Editor: Jim Elliott
Contributors: Alan Weinstein and Stephanie Kenitzer
Copy Editor: Anne Siefken
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House Science Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., (R-WI) introduced a five-yr, $4.8 billion bipartisan information technology (IT) bill on 9 June 1999. Key features of this legislation include making the research and development (R&D) tax credit permanent and emphasizing federal research efforts on basic research.
H.R. 2086, the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act (NITRD), was introduced by Chairman Sensenbrenner, Ranking Member George E. Brown Jr., (D-CA), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA), Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Constance Morella (R-MD), and 22 other House members. "Judging from the enthusiastic feedback I've received from the science and high-tech communities, I'm extremely optimistic about this bipartisan legislation's prospects," Chairman Sensenbrenner said.
The Technology Network (TechNet), a Palo Alto, California-based bipartisan organization of high-tech companies, today strongly endorsed Chairman Sensenbrenner's legislation. "In particular, we support the legislation's multiyear authorization for increased federal research funding and its emphasis on substantial new funding for the National Science Foundation's research programs. We also appreciate your support for a permanent research and development tax credit to spur corporate investments in R&D," read a letter sent today from TechNet President and CEO Roberta Katz to Chairman Sensenbrenner.
Ranking Member Brown said, "I fully anticipate that this initiative will receive strong bipartisan support and the backing of the White House, which proposed the Information Technology for the twenty-first century initiative in this year's budget. The multiyear funding profile offered by the chairman is a significant addition to that effort and I congratulate him for that."
NITRD would authorize nearly $4.8 billion over the next five years for IT research at the six agencies under the Science Committee's jurisdiction: the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). NITRD's authorized levels would constitute a 92% increase over FY99 levels.
NITRD would bolster math and science education through the inclusion of $95 million for universities to establish internship programs for research at IT companies. NITRD also would require NSF to report to Congress on the availability of encryption technologies in foreign countries and how they compare with similar technologies subject to export restrictions in the United States.
Chairman Sensenbrenner stated his intention to hold hearings on this legislation in the next few weeks. NITRD's original sponsors also include: Science Committee Vice Chairman Vern Ehlers (R-MI), Basic Research Subcommittee Chairman Nick Smith (R-MI), Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA), Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA), Reps. Tom Ewing (R-IL), Merrill Cook (R-UT), Kevin Brady (R-TX), Dave Weldon (R-FL), Steve Kuykendall (R-CA), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Gil Gutknecht (R-MN), Bart Gordon (D-TN), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Bob Etheridge (D-NC), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Michael Capuano (D-MA), Mark Udall (D-CO), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
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The House by a 259–168 margin approved legislation authorizing National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programs for the next three years. Introduced by Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), H.R. 1654 includes $41.2 billion for NASA programs, a level higher than the president's request, for fiscal years (FY) 2000–2002.
House Science Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., (R-WI) said, "This legislation provides greater resources for NASA programs as it continues to press the limits of space exploration. In addition, this legislation prioritizes funding for solid science-based space programs instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on midnight whims."
"It's been a long time since we had a NASA authorization make it into law. This is certainly a step toward making it happen," added Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Rohrabacher. Both the International Space Station and space shuttle operations are fully authorized at the level requested by NASA. H.R. 1654 also provides additional funding for space shuttle upgrades, life and microgravity research, space science, advanced space transportation technology, and education.
Supporters of the Triana satellite did not offer an amendment to restore funding for the satellite; thus, the House-approved legislation provides only $2.5 million for FY2000 to terminate the program. During the Science committee's markup on 13 May, the committee had voted to transfer money from the Triana satellite to life and microgravity research. Committee members were disturbed by Triana's failure to abide by accepted peer review and other merit-based practices established to ensure programs are prioritized on a scientific, rather than political, basis.
By large bipartisan majorities the House defeated three separate amendments offered by Rep. Tim Roemer (D-IN) to terminate or severely curtail U.S. participation in the International Space Station. At least 313 members voted to defeat each of these amendments.
By a narrow 225–203 margin, the House adopted an amendment offered by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) that adds $10 million for each of the next three years for aircraft noise reduction research. The $30 million increase for this research was adopted even though NASA has already added $25.3 million to the original $46 million dedicated for aircraft noise reduction research over the next three years, bringing the total to over $100 million.
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In the wake of an across-the-board review of how the federal government sponsors research at universities, the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) conducted its first public hearing on 25 May.
The review was conducted by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), composed of cabinet-level officials of the science and technology agencies, and it issued a 21-page report in April proposing a set of principles to guide federal science agencies in their interactions with universities. It also identifies, for further action, areas where improvements need to be made, according to the American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News (Number 92). The report is entitled "Renewing the Federal Government—University Research Partnership for the 21st Century."
While the NSTC solicited advice from the academic community in developing the report, the series of public hearings after the report's release provides an opportunity "to hear from you again about what we got right, what we got wrong," said Presidential Science Advisor Neal Lane, according to the Science Policy News.
Three concerns were raised at the public hearing, according to the story written by Audrey Leath. One of those concerns is the proposed revision of OMB Circular A-110 to make federally sponsored research accessible under the Freedom of Information Act. North Carolina State University Chancellor Mary Anne Fox, speaking on behalf of the Presidents of the National Academies of Science and Engineering, said the fear with A-110 is not about data sharing, but about the premature release of unconfirmed data and its effects on intellectual property rights. The other two primary concerns raised were cost-sharing and federal policies for cost reimbursement by the universities and the lack of federal recognition of the dual role played by students performing research and its implication for student support on research grants and the taxability of tuition remission.
Several speakers pointed out what Princeton University's Christopher McCrudden called the "apparent disconnect" between the nation's science policy objectives and many agency regulations in such areas as university investment in research infrastructure, voluntary donation of faculty time to federal research, simplification and uniformity of grant application procedures, and support of students performing research.
"University research," he said, "is being pulled in two directions." The NSTC's four guiding principles were:
NSTC will allow 12 months for additional dialogue with stakeholders before finalizing the principles put forth in its report, according to the news story. It is encouraging feedback from the academic community. The report is available on the OSTP Web site at http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OSTP/html/rand/index.htm; it is possible to submit comments electronically via that site.
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On 15 May 1999, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned "not nearly enough is being done to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases." Addressing the Thirteenth Session of the World Meteorological Congress in Geneva, the secretary-general said "the atmospheric concentration of these gases continues to increase at an alarming rate" which "may lead to a serious negative effect on food production at the same time as a rapidly growing world population." The gradual rise in sea level and the increase in natural disasters are a source of grave concern to all the international community, he added.
