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Nearly 20 years after first finding the sunken remains of the RMS Titanic, marine explorer Robert Ballard returned in June 2004 to help the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) study the ship's rapid deterioration. A professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island (URI) and director of its Institute for Archaeological Oceanography, Dr. Ballard and his team of scientists from NOAA and other institutions spent 11 days at the site, mapping the ship and conducting scientific analyses of its deterioration. The team worked aboard the NOAA Research Vessel Ronald H. Brown from May 30 through June 9, and used remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to conduct a sophisticated documentation of the state of Titanic that was not possible in the 1980s. This "Look, don't touch" mission utilized high-definition video and stereoscopic still images to provide an updated assessment of the wreck site. The science team included Dr. Dwight Coleman of URI and the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration (MAIFE), who was the expedition's research chief. As the marine archaeologist with NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration, I oversaw the expedition's marine archaeology component. In addition to mapping the Titanic, expedition goals included the microbial research of scientist Roy Cullimore, who studied the natural deterioration of the ship's hull. Tiny microbes that feed on iron and create icicle-shaped formations called rusticles are responsible for this deterioration. While rusticles have been observed for many years, little is known about them. As the nation's ocean agency, NOAA has a vested interest in the scientific and cultural aspects of the Titanic, and in its appropriate treatment and preservation. NOAA's focus is to build a baseline of scientific information from which we can measure the shipwreck's processes and deterioration, and then apply the knowledge we gain to other deep-water shipwrecks and submerged cultural resources. The Guidelines for Research, Exploration and Salvage of RMS Titanic (9 pages, 104k) were issued under the authority of the RMS Titanic Maritime Act of 1986. On Monday, June 7, 2004, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, the National Geographic Channel gave audiences unprecedented access to the ongoing expedition by broadcasting a one-hour special, "Return to Titanic External Link," which originated from the NOAA R/V Ronald H. Brown and included a live underwater telecast from the Titanic. Simultaneous with the expedition, MAIFE enabled thousands of children to experience the Titanic mission as it occurred. From June 4 through 9, four shows a day were transmitted live from the expedition via satellite and Internet2 to participating sites. The JASON Foundation for Education has created a new middle-school math curriculum called "JASON Math Adventure: Geometry and Return to Titanic," which follows the work of researchers on the expedition. Students will learn how geometry concepts are used to position the Ronald H. Brown at the Titanic wreck and the ROV Hercules on the Titanic's bow. Technology partners on the expedition included EDS of Texas, which wired the mission, and VBrick Systems of Connecticut, which enabled the mission feed to be broadcast nationwide.

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The design of this field mission is three fold: (1) to spatially characterize the distribution, abundance and size of both reef fishes and macro invertebrates within and around the waters of the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary using, (2) to relate this information to in-situ data collected on associated habitat parameters and (3) to use hydroacoustics technologies for a comprehensive assessment of East and West Bank. This information collected will be used to evaluate the utility of an experimental fishing closure on one of the most pristine reefs under US jurisdiction in the tropical Western Atlantic. Data collected during this mission (pre-closure) will provide baseline information necessary to evaluate closure efficacy and assess whether the closure should become permanent.

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The Integrated Science Data Management (ISDM) office processes oceanographic profiles reported for the world oceans in near real-time from the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) for the Global Temperature and Salinity Profile Program (GTSPP). These data also support the activities of the Ship-of-Opportunity Programme Implementation Panel (SOOPIP) and the WOCE Upper Ocean Thermal Program (WOCE UOT).

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This data depicts the social vulnerability of Washington census block groups to environmental hazards. Data were culled primarily from the 2000 Decennial Census.

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This Comprehensive Conservation Plan CCP was written to guide management on Huron Wetland Management District, Madison Wetland Management District, and Sand Lake Wetland Management District for the next 15 years. This plan outlines the districts vision and purpose and describes how Huron Wetland Management District, Madison Wetland Management District, and Sand Lake Wetland Management District will contribute to the overall mission of the Refuge System. The plan provides an introduction to the WMDs, an overview of the CCP process, alternatives, a description of the affected environment, environmental consequences, and strategies for implementation. Key planning issues include: wetland management, upland management, invasive plant control, energy development, prairie conservation, predator management, visitor services, partnerships, operations, and monitoring.

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The aquatic habitats of the Tensas River Basin in northeastern Louisiana have been heavily impacted by sediment and agrichemical runoff due to intensive drainage, extensive clearing of bottomland hardwoods, and agricultural production. Previous contaminant surveys in the Tensas River Basin documented elevated levels of organochlorine pesticides, particularly DDT and toxaphene, in fishes and sediments. Those pesticides were used in soybean and cotton farming throughout the basin from the 1940s to the 1970s. DDT and toxaphene have been consistently present in fishes collected from mainstem and backwater areas, including the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge NWR. In the present study, fish and sediment samples were collected throughout the Tensas River watershed from 1991 through 1993. Sediments and fishes were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides to determine the potential sources, distribution, and fate of those pesticides in the watershed, and their impacts on fish and wildlife resources and NWR lands. Those analyses were also used to determine the potential hazard to consumers of fishes caught on the NWR. Analytical results indicate that concentrations of DDT, its metabolites, and toxaphene in fish tissues particularly from the mainstem approach or exceed levels of concern for fish and wildlife, including consumption by humans. Elevated sediment and fish tissue contaminant concentrations occur mainly in the rivers headwaters, and are of significant concern. Elevated organochlorine pesticide concentrations in the upper basin are thought to result from past actions, such as the disposal of contaminated soils, improper disposal of used pesticide containers, and improper cropdusting base operations, as well as nonpoint agricultural sources. Continued efforts by State and Federal agencies, in cooperation with private landowners, will be required to remove and remediate point sources of pesticide contamination, and to address nonpoint source contaminant loading.

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Onemetersquare 1 meter x 1 meter benthic substrate at Jarvis Island, site 4P 0 22.810S, 160 00.094W, between 89 and 90 meters along a permanent transect.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the statutory mandate to collect hydrographic data in support of nautical chart compilation for safe navigation and to provide background data for engineers, scientific, and other commercial and industrial activities. Hydrographic survey data primarily consist of water depths, but may also include features (e.g. rocks, wrecks), navigation aids, shoreline identification, and bottom type information. NOAA is responsible for archiving and distributing the source data as described in this metadata record.

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Bathythermograph data were collected from the SPENCER within a 1-mile radius of Ocean Weather Station B (56305N 05100W) and in transit. Data were collected by the United States Coast Guard from 28 September 1964 to 23 October 1964. The platform was equipped and staffed to observe weather and sea conditions. Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard Universal Bathythermograph Output (UBT) format. Full format description is available from NODC at www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODC-Archive/bt.html. The UBT file format is used for temperature-depth profile data obtained using the mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument. The maximum depth of MBT observations is approximately 285 m. Therefore, MBT data are useful only in studying the thermal structure of the upper layers of the ocean. Cruise information, date, position, and time are reported for each observation. The data record comprises pairs of temperature-depth values. Temperature data in this file are recorded at uniform 5 m depth intervals.

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These data were created as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management's efforts to create an online mapping viewer depicting potential sea level rise and its associated impacts on the nation's coastal areas. The purpose of the mapping viewer is to provide coastal managers and scientists with a preliminary look at sea level rise (slr) and coastal flooding impacts. The viewer is a screening-level tool that uses nationally consistent data sets and analyses. Data and maps provided can be used at several scales to help gauge trends and prioritize actions for different scenarios. The Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer may be accessed at: http://www.coast.noaa.gov/slr These data depict the potential inundation of coastal areas resulting from current Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) conditions. The process used to produce the data can be described as a modified bathtub approach that attempts to account for both local/regional tidal variability as well as hydrological connectivity. The process uses two source datasets to derive the final inundation rasters and polygons and accompanying low-lying polygons: the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the area and a tidal surface model that represents spatial tidal variability. The tidal model is created using the NOAA National Geodetic Survey's VDATUM datum transformation software (http://vdatum.noaa.gov) in conjunction with spatial interpolation/extrapolation methods and represents the MHHW tidal datum in orthometric values (North American Vertical Datum of 1988). The model used to produce these data does not account for erosion, subsidence, or any future changes in an area's hydrodynamics. It is simply a method to derive data in order to visualize the potential scale, not exact location, of inundation from sea level rise.

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CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 Cloud Profile data

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XBT data were collected from the USCGC EVERGREEN in support of the Integrated Global Ocean Services System (IGOSS) project. Data were collected by the US Coast Guard (USCG) from 24 January 1977 to 25 February 1977. Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard Universal Bathythermograph Output (UBT) format. Full format description is available from NODC at www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODC-Archive/bt.html. The UBT file format is used for temperature-depth profile data obtained using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments. Standard XBTs can obtain profiles at depths of about 450 or 760 m. With special instruments, measurements can be obtained to 1830 m. Cruise information, position, date, and time are reported for each observation. The data record comprises pairs of temperature-depth values. Unlike the MBT data file, in which temperature values are recorded at uniform 5m intervals, the XBT Data File contains temperature values at non-uniform depths. These depths are at a minimum number of points ("inflection points") required to record the temperature curve to an acceptable degree of accuracy. On output, however, the user may request temperature values either at inflection points or interpolated to uniform depth increments.

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The accuracy assessment field work was performed in July and August, 1996 to verify the accuracy of the vegetation communities spatial data developed by the USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program for Devils Tower National Monument. The data points were randomly distributed stratified according to vegetation association over the project area according to protocols developed by the Program. Points were located by GPS navigation and the community information was collected at the point, without knowledge of the attributes of the vegetation spatial data. The data points were compared to the attributes of the polygon in which they were contained. Attributes of the polygons or accuracy assessment points that did not match were changed during later analysis due to errors in the AA methodology or map attribution errors. A contingency table was completed from the final dataset.

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This narrative report for Pocasse NWR outlines Refuge accomplishments from May through August of 1963. The report begins by summarizing the weather conditions, habitat conditions, water conditions, and food and cover during this period. Wildlife including migratory birds, upland game birds, big game animals, furbearers, predators, rodents, mammals, raptors, and fish is also covered. The Refuge development and maintenance section discusses physical developments. The public relations section of the report describes recreational uses, Refuge visitors, Refuge participation, and safety. Items of interest and NR forms are attached.

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The Traffic Volume Trends montly report is a natinal data report that provides quality controlled vehicle miles traveled data for each State for all roadways

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This data set is part of a larger set of data called the MultiBeam Bathymetric Data Base (MBBDB) where other similar data can be found at http://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/multibeam/

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the statutory mandate to collect hydrographic data in support of nautical chart compilation for safe navigation and to provide background data for engineers, scientific, and other commercial and industrial activities. Hydrographic survey data primarily consist of water depths, but may also include features (e.g. rocks, wrecks), navigation aids, shoreline identification, and bottom type information. NOAA is responsible for archiving and distributing the source data as described in this metadata record.

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