Vol. 11, No. 4 June EARTH YSTEM ONITOR

U.S. DEPARTMENTOF COMMERCE

National Oceanicand AtmosphericAdministration

Vol. 11, No. 4 ● June 2001

EARTH SYSTEM MONITOR

A guide toNOAA's data and

informationservices

INSIDE

3News briefs

5Coastal Services

Center—Observing &monitoring the coastal

environment

7Errata–West Florida

chlorophyll

9Integrated Taxonomic

Information System

10Forecast for 2001hurricane activity

11Data products and

services

12Severe weather

forecasting

NOAA altimetry sorts outAtlantic Ocean seafloor

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▲ Figure 1. Gray shaded-relief image of gravity anomalies computed from Geosat and ERS-1 satellitealtimeter data (Sandwell and Smith, 1997) over the South Atlantic. Gravity anomaly amplitudes rangebetween < -35 mGal (black) and > 35 mGal (white) and are ”illuminated” from the east. Features arethe Agulhas rift (AR), Agulhas fracture zone (AFZ), and the Mid-Atlantic ridge (MAR). Chain-lines areChron 34y, and white lines are Chron 33r. The white box outlines the Agulhas Basin study area. Theextinct Agulhas rift segments are offset dextrally by fracture zones trending southwest-northeast (boththe ridge segments and fracture zones are linear gravity anomaly lows that are centered roughly along15˚ E. longitude).

Karen M. MarksLaboratory for Satellite AltimetryNOAA/NESDIS

Malvinas plate controversy resolved using altimetry

— continued on page 2

According to the theory of plate tectonics,the continents have drifted around the globe asthe shapes of the ocean basins have changedover time. As a result, the patterns of ocean cir-culation and climate were different in the pastbecause the locations of land masses and oceansbasins were different. Understanding of this“paleo-geography” is an important part of inter-preting the fossil record of paleo-climate andpaleo-ecology, and this history sets the frame-work for discussions of current and future oceancirculation and climate change. While the pri-mary purpose for NOAA’s Laboratory for SatelliteAltimetry is to provide continuous monitoringof sea level to detect weather and climate phe-nomena active today, LSA scientists can also use

altimetry data to form “plate reconstructions,”essentially winding plate tectonics backwards intime to reconstruct the geography ocean basins.Here we show how seafloor features such as frac-ture zones and mid-ocean spreading ridges, thatare mapped in gravity derived from satellite al-timetry, can be used to solve problems of howseafloor in the south Atlantic Ocean evolved.

More than two decades ago, LaBrecque andHayes (1979) proposed that a tectonic plate (theMalvinas) existed on the western side of theAgulhas Basin (Figure 1) during the Late Creta-ceous, between the times of magnetic anomalies34y and 31 (about 83 to 68 million years ago).The presence of this plate could explain why theorientation of magnetic anomaly lineations (i.e.,past locations of spreading at times calledchrons) in the Agulhas Basin differ significantlyfrom similar anomalies in the South Atlantic.However, this additional plate complicates what

2 June 2001EARTH SYSTEM MONITOR

EARTH SYSTEM MONITOR

The Earth System Monitor (ISSN 1068-2678) is published quarterly by the NOAAEnvironmental Information Services office.Past issues are available online at http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODCPubs/

Questions, comments, or suggestionsfor articles, as well as requests forsubscriptions and changes of address,should be directed to the Editor,Roger Torstenson.

The mailing address for the Earth SystemMonitor is:

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

EDITORR. Torstenson

Telephone: 301-713-3281 ext.107Fax: 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 COMMERCEDonald Evans, Secretary

National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration

Scott Gudes,Acting Under Secretary and Administrator

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NOAA Altimetry, from page 1

▲ Figure 2. Monthly gravity anomalies plotted usingan oblique Mercator projection, with the South America-Africa 33r-27 stage pole as the projection pole. Magneticanomalies are 33r (white circles), and 27 (squares), thoserotated from the western ridge flank are 33r (stars) and27 (triangles). Black circles are fracture zone picks.

On this projection, fracture zones formed by SouthAmerica-Africa motion during this period shold behorizontal. An independent Malvinas plate is requiredbecause the Agulhas fracture zone and those generatedon the Agulhas rift are not horizontal, and the SouthAmerica-Africa 33r-27 stage rotation does not bringMalvinas 33r anomalies into alignment with their conju-gates on the African plate.

would otherwise be a simple opening ofthe south Atlantic Ocean as SouthAmerica separated from Africa alongthe Mid-Atlantic spreading ridge. As aresult, the existence of the Malvinasplate, and its size, has remained contro-versial.

We conducted simple tests thatconfirm a Late Cretaceous plate is re-quired in the Agulhas Basin. First, weplotted the marine gravity field fromNOAA’s satellite altimetry in an obliqueMercator projection (Figure 2), havingthe South America-Africa 33r-27 stagepole (which describesthe separation ofSouth America fromAfrica between 79 and61 million years ago)as the projection pole.On this projection,fracture zones formedby South America-Africa motion duringthis time should behorizontal. Indeed,those lying north ofthe Agulhas fracturezone plot horizontallybetween magneticanomalies 33r and 27,indicating they formedby South America-Africa spreading.However, the Agulhasfracture zone and frac-ture zones generatedon the Agulhas riftbetween anomalies 33rand 27 do not lie hori-zontally on this pro-jection. Instead, theymake a ~10° angle tothe horizontal. Thisdemonstrates they werenot formed by SouthAmerica-Africa spreadingduring this time period.

