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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
This study was supported by Contract no.50-DKNA-6-90040 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.
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BOARD ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE
ERIC J. BARRON (Co-Chair),
Pennsylvania State University, University Park
JAMES R. MAHONEY (Co-Chair),
International Technology Corporation, Washington, D.C.
SUSAN K. AVERY,
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder
LANCE F. BOSART,
State University of New York, Albany
MARVIN A. GELLER,
State University of New York, Stony Brook
DONALD M. HUNTEN,
University of Arizona, Tucson JOHN IMBRIE, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
CHARLES E. KOLB,
Aerodyne Research, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts
THOMAS J. LENNON,
Sonalysts, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia
MARK R. SCHOEBERL,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
JOANNE SIMPSON,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
NIEN DAK SZE,
Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
Staff
ELBET W. (JOE) FRIDAY, JR., Executive Director
GREGORY H. SYMMES,* Acting Director
WILLIAM A. SPRIGG, Director
H. FRANK EDEN, Senior Program Officer
LOWELL SMITH,* Senior Program Officer
DAVID H. SLADE, Senior Program Officer
LAURIE S. GELLER, Staff Officer
PETER SCHULTZ, Staff Officer
ELLEN F. RICE, Reports Officer
DORIS BOUADJEMI,* Administrative Assistant
KELLY NORSINGLE, Senior Project Assistant
TENECIA A. BROWN, Senior Program Assistant
DIANE F. GUSTAFSON, Administrative Assistant
ANDREW E. EVANS,* Program Summer Intern
COMMISSION ON GEOSCIENCES, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER (Chair),
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
PATRICK R. ATKINS,
Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
JERRY F. FRANKLIN,
University of Washington, Seattle
B. JOHN GARRICK,
PLG, Inc., Newport Beach, California
THOMAS E. GRAEDEL,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
DEBRA KNOPMAN,
Progressive Foundation, Washington, D.C.
KAI N. LEE,
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
JUDITH E. MCDOWELL,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
RICHARD A. MESERVE,
Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C.
HUGH C. MORRIS,
Canadian Global Change Program, Delta, British Columbia
RAYMOND A. PRICE,
Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario
H. RONALD PULLIAM,
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
THOMAS C. SCHELLING,
University of Maryland, College Park
VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL,
Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida
E-AN ZEN,
University of Maryland, College Park
MARY LOU ZOBACK,
U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California
Staff
ROBERT M. HAMILTON, Executive Director
GREGORY H. SYMMES, Assistant Executive Director
JEANETTE A. SPOON, Administrative & Financial Officer
SANDI S. FITZPATRICK, Administrative Associate
MARQUITA S. SMITH, Administrative Assistant/Technology Analyst
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Preface
In late April 1997, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) asked the National Research Council's (NRC's) Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) to examine its meteorological data buoy program and the Coastal Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) for, primarily, their value in analyzing current weather conditions and in providing weather forecasts and warnings. As 1997 began, 33 of the 118 buoy/C-MAN stations managed by NOAA no longer had the funds required to remain in operation. NOAA asked the NRC to recommend a distribution of observing platforms that would maintain essential weather and forecast capabilities.
Professor Lance F. Bosart, from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, State University of New York at Albany, and a member of BASC, is the principal investigator and author of this report. Dr. Bosart was assisted quite serendipitously by the scheduling of four meetings during the course of the study: the American Meteorological Society Colloquium on Coastal Environmental Information Services, May 29, 1997; the 1997 Gordon Research Conference on Coastal Ocean Circulation held June 15–17, 1997, at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire; the U.S. Weather Research Program (USWRP) Scientific Coordinating Committee workshop held in Washington, D.C. in September 1997; and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges Action Committee discussion with the NOAA Undersecretary on Oceans and Atmosphere in Washington, D.C. on May 13, 1997. Discussions at these meetings provided opportunities to assess applications of the meteorological buoy/C-MAN system with representatives of commercial shipping, the insurance industry, the United States Navy and Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and academic research groups. Many of the people who participated in these gatherings provided invaluable information for this study.
The BASC staff met several times with NOAA headquarters and National Weather Service personnel to assemble information. On November
5 and 6, 1997, a public workshop was held with the principal investigator and NRC staff. The workshop provided an opportunity for interested parties to submit comments or information relevant to the study and an opportunity for open discussion of issues. Many comments were received from coast to coast, and from various interests including scientists, private industry, fishermen, weather forecasters, and news reporters. It is hoped that this report will prove useful not only to NOAA, but also to other federal and state agencies with responsibilities in the coastal zone, as well as to those whose livelihoods depend on the safe and sustainable use of our coasts.
The counsel and written contributions on marine and coastal observations and forecasting of Professor Leonard J. Pietrafesa of North Carolina State University have proven to be invaluable for this study. The NOAA Offices of the Chief Scientist and the National Weather Service's Data Buoy Center, Office of Meteorology, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction were very helpful in providing essential data and information. Others deserving special thanks for their contribution are Robert A. Adriance, Jr. from BOAT/U.S., Dr. Peter G. Black from NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Marine Laboratories Hurricane Research Division, Dr. Wendell A. Nuss from the Naval Postgraduate School, Dr. Franklin B. Schwing from NOAA Pacific Fisheries Environmental Groups, Dr. P. Ted Strub from Oregon State University, and Dr. Floyd Hauth of the NRC's Committee on the National Weather Service Modernization. There were many more who responded to our call for information and ideas, and many more who, upon hearing that this study was being conducted, wrote of their concerns and provided further useful information. A list of individuals who contributed by mail, telephone, fax, and e-mail is provided in Appendix A. Tenecia A. Brown, the study's research assistant and point of contact for many contributors, and Celeste A. Iovinella, the study's point of contact in Albany, New York, also are acknowledged for adeptly managing a flood of information while assembling data and preparing manuscripts.
This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRCs Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the authors and the NRC in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The content of the review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:
Eric J. Barron, Pennsylvania State University
Robert C. Beardsley, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Carl A. Friehe, University of California-Irvine
James R. Holton, University of Washington
George M. Hornberger, University of Virginia
Christopher N. K. Mooers, University of Miami
Wendell A. Nuss, Naval Postgraduate School
James J. O'Brien, Florida State University
John M. Wallace, University of Washington
James A. Westphal, California Institute of Technology
Robert M. White, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
While the individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, responsibility for the final content of this report rests solely with the authors and the NRC.
WILLIAM A. SPRIGG
STUDY DIRECTOR
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