Mr. Annan underlined the important role played by the WMO in providing vital information for advance warnings that save lives and reduce damage to property and the environment. "Every cent invested in the meteorological and hydrological services yields an economic return of more than ten times the initial outlay," he said.
Congratulating Professor Godwin O.P. Obasi on his reelection as secretary-general of the WMO for the fifth term in office, Mr. Annan said, "there is no doubt that the role of the WMO will be even more important in the future." "Throughout your history," he said, "you promoted a better understanding of weather, water, and climate; you have helped others understand that these phenomena know no national boundaries—that they vitally affect the health and well being of all lives on this earth."
The United Nations secretary-general highlighted some of the major achievements of the WMO such as the creation of the World Weather Watch linking up national activities in a global network. He said "today, 30 years later, all of us in the UN system are talking about network solutions and looking for ways to find them." "WMO," Mr. Annan said, "is the original networker." He described WMO as "a model of interagency cooperation" and "a pioneer in partnerships" with civil society.
This collaborative spirit, Mr. Annan concluded, gave birth to many landmark initiatives, such as the Global Atmospheric Research Programme and the World Climate Programme, which have led, with the active participation of many governmental and nongovernmental organizations, to identifying ways of predicting climate change, extreme weather events, and natural disasters.
Dr. John W. Zillman, president of the WMO, expressed his deepest gratitude to Mr. Annan, on behalf of the WMO, for addressing the Thirteenth Session of Congress. He also thanked Mr. Annan for sending a video message on the opening of Congress on 4 May 1999 conveying "a message of hope, optimism, cooperation, and encouragement." He went on to state that "We, the WMO family, are proud also to be part of the much larger United Nations family." He concluded by saying that Mr. Annan's presence was a very tangible sign of his own pride in the work of the WMO.
In thanking Mr. Annan, Professor Obasi emphasized the fact that Mr. Annan's presence was a "tangible expression of the excellent cooperation that characterizes the relationship between the United Nations and WMO." He went on to state that "the symbiotic relationship between the United Nations and WMO has been most beneficial to humanity." It contributed to "improved weather forecasts, seasonal forecasts, and climate prediction in support of a wide range of human activities including food security, safe and efficient transportation, and the mitigation of natural disasters." Also, Professor Obasi noted that "WMO's monitoring and research activities led the UN to adopt resolutions on the protection of the earth's climate, which led to the ratification of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change." He concluded by thanking the secretary-general for his presence and by stating "I am confident that such a symbiotic relationship will continue as we explore and broaden possible areas of cooperation with the United Nations, on issues of mutual interest and concern to humanity."
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The Thirteenth Congress of the World Meteorological Organization elected a new Executive Council during its session this past May. Dr. John W. Zillman, Permanent Representative of Australia with WMO, was reelected as president for a second term in office. Dr. Zillman has been serving as president of the World Meteorological Organization since 1995 when he was elected by the Twelfth World Meteorological Congress. He has been director of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Permanent Representative of Australia with WMO since 1978.
As a member of the executive council of the WMO since 1979, Dr. Zillman has served as chairman of numerous WMO expert working groups and panels. He was responsible for the overall coordination of the preparation of the Second, Third, and Fourth WMO Long-term Plans and is currently chairman of the WMO Executive Council of Experts on Education and Training. He has served as Principal Delegate of Australia to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 1994. The president of WMO presides over the sessions of Congress, the supreme body of the organization, and over the sessions of the executive council.
The Congress also elected Mr. Jean-Pierre Beysson, Permanent Representative of France with WMO as First Vice-President, Dr. Ali-Mohammad Noorian, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran with WMO as Second Vice-President, and Comodoro Ramon A. Sonzini, Permanent Representative of Argentina with WMO as Third Vice-President of WMO.
The new executive council is composed of 36 members including the president, the vice-presidents, and presidents of the six regional associations, as well as 26 elected members. The newly elected EC members includes John J. Kelly, director of the U.S. National Weather Service and 25 others. They are: Z. Alperson (Israel), A.I. Bedritsky (Russian Federation), F. Camargo Duque (Venezuela), D.E. Coca Vita (Spain), A. Diouri (Morocco), Ms. I. Dutra Maisonnave (Uruguay), P.D. Ewins (United Kingdom), U. Gärtner (Germany), F.J.B. Hounton (Benin), A. Jaime (Mexico), R.R. Kelkar (India), K. Konaré (Mali), G.A. McBean (Canada), E.A. Mukolwe (Kenya), F. Oyou (Congo), L.P. Praham (Denmark), R. Prasad (Fiji), Ms. G.K. Ramothwa (Botswana), Y. Salahu (Nigeria), G.C. Schulze (South Africa), T. Sutherland (British Caribbean Territories), Y.Takigawa (Japan), N. I. Tawfiq (Saudi Arabia), Wen Kegang (China), and J. Zielinski (Poland).
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The World Meteorological Congress ended a three-week session in Geneva on 26 May 1999, with the adoption of a universal declaration outlining the mission of the world meteorological community and calling upon all governments of the world "to contribute significantly to the reduction of the loss of life and property damage caused by natural disasters and other catastrophic events and to safeguard the environment and the global climate for present and future generations of humankind." According to a recent study, human and economic losses caused by natural disasters have by far exceeded those caused by man-made disasters over the last decade.
The declaration, named the "Geneva Declaration," urges all governments to provide financial support to operate and maintain the required basic infrastructure, monitoring, and services in the national and global public interest; and that such support be strengthened where needed. The declaration underlines the contributions already made by and through WMO in response to the United Nations General Assembly's appeal for a greater action to mitigate climate-related natural disasters and climate change. In particular, it highlights the role of "the global ensemble of national meteorological and hydrometeorological services which is crucial to international strategies for the protection of the global environment such as addressing climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion issues, among others."
The declaration, which starts with: "we, the delegates from 170 member states and territories of WMO meeting in Geneva from 4–26 May 1999, declare," further underlines the importance of a unique and integrated international system for the observation, collection, processing, and dissemination of meteorological and related data and products, implemented within the framework of WMO's World Weather Watch.
In its declaration, the Congress expressed its deep concern about the potential impacts on the provision of meteorological services world wide of any development that endangers the unique and integrated international system for obtaining and exchanging meteorological and related data and products, as a system that has benefitted the global community for over 100 years. It further appealed to all governments to ensure that the national practices in force in their countries, especially through their national meteorological and hydrometeorological services, conform with the letter and spirit of Resolution 40 adopted by the twelfth World Meteorological Congress on the WMO policy and practice for the international exchange of meteorological and related data and products including guidelines on relationships in commercial meteorological activities.
"These developments," the declaration states,"can adversely affect the effective and efficient provision of appropriate meteorological data, information, products, and services as well as the role and operation of national meteorological and hydrometeorological services, resulting in unfavorable impacts on national economies, the environment and the well being of peoples and the whole world community."
