No watches are valid as of Fri Oct 10 17:37:02 UTC 2025.

No Mesoscale Discussions are in effect as of Fri Oct 10 17:37:02 UTC 2025.

SPC 1730Z Day 2 Outlook
Day 2 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1228 PM CDT Fri Oct 10 2025 Valid 111200Z - 121200Z ...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EASTERN GREAT BASIN...THE CO PLATEAU...AND THE NC OUTER BANKS... ...SUMMARY... Isolated severe thunderstorms are possible on Saturday afternoon into the evening across the eastern Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau. A brief tornado and a severe gust are possible over the Outer Banks of North Carolina during the early morning Sunday. ...Eastern Great Basin and the CO Plateau... A broad upper trough will move east across the West as a basal shortwave impulse ejects across the Great Basin during Saturday afternoon and evening. This evolution will yield a swath of strengthening mid/upper-level southwesterlies. This will be favorably timed with peak surface heating across the eastern Great Basin into parts of the CO Plateau. In the wake of weak morning convection across parts of AZ across the Four Corners, scattered to widespread convection will occur in the afternoon along/ahead of the sharpening Pacific cold front as it pushes east. While MLCAPE will remain weak, owing to progressively poorer mid-level lapse rates with southeast extent and cooler surface temperatures/dew points to the northwest, strengthening deep-layer speed shear will yield elongation of a fairly straight-line hodograph. A few supercells are likely, although the weak mid-level lapse rates/buoyancy should support primarily a marginal severe hail threat. A tornado is possible in the Four Corners vicinity where boundary-layer moisture is greater. Given the degree of convective coverage, upscale growth into clusters/short-line segments should occur, fostering potential for sporadic severe gusts into early/mid-evening across the CO Plateau. ...NC Outer Banks... Morning NCEP guidance has trended closer to the coast with the evolution of a gradually deepening surface cyclone off the South Atlantic coast. This may result in the surface warm front advancing across the Outer Banks between 06-12Z Sunday, with a conditionally supportive environment for a surface-based supercell. While the bulk of surface-based convection should remain confined offshore through the period, there's enough signal to warrant a low-probability threat of a brief tornado/severe gust. ..Grams.. 10/10/2025 Read more

SPC 1630Z Day 1 Outlook
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1129 AM CDT Fri Oct 10 2025 Valid 101630Z - 111200Z ...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY... ...SUMMARY... A couple of severe storms may occur across the Lower Colorado River Valley vicinity this afternoon into evening. ...Lower Colorado River Valley/southern Great Basin... Height falls/flow aloft will gradually increase late today as the West Coast upper trough amplifies and spreads southeastward toward the Great Basin. Preceding it, rich low-level moisture is present across the Lower Colorado River Valley early today, with this moisture continuing to spread northward. Modest destabilization should occur this afternoon particularly on the western periphery of residual early day precipitation and cloud cover across Arizona into southern Utah. At least weak instability, combined with increasing mid-level flow with the approach of the upper trough/low, may support a potentially severe storm or two including a couple of transient supercells. ..Guyer/Jewell.. 10/10/2025 Read more

SPC Day 1 Fire Weather Outlook
Day 1 Fire Weather Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1126 AM CDT Fri Oct 10 2025 Valid 101700Z - 111200Z No changes are needed to the D1 Fire Weather Outlook. See previous discussion for more information. ..Thornton.. 10/10/2025 .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 0158 AM CDT Fri Oct 10 2025/ ...Synopsis... A compact midlevel trough will track southeastward across the Great Lakes region through the period. At the same time, a related cold front will move southeastward across the Upper Midwest. Behind the front, breezy north-northwesterly surface winds (sustained around 15 mph) will briefly overlap 25-35 percent RH during the afternoon. Given dry fuels, locally elevated fire-weather conditions are possible. ...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov/fire for graphic product... Read more

Hello to all…

We have one area of disturbed weather with a high chance for development over the next 2-7 days in the Central Tropical Atlantic associated with a tropical wave. This system will be in the open waters of the Atlantic for several days potentially approaching the Leeward Islands towards the end of this week. There is also an area of low pressure along the Northern US Gulf Coast but that does not have any chance for development at this time.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management Team will continue to monitor the Tropics as we go through October. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net

Original Story 10/1/2025
Updated 10/2/2025 (CORES is not available for new registrants)
Updated 10/3/2025 (Temporary testing procedures for examinees without FRNs)

A bulletin sent to members of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® included information about the impact of the US Government shutdown on licensing for the Amateur Radio Service.