NOAA/NESDIS1315 East West HighwaySilver Spring, Maryland 20910E-mail:[email protected]

For a second test, we moved mag-netic anomalies 33r and 27 on thewestern flank of the Mid-Atlantic ridge(i.e., on the South American plate) toAfrica using the South America-Africa33r and 27 finite rotation poles, respec-tively. North of the Agulhas fracturezone, these rotations bring the SouthAmerican magnetic anomalies intoalignment with their conjugates on theAfrican plate (see Figure 2). South ofthe Agulhas fracture zone, wherespreading on the Agulhas rift ceased by


3June 2001 EARTH SYSTEM MONITOR

News briefsSpace environmental paperspublished

Helen E. Coffey of NOAA’s NationalGeophysical Data Center (NGDC) hadtwo papers published in refereed journalsrecently. She is co-author of ”Comparisonof Sunspot Area Data Bases,” by T.Baranyi, L. Gyori, A. Ludmany and H.E.Coffey, that appears in the January 2001issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astro-nomical Society, Volume 323. This paperresulted from a proposal in Solar Influ-ences on Global Change that she hadwritten for the Debrecen HeliophysicalObservatory, Hungary, to reduce sunspotblocking data in Total Solar Irradiancemodels. The second paper entitled”When do the geomagnetic Aa and Apindices disagree?” by H.E. Coffey and E.H.Erwin, both of NGDC, appears in a recentissue of the Journal of Atmospheric andSolar-Terrestrial Physics. The paper wasoriginally presented at the 1999 Interna-tional Union of Geodesy and Geomag-netism (IUGG) meeting in Birmingham,England. Several contacts with interestedscientists have resulted from these pub-lished papers.

Data at Science CentersNational Climatic Data Center per-

sonnel participated in a conference callconcerning NOAA’s exhibit to the Asso-ciation of Science-Technology Centers(ASTC). Founded in 1973, the ASTC, withover 550 members in 40 countries, isdedicated to furthering the public under-standing of science. Membership includesnot only science-technology centers andmuseums, but also nature centers, aquari-ums, planetariums, zoos, botanicalgardens, space theaters, and naturalhistory and children’s museums. This’brainstorming session’ will help definethe needs of the ASTC and allow NOAA’svast array of scientific data to be used in amuseum setting.

Global seafloor sediment mapsThe National Geophysical Data

Center is cooperating with Dr. ChrisJenkins of the Ocean Sciences Institute(OSI), University of Sydney, Australia, onan OSI project to map the global distribu-tion of seafloor sediment types. OSI hasdeveloped software to mine data in mul-tiple formats from several internationalsources including those of NGDC to pro-duce a global, gridded database.

Greatest measured solar flareA monster solar active region NOAA

AR9393 crossed the solar disk in April. Itgrew to an area 14 times the Earth's sur-face and had a complex reversed-polaritymagnetic configuration. The complexitywarned of possible large eruptions in thearea. On April 2, 2001, the largest solarX-ray flare ever recorded occurred whenthe region was in the northwest quadrantof the Sun. Luckily, the region hadrotated past central meridian and mosteffects were directed to outer space. Earthdid receive high-energy protons from thiseruption.

An earlier flare on March 31, 2001was more geo-effective, causing aurora asfar south as Mexico and power systemdisturbances in New York. Fortunately,this storm occurred over the weekendwhen power system use is 50% lowerthan during the workweek; also, air con-ditioning use was not a problem. Duringa previous large geomagnetic storm onJuly 15, 2000, the U.S. had unusually mildtemperatures insuring lower power con-sumption. NGDC holds the solar andgeomagnetic data archives needed forinvestigating the past history of thesemajor events.

Air Force/NGDC memorandum ofagreement signed

A Functional Memorandum of Agree-ment (FMOA) between the National Geo-physical Data Center and the U.S. AirForce’s 55th Space Weather Squadron atSchriever Air Force Base, Colorado, hasbeen signed. This FMOA concerns thearchiving of Solar Observing OpticalNetwork data and Radio Solar TelescopeNetwork data. NGDC contines as the solearchive location for the digital and opticalworksheets of both solar and solar radiodata monitored by the USAF.

The USAF has a worldwide networkof five stations that keep a 24-hour watchupon the Sun to monitor for solar explo-sions. These explosions (solar flares, coro-nal mass ejections, erupting prominences,etc.) affect High Frequency communica-tions and navigation systems used by theUSAF. The data provide a good historicalrecord of solar activity and are used bythe scientific community in solar-terres-trial research.

GCOS activitiesUnder the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change, countriesare required to submit detailed reports ontheir Global Climate Observing System(GCOS) activities. Howard Diamond, theU.S. GCOS program manager, is coordi-nating the preparation of this report. Theeffort is being supported by a subgroup,chaired by NCDC’s Russ Vose, addressingatmospheric monitoring systems in theUnited States. The subgroup has com-pleted its chapter, describing surface,upper air, and atmospheric constituentobserving networks operated by the U.S.