The declaration reaffirms the vital importance of the mission of the national meteorological and hydrological services in observing and understanding weather and climate and in providing meteorological and related services in support of all national needs, particularly in the following areas: protection of life and property; safeguarding the environment; contributing to sustainable development; ensuring continuity of the observations of meteorological and related data including climatological data; promotion of endogenous capacity building; meeting international committees; and contributing to international cooperation. The declaration further stresses that the weather and climate systems do not recognize political borders and that no one can be fully self-reliant in meeting all of its requirements for meteorological services and countries need to work together.
During its discussions, Congress debated the issue of the Year 2000 problem (Y2K) and called upon all governments to urgently take the necessary action at national level to ensure that all their systems essential to meteorological and hydrological operations, in particular those contributing to the operations of the World Weather Watch in compliance with the WMO-developed procedures.
The World Meteorological Congress, which meets once every four years, has discussed and approved the Program of Work and Budget of WMO for the period 2000–2003 in the amount of SFR 248.8 million, representing a nominal zero growth compared to the previous financial period of four years. It also authorized additional program expenditures for high-priority activities of SFR 3.5 million to be funded from savings resulting from the relocation of WMO Headquarters.
The Congress agreed on strengthening the programs of the organizations through increased efficiency and partnerships, in particular the World Weather Watch Program, the World Climate Program, the World Climate Research Program, the Atmospheric Research and Environment Program, the Hydrology and Water Resources Program, the Education and Training Program, the Meteorological Applications Program and the Technical Cooperation and Regional Programs. It has further agreed to strengthen cooperation with the Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission of UNESCO by setting up a Joint Commission on Marine activities.
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With large portions of the mid-Atlantic reeling from the three H's of an early summer— humidity, haze, and heat—mother nature has thrown another climatological woe into the region: drought. At a press conference on 8 June, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters predicted short-term relief in sight, with rain coming and cooler temperatures coming as early as next week, but a resurging La Niña may contribute to drought conditions throughout the summer and possibly into the fall.
"For farmers in this region, this makes the third consecutive year of drought. Recent heat and lack of rain have quickly worsened the dryness. Rain in the next week or so may bring short-term relief, but a resurging La Niña could extend the drought into the fall," said D. James Baker, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. The recent heat and the poor showing of rain may be the result of a "blocking ridge" of high pressure that is pumping the three H's up from the south and fending off rain from the drought areas, said Ants Leetmaa, director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
La Niña, the climatic opposite of El Niño, is defined as cooler than normal sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean that impact global weather patterns. The La Niña is currently weak but forecasts predict that this condition may strengthen this summer. "While La Niña may contribute to warmer, drier conditions in the mid-Atlantic, La Niña also may be a factor in bringing this dryness to an end," Baker explained. "NOAA forecasts an active hurricane season this year as a result of La Niña. Should tropical storms bring additional rain to the mid-Atlantic, dry conditions may end."
"NOAA's long-range forecasts show no long-term relief for the drought this summer," said Leetma. "Normal rainfall amounts this summer may still keep this area below normal conditions. Rainfall during the past six weeks in the Washington, D.C., area have totaled only about 1–2 inches where around 4–6 inches would be expected."
Though dryness is a concern through the Northeast as well as southward into northern Florida, the only other area in the country where drought conditions are as bad or worse than in the Maryland–Northern Virginia region is Georgia and northern Florida, where rainfall since late January has been below normal. Lingering drought after an abnormally dry winter continues over parts of the Southwest, especially southwestern Texas and much of Arizona.
"The drought in the Southwest is consistent with the La Niña pattern we predicted months ago, but in the Northeast, the average levels of precipitation we expected were pushed about 500 miles to the west," said Douglas LeComte, a drought specialist at the Climate Prediction Center, adding that these conditions helped produce the storms that brought severe weather to Oklahoma and Texas where tornadoes wreaked considerable havoc. Many parts of the country are experiencing climate extremes. "While the east is suffering from heat and drought, the middle of the country is super wet and California is unusually cold," Leetmaa said. "There was also an unusual June snow in Nevada."
While we think that short-term relief is possible, the longer-term hydrologic drought conditions will persist unless we experience a major tropical storm or hurricane, and we may be talking about drought into the indefinite future," Leetmaa added.
Additional information on the drought is available on the Internet at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/drought.htm
Vegetation and Temperature Condition Index: http://orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/crad/sat/surf/vci/index.html
Fire Potential: http://orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/crad/sat/surf/fpm/
National Geophysical Data Center: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought.html
National Climatic Data Center: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/onlineprod/drought/main.html
NOAA's Climate Diagnostics Center Drought Monitoring: http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/Drought/
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This year's Atlantic hurricane season is expected to bring more tropical storms, hurricanes, and intense hurricanes than usual, according to a number of sources responsible for making these predictions.
William Gray, the Colorado State University professor noted for his accuracy in forecasting hurricanes, has never predicted more than 11 storms until this year. But for the six-month Atlantic hurricane season which began 1 June, Gray predicts 14 storms strong enough to be named. Of those 14, nine will be hurricanes, he predicted, four of them major.
Also, Commerce Secretary William M. Daley, NOAA Administrator D. James Baker, and NWS Director Jack Kelly at a press conference in Miami on 28 May told reporters that there is an increased chance for "greater-than-average hurricane activity," with three or more intense storms. Normally, they said, there are nine or ten tropical storms in a season, of which five to six are hurricanes and two are classified as intense.
In a story by the Associated Press, Jerry Jarrell, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said, "People have been saying for several years we may be heading back to a period like the '40s and '50s when we really had heavy hurricane seasons—a lot of major hurricanes. I think it's no longer speculation. I think we are in it now."
The Commerce Department press conference marked the first time that NOAA and the NWS have issued a hurricane outlook at the beginning of the season. Last year, an outlook was issued in August for the remainder of the season. It predicted accurately that there would be an above-average number of tropical storms in the Atlantic between August and October. Three major hurricanes developed during the 1998 season, inflicting $7.3 billion in damages and 23 fatalities in the United States. Another outlook will be issued this August.
One of the reasons for an early season warning was to underline the need for people in the hurricane prone areas to get prepared. "It is imperative," Secretary Daley emphasized, "that local residents and businesses be prepared to protect themselves and their property." The intensified hurricane activity may be influenced by a lingering La Niña, which scientists expect to continue at its current strength through the hurricane season and which help to create conditions favoring hurricanes, explained Baker. La Niña refers to cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean that historically have contributed to a greater number of hurricanes in the Atlantic. In addition, cyclical changes such as African rainfall contribute to greater hurricane activity, according to the experts. If the predictions are accurate, the storm activity would reach an intensity not seen in 50 years, they explained.
