NOAA's Storm QuickLook Provides Near Real-Time Ocean and Meteorological Conditions During a Tropical Storm. When NOAA's National Weather Service issues a tropical storm warning for the U.S. or its territories, the Storm QuickLook is activated. This free online tool is a snapshot of near real-time coastal and weather observations for areas affected by a storm.

As the name suggests, the Storm QuickLook provides a ‘quick look’ at how a storm is affecting the coast. Here are some of the details provided by this report:

Real-time water level and meteorological observations along the coast
GIS map integrating storm track and intensity, satellite imagery, and NOS water level station locations
Summary of present conditions across the affected region
Predicted high tides at specific locations along the coast
Latest NOAA Weather Service Public Advisory Text
QuickLook is served up by the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, NOAA’s tides and currents experts. While updates are generally published online four times a day, QuickLook data is updated once every six minutes during storm events. The online product may be released more frequently as circumstances (such as storm landfall) dictate.


For more information:
In-Depth Description of NOAA's Storm QuickLook
Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services
QuickLook Archive


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Waterspouts fall into two categories: fair weather waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts.

Tornadic waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water. They have the same characteristics as a land tornado. They are associated with severe thunderstorms, and are often accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning.

Fair weather waterspouts usually form along the dark flat base of a line of developing cumulus clouds. This type of waterspout is generally not associated with thunderstorms. While tornadic waterspouts develop downward in a thunderstorm, a fair weather waterspout develops on the surface of the water and works its way upward. By the time the funnel is visible, a fair weather waterspout is near maturity. Fair weather waterspouts form in light wind conditions so they normally move very little.

If a waterspout moves onshore, the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning, as some of them can cause significant damage and injuries to people. Typically, fair weather waterspouts dissipate rapidly when they make landfall, and rarely penetrate far inland.

For more information:
What is a waterspout?, NOAA's National Weather Center
Waterspout video, Ocean Today Kiosk network

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In 1970, NOAA was officially recognized and all of its components were united under a common name and mission. One year later, NOAA's first administrator, Dr. Robert White, gave NOAA employees the choice of three designs to be the official emblem for the new agency.

The chosen design was made the official NOAA emblem later that year and remains the official emblem of the agency to this day.

About the winning design, Dr. White remarked that: "A white, gull-like form links the atmosphere to the sea or Earth. The Earth and atmosphere and the interrelationships between the two are, of course, major concerns of NOAA. The line defining the top of the gull's wings also resemble the trough of a foaming ocean wave against the blue sky. A creature of sea, land, and air, the gull adds an ecological touch to the Earth-sky motif."

For more information:
NOAA Emblem, NOAA 200th Anniversary Web site

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NOAA orchestrates the collection of ocean data through a federal, regional, and private-sector partnership called the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, or IOOS®. This system helps the nation track, predict, manage, and adapt to changes in our marine environment.

IOOS data are increasing our understanding of how oceans drive storms to allow meteorologists to develop earlier, more accurate weather predictions. Store managers use these forecasts to decide whether to stock hurricane supplies or beach towels in their stores. Fishermen typically use weather and water data to make informed decisions about when it is safe to head to sea.

Through state-of-the-art high frequency radar systems and other technologies, IOOS scientists can also track ocean currents in near real time. By improving our ability to monitor the speed and direction of surface currents, search and rescue crews can track the probable path of people lost at sea and expedite recovery time.

Surface current maps also support other scientific work including oil spill response, harmful algal bloom monitoring, and water quality assessments. Responders use IOOS data to track oil slicks after a spill because the real-time data shows the movement of the water and therefore the movement of the spill. Data on ocean currents helps forecasters predict both the movement and size of harmful algal blooms, so they can act to decrease health risks to people who might have been affected otherwise. For more information:

NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System Program
Diving Deeper Podcast, Episode 2 (Mar. 9, 2009) - What is IOOS?

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For decades, the Atlantic Ocean’s fabled Bermuda Triangle has captured the human imagination with unexplained disappearances of ships, planes, and people.