Dark Sky ReservesMr. Peter Goering of the Muskoka

Heritage Foundations, in Canada, recentlycontacted NGDC about the developmentof Dark Sky Reserves. He has been head-ing an effort to have a Dark Sky Park cre-ated in Canada. Beneficiaries includeamateur astronomers and anyone inter-ested in limiting the use of electricalpower. Their initial efforts have been suc-cessful, as the Torrance Barrows Conser-vation and Dark Sky Reserve, 150 milesnorth of Toronto, was created in the pastyear. A subset of the DMSP Radiance Cali-brated Nighttime Lights, developed byNGDC, was used by Mr. Goering and hiscolleagues in their presentations to Cana-dian Province and National legislativegroups. This year the reserve will be ex-panded, increasing the area five-fold.

Additional success has become evi-dent as many of the communities sur-rounding Georgian Bay, a body of waterattached to Lake Huron, have made appli-cations to become Dark Sky Reserves. Mr.Goering and his colleagues are particu-larly excited about these areas becausethe communities themselves have volun-tarily asked for this designation, and theycurrently have no major problem withlight pollution.

Stratospheric ozone monitoringThe National Climatic Data Center, incooperation with scientists from NOAA’sClimate Prediction Center, Climate Moni-toring and Diagnostic Laboratory, andAeronomy Laboratory have developedand released a new web site which tiestogether the many diverse aspects ofstratospheric ozone monitoring and re-search in NOAA. Access is available athttp://www.ozonelayer.noaa.gov.


NOAA Altimetry, from page 2about anomaly 27 time, we used theSouth America-Africa 33r-27 stage poleto rotate the 33r magnetic anomalieson the western flank (Malvinas side) ofthe Agulhas rift to Africa. We find thisSouth America-Africa 33r-27 stage poledoes not bring Malvinas 33r anomaliesinto alignment with their conjugateanomalies on the African plate.

We also tested to see if errors in theSouth America-Africa 33r-27 stage polecould account for the misalignment ofrotated Malvinas and conjugate African33r magnetic anomalies. We find thatthe 95% confidence ellipses (that esti-mate an ellipse within which reason-able solutions could lie) associated withrotated Malvinas 33r anomalies (Figure3) do not encompass 33r anomalies onthe African plate. Furthermore, thisstage rotation brings points into thewrong spreading corridors, that is, itmoves points across fracture zones.Clearly, the South America-Africa 33r-27 stage rotation does not fit theseAgulhas Basin data. We have calculatednew Malvinas-Africa 33r finite rotations(Marks and Stock, submitted) that doan excellent job aligning correspondingMalvinas and African magnetic anoma-lies. The need for a different pole toalign conjugate magnetic anomalies inthe Agulhas Basin means a separateplate existed there.

These results confirm that aMalvinas plate is required in theAgulhas Basin during the Late Creta-ceous. Further, the fact that the majorAgulhas fracture zone does not lie onthe horizontal on the Mercator projec-tion discussed above demonstrates thatit bound the Malvinas plate on thenorth. The locations of the elusivewestern and southern boundaries of theMalvinas plate are investigated in amore comprehensive work (Marks andStock, submitted).

AcknowledgmentsThis research was performed with

Prof. Joann Stock, California Instituteof Technology. Walter Smith, NOAALaboratory for Satellite Altimetry, pro-vided editing which improved this ar-ticle.

ReferencesLaBrecque, J. L., and D. E. Hayes, Seafloor

spreading history of the Agulhas Basin,Earth Planet. Sci. Letts., 45, 411-428,1979.

Marks, K. M., and J. M. Stock, The Malvinasplate, Marine Geophys. Res., 2001, submitted.

Sandwell, D. T., and W. H. F. Smith, Marinegravity anomaly from Geosat and ERS 1satellite altimetry, J. Geophys. Res., 102,10,039-10,054, 1997. ■

▲ Figure 3. 33r magnetic anomalies (black circles) plotted on marine gravityanomalies. Black triangles are South America 33r anomalies rotated to Africa via theSouth America-Africa stage pole, and black dots with 95% confidence ellipses(white) are from the Malvinas plate. This stage rotation brings points into thewrong spreading corridors (e.g., A has moved to A’), and the confidence ellipses donot encompass 33r anomalies on the African plate. The South America-Africa 33r-27 stage rotation does not fit these data in the Agulhas Basin.


James BoydTechnology Planning and ManagementCorporation (TPMC) contractorNOAA Coastal Services Center

Observing and Monitoring the Coastal EnvironmentThe role of the NOAA Coastal Services Center

NOAA Coastal Services CenterNOAA/NOS234 South Hobson AvenueCharleston, S.C. 29405-2413E-mail: [email protected] ▲ Figure 1. COOS Web page image of Alaska region.


The ability to monitor the coastalenvironment is becoming more impor-tant as expanding coastal populationsincrease the potential for negative envi-ronmental impacts. Widespread moni-toring and observing systems canprovide information of interest to sci-entific, commercial, and recreationalusers, with the information, gleanedfrom uninterrupted long-term monitor-ing, helping people to understand andprotect this environment for the future.Many monitoring systems already existin U.S. coastal waters, but improve-ments in coordination among inter-ested parties are needed. TheNational Oceanic and Atmo-spheric Administration’s(NOAA) Coastal Services Cen-ter is involved in a numberof initiatives designed to fillthis need.

Who is measuring what, andwhere?