Forecasters hope that if the forecasts are correct, the hurricanes will at least stay over water. That's just the opposite of what happened last year, however. Georges, a Category-4 storm with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph, moved through the Caribbean islands in September. More than 500 people lost their lives in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
A month later, Mitch,a monstrous Category-5 storm, came along and stalled off the coast of Honduras, leaving 10 000 dead and two million homeless in Honduras and Nicaragua. "In terms of casualties," said Jarrell, "it looks like now it was probably the worst year since 1780," when a hurricane killed at least 22 000 people on Martinique, Barbados, and surrounding islands.
The 1999 Hurricane Outlook can be found at http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov.
Further information about hurricanes can be found at http://hurricanes.noaa.gov.
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The National Weather Service's AWIPS program, which earlier in the year had received the laureate medal in the Computerworld Smithsonian Awards program, was honored again this month when it received the top award in the award program's Environment, Energy, and Agriculture category. The award program honors organizations using technology in an innovative way to benefit society. AWIPS was the only federal award winner, with most of the other nine categories won by private companies.
Mary Glackin, program manager for the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), accepted a symbolic golden egg encased in a crystal, on behalf of NOAA and NWS employees during a gala awards banquet held at the historic National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. on 7 June. The Washington Post called the event "a worldclass wingding for the muckety-mucks of information technology."
"Mary's foresight and leadership skills helped the AWIPS team and the whole National Weather Service navigate the difficult course of integrating a completely new computer and communications system into an operational environment," said Jack Kelly Jr. NWS director. The NWS program was among 500 nominees in 10 categories last April. From that group, the AWIPS program was selected as one of the five top contenders in its category. And from those five selectees, AWIPS won the top honor.
AWIPS is the key integrating element in the modernization of the NWS. It provides significant improvements in weather- and flood-related services to protect life and property, giving forecasters access to satellite imagery, Doppler radar data, automated weather observations, and computer-generated numerical forecasts, all in one workstation
A case study of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System is now part of the permanent research collection on information technology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The AWIPS program was nominated for the Computerworld Smithsonian Award by Robert Finnocchio Jr., member of the Computerworld Smithsonian Chairmen's Committee that nominates all Computerworld award contenders, and president and chief executive officer of Informix Software, a subcontractor for the AWIPS program.
More information about AWIPS is available on the Internet at http://tgsv5.nws.noaa.gov/msm/awips/awipsmsm.htm
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The launch of NOAA's GOES-L satellite has been delayed until no earlier than 26 June, NOAA officials have announced. The launch has been in a day-to-day slip until the second stage engine of the launch vehicle can be cleared for flight by the manufacturer.
A firm date will be announced pending results of the Failure Review Board that was convened after the 4 May Delta-III launch failure. A "flight constraint" remains in effect for the upper stage engines that are common in both the GOES and Delta-III launch vehicles.
Once the engine constraint is lifted, officials said, approximately 10 days are required to complete the normal engineering process leading to a successful launch.
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The cost of natural hazards in the United States has averaged as much as $1 billion per week since 1989 and is expected to keep rising, according to a new study. In some cases, steps taken to reduce the impact of natural hazards may actually make the situation worse when more extreme disasters occur, said Dennis Mileti, who led the study team of 132 experts.
The five-yr, $750 000 study—titled Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States—was funded primarily by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering Directorate. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Forest Service and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also contributed funding.
The study team was asked to evaluate what is known about natural hazards and come up with ways to reduce their social and economic costs. Mileti chairs the sociology department and directs the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center at the University of Colorado. He noted that seven of the ten most costly U.S. disasters occurred between 1989 and 1994 (see related story). The states of California, Texas, and Florida experienced the greatest losses from natural hazards during the study period from 1975 to 1994.
The 1994 Northridge earthquake in California was the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history, at more than $25 billion. Japan's 1995 Kobe earthquake was the world's most expensive disaster, at $100 billion. "The really big catastrophes are getting larger and will continue to get larger, partly because of things we've done in the past to reduce risk," Mileti said. "For example, building a dam or levee may protect a community from the small- and medium-sized floods the structures were designed to handle. But additional development that occurs because of this protection will mean even greater losses during a big flood that causes the dam or levee to fail. Many of the accepted methods for coping with hazards have been based on the idea that people can use technology to control nature to make them safe," he added.
The report, published by Joseph Henry Press of Washington, D.C., urges community leaders to "design future disasters" for their communities, actually setting the number of deaths and injuries and dollar losses they are willing to accept, and take responsibility for, as the result of the most extreme disasters their community could face during the next 100–200 years.
Mileti said, "We need to change the culture to think about designing communities for our great grandchildren's children's children."
Individuals who wish to obtain copies of the report, Disasters by Design, should contact the National Academy Press toll free at 1-800-624-6242, or online at http://www.nap.edu.
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A fact sheet on natural disasters between 1975 and 1994 was distributed to reporters attending a briefing by Dennis Mileti at the National Press Club on 19 May (see related story). Mileti led a team of 132 experts who conducted a 20-yr study. He is chair of the sociology department and directs the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center at the University of Colorado.
The facts listed were:
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Twelve countries around the world will now have help in preparing for droughts, floods, fires, and tropical storms related to future El Niños. Beginning in June 1999, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) will work with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to conduct a 19-month study of 1997–98 El Niño impacts. The study will help each country build operational, research, and educational programs to protect its people and the environment from climate hazards related to El Niño and La Niña events. NCAR's primary sponsor is the National Science Foundation.
The project is funded by a $650 000 grant from the UN Fund for International Partnership. The source of the grant is the first part of a billion-dollar gift to the UN in September 1997 by businessman Ted Turner. The World Meteorological Organization, the UN University, and the UN International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction are partners in the project.
The program will assess forecasts and impacts of the 1997–98 El Niño in China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Kenya, Mozambique, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and Vietnam. This month and next, NCAR and UNEP will establish a network of participants in each country, who will then develop projects tailored to each society's needs. The first meeting of the country study leaders will take place in the International Conference Centre of Geneva in early July 1999.
"El Niño is a hazard spawner," says project director Michael Glantz, a senior scientist at NCAR. "Affected countries are wise to incorporate it into their national disaster plans." Such preparedness could help with similar climate impacts resulting from global climate change over the next century, which some scientists believe will produce more severe drought in some areas and heavier rains in others.
El Niño occurs when trade winds over the Pacific Ocean weaken and sometimes reverse direction, and surface waters warm off the west coast of South America. Through changes in atmospheric circulation, it can affect climate around the world. The 1997–98 El Niño, for example, brought drought to Australia and heavy rains to Kenya. La Niña, a cooling of the same Pacific waters, generally creates less intense impacts worldwide but can brew a hearty hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean.