The government shutdown began at 12:01 Eastern...

Solar activity, which has been at low levels, has returned to
moderate levels. Region AR4232 produced the largest event of the
period, an impulsive M3.6 flare (R1-minor) on October 1, 2025.

An associated Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) was observed in subsequent
SOHO LASCO/C2 coronagraph imagery that began on September 29.
Analysis and modelling of the ejecta is ongoing.

Newly numbered Region AR4237 rema...

Hello to all…

A reminder that the VoIP Hurricane Prep Net for Saturday 10/4/25 has been cancelled due to activation earlier this week for Hurricane Imelda and impacts on Bermuda. The prep net will reconvene on Saturday 10/11/25 at 8 PM EDT barring a hurricane net activation. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net

Hello to all…

The VoIP Hurricane Net secured the activation for Hurricane Imelda on Bermuda at 2 AM EDT, Thursday 10/2/25. Special thanks to AE4WX-Mark and KC5FM-Lloyd for their Net Control support. Also, special thanks to K2DCD-Dennis and KC5FM-Lloyd for various posts on the Bermuda Radio Society Facebook pages and other areas to notify people in the affected area of our net activation.

We monitored numerous weather stations and social media during Imelda. The National Museum of Bermuda did get sustained 76 knots gust 86 knots on the southwest part of the island. Gilbert Hill Smiths Bermuda had a 76 mph gust and a weather station on south road – Sam Hall’s bay had sustained 57 mph/gust 78 mph – a report our net sent in that was used in advisory. There also seemed to be a period of much lighter winds around 11 PM EDT before stronger winds resumed around 12 AM EDT. The eye was close but not over Bermuda at that point. As of this morning, BELCO reports over 17,000 customers without power in Bermuda which is a significant number but not as bad as some prior hurricane impacts on Bermuda.

A complete list of reports sent in from our net can be seen on the VoIP Hurricane Net Report Viewer at the following link:
https://www.voipwx.net/qilan/nhcwx/list_VOIP_records1?auth=OK

A couple of new areas of disturbed weather have a low chance of development over the next 7 days, one in the Bahamas moving toward the Gulf of America and the other just off the coast of Africa. We will monitor these systems over the course of this week. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a Notice of Violation (NoV) to Mike F. Conte of Naples, Florida, citing alleged rule violations related to unauthorized transmissions and refusal to allow station inspection. The FCC notice by the Regional Director, Region One, Enforcement Bureau, was released on September 29, 2025, and includes that Conte holds an Amateur Radio Service lic...

Hurricane Imelda, now a strong Category 1 storm, is forecast to make landfall on, or come extremely close to Bermuda, late Wednesday evening into early Thursday morning. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) will activate for the first time this season beginning Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at 3:00 PM EDT (1900 UTC).

Activation times and frequencies are as follows:

3:00 PM EDT (1900 UTC) on 14.325 MHz

7:00...

NOTICE TO NOAA CONTRACTORS October 1, 2025

MEMORANDUM FOR:  NOAA Contractors

FROM:  Rafael Rivera, Acting Director

SUBJECT:  Contract Performance and a Lapse in Appropriations

A lapse in federal appropriations has occurred, which has affected the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NOAA operations, including operations performed under contract, have been limited to excepted activities.  Access to Government facilities and resources, including equipment and systems, will be limited and personnel necessary to administer contract performance may not be available.  

NOAA contracts and purchase orders are authorized to continue to the extent that they are not affected by the lapse in appropriations.  

Generally, supply and service contracts that are funded beyond the date of the lapse in appropriation and do not require access to Government facilities, active administration by Government personnel or the use of government resources in a manner that would cause the government to incur additional obligations during the lapse in appropriation may continue.