The NOAA Coastal Ser-vices Center’s involvementin the U.S. Coastal-GlobalOcean Observing System(C-GOOS) created an oppor-tunity to examine the cur-rent state of U.S. marineobserving and monitoringsystems. C-GOOS is an initia-tive designed to establish anobservational/monitoringnetwork to collect and dis-tribute marine and coastaldata needed by government,

science, and the public. Initially, theNOAA Coastal Services Center took aregional approach and looked at thenetworks and systems designed forlong-term monitoring of the coastaland nearshore environment. This re-search resulted in the 1998 release ofU.S. Coastal Observing Systems(COOS), a Web page (www.csc.noaa.gov/cts/coos/) featuring nearly forty systems.This number has since doubled in size,with frequent additions planned for thefuture.

The Web page is designed as a cen-tralized information source, providing asynopsis of each system listed with alink to more details. Each synopsis con-tains a brief description, including sys-tem sponsors and managers, number ofmonitoring stations, and system goals,

followed by a list of the parametersmeasured. Following the list of param-eters is a contact person to obtain moreinformation, as well as the link to theobserving system’s own Web page.Generally, data are available in oneform or another from a system’s ownWeb page. There may be data restric-tions, or the availability of data may bedelayed to allow for processing, analy-sis, or research use. By simply providingdescriptions of each system and links toany available data, instead of hostingthe data, the Web page avoids the pit-fall of constantly maintaining and up-dating data. Although COOS supplies awealth of information on U.S. coastalobserving systems, it was not designedas a data repository or data distributionsite.


Coastal Environment, from page 5The COOS Web page orients the

user with regional maps (inspired bythe National Data Buoy Center’s Webpage) of the different observing sys-tems. The systems are labeled withnumbers on the map, which corre-spond to the names of the systems im-mediately below the map (Figure 1).The regional map is repeated for eachentry so the user does not have to scrollback and forth to look at the map whilereading the entry. Systems listed in-clude federal, state, academic, and lo-cal/regional operations. This Web pageis an ongoing project that continuallyadds new systems and removes or up-dates others. A full-scale update is un-dertaken twice a year, but newadditions and minor adjustments andenhancements are always in progress.

What do the users want?In addition to the COOS project,

the NOAA Coastal Services Center alsoundertook a study to determine howthe needs of coastal data users matchedthe available and proposed observingsystem data streams. The objective wasto examine previously conducted usersurveys to find both the common anddisparate needs of different groups.With that in mind, four user surveysfrom a variety of sources were collectedand examined. Two regional surveys(Chesapeake Bay and Florida), onesystem-specific survey (Tampa BayPORTS), and one multinational survey(EuroGOOS) comprised the sample ofuser surveys.

One of the more difficult itemstackled when analyzing these surveys

was combining the user groups andparameters measured into a single andmanageable piece of information sothat an analysis could be performed.Some of the surveys employed classifi-cations with minimal groups and pa-rameters, while others used a multitudeof classifications. Combining the infor-mation from all four surveys to createone generalized survey sacrificed somedetail, but allowed the opportunity topick out trends and differences amonguser groups. Analysis of the surveysindividually also provided some insightinto differing needs by location andsample size.

The analysis highlighted a few ba-sic parameters that always seem to berequested; temperature, currents,winds, waves, and tides are requestedby most users. As these parameters areat the top of the list for many users, abasic system would do well to includethem. Any additional measurementsand observations depend heavily onuser groups, and are much more diffi-cult to decide upon. The sample size(number of surveys) for this study wassmall, however, the results providesome factors to keep in mind for any-one involved in the development ormaintenance of coastal observing sys-tems. To obtain a copy of the study,contact the Coastal Services Center.

Technology developers working withtechnology users

The NOAA Coastal Services Centeris also involved with another projectrelated to coastal and marine monitor-ing. The Alliance for Coastal Technolo-gies (ACT) is a partnership designed to

address the needs of the monitoringcommunity by bringing together tech-nology users and developers. Based atthe University of Maryland’s Chesa-peake Biological Laboratory, ACT is astate, federal, and industry partnership.The Center-sponsored initiativeincludes the University of MarylandCenter for Environmental Science(UMCES), the University of SouthFlorida, the Skidaway Institute ofOceanography, the Moss Landing Ma-rine Laboratory, the Monterey BayAquarium Research Institute, and theGulf of Maine Ocean Observing System(GOMOOS). All of these organizationswill provide facilities and expertise forthe demonstration, evaluation, andverification of promising monitoringtechnologies. Coastal resource manag-ers, marine science researchers, andcommercial equipment manufacturerswill be involved through a uniquestakeholders’ council. Training in theuse of new technologies and other re-lated services will also be a part of ACToperations. For more information, visitthe ACT Web site at www.actonline.ws/index.html.

Monitoring of the coastal environ-ment is important for scientific, eco-nomic, and social reasons, and theNOAA Coastal Services Center’s in-volvement in these projects shows itscommitment to a better understandingof this environment. By continuing toimprove the capacity and ability tomonitor the environment, we shouldbe better equipped to maintain andenhance the coastal zone. ■


Analysis of temporal variability in chlorophyllconcentrations along the West Florida Shelf

Lisa A. Vanderbloemen1,2Frank Muller-Karger1Cynthia Heil1 and Gabriel Vargo1

1University of South Florida and2Florida Marine Research Institute

We present here a correction toresults presented in this publicationin March 2000 (“Analysis of TemporalVariability in Chlorophyll Concentra-tions along the West Florida Shelfusing Remote Sensing” by LV andFMK). This correction includes anupdated analysis of SeaWiFS-derivedand in situ chlorophyll-a data collectedduring the Florida ECOHAB program.This re-analysis addresses errors asso-ciated with the processing of theSeaWiFS data and with the derivationof regional chlorophyll-a concentrationmeans derived from these data.