According to Glantz, "El Niño is the climate event that allows us the earliest warnings of potential impacts. Still, we're just starting to learn how to get ready for it." Glantz, who proposed the new project, believes extensive analysis of what worked and what didn't for each country before, during, and after the 1997–98 El Niño is the key to preparing for future climate catastrophes.
After reviewing each country's systems for early warning and natural disaster preparedness, the participants will identify research and policy needs. The final step will be to develop preliminary guidelines for regional and national preparedness for both El Niño and La Niña events. Glantz hopes to introduce climate-affairs courses into university curricula in the 12 case-study countries to prepare future scientists and policymakers for approaching climate disasters.
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As of 2 June, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is helping guide three research aircraft into Colorado thunderstorms to test how well an airborne Doppler weather radar can detect convective turbulence. The aircraft will fly from the Ft. Collins-Loveland Jet Center to zero in on storms from Ft. Collins to Cheyenne, Wyoming, through 18 June.
The Colorado turbulence research experiment is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Aviation Safety Program. Other partners are the National Science Foundation (NSF), AlliedSignal, Rockwell Collins, Colorado State University, and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. NSF is NCAR's primary sponsor.
AlliedSignal will test its airborne weather radar aboard a company-owned Convair 580 while Rockwell-Collins tests its own similar radar aboard its Sabreliner. Both planes will record the aircraft's response to turbulence, such as accelerations and attitudes. An armored T-28 storm-penetration aircraft operated by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology will gather both atmospheric and airplane-response data as it flies into the storm ahead of the other two. Its pilot will report on lightning, hail, and turbulence to the Convair and Sabreliner pilots as the three search for pockets of turbulence while skirting areas of heavy rain and hail. All three planes will fly nearly every afternoon that storms and turbulence are present.
On the ground, Colorado State University (CSU) will operate two Doppler radars to locate storms and verify aircraft data. CSU researchers and their NSF-sponsored summer students will gather the ground radar data from sites near Greeley and the Pawnee National Grassland. Sounding balloons launched from NCAR's mobile weather van will measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and winds. NCAR atmospheric scientist Larry Cornman will guide daily operations. Says Cornman, "Airborne Doppler radar is a promising tool for detecting convective turbulence. If everything goes well, it could be ready for use by U.S. airlines within two years." Onboard Doppler radars are already detecting low-level wind shear from commercial planes. Cornman will develop the mathematical equations that will make the standard weather radar data useful for detecting convective turbulence.
Convective turbulence is associated with storms and clouds. It can rip sections off small planes and injure crew and passengers aboard larger craft. Up to 60% of aircraft encounters with turbulence is due to turbulence associated with thunderstorms. Poor forecasting and detection of all kinds of turbulence costs U.S. airlines $100 million each year in injuries and disrupted operations.
Convective turbulence may be detected by weather radars that bounce radio waves off large raindrops, snowflakes, and hailstones. To detect clear-air turbulence, which occurs in the absence of clouds, scientists have experimented with lidars, which reflect laser beams off tiny moving particles invisible to the radar.
In 1996 the White House established a Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA Aviation Safety Programs were instituted. One element of these safety programs is reduction of injuries from aircraft encounters with atmospheric turbulence.
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The year-to-date, January–April, was the seventh warmest January–April period in the contiguous United States since records began in 1895, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently reported. About 40% of the country averaged much warmer than normal, while near 0% of the country averaged much cooler than normal.
Preliminary precipitation data indicate that the year-to-date was the 47th wettest January–April on record for the contiguous United States. About 2% of the country was much wetter than normal for this period, while about 4% of the country was much drier than normal. This contrasts with the wettest January–April on record, which occurred just last year during the strong El Niño episode.
For the year-to-date, January–April, 358 tornadoes have been documented. This ranks as the third most active year-to-date, behind the count of 373 recorded just last year. The most tornadoes observed during this same four-month period was 405 in 1991, while the fewest was 83 in 1987. During April 1999, 152 tornadoes were documented across the contiguous United States. The 47-yr average for April is 111. The most tornadoes observed in the April record was 269 during the record outbreak month of April 1974, while the fewest was 20 in April 1987.
Long-term drought coverage (as measured by the Palmer Drought Index) was virtually unchanged for the third consecutive month, with April 1999 having about 4% of the country in severe to extreme drought. The area of the country experiencing severe to extreme wetness increased slightly to about 13%. The core dry areas included portions of the Southwest, Southeast, mid-Atlantic, Gulf Coast, and New England. The core wet areas included portions of the northern and central Great Plains, the central California coast, southeastern and southwestern Oregon, and portions of the central and southern Rockies.
Information on the year-to-date climate and on the climate of April can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/research/1999/apr/apr99.html
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The Department of Energy's Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) has released a new Numeric Data Package containing daily observations of maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation amount, snowfall amount, and snow depth from 1871 through 1997.
The "United States Historical Climatology Network Daily Temperature, Precipitation and Snow Data for 1871–1997" is a collection of data contributed by David Easerling, Thomas Karl, Jay Lawrimore, and Stephen Del Greco. The documentation and final data processing were performed by CDIAC's Dale Kaiser and Linda Allison. Data from 1050 of the daily records extend into the 1990s, while 990 of these extend through 1997.
CDIAC also has released an updated database from the global ALE/GAGE/AGAGE monitoring network that provides continuous high-frequency measurements of methane, nitrous oxide, three chlorofluorocarbons, methyl chloroform, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. The database supports analyses and monitoring related to both greenhouse gases and the earth's ozone layer. Data from 1978 through September 1998 are now available for Cape Grim, Tasmania; Point Matatula, American Samoa; Ragged Point, Barbados; Mace Head, Ireland, and Trinidad Head, California.
Also made available was "Measurements of Atmospheric Methane and 13C/12C of Atmospheric Methane from Flask Air Samples." This database offers precise measurements of atmospheric methane and its 13C/12C isotopic ratio from flask air samples collected at eight sites worldwide and aboard NOAA cruises in the Pacific Ocean.
The eight sites include Olympic Peninsla, Washington; Cape Grim, Tasmania; Fraserdale, Ontario; Marshall Islands; Baring Head, New Zealand, Mauna Loa, Hawaii; Point Barrow, Alaska, and American Samoa.
