Mariners Weather Log

ISSN 0025-3367

U.S. Department of Commerce
Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary

VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. (USN-Ret.)
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere

National Weather Service
Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson (USAF-Ret.)
Assistant Administrator for Weather Services


Editorial Supervisor
Robert A. Luke

Layout and Design
Patti Geisfeld

 

Hello and welcome to another fun-filled issue of the Mariners Weather Log (MWL). I hope that everyone is now accustomed to writing 2007 by now. I was at the grocery store last night & slipped back to 2006 but I have been known to have "moments" in the past... The year 2007 is special for NOAA. This year marks our 200th anniversary since President Thomas Jefferson founded us as America’s first science agency. Just think of our different achievements and milestones since then. The earliest records of meteorological findings from the Lewis and Clark expedition to Isaac Cline’s heroic efforts during the 1900 Galveston hurricane, and now using satellites to infer wind speeds and wave heights on the open oceans. Since it is a special year for us, each issue of the MWL will host a variety of articles highlighting the life story of NOAA.

In this issue, we offer the inaugural salute to NOAA and also bring you a great article about how hurricane research has evolved though the years. Skip Gilham has graciously submitted another great story, which is about the life and death of the cargo ship Georges A. Rocha. For those serving down under, be sure to read the communication changes that have been made by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (page 17). The VOS program also salutes the 102 participants who have earned the coveted VOS Annual Award plaque. I applaud all the dedication and effort of these ships and I encourage all the rest to keep trying, so you too will soon be a recipient. And, of course, what would a MWL be without the marine weather, tropical and climate summaries.

Once again, I hope you enjoy this offering of the MWL.

Regards —Luke

Some Important Web Page Addresses

NOAA	http://www.noaa.gov
National Weather Service	http://www.weather.gov
National Data Buoy Center	http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov
AMVER Program	http://www.amver.com
VOS Program	http://www.vos.noaa.gov
SEAS Program	http://seas.amverseas.noaa.gov/seas/seasmain.html
Mariners Weather Log	http://www.vos.noaa.gov/mwl.shtml
Marine Dissemination	http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/home.htm
U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center	http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms