to encourage others with epilepsy to realize they can leadproductive lives and to increase public awareness of the disorder. The Epilepsy Founda-tion of America would eventually like to have trained mentors in all 63 of their affiliateoffices.

“Epilepsy and its Effects in the Research Environment,” Paul’s first presentation as aProject H.O.P.E. mentor, was made at AOML on Friday, September 10, 1999. He willbe presenting additional seminars to various special interest groups and businesses in thelocal Miami area on behalf of Project H.O.P.E. in the near future. “There isn’t any largegroup that doesn’t have contact with epilepsy,” states Paul.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurring seizures, brief, tempo-rary disturbances in the electrical activity of the brain. Approximately 2.3 million Ameri-cans have some form of epilepsy. It primarily affects children and young adults, with70% of all cases developing before the age of 25. Paul was diagnosed with havingepilepsy in 1969 when he was 16 years old. For more information about Project H.O.P.E.,please contact Paul Dammann at (305) 361-4453 or dammann@aoml.noaa.gov.

Paul Dammann making his first Project H.O.P.E.presentation to AOML staff members.

Keynotes is published monthly by the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.Contributions are welcome and should be submitted prior to the last week of each month toensure inclusion in the following month’s edition. Please address all correspondence to: Office ofthe Director, 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149. Contributions may also be sub-mitted by fax at (305) 361-4442 or by email (derr@aoml.noaa.gov).

Editor – Kristina KatsarosPublishing Editor – Gail Derr

The deadline for submitting material for the October issue of Keynotes is Friday, September 24,1999.

Keynotes can be viewed online in PDF format at the followingInternet web site address:

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/keynotes

TravelThomas Carsey will travel to Honolulu,

Hawaii to participate in an atmosphericchemistry research experiment entitled"Inorganic Halogens in the Marine Bound-ary Layer" from August 25-October 5,1999.

Silvia Garzoli and Robert Molinari willattend an ARGO Planning Meeting in LaJolla, California on September 7-11, 1999.

David Palmer attended the SecondInternational Shallow Water FisheriesSonar Conference in Seattle, Washingtonon September 7-10, 1999.

Jessie Harris will attend the CLIMAR99 WMO Workshop on Advances inMarine Climatology in Vancouver, Canadaon September 7-17, 1999.

Shari Yvon-Lewis, Kelly Goodwin,Jason Masters, and Sara Cotton will travelto Kwajalein, Republic of the MarshallIslands to embark on a research cruiseaboard the R/V Ronald H. Brown fromSeptember 9-October 23, 1999. The fourOcean Chemistry Division scientists willstudy the processes involved in bio-geochemical cycling of selected halocar-bons.

Sim Aberson will attend an EnsembleForecasting Workshop at the National Cen-ter for Atmospheric Research in Boulder,Colorado on September 9-11, 1999. Simwill also attend a NOAA Diversity Coun-cil Meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland onSeptember 23-24, 1999.

Michael Farmer will attend a NOAALeadership Training Program in SilverSpring, Maryland on September 13-17,1999.

Rik Wanninkhof, Kitack Lee, and Tsung-Hung Peng will attend the Progress in Car-bon Cycling Model Meeting in Princeton,New Jersey on September 22-24, 1999.

Frank Marks will participate as a mem-ber of the review panel of the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center MesoscaleAtmospheric Processes Branch inGreenbelt, Maryland on September 26-29,1999.

VisitorsHugh Willoughby, director of AOML’s Hurricane Research Division, met with repre-

sentatives from Koyo Musen, a Japanese software development company, on Friday,August 27, 1999. Throughan interpreter, Willoughbydescribed the societalimpact and structure of hur-ricanes, data acquisitionmethods and techniques,and dissemination of col-lected data to forecasters atthe National Hurricane Cen-ter. The group of visitorswas comprised of Mr.Wakamatsu, President ofKoyo Musen, his two topassistants and two computerprogrammers. Koyo Musenis ranked the 30th largestcompany in Japan.

Representatives from WinStar Telecommunications, Inc., met with Office of the Directorpersonnel on August 25-26, 1999 to discuss the installation of a highly-directional, 38-GHz radio system on AOML’s roof. The system will be part of a network that will beused to study propagation characteristics during rainfall along paths between AOML,RSMAS, the Miami Museum of Science, and the WinStar building in downtown Miami.

Hugh Willoughby, center, with visitors from Koyo Musen, a Japanesesoftware development company.

The RSMAS shuttle began its service to and from Vizcaya Metrorail Sta-tion, RSMAS, and the University of Miami’s main campus with the start ofthe RSMAS fall semester on Wednesday, August 25, 1999. AOML staffersare welcome to use the shuttle free of charge, Monday through Friday, untilthe semester ends on December 3, 1999.

Abbreviated RSMAS Shuttle Schedule(August 25, 1999-December 3, 1999)

Shuttle Service: Monday-Friday

Depart Viscaya Metrorail Depart RSMAS for Station for RSMAS: Viscaya Metrorail Station:

8:15 AM 8:30 AM8:45 AM 3:30 PM3:50 PM 5:30 PM