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NASA and industry are developing revolutionary cockpit displays to give airplane crews clear views of their surroundings in bad weather and darkness, a technology that could help prevent deadly aviation accidents. Limited visibility is the greatest factor in most fatal aircraft accidents, according to Michael Lewis, director of the Aviation Safety Program at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. "With global positioning satellite signals, pilots now can know exactly where they are," said Lewis. "Add super-accurate terrain databases and graphical displays, and we can draw three-dimensional moving scenes that will show pilots exactly what's outside. The type of accidents that happen in poor visibility just don't happen when pilots can see the terrain hazards ahead."
NASA has selected six industry teams to create Synthetic Vision, a virtual-reality display system for cockpits. The displays would offer pilots an electronic picture of what is outside their windows, no matter the weather or time of day. NASA envisions a system that would use new and existing technologies to incorporate data into displays in aircraft cockpits. The displays would show hazardous terrain, air traffic, landing and approach patterns, runway surfaces, and other obstacles that could affect an aircraft's flight.
Industry teams submitted 27 proposals in four categories: commercial transports and business jets, general aviation aircraft, database development, and enabling technologies. NASA has committed $5.2 million that will be matched by $5.5 million in industry funds to advance Synthetic Vision projects over the next 18 months. More money is expected to be designated later to accelerate commercialization and make some systems available within four to six years.
Among the team leaders selected for the first phase of the program are: Rockwell Collins, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa; AvroTec, Inc., Portland, Oregon; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Jeppesen-Sanderson, Inc., Englewood, Colorado; the Avionics Engineering Center of Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, and the Rannoch Corporation, Alexandria, Virginia.
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Following are the names of this coming season's Atlantic hurricanes. They are Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Floyd, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrina, Lenny, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince, and Wilma.
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NOAA and the U.S. Navy plan to make archaeological and engineering examinations of the deteriorating hull of the sunken Civil War ironclad U.S.SMonitor this month to complete collecting tasks critical to stabilizing its condition.
The U.S.S. Monitor is a National Historic Landmark as one of the most significant ships in U.S. history. In recognition of the ship's historical importance, the Secretary of Commerce in 1975 designated the Monitor site as the first national marine sanctuary. The Monitor site, located off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, is administered by NOAA.
The mission also is supported by The Mariners' Museum, Hampton, Virginia. The operation will be conducted between 17–21 June, officials said.
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Students and teachers, parents and children can now surf the virtual seas to depths of 2000 feet to study diverse and fascinating marine life, with the launching of two new Web sites on the Sustainable Seas Expeditions that explore ocean resources at America's 12 national marine sanctuaries. The Web sites are http://www.sustainableseas.noaa.gov and http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov. Sustainable Seas Expeditions is being conducted by the National Geographic Society and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Sanctuary Program.
Throughout the coming year, Sustainable Seas Expeditions' trained aquanauts will pilot DeepWorker 2000, a one-person submersible capable of going to depths of 2000 feet to photodocument the natural history of each sanctuary's plants and animals. What they discover, and record in daily mission logs, will help the sanctuaries to build the first permanent marine monitoring network in the marine sanctuaries and to educate the public on the many wonders within these protected areas. The aquanauts' findings will be posted on the Web sites.
Along with daily mission logs, this Sustainable Seas Expeditions Web site offers a calendar of scheduled Web chats and student summits, facts about the research investigations and the scientists who carry them out, a closer look at the innovative technology used, detailed maps and a photo gallery of the habitats and the inhabitants unique to each site. Sustainable Seas Expeditions education pages will feature the results from some of the major educational initiatives of the expeditions and offer opportunities for students and educators to share in its discoveries.
The Sustainable Seas Expeditions will highlight sanctuary conservation efforts as it explores our 12 national marine sanctuaries. More comprehensive, accessible information about marine sanctuaries may be found on the National Marine Sanctuaries Web site at http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov. The Web site contains a history and time line of the National Marine Sanctuaries program, information about designation and legislation, a monthly news page, a national calendar, and stories about the people and creatures who live, work and play in the national marine sanctuaries.
Sustainable Seas Expeditions, a 5-yr project of ocean exploration and conservation in the sanctuaries, is headed by Dr. Sylvia Earle, world-renowned ocean scientist and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence, and former NOAA marine sanctuary program Director Francesca Cava. The Expeditions, made possible by an initial $5 million grant from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, join in partnership the National Geographic Society and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Launch of QuickSCAT, a satellite carrying an ocean winds instrument and dubbed by some as "the next El Niño watcher," has been set for 18 June from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The launch window is 7:15 to 7:45 p.m. PDT.
The date for the launch was announced at a 3 June press conference at NASA Headquarters where representatives from NOAA, NASA, and Oregon State University outlined details of the satellite and its mission. Participating in the forum were Dr. Ghassem Asrar, associate administrator for Earth Sciences, NASA Headquarters; Gregory Withee, assistant administrator for satellite and information services, NOAA; Dr. Eric Lindstrom, oceanography program scientist, NASA Headquarters; James Graf, QuickSCAT project manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California, and Dr. Michael Freilich, QuickSCAT team leader, Oregon State University, Corvallis.
The satellite is designed to better understand global weather patterns, providing climatologists, meteorologists, and oceanographers daily, detailed measurements of winds as they whirl above the world's oceans. QuickSCAT was built in just 12 months—a record for NASA's Earth Science Program. The satellite and its SeaWind instruments represent a "quick recovery" mission to fill the gap created by the loss of data from the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) when the Japanese satellite on which it was flying lost power in June 1997.
SeaWinds is a specialized microwave radar that measures near-surface (normally up to 10 m above the surface) wind speed and direction under all weather and cloud conditions over the world's oceans. The instrument uses a rotating dish antenna with two spot beams that sweep in a circular pattern. The antenna radiates microwave pulses across broad regions of the earth's surface, collecting data over ocean, land and ice in a continuous, 1800- km-wide path, making approximately 400 000 measurements and covering 90% of the earth's surface in one day."
The instrument will allow scientists to collect data in one day what they used to collect in two days, the panel members said. Refinements in the instrument also will permit much smaller scale measurements, providing better information for predicting ocean circulation and weather. "Oceanography is at a crossroads," Lindstrom said. While much progress has been made in that field, much is left to be done. QuikSCAT, he explained, will allow collection of data on a sustained basis, bringing oceanography into what he termed "operational oceanography." He said operational oceanography is akin to operational meteorology, permitting oceanographers to make forecasts just as weather forecasters do.
The $92 million spacecraft had been scheduled for launch last November, but problems with the Titan II launch vehicle forced a delay, the panel members said. The delay cost approximately $5 million, they explained. The panel members predicted that with orbital checkout and calibration, NOAA will be able to distribute data to users about four and a half months after launch.
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Scientists expect increased solar storms and geomagnetic activity as the sun approaches solar maximum, expected to peak in 2000. That event, considered the "other Y2K problem," is expected to have significant impacts on various industries, including navigation, power distribution, radio communications systems, and others.