Comparisons between the in situECOHAB data and the SeaWiFS chloro-phyll-a data reveal that the presentSeaWiFS algorithm (O’Reilly et al, 2000)tends to overestimate the mean in situvalues throughout the year (Figure 1),not just during the first half of the yearas stated in our previous note.

Figure 2 shows that for most of theECOHAB program, the greatest dispar-ity between the SeaWiFS and in situdata occurred at inshore stations inwaters shallower than 30 m. In thesewaters, SeaWiFS data overestimated thein situ observations by a factor of one totwo (Figure 2). The only exception tothis general observation occurred dur-ing the first week of October 1999,when the ECOHAB data exceeded the

SeaWiFS data by a factor of two inshoreand a factor of four offshore in watersdeeper than 30 m (Figure 2). While thein situ results presented here are basedon monthly averages for all theECOHAB stations, current research isunderway to examine the in situ databased on depth and enable additionalcomparative analysis with the SeaWiFSdata.

The disparity inshore betweenSeaWiFS and in situ may be due to sev-eral factors. As mentioned in the earlierarticle, during October 1999 there wereelevated counts (>5000 cells/ml) of G.breve within the ECOHAB region possi-bly contributing to the disagreementbetween the SeaWiFS and in situ results

▲ Figure 1. Monthly SeaWiFS chlorophyll-a versus in-situ chlorophyll data acquiredduring monthly ECOHAB cruises.

during this period. Signal interferenceor contamination due to turbidity andbottom reflectance in shallow watersmay also be contributing to the el-evated SeaWiFS-generated chlorophyllrelative to in situ chlorophyll concen-trations in inshore waters.

These factors are currently the sub-ject of research at the University ofSouth Florida. The objective is to im-prove algorithms for estimating chloro-phyll concentrations from space incoastal and shelf environments. Suchresearch will enable more accurateidentification of blooms and the futureprediction of harmful algal blooms.


Errata to be used with the March 2001 article in this publication

Remote Sensing LaboratoryCollege of Marine ScienceUniversity of South Florida140 7th Avenue, SouthSt. Petersbrg, FL 33701E-mail: [email protected]


▲ Figure 2. SeaWiFS chlorophyll 1997-2000 time series for inshore and offshore sub-regionsversus Ecohab in-situ data.

Acknowledgement:We explicitly acknowledge the contri-

butions of Dr. Gabriel Vargo and Dr.Cynthia Heil, and of all the members oftheir ECOHAB research group at the Uni-versity of South Florida, in generating thein situ chlorophyll-a dataset for theECOHAB Project used in this analysis.

ReferencesO’Reilly, John E., et al. 2000. SeaWiFS Post-launch Calibration and Validation Analyses,Part 3. NASA Tech. Memo. Vol. 11. 2000-206892. S.B. Hooker and E.R. Firestone, eds.,NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 49 pp. ■

Chlorophyll, from page 7


National Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian Institution10th & Constitution Avenue, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20560-0180E-Mail: [email protected]

The Integrated Taxonomic Information SystemIncreasing access to, and integration of, global biodiversity data and information

Janet R. GomonIntegrated Taxonomic Information SystemNational Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian Institution

A key element in providing accessto globally distributed, multi-disciplin-ary biodiversity data sources (e,g,, sur-vey data, natural history collectionspecimen data, literature sources, spe-cies and sequence databanks, ecosys-tem-level datasets) is implementationof a credible taxonomic informationservice that serves as a consistent stan-dard reference system for maintainingand representing dynamic biologicalnomenclature and taxonomy. This ser-vice can serve as a query, cross-referenc-ing, and indexing tool in support ofdiscovery, comparison, exchange, andintegration of a wide variety of existingbiological and ecological data accumu-lated over 250 years or more. Biologicalnames are the unifying linkage amongall these distributed informationsources, serving as a primary index tothe earth’s 1.8 million known species.

Working in a unique partnershipamong federal agencies, with coopera-tors in the world biological systematicscommunity of scientists, the IntegratedTaxonomic Information System (ITIS)program has developed, and continuesto enhance both scientifically and tech-nologically, the first widely accessibletaxonomic information service on thescientific names of the biota of NorthAmerica and surrounding waters. Thesystem is expanding to include globalcoverage of species based on partnerneeds. An outgrowth of earlier taxo-nomic code development efforts, in-cluding the extensively used NODCTaxonomic Code of the NationalOceanographic Data Center, the ITISpartnership, through a 1996 Memoran-dum of Understanding, agreed to join

together to develop ITIS and to developa strategy for coordinating taxonomicdatabase development, maintenance,and support. Founding ITIS partnersinclude: the U.S. Geological Survey,the former National Biological Service,the Environmental Protection Agency,the Natural Resources ConservationService, the National Oceanic and At-mospheric Administration (NationalOceanographic Data Center and Na-tional Marine Fisheries Service), and theSmithsonian Institution’s National Mu-seum of Natural History. Additionalpartners have joined and benefitedfrom ITIS participation, including theNational Park Service, Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada, and CONABIO,Mexico. ITIS is also a member of Species2000, the Global Biodiversity Informa-tion Facility, and is a cooperatingdatabase in a growing number of infor-mation networks, including the Censusof Marine Life’s Ocean BiogeographicInformation System (OBIS) and theNational Biological Information Infra-structure (NBII).