Some speculate that unknown and mysterious forces account for the unexplained disappearances, such as extraterrestrials capturing humans for study; the influence of the lost continent of Atlantis; vortices that suck objects into other dimensions; and other whimsical ideas.  Some explanations are more grounded in science, if not in evidence.  These include oceanic flatulence (methane gas erupting from ocean sediments) and disruptions in geomagnetic lines of flux.

Environmental considerations could explain many, if not most, of the disappearances.  The majority of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes pass through the Bermuda Triangle, and in the days prior to improved weather forecasting, these dangerous storms claimed many ships.  Also, the Gulf Stream can cause rapid, sometimes violent, changes in weather.  Additionally, the large number of islands in the Caribbean Sea creates many areas of shallow water that can be treacherous to ship navigation. And there is some evidence to suggest that the Bermuda Triangle is a place where a “magnetic” compass sometimes points towards “true” north, as opposed to “magnetic” north. 

The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard contend that there are no supernatural explanations for disasters at sea.  Their experience suggests that the combined forces of nature and human fallibility outdo even the most incredulous science fiction. They add that no official maps exist that delineate the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle. The U. S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an official name and does not maintain an official file on the area.

The ocean has always been a mysterious place to humans, and when foul weather or poor navigation is involved, it can be a very deadly place.  This is true all over the world.  There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the ocean. 

For more information:
Does the Bermuda Triangle really exist? – U.S. Coast Guard
Bermuda Triangle, U.S. Geological Survey

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With the advent of online mapping tools such as Google Earth, exploring our planet is easier than ever before. Recently, many of these tools have been updated to provide detailed seafloor mapping data, or bathymetry.

With legions of people around the world now exploring the seafloor, many are noticing locations along the ocean bottom marked by mysterious formations of grid-like artifacts. These formations look like they were made by humans, leading many to ask if these areas could be lost cities or underwater streets.

While these formations are human-made, they are only made of data. In other words, there are no physical lines on the ocean floor. These lines are artifacts of the ocean floor mapping process.

Oceanographers use sonar—sound waves—to map the ocean bottom. These sonar readings are typically taken by ships towing submersible devices that send out sound waves. The sound travels through the ocean, bounces off the seafloor, then travels back to the ships. This process creates a sound 'image' of the peaks and valleys on the ocean bottom.

NOAA is just one of many agencies around the world that uses sonar to 'see' what the seafloor looks like. Some of these surveys of the ocean bottom cover small areas in great detail. Other surveys are broad-brushed, showing vast areas at low resolutions.

Online mapping tools take these many different sonar surveys created by a variety of agencies and organizations, stitch them together, and pile them up on top of each other in layers. Taken together, these sonar maps provide a seamless picture of what the ocean bottom looks like around the globe. However, some areas appear in more detail than others.

When you see strange grid-like formations on the seafloor while using an online mapping tool, what you are really seeing is two (or more) different maps layered on top of each other. One map may show a large, low-resolution picture of the ocean floor. This map will show little detail and will look smooth. The other map, or 'data set,' often looks like a bunch of grid-like lines overlaying the smooth, low-detail map. The path of the lines show the paths traveled by the ships that gathered these higher-resolution sonar readings of smaller patches of the ocean.

For more information:
What is sonar?, Ocean Facts
Surveys and Wrecks, Office of Coast Survey
Understanding Ocean Acoustics, NOAA Ocean Explorer
Sonar, NOAA Ocean Explorer

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Remote sensors collect data by detecting the energy that is reflected from Earth. These sensors can be on satellites or mounted on aircraft.

Remote sensors can be either passive or active. Passive sensors respond to external stimuli. They record radiation that is reflected from Earth’s surface, usually from the sun. Because of this, passive sensors can only be used to collect data during daylight hours.

In contrast, active sensors use internal stimuli to collect data about Earth. For example, a laser-beam remote sensing system projects a laser onto the surface of Earth and measures the time that it takes for the laser to reflect back to its sensor.