Standing ready to warn everyone of impending difficulties is NOAA's Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado. It is responsible for issuing warnings, watches and forecasts of the space environment, and potential impacts on Earth. The center continuously monitors the solar environment with a complex array of satellites operated by NOAA, NASA, and other international partners.
NOAA has a number of experts on space weather who are available to make presentations concerning this phenomenon and who can comment on the space environment. Persons desiring additional information should call the Public Affairs Office in Boulder at (303) 497-6288.
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A $91 million contract was awarded on 19 May to Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation of Boulder, Colorado, to develop a suite of satellite instruments that will significantly improve the accuracy of Earth's ozone measurements. The contract will be followed by others later this year and next year for development of a series of satellite instruments that will improve short-term weather forecasts and long-term climate prediction, Daley said. They will be part of the administration's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program, a key element of Vice President Gore's National Performance Review initiative aimed at making government less costly, more efficient, and more responsive to public needs.
Daley said the NPOESS program, once operational in the next decade, will save the taxpayers about $1.8 billion over its lifetime. "NPOESS marks the most significant change in U.S. operational remote sensing since the launch of the first weather satellite in 1960," Daley said. "It heralds a new unified path for the United States to develop, acquire, manage, and operate environmental satellites."
The contract was awarded 14 May by the tri-agency Integrated Program Office, which consists of components of NOAA, the U. S. Air Force, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The contract, for the design and fabrication of the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS), totals approximately $91 million, including options. The contract will ultimately produce three OMPS units that will collect data to permit the calculation and mapping of the vertical and horizontal distributions of ozone in the earth's atmosphere.
The NPOESS program represents a major step toward the merger of military and civilian operational meteorological satellites into a single, national system. Once operational in the next decade, the NPOESS will satisfy both civil and national security requirements for space-based, remotely sensed environmental data. "With the award of the OMPS contract, the NPOESS program is well along the path to creating a high performance, integrated polar satellite system that will cost less, be more responsive to user demands, and deliver more capability than those in use today," said Captain Craig Nelson, NOAA Corps, who is executive director of the Integrated Program Office.
The NPOESS sensor suites will deliver higher resolution and more accurate atmospheric, oceanographic, terrestrial, and solar-geophysical data to support improved accuracy in short-term weather forecasts and warnings and severe storm warnings, as well as serve the data continuity requirements of the climate community for improved climate prediction and assessment.
The 1994 Presidential Decision Directive that established the NPOESS Integrated Program Office charged NOAA with overall responsibility for the converged system, as well as satellite operations and interactions with the civil and international user communities. The U.S. Air Force has the lead agency responsibility for major systems acquisitions, including launch support. NASA has primary responsibility for facilitating the development and incorporation of new cost-effective technologies into the converged system. Representatives from all three agencies participated in the NPOESS OMPS source selection, which was held in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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Innovations in remote sensing and computer technology will bring unprecedented detail and clarity about the earth and usher in a new era in earth science when the Terra satellite, formerly EOS AM-1, is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, now scheduled for a 27 August liftoff aboard a Lockheed-Martin Atlas II rocket; the satellite will fly in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 705 km in formation with NASA's Landsat-7. Together, Terra and Landsat-7 will circle the earth once every 90 min, very nearly pole-to-pole. They will descend across the equator in the morning local time, hence the EOS AM-1 original name.
During its planned six-yr mission life span, Terra is expected to collect 16 of the 24 measurement objectives that have been identified by the EOS project as "essential" to improving computer models of the Earth's climate system.Terra is the flagship of NASA's Earth Observing System. With its launch, NASA will begin collecting the first part of a new, 15-yr global dataset that will enable scientists to construct and revise computer models of Earth's complex climate system and possibly predict future climate changes.
With its payload of five uniquely designed sensors that will make measurements across a much wider span of the electromagnetic spectrum, Terra will provide unprecedented capabilities that are beyond those of any of its predecessor satellites, according to NASA officials. The instruments include the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the most comprehensive Earth remote sensor ever built; two copies of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), one that scans across the track and the other to scan the earth's horizon; the Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), which will view the earth at nine different angles—four forward, four backward, and one straight down; the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), which can make stereoscopic images at very high resolution in measuring cloud properties, vegetation types, surface mineralogy, soil properties as well as surface temperature and topography, and Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT), a scanning radiometer that uses gas correlation spectroscopy to measure concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide in the earth's lower atmosphere.
MODIS was built at Raytheon's Santa Barbara Remote Sensing facility. CERES was designed and built at NASA's Langley Research Center. MISR was designed and built at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ASTER is managed by NASDA in Japan and each of its subsystems was designed and built by Japanese companies. MOPITT was built by a Canadian company. The satellite will revisit every place on Earth with greater frequency while providing broader spatial coverage than any of its predecessors, officials said. Technically, Terra instruments will relay to Earth more than 900 gigabytes of data per day. At that rate, it would fill up the Library of Congress every two months.
Objectives of the Terra mission, officials said, are:
Writing in the spring issue of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's "The Critical Path," David D. Herring, the Terra outreach coordiantor, noted: "In its scope and complexity, Terra is an awesome mission. Analogous to modern-day diagnostic devices that produce three-dimensional images of the human body, Terra's sensors will collect multispectral, three-dimensional images of our planet on a daily basis. These data will allow scientists to visualize and study the complex interactions among Earth's lands, oceans, atmosphere, and life at spatial and temporal resolutions never before possible.
"Moreover, given EOS' strategy of making Terra data freely available to researchers worldwide, Earth scientists anticipate major strides forward in their comprehension of the causes and effects of climatic and environmental change. If information is the new currency, then Terra is a sound investment in the future of humankind."
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NASA and the Department of Agriculture have started a new series of research projects to develop wider use of satellite imagery and related products for farming and natural resource management. Thirteen projects have been selected for study in the areas of forestry, crop, and rangeland management and natural hazard monitoring under a memorandum of agreement between NASA and the Department of Agriculture, according to a report in the 7 June edition of Space News.
NASA is funding the entire three-yr project at approximately $7 million, but hopes to launch a broader series of cooperative projects that would be funded jointly, according to the report. The program will be managed by NASA's Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. It will be designed, officials explained, toward establishing a role for private companies to provide imagery and related information that will help farmers improve crop yields.
While Agriculture has used satellite imagery for forestry and crop yield forecasting for some time, they said, the new studies, scheduled begin in 2001, will open new avenues using new technologies in satellite imagery. Satellite imagery can help detect patterns of crop stress, parasite infestation, and low-soil moisture. That information could help farmers determine precisely where to apply remedies such as fertilizer and pesticides.