If a delivery date for a contract falls during the period of a lapse in appropriations, Government personnel may not be available to receive delivery.  Contractors will be directed to consult with a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Contracting Officer before attempting to make a delivery.  Contracts with unexercised options and contracts that are partially funded contain self-limiting terms and conditions that prohibit performance of unfunded work. 

Some contracts require access to Government facilities, resources, or require the active participation of Government personnel.  These contracts include those for “excepted” and “non-excepted” activities and will likely require individual attention.  We are working to communicate directly with each of these contractors.  However, there are a large number, and we may not be able to act on each one before attention is needed.  Therefore, please communicate with a COR or Contracting Officer or if you believe you have a contract that may require access to Government facilities, resources, or active administration by Government personnel to enable performance during a lapse in appropriations and for information about “excepted” and “non-excepted” status.  

If your contract requires access to Government facilities, resources, or active administration by Government personnel, and is determined “excepted,” you will be granted access to facilities through a list maintained by Government security personnel.  If you have questions, please contact one of the Contracting Officers provided in Attachment A (below) who will be available during the lapse in appropriations.

 

Attachment A:  AGO Excepted Employee List - Updated 10/2025

 

Name

Email Address

Primary Phone Number

Satellites

Brooke Bernold

brooke.bernold@noaa.gov

301-276-1583

 

Sarah McKim (I)

sarah.mckim@noaa.gov

301-367-5101

 

Keith Long

keith.long@noaa.gov

301-835-9321

 

MaryAnn Orellana (I)

maryann.orellana@noaa.gov

240-694-5047

 

Sally Bockh

sally.bockh@noaa.gov

301-518-1961

 

Trang Tran (I)

trang.tran@noaa.gov

410-567-3332

 

Suzanna Espinoza (I)

suzanna.espinoza@noaa.gov

347-816-8208

Weather

Jennifer Roesner

jennifer.roesner@noaa.gov

757-613-4229

 

Chad Hepp (I)

chad.m.hepp@noaa.gov

303-578-0397

 

Jennifer Hildebrandt

jennifer.hildebrandt@noaa.gov

757-297-1609

 

Noah Nielsen (I)

noah.nielsen@noaa.gov

206-526-6034

 

Tim Wampler (I)

timothy.wampler@noaa.gov

757-441-6563

 

Dorothy Curling (I)

dorothy.curling@noaa.gov

757-317-0655

 

Joseph Greene (I)

joseph.greene@noaa.gov

206-305-5206

IT and HPC

Michael Conroy

michael.conroy@noaa.gov

808-228-2130

 

Jeremy Johnson

jeremy.johnson@noaa.gov

703-364-8554

 

Justin Scurlock

justin.scurlock@noaa.gov

816-274-1407

 

David Marks

david.marks@noaa.gov

301.628.1407

 

Kyia Fletcher

kyia.fletcher@noaa.gov

301-628-1365

 

Eric Olmstead

eric.olmstead@noaa.gov

301.628.1427

Ships and Aircraft

Dawn Dabney (I)

dawn.dabney@noaa.gov

757-274-4779

 

Jana Kolb (I)

jana.kolb@noaa.gov

757-567-6042

 

Andrew Northcutt (I)

andrew.northcutt@noaa.gov

757-506-9690

 

Ashley Perry (I)

ashley.perry@noaa.gov

757-506-9548

Fisheries

Sarah Waugh (I)

sarah.waugh@noaa.gov

206-495-2016

 

Matthew Cogossi (I)

matthew.cogossi@noaa.gov

303-548-4374

 

Aakanksha Bhargava (I)

aakanksha.bhargava@noaa.gov

202-923-5700

Oceans

Stacy Dohse

stacy.dohse@noaa.gov

757-506-6633

 

Emily Clark

emily.clark@noaa.gov

757-613-4210

 

