NOAA News
Courtesy of NOAA

NOAA Announces First Tsunami Awareness Week, March 21-27 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program have designated March 21-27 as Tsunami Awareness Week. This designation comes in the wake of last month’s tsunami in Chile and less than six months after a tsunami hit American Samoa, both events resulting in loss of life and property. Publ.Date : Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:24:03 -0400 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Proposal Not Adopted After Intense Debate The proposal to list Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) under Appendix I of CITES was not adopted today by the Parties. The proposal, sponsored by the Principality of Monaco, and strongly supported by the United States, garnered intense debate by the Parties due to the importance of this migratory fish species for commercial purposes. Publ.Date : Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:12:19 -0400 NOAA Takes Steps to Assure Fair and Effective Enforcement, Protect Resources NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco today outlined specific steps the agency has taken and will take to assure that NOAA has an effective and fair enforcement program to protect fisheries and other marine resources that sustain the jobs and economic vibrancy of America’s coastal communities, in response to a January review of the Commerce Department Inspector General. Publ.Date : Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:20:05 -0400 NOAA: Sixth Warmest February in Combined Global Surface Temperature, Fifth Warmest December-February Last month’s combined global land and ocean surface temperature made it the sixth warmest February ever recorded. Additionally, the December 2009 – February 2010 period was the fifth warmest on record averaged for any similar three-month Northern Hemisphere winter-Southern Hemisphere summer season, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Publ.Date : Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:33:19 -0400 NOAA Lists Pacific Smelt as "Threatened” NOAA’s Fisheries Service said today it is listing Pacific smelt, a little fish with a big history, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Publ.Date : Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:08:13 -0400 New NOAA Web Site Emphasizes Broader Impacts of Sea Ice Loss Melting sea ice may sound like a regional or local problem, but NOAA’s new Arctic Future Web site shows that changes in the Arctic can also influence weather in the mid-latitudes, where a large part of the global human population lives. Publ.Date : Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:49:26 -0400 FEMA and NOAA Renew Partnership to Encourage Flood Safety As one of the snowiest winter seasons in many years yields to warmer weather and the promise of rain and snowmelt, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s FloodSmart Campaign and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that they are again working together during Flood Safety Awareness Week (March 15-19) to raise awareness of the dangers associated with flooding and steps to protect against damage. Publ.Date : Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:13:26 -0400 NOAA: U.S. Winter and February Cooler Than Average NOAA’s State of the Climate report for the winter season (December through February) and the month of February, state that temperatures were below normal for the contiguous United States. The winter season was wetter than normal; however precipitation in February alone was slightly below average. Publ.Date : Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:31:25 -0500 NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Propose ESA Listing Changes for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), jointly referred to as the Services, announced today their joint determination that the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is globally comprised of nine distinct population segments (DPSs) that qualify as “species” for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  Publ.Date : Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:30:10 -0500 Hurricane Forecasters Bring Preparedness Message to Atlantic, Mexico and Caribbean NOAA and the U.S. Air Force Reserve will host a series of public events from March 18 to 27 in six coastal communities in Bermuda, Mexico and the Caribbean to urge residents to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season.  Publ.Date : Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:49:10 -0500 Newest NOAA Geostationary Satellite Reaches Orbit NOAA and NASA officials announced a new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), launched tonight, successfully reached its initial orbit, joining four other GOES spacecraft that help NOAA forecasters track life-threatening weather and solar activity. Publ.Date : Thu, 4 Mar 2010 13:36:07 -0500 NOAA and Gloucester Seafood Display Auction Settle Three Cases NOAA and Gloucester Fish Exchange, Inc. (owner of the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction) agreed late yesterday to settle three pending enforcement cases that involved allegations of handling illegally caught fish and maintaining false records. Publ.Date : Wed, 3 Mar 2010 18:30:00 -0500 NOAA Provides $10 Million to Support New England Groundfish Fishery NOAA announced today an additional $10 million to preserve fishing opportunities for the New England fishing industry and continue the development of a new sector program in the groundfish fishery. Over the last two years, a total of $47.2 million has been committed to the groundfish fishery and the transition to sectors. Publ.Date : Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:18:14 -0500 Researchers Issue Outlook for a Significant New England "Red Tide"; in 2010 Today, scientists from the NOAA-funded Gulf of Maine Toxicity project issued an outlook for a significant regional bloom of a toxic alga that causes ‘red tides’ in the spring and summer of this year, potentially threatening the New England shellfish industry. Publ.Date : Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0500 Statement From Dr. Jane Lubchenco on the Death of Sam D. Hamilton, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service I was deeply saddened to learn of Sam Hamilton’s untimely death this weekend. Sam was a wonderful colleague for whom we at NOAA had deep admiration. The NOAA family shares in this great loss to the conservation community, and we extend our sincere condolences to Sam’s family and to all of our colleagues at the Department of the Interior. Publ.Date : Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:45:27 -0500 Caribbean Surface Current Data Now Available to Rescuers, Hazmat Crews A new NOAA data feed will streamline search and rescue efforts and hazardous material cleanups in the Caribbean. Measurements of surface current speed and direction off the west coast of Puerto Rico are now feeding into a single Web site, making the information easily accessible and understandable to a broad user community of ocean rescuers and responders for the first time. Publ.Date : Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:27 -0500 Statement by Dr. Lubchenco, NOAA administrator, on Voluntary Remand of Hydropower Biological Opinion We’re pleased that the court views the Adaptive Management Implementation Plan as a positive development. We’re ready to proceed with the voluntary three-month remand as the court outlined in its proposed order so the court may consider the AMIP in evaluating the 2008 Biological Opinion. Publ.Date : Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:21:27 -0500 Monica Medina Appointed U.S. Commissioner to International Whaling Commission Monica Medina, Commerce Department principal deputy under secretary for oceans and atmosphere, has been appointed the U.S. commissioner for the International Whaling Commission by President Barack Obama. Publ.Date : Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:25:09 -0500 Dolphins’ Health Shed Light on Human and Ocean Health Scientists Discover Clues into Human Diseases by Studying Dolphins in a Changing Ocean Publ.Date : Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:00:00 -0500 NOAA National Weather Service to Use New Hurricane Wind Scale NOAA's National Weather Service will use a new hurricane scale this season called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The scale keeps the same wind speed ranges as the original Saffir-Simpson Scale for each of the five hurricane categories, but no longer ties specific storm surge and flooding effects to each category. Publ.Date : Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:05:08 -0500 NOAA to Review Status of 82 Species of Coral NOAA’s Fisheries Service today announced the agency will evaluate the status of 82 species of stony coral that the Center for Biological Diversity has asked to be listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Publ.Date : Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:48:45 -0500 Wreck of Airship USS Macon Added to National Register of Historic Places Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the loss of the U.S. Navy airship USS Macon, NOAA today announced that the wreck site on the seafloor within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Publ.Date : Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:02:09 -0500 Announcing the new Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Message from NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco. Publ.Date : Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:27:26 -0500 Commerce Department Proposes Establishment of NOAA Climate Service Individuals and decision-makers across widely diverse sectors – from agriculture to energy to transportation – increasingly are asking NOAA for information about climate change in order to make the best choices for their families, communities and businesses. To meet the rising tide of these requests, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced the intent to create a NOAA Climate Service line office dedicated to bringing together the agency’s strong climate science and service delivery capabilities. Publ.Date : Mon, 8 Feb 2010 09:27:26 -0500