1132 F. General OLR (1990) 37 (12)

F130. Institutions and services

90:7233 Kerr, R.A., 1990. NOAA revived for the green

decade. Science, 248(4960):1177-1179.

NOAA's well respected John Knauss is getting that agency off to a fresh start after years of neglect during the Reagan years. An 'environmentally sensitive' president has helped, as has growing public and Congressional concern with climate change and other environmental problems. Its budget proposal is 35% higher than last year's. NOAA's curious mix of functions (research, forecasting and enforcement) in a lot of different areas, not all of them compatible or self-consistent, may result in some redefinition of its mission, but 'it could end up at the head of the pack in the environmental decade.' (fcs)

90:7234 Sheets, R.C., 1990. The National Hurricane Cen-

t e r -pa s t , present and future. Weather Fore- casting, 5(2): 185-232.

The frequency of hurricanes striking the U.S. has diminished in the last two decades, the very period in which population growth in hurricane-prone areas has skyrocketed; 80%-90% of people living in these areas have never experienced the core of a major hurricane. The potential for loss of life and property from hurricanes has never been greater, and much longer evacuation lead times are required. But longer lead times come at the expense of certainty with regard to both the track and the severity of the storm. Because hurricane preparation will cost an average of $50 million (not counting such soft losses as the cancellation of motel reservations), the risk of false alarms is a serious problem in its own right. ttere, the history and progress of the National Hurricane Center in both forecasting and warning procedures is described, with some discussion of the years ahead. Natl. tturricane Ctr., NOAA/ERL, IRE Bldg., Rm. 631, 1320 S. Dixie Hwy., Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA. (fcs)

F170. Engineering and industry

90:7235 Arnold, M.S. and S.A. Tait, 1990. Offshore instal-

lation of ocean outfaUs diffuser assemblies. J. Petrol. Teehnol, 42(6):801-805.

The Sydney [Australia] Water Board commissioned the design and construction of three subsea ocean outfalls to handle the sewage disposal needs of the area for the next 100 years. The outfalls consist of three underground tunnels, extending up to 3 miles

offshore, that connect with 93 riser shafts capped with diffuser heads and supported by caissons. This paper discusses the methods and equipment used to install those ocean outfalls.

90:7236 Caolo, A.C. and Stephen Spotte, 1990. Design of a

rapid-flow seawater supply system for the Uni- versity of Connecticut's marine laboratory at Noank. Ocean Engng, 17(I/2):171-178.

We describe the design of a system installed at the University of Connecticut's Noank laboratory on Long Island Sound. Biofouling has been eliminated by uninterrupted rapid flow; simple degassing units seem to have solved the gas supersaturation prob- lem. Engineering features of the system are de- scribed in detail. Potential problems and future improvements are discussed. General Dynam., Elec- tric Boat Div., 75 Eastern Point Rd., Groton, CT 06340, USA.

90:7237 Gomathinayagam, S., M.V. Dharaneepathy and

M.N.K. Rao, 1990. The influence of wave- current sea states on the reliability estimates of offshore towers. Ocean Engng, 17(I/2):105-124.

Since offshore towers are high-cost, high-risk struc- tures, reliability analysis is of great importance in their design. This paper presents a possible practical approach to certify a design through selective reliability estimation of structural members in extreme stress and fatigue limit states. A spectral approach for the extreme response statistics with stochastic loading is described. Two numerical examples, a 3-D shallow water model and a 2-D deep water model are presented along with the influences of stochastic variables (sea state, current, tubular member diameter) on reliabilities (extreme stress and fatigue damage). Structural Engng Res. Ctr., CSIR Campus, Taramani Madras 600 113, India.

90:7238 Schalck, S. and J. Baatrup, 1990. Hydrostatic

stability calculations by pressure integration. Ocean Engng, 12(1/2):155-169. Dept. of Ocean Engng, Tech. Univ. of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark.

90:7239 Watson, lan and C.W. Finkl Jr., 1990. State of the

art in storm-surge protection: the Netherlands Delta Project. J. coast. Res~ 6(3):739-764.

A multi-billion dollar complex of coastal construc- tion protects the delta-estuarine region of the