ITIS integrates a scientifically cred-ible and dynamic biological namesthesaurus with web-based tools for re-porting, searching and indexing. It pro-vides a reference standard of acceptedscientific names of biological organismsfrom all biological kingdoms (animals,plants, fungi, protists, monera), alongwith synonyms and common namesthat have been used by workers in dif-ferent organizations, geographical re-gions, or at different times in the past.Each scientific name is assigned aunique identifier (the Taxonomic SerialNumber). Author and date of scientificname, geographic region, jurisdictional,and bibliographic information are alsoincluded, along with data quality quali-fiers pertaining to degree of scientificreview by a network of systematics ex-perts serving as data stewards and coop-erators. Enabling cross-referencing ofnames to a standard ensures that bio-logical data pertinent to invasive spe-cies, fishery stocks, emerging diseases,

climate change, migratory birds, polli-nators, agricultural pests, andbiodiversity, can be located, summa-rized, and analyzed.

The ITIS partners provide leader-ship in the creation of an essentialcomponent of a biodiversityinformatics infrastructure critical tomeeting ecosystem challenges.Through each partner’s commitment tocontribute and share resources, partnershave successfully developed and con-tinue to enhance ITIS, a system that noone organization could finance or de-velop on their own. Partners and coop-erators also develop commonstandards, procedures, and softwarethat permit standardization and dis-semination of ITIS taxonomic informa-tion. As an example, ITIS currently ispartnering in the Federal GeographicData Committee Biological WorkingGroup’s Biological Nomenclature andTaxonomy Data Standard project (http://biology.usgs.gov/fgdc.bio/index.html).The proposed standard will help facili-tate discovery, comparison, exchange,and integration of any biological and/or geospatial data set (or related infor-mation products) that includes scien-tific names of species or highertaxonomic groups as part of its datastructure. Common standards estab-lished and adopted by ITIS partnerssave significant amounts of time andmoney, avoid redundancy, and fostersupport of a common, scientificallycredible system. Taxonomic data stan-dards also help ensure the quality ofthe information that ITIS memberagencies and cooperators provide andcustomers receive.

Customers of the ITIS databasehave grown to include numerous fed-eral and state agencies, academic,private individuals, as well as inter-national users. ITIS provides taxonomicservices to professionals and the public.ITIS websites (U.S.: http://www.itis.usda.gov; and Canada: http://sis.agr.ca/itis) are accessible in Englishand French versions, and will be avail-able in Spanish soon. ■


Hurricane forecasters expect normal Atlantic activityTop hurricane experts from the

Commerce Department’s National Oce-anic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) today said the 2001 Atlantichurricane season likely will have nor-mal levels of activity, bringing fewerstorms than the past three years. How-ever, officials advised residents in At-lantic and Gulf Coast states to beprepared for storms, high winds andflooding throughout the season, whichbegins June 1.

At a press conference at the RonaldReagan National Airport near Washing-ton, D.C., NOAA officials said the ab-sence of strong La Niña conditions thisyear will likely result in a number ofstorms, but relatively fewer comparedto the last three seasons. In 2000, therewere 14 named storms, of which eightbecame hurricanes.

A normal Atlantic hurricane seasontypically brings eight to 11 tropicalstorms, of which five to seven reachhurricane strength, with two to threeclassified as major. A major hurricanepacks sustained winds greater than 110mph and is classified at Category 3, orabove, on the Saffir-Simpson HurricaneScale. Seasons with normal hurricaneactivity average one to two land-fallinghurricanes in the United States, andone in the Caribbean.

“Although we expect an averagelevel of activity this season, that is nocause to become complacent. With thepossibility of five to seven hurricanes,residents in hurricane prone areas can’tafford to let their guard down,” saidScott Gudes, NOAA’s acting administra-tor.

The news conference also markedthe start of a nationwide HurricaneAwareness Week campaign led byNOAA, the Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency (FEMA) and storm-vulner-able states to increase preparedness andsafety among residents.

Gudes pointed to continuing im-provements in technology and researchthat enabled forecasters to produce the2001 outlook. “Better data fromNOAA’s weather satellites, better mod-els, the latest supercomputers and an

improved ability to monitor and under-stand global climate patterns are help-ing to create better long-termforecasts,” Gudes said.

Prior to the news conference, FEMADirector Joe M. Allbaugh said, “As welook to another hurricane season withan ever-growing population living invulnerable coastal areas, our charge isclear. FEMA stands ready to provideboth the leadership and the necessarytechnical assistance and guidance tocommunities as they assume responsi-bility for becoming more disaster resis-tant. Preventing the loss of life,minimizing the damage to propertyfrom hurricanes is a responsibility thatis shared by all.”

Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. JackKelly, director of NOAA’s NationalWeather Service, said without a strongLa Niña or El Niño the key climate pat-terns guiding this year’s expected activ-ity are long-term patterns of tropicalrainfall, air pressure and temperaturesof the Atlantic Ocean and CaribbeanSea.