Remote sensing has a wide range of applications in many different fields:

Coastal applications: Monitor shoreline changes, track sediment transport, and map coastal features. Data can be used for coastal mapping and erosion prevention. Ocean applications: Monitor ocean circulation and current systems, measure ocean temperature and wave heights, and track sea ice. Data can be used to better understand the oceans and how to best manage ocean resources. Hazard assessment: Track hurricanes, earthquakes, erosion, and flooding. Data can be used to assess the impacts of a natural disaster and create preparedness strategies to be used before and after a hazardous event. Natural resource management: Monitor land use, map wetlands, and chart wildlife habitats. Data can be used to minimize the damage that urban growth has on the environment and help decide how to best protect natural resources. For more information:
Remote Sensing Division, National Geodetic Survey
Coastal Remote Sensing Program, NOAA Coastal Services Center
Remote Sensing: An Overview

Bringing the Big Picture into Focus: The Future of Remote Sensing at NOAA, NOAA 200th Anniversary Web Site

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An ecosystem is an ecological community comprised of biological, physical, and chemical components, considered as a unit.

NOS scientists monitor, research, and study ecosystem science on many levels. They may monitor entire ecosystems or they may study the chemistry of a single microbe. This wide range of data is collected into combined assessments that describe current ecosystem health, predict the future state of an ecosystem, and evaluate different management strategies that may improve the health of an ecosystem.

NOS focuses its efforts on ecosystems that are given importance by legislative and executive orders. These areas include coral reefs, estuaries, national marine sanctuaries, national estuarine research reserves, and other ocean ecosystems. The areas are observed and studied to determine how they are affected by human actions. Strategies are then formed in order to best protect these valuable ecosystems in order to keep them safe and healthy.

For more information:


Coastal Ecosystem Science

National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science

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IOOS coastal and marine data (e.g., water temperature, water level, currents, winds, and waves) are collected by many different tools including satellites, buoys, tide gauges, radar stations, and underwater vehicles. A variety of tools is needed to collect data on global, national, regional, and local levels. Some of these tools are in the water collecting data while others may be on land or in space. Most of the data collected are streamed to a database, making them easier to access.

While many of these data collection tools already exist, the benefit of IOOS is the one common system to connect all of these data so that scientists can quickly find information to track, predict, manage, and adapt to changes in our marine environment.

IOOS data supports environmental efforts such as tracking harmful algal blooms and emergency response needs by assisting with search and rescue operations. IOOS delivers the data and information needed to increase the understanding of our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes so decision makers can improve safety, enhance our economy, and protect our environment. For more information:
NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System Program
Diving Deeper Podcast, Episode 2 (Mar. 9, 2009) - What is IOOS?

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Oceanography covers a wide range of topics, including marine life and ecosystems, ocean circulation, plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor, and the chemical and physical properties of the ocean.

Just as there are many specialties within the medical field, there are many disciplines within oceanography.

Biological oceanographers and marine biologists study plants and animals in the marine environment. They are interested in the numbers of marine organisms and how these organisms develop, relate to one another, adapt to their environment, and interact with it. To accomplish their work, they may use field observations, computer models, or laboratory and field experiments.

Chemical oceanographers and marine chemists study the composition of seawater, its processes and cycles, and the chemical interaction of seawater with the atmosphere and sea floor. Their work may include analysis of seawater components, the effects of pollutants, and the impacts of chemical processes on marine organisms. They may also use chemistry to understand how ocean currents move seawater around the globe and how the ocean affects climate or to identify potentially beneficial ocean resources such as natural products that can be used as medicines.

Geological oceanographers and marine geologists explore the ocean floor and the processes that form its mountains, canyons, and valleys. Through sampling, they look at millions of years of history of sea-floor spreading, plate tectonics, and oceanic circulation and climates. They also examine volcanic processes, mantle circulation, hydrothermal circulation, magma genesis, and crustal formation. The results of their work help us understand the processes that created the ocean basins and the interactions between the ocean and the sea floor.

Physical oceanographers study the physical conditions and physical processes within the ocean such as waves, currents, eddies, gyres and tides; the transport of sand on and off beaches; coastal erosion; and the interactions of the atmosphere and the ocean. They examine deep currents, the ocean-atmosphere relationship that influences weather and climate, the transmission of light and sound through water, and the ocean's interactions with its boundaries at the sea floor and the coast.

All of these fields are intertwined, and thus all oceanographers must have a keen understanding of biology, chemistry, geology, and physics to unravel the mysteries of the world ocean and to understand processes within it.

For more information:
NOAA Ocean Explorer: OceanAGE Careers
MarineCareers.net

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