Using data from satellites to improve farming efficiency and production is known as "precision agriculture," according to the report. The 13 pilot projects were selected from 180 proposals. The projects will use data from several different sources, including existing and future satellites, data archives, and aircraft.
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Dr. Kathie L. Olsen, a biologist with the National Science Foundation, has been named chief scientist with NASA. The appointment, announced by NASA Administrator Dan Goldin on 19 May, was effective 24 May.
In her new role, Olsen will be Goldin's senior scientific advisor and principal interface with the national and international scientific community. She will be responsible for ensuring that NASA programs are universally regarded as scientifically and technologically valid. She also will act as principal advisor to the administrator on the budget content of NASA's science programs.
Olsen has been senior staff associate in NSF's Office of Integrative Activities. She held numerous other science-related positions with NSF dating back to 1984.
She received her Ph.D. in psychobiology/neuroscience at the University of California, Irvine in 1979 and was a postdoctoral fellow at Children's Hospital at Harvard Medical School in 1979 and 1980. She then spent eight years in various teaching and research positions at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
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Dr. Baruch Blumberg, distinguished professor, researcher, biochemist, and winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, along with his colleague Carleton Gujdasek, for their efforts in developing the hepatitis-B vaccine, has been named director of NASA's Astrobiology Institute (NAI). NAI is an institution without walls, an organization comprising NASA centers, universities, and others dedicated to studying the origin, evolution, distribution, and destiny of life in the universe.
Currently, Blumberg is senior advisor to the president of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since 1977, he has served as professor of medicine and anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.
The NAI, established in July 1998, employs a multidisciplinary focus to bring together astronomers, biologists, chemists, exobiologists, and physicists. A key goal is to search for the origins of life—on Earth, elsewhere in our solar system, and beyond.
Blumberg received a medical degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in biochemistry from Oxford University. He was Master of Balliol College in Oxford, England, between 1989 and 1994 and has taught human biology at Stanford University. Since his discovery of the hepatitis-B vaccine and its widespread availability in 1982, the number of people infected with the disease worldwide has fallen dramatically.
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Gregory Withee has been named assistant administrator for Satellite and Information Services at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As such, he heads the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), which operates the nation's geostationary and polar-orbiting weather satellites and maintains environmental data used by scientists throughout the world.
Withee had been deputy assistant administrator at the satellite service since 1994. He provided day-to-day oversight of the activities of the satellite operations, processing, product and service delivery, and research functions. He also had oversight responsibilities of the NESDIS budget planning and administration. From 1991 until 1994, Withee served as deputy assistant administrator for environmental information services within NESDIS. In this role, he was responsible for the development and operation of a NOAA-wide environmental information management program.
Withee was first employed in the private sector with the Lockheed Ocean Laboratory. After serving for some years as the chief oceanographer for the NOAA Data Buoy Office, he served as the senior oceanographer for the World Meteorological Organization. In 1983, he was appointed special assistant to the administrator of NOAA for ocean service centers. From 1986 to 1991, Withee was director of the National Oceanographic Data Center—the world's largest archive of unclassified oceanographic data.
Withee has received numerous awards and has been cited for special recognition both in government and industry. In 1994, he received the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award for extraordinary performance of the Senior Executive Service. Withee has authored more than 100 publications and reports and has lectured at a wide variety of conferences and symposiums. Withee received his undergraduate degree in physics from Pomona College and his master of science degree in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
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The National Science Board (NSB) has named noted paleontologist, author, and science popularizer Stephen Jay Gould along with the producers of the Public Broadcasting System's (PBS) Bill Nye the Science Guy, to receive the NSB's second annual Public Service Award. The award honors outstanding individual and organizational contributions to public understanding of science and engineering.
Gould's investigations of evolution, together with those of his colleague Niles Eldredge, have resulted in the seminal concept of punctuated equilibrium, arguably the most significant insight into evolution's mechanisms since Darwin. His contributions to the study of "systematics" (biodiversity and its historical patterns and processes) have significantly influenced that science. "His public service really covers two fronts," David Perlman, chair of the award selection committee, said. "His seminal contributions to evolutionary science are enormous, and so are his inexhaustible efforts to bring an appreciation of science and understanding of its concepts to the widest possible audiences."
Gould's nearly 20 books, countless essays, lecturing and teaching, plus his advisory role to PBS' NOVA series (which won last year's NSB Public Service Award) and The Children's Television Workshop, have contributed to what Perlman described as "a profound influence on every literate person's thinking about nature and the world around us."
The production team of the television series, Bill Nye the Science Guy, the entertaining and innovative hands-on science program for young people, is receiving the NSB's organizational Public Service Award for 1999. The team includes executive producers Elizabeth Brock, Erren Gottlieb, and James McKenna, as well as host and head writer Bill Nye. Together, the four worked to develop the pilot program, and then produce 100 episodes of the series. The program originates from the studios of KCTS-TV in Seattle, Washington, and is distributed by PBS and Disney's Buena Vista.
"Nye's team of dedicated people has taken science out of the classroom and laboratory and added elements of adventure to excite kids' own curiosities," Richard Zare, Stanford chemistry professor and member of the selection committee, said. "Mix in a little of their own craziness, and they prove each day how science is inherently tied to everyday life. This award also celebrates the many supplementary materials and educational kits that have made Bill Nye the Science Guy a special forum for advancing the public's understanding and appreciation of science."
Bill Nye the Science Guy is an 11-time Emmy Award winner. In addition to its syndicated run, the program airs on more than 300 television outlets around the world. It has won the Television Critics Association's Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming Award, and is a three-time Parent's Choice Award winner. In addition, the program has twice earned the Environmental Media Award.
The awardees were honored at a ceremony and dinner at the U.S. Department of State on 5 May in Washington, D.C.
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NASA's Kennedy Space Center Press Site auditorium has been named the John Holliman Auditorium to honor the late CNN correspondent for his dedicated coverage of the nation's space program. Holliman was killed late last summer in an automobile accident near his home in Georgia.
NASA Admimnistrator Dan Goldin formally dedicated the auditorium in Holliman's memory on 27 May. Also participating in the ceremony were Holliman's widow, Dianne, and Tom Johnson, CNN News Group chairman, president and CEO.
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Patricia Kurkul has been named Northeast regional administrator for NMFS, Fisheries Director Penny Dalton announced. The Northeast regional office is in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Kurkul has been the agency's representative on the region's fishery management councils since July 1998. Previously, she had been chief of the region's Sustainable Fisheries Office, where she directed the process of developing and implementing fishery management laws and programs.
She earned her B.A. degree in resource economics from the University of Massachusetts and an M.S. degree in the same subject from the University of Rhode Island. She joined fisheries in 1980 as an industry economist.
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