I have been persuaded to remind the readers of this electronic newsletter not to forget the November 1998 change in the U.S. and International (METAR/SPECI) Code for Ice Pellets. The complete details are available under the late breaking news section of our home page. Also, you will find a Y2K FAQ written by Howard Diamond near the top of the late breaking news column.
I also have been reminded that during hurricane season, subscribers to the Family of Services would do well to monitor the free text messages that come in under NOUS6X.
Last week, I succeeded in adding two bulletins onto the Family of Services Public Product Service that provide coordinates of several models during the hurricane season including the GFDL. The headers are WHXX04 KWBC and WHXX01 KWBC.
The Climate Prediction Center web site (http://nic.fb4.noaa.gov) has added new graphics and a Q & A on La Niña.
I have a feeling that the following is a reprise, but for those AARP types like myself who are visiting the land of forgetfulness all too often, NASA press releases are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic message to domo@hq.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type <subscribe press-release>. The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription.
And finally, something to make your summer complete, or at least easier to convert into another system of measurement, go to the following home page to find formulas that convert back and forth between various atmospheric quantities:
The following ASOS SID changes occured in mid-August:
| 3KM to AAO | Wichita/Jabara Airport, Kansas |
| 6R0 to ASD | Slidell, Louisiana |
| L39 to RNM | Ramona, California |
| U11 to RXE | Rexburg, Idaho |
The NWS is leading the NEXRAD tri-agency (DOD, FAA, DOC) effort to rehost data processing on the WSR 88D to commercial off the shelf open systems-compliant platforms. The new architecture will enable field operations to take advantage of recent improvements in severe thunderstorm and heavy precipitation detection techniques. A milestone in the development of the Open System Radar Product Generator (OPRG) occurred in August when NWS personnel implemented the most recent version of the OPRG software in NWS Headquarters. Using a live feed from the Sterling, Virginia, WSR 88D radar, multiple copies of the OPRG are running on a mixture of workstations and PC's to evaluate performance, support OPRG communications infrastructure development, and provide WSR 88D application development support to NWS scientists. The OPRG is scheduled to begin full scale deployment in October 1999.
Sponsored by the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA), a major update of paleomagnetic databases has been completed and can be downloaded off the web. There are now six databases complete up to the end of 1997. Updates include first releases of several Russian data collections. The databases are (1) Global Paleomagnetic, (2) Magnetostratigraphy, (3) Paleointensity, (4) Polarity Transitions, (5) Secular variations, (6) Paleosecular Variation from Lavas. The World Data Center for Solid Earth Geophysics collocated at the National Geophysical Data Center archives these databases. Any of the databases can be downloaded from: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/potfld/.
Dr. D. James Baker has appointed Ms. Louisa Koch as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR). Previous to her appointment, Ms. Koch served as the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) chief of the Department of Commerce branch. In that capacity, she played a major budgetary approval role in many environmental issues. Prior to working for OMB, Ms. Koch worked for the Department of Defense at the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DAPA).
Former OAR Deputy Assistant Administrator Dr. Alan Thomas will assume new responsibilities in the Office of Global Programs as NOAA's senior advisor for arctic research efforts.
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