“Forecasters will monitor theseclimate patterns, especially leading upto the August - October peak period ofthe season,” Kelly said. “One of themost valuable forecast tools is the infor-mation gathered by NOAA and U.S. AirForce Reserve personnel who fly di-rectly into these storms,” Kelly added,while flanked by NOAA’s WP-3D, G-IVand the Air Force’s WC-130-H hurri-cane hunter/research aircraft.

Max Mayfield, director of theweather service’s National HurricaneCenter in Miami, said hurricane-spawned disasters occur even in yearswith normal, or below-normal, levels ofactivity. Hurricanes Donna of 1960,David and Frederic of 1979, and Elena,Gloria and Juan of 1985 are remindersof the destruction that can occur dur-ing seasons with normal hurricane ac-tivity, he said. Hurricane Andrew of1992, the costliest hurricane on record,developed during a season of below-normal hurricane activity, Mayfieldadded. “[Hurricane] Donna killed 50people in the United States, and [Hurri-

cane] Andrew caused more than $25billion in damage in Florida,” Mayfieldsaid. “We don’t want people to becaught off guard by a land-falling stormbecause the hurricane outlook calls fornormal storm activity.”

Mayfield also highlighted the dan-gers of inland flooding. “In 1999, Hur-ricane Floyd brought record flooding tothe East Coast. Fifty of the 56 deathsduring Hurricane Floyd were a directresult of inland flooding. That kind ofthreat remains with each approachingstorm.”

Mayfield added, “Storm surge fromhurricanes bring the greatest potentialfor loss of life. When an evacuationorder is given, residents should treat itas a life or death matter.”

Brig. Gen. Robert Duignan, deputyto the Chief of Air Force Reserve, saidthe Air Force Reserve Command mis-sion significantly narrows the coastlinewarning made by the National Hurri-cane Center. “This warning saves mil-lions of dollars for businesses and, moreimportant, saves the lives of citizenslocated in the storm’s path.”

“Studies have shown the high accu-racy data from our Air Force Reserveand NOAA aircraft have improved theforecast accuracy by about 25 percent.Aircrews in these storms also have de-tected sudden, dangerous changes inhurricane intensity and movement,which are currently very difficult todetect by satellite alone,” addedDuignan. “The Hurricane Hunters areproud to serve as a vital link in the hur-ricane surveillance and warning net-work, alerting vulnerable populations.”

Hurricane Awareness Week featuresa new Web site (available at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov) that highlights fivetopics -- one for each day of the week --vital to saving lives and property: Day 1- Coastal and Marine Hazards; Day 2 -Wind Hazards; Day 3 - Inland Flooding;Day 4 - The Forecast Process and; Day 5- Disaster Prevention. The Atlantic hur-ricane seasons ends Nov. 30.

— Curtis Carey(301) 713-0622 ■


Data productsand services

CONTACT POINTS

National Climatic Data Center(NCDC)

828-271-4800Fax: 828-271-4876

E-mail: Climate Services [email protected]

Satellite Services [email protected]

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

National Geophysical Data Center(NGDC)

303-497-6826Fax: 303-497-6513

E-mail: [email protected]: 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/

NOAAServer Data Directory301-713-0575

Fax: 301-713-0819E-mail: [email protected]

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

NOAA Central LibraryReference Services:

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

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

New NOAA National Data Centerannual climatological product

The long-awaited Annual Climato-logical Summary (ANCSUM) product isnow online. The new system providesaccess to annual climatological summariesfor thousands of U.S. stations going as farback as 1831. ANCSUM contains an an-nual summary of monthly temperaturemeans, precipitations totals, departuresfrom normal and extremes, heating &cooling degree data, and a monthly tallyof rain days, snow days and days withinselected temperature thresholds.ANCSUMs are dynamically generated ondemand from NCDC’s Oracle databasetables. ASCII versions are available in ad-dition to a printable web form. The newsystem runs on the new Linux Web Farmusing Java Servlets. The NNDC OnLineStore price is $3 per form. Subscriptionsare also available for $50 per station or$300 for all stations which allows accessto all historical data. Subscriptions pro-vide access for one year from date of pur-chase. The URL for the new system is:http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/servlets/ACS.Contact: NCDC

IPAB Antarctic drifting buoydata available

NSIDC (National Snow and Ice DataCenter) released the first series of Antarc-tic buoy data from the InternationalProgramme for Antarctic Buoys (IPAB).The IPAB, through participating researchorganizations in various countries, main-tains a network of drifting buoys in theAntarctic sea ice zone to support a betterunderstanding of sea ice motion, meteo-rology, and oceanography. The IPAB Ant-arctic Drifting Buoy Data archive presentlyspans the years 1995 to 1998, and in-cludes measurements of buoy position,atmospheric pressure, air temperature,and sea surface temperature.

Data are organized by daily andthree-hour averages; and raw, instanta-neous, non-interpolated data values. Datawere collected from buoys initially de-ployed in three study regions; East Ant-arctica; the Weddell Sea; and theBellingshausen, Amundsen, and RossSeas. Data are in ASCII text format andare available by ftp. Updates will becomeavailable as data are processed and newbuoys are deployed.Contact: NSIDC

Arctic meteorology Primer onlineNSIDC’s Arctic Climatology and

Meteorology Primer for Newcomers tothe North is available online at:http://nsidc.org/arcticmet/index.html.This educational site is a collection ofinformation about arctic weather and thefactors that determine weather and cli-mate. The Primer was developed as partof the joint U.S.-Russian EnvironmentalWorking Group’s Arctic Meteorology andClimate Atlas on CD-ROM, a product thatcombines data for research and informa-tion for the general public in one pack-age. While scientists will want to orderthe full atlas on CD-ROM, students andcasual browsers will enjoy easy access toeducational material at the new site. ThePrimer includes a gallery of historical pho-tos from the Russian North Pole series ofdrifting ice stations, and a glossary ofmeteorological terms in both English andRussian. It joins other educational themepages from NSIDC including ”State of theCryosphere” and ”All About Glaciers”(http://nsidc.org/glaciers/index.html).Contact: NSIDC

Black Sea mysteriesThe National Geophysical Data

Center provided the index map for anarticle in the May 2001 issue of NationalGeographic Magazine, regarding the ar-chaeological origins of the biblical flood.The NGDC illustration (pp 56-57) con-tains a 3D topographic-bathymetricmodel, which includes 30 arc-secondtopography from GLOBE and 1 arc-minute bathymetry from U.S. Navysources. Links to the final published ver-sion of the illustration are availablethrough the index page at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/01015/feature3/index.html.Contact: NGDC

Wright brothers weather dataFirst Flight Centennial Center in

Philadephia, Pennsylvania, contacted theNational Climatic Data Center to obtainhistorical weather data on the Kitty Hawk,North Carolina area for 1903. The Cen-tennial Center has collected letters anddiaries of the Wright brothers to create alarge exhibit about the ”First Flight.” TheNCDC was able to provide the requesteddata for this great exhibit.Contact: NCDC

Congressional testimony onArctic Climate Change The NOAA Paleoclimatology Programat NGDC contributed PowerPoint materi-als for testimony by NOAA Acting UnderSecretary Scott Gudes, entitled “WrittenStatement on Involvement of NOAA inArctic Climate Change.” The materialsincluded published analyses of past arctictemperatures from a variety of paleo-climatic data sources and publishedmaterials on the interaction of climatevariability and fisheries in Alaska. It alsoincluded a new analysis of borehole tem-peratures from northwestern Canada. Thepaleotemperature data indicate a strongtrend that the 20th century was thewarmest century in the past 400 years formost of the arctic, especially Alaska andCanada. The materials were being pre-pared by Tom Karl and others at the Na-tional Climatic Data Center.Contact: NGDC


NOAA storm researchers working toimprove severe weather forecasts

Thunderstorms with lightning,hail, strong winds and tornadoes can bedevastating, resulting in hundreds ofdeaths and millions of dollars in dam-age each year. National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA)researchers and forecasters in Norman,Okla., are working toward improvingthe tools used to predict such storms.Their aim is to provide the public moretime to prepare for severe thunderstormevents.

NOAA researchers and forecastersare collaborating in an experiment toimprove forecasts of when and wheresevere storms will occur. This spring,participants are evaluating several op-erational and experimental computermodels and algorithms used by fore-casters to determine which ones pro-vide the best guidance.

Forecasters currently use a combi-nation of computer model forecastsand observational tools, such as satel-lites and radars, to determine when toissue a severe thunderstorm watch. Theexperiment is designed to explorewhether the computer models haveimproved enough to provide the guid-ance forecasters need to confidentlyissue watches several hours in advance,while the skies are still clear.

“We need to identify more clearlyunder what circumstances and withwhich models we can predict severethunderstorm development with sig-nificant lead time and confidence,” saidJohn S. Kain, a research meteorologistat NOAA’s National Severe StormsLaboratory (NSSL) and co-leader of theproject with Paul R. Janish, science in-fusion meteorologist with NOAA’sStorm Prediction Center (SPC). Thecomputer models include operationalversions developed at the NOAA Na-tional Centers for Environmental Pre-diction Environmental ModelingCenter and the NOAA Forecast SystemsLaboratory, as well as research versionsdeveloped at the NOAA National SevereStorms Laboratory.

“This is a great opportunity for usto stretch our forecasts toward the lim-its of current science,” explainedRussell Schneider, chief of the SPC’sscience support branch. “During theexperiment, forecasters are forced todecide whether to issue watches sooner,sometimes before they see evidence inthe satellite and radar data that stormshave begun to form. It requires detailedanalysis of multiple computer modelforecasts made possible by the NationalWeather Service’s super computer.”

The next day, participants evaluatethe output from the different models,rating them on their usefulness, andcompare their forecasts with what actu-ally happened. “This process helps theforecasters develop a better understand-ing of the numerical models that pro-vide their primary source of forecastguidance,” Kain said. “And it helpsresearchers design more useful modelguidance products for forecasters’ spe-cific needs.”

NSSL and SPC have worked to-gether on several projects in the pastfew years, since the SPC moved its op-erations to Norman from Kansas City in1997. A key goal of these programs is toimprove forecasts of meteorologicalphenomena by speeding up the transferof new technology and research ideasinto forecast operations. At the NSSLand SPC, this is accomplished by com-bining the skills and mutual researchinterests of research scientists and fore-casters.

Visiting scientists also participatingin the experiment are from NOAA’sForecast Systems Laboratory, NationalCenters for Environmental PredictionEnvironmental Modeling Center, Na-tional Weather Service Norman Fore-cast Office, Iowa State University andthe University of Oklahoma.

More information about the pro-gram is available online:http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/Spring_2001.

–Keli TarpE-mail: [email protected]

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Vol. 11, No. 4 June EARTH YSTEM ONITOR