Heather Coleman (I)

heather.l.coleman@noaa.gov

757-483-1508

Atmospheric Research

Molly Tovado (I)

molly.tovado@noaa.gov

303-578-2646

Facilities

Tania Gates (I)

tania.gates@noaa.gov

301-452-5080

Small Purchase

Casey Keating (I)

Casey.keating@noaa.gov

303-578-2579

Cooperative Institutes

Timothy Carrigan (I)

timothy.carrigan@noaa.gov

301-448-6643

 

Raishan Adams (I)

raishan.adams@noaa.gov

301-835-9268

 

Brandi Franklin (I)

brandi.l.franklin@noaa.gov

301-683-0496

Purchase Card

Jeffrey Hale (I)

jeffrey.hale@noaa.gov

301-233-2757

 

Carla Robison (I)

carla.robison@noaa.gov

816-823-1856

Acquisition Systems

Heather Saunders (I)

heather.saunders@noaa.gov

330-402-5272

 

Brian Davids (I)

brian.davids@noaa.gov

301-628-1340

Administration and Oversight

Rafael Rivera

rafael.rivera@noaa.gov

301-518-0266

 

Adam Basch (I)

adam.basch@noaa.gov

202-617-7666

 

Binita Sharma (I)

binita.sharma@noaa.gov

301.835.9341

 

Meghan Grimes (I)

meghan.grimes@noaa.gov

301-628-1439

 

Brittany Gibson (I)

brittany.gibson@noaa.gov

202-294-7524

 

John Sharkey (I)

john.sharkey@noaa.gov

424-236-0551

shutdown Acquisition & Grants 0 Off

Hollings undergraduate scholarship application is open

NOAA undergraduate scholars complete 10-week summer internship projects that span NOAA's mission. (Image credit: NOAA Office of Education)

Download Image October 1, 2025

Applications for the Hollings undergraduate scholarships will close on January 31, 2026. 

Education Office of Education 0 Off

Hello to all..

**Corrected Notice to remove Hamshack Hotline system as it is now out of service and add Hams Over IP and Amateur Wire systems. Remainder is unchanged.**

**The VoIP Hurricane Net will activate at 2 PM EDT Wednesday Afternoon through Thursday Morning for Hurricane Imelda and impacts on Bermuda. The net, on *WX_TALK* Echolink conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219 system and other VoIP radio systems via the KC5FM-R node is supporting WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami Florida. Note during overnight hours Wednesday Evening into Thursday Morning, we will be in an activation monitoring mode for any stations that call on the system**
**WX4NHC will also be active with their Amateur Radio Station as well during this timeframe starting at 3 PM EDT Wednesday Afternoon.**
**The VoIP Hurricane Prep Net for Saturday Evening 10/4/25 has been canceled. The next VoIP Hurricane Prep Net will be Saturday Evening 10/11/25 unless a hurricane net activation is required.**

Here are the VoIP Hurricane Net Plans for Imelda as of Wednesday Morning 10/1/25 at 800 AM EDT:

The VoIP Hurricane Net will activate at 2 PM EDT Wednesday Afternoon through Thursday Morning for Hurricane Imelda and impacts on Bermuda. The net, on *WX_TALK* Echolink conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219 system and other VoIP radio systems via the KC5FM-R node is supporting WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami Florida. Note during overnight hours Wednesday Evening into Thursday Morning, we will be in an activation monitoring mode for any stations that call on the system. WX4NHC will also be active with their Amateur Radio Station as well during this timeframe.

The VoIP Hurricane Prep Net for Saturday Evening 10/4/25 has been canceled. The next VoIP Hurricane Prep Net will be Saturday Evening 10/11/25 unless a hurricane net activation is required.

Any Amateur Radio Operators in the affected area of Imelda or with relays into the affected area of Imelda are asked to provide surface and damage reports into the VoIP Hurricane Net for relay into WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center. We appreciate any and all support from Amateur Operators in the affected area or Amateur Operators with relays into the affected area. We are looking for reports based on the National Weather Service SKYWARN Reporting criteria. This can be seen on the VoIP Hurricane Net web site at the following link:

Any pictures or videos of wind damage, river/stream/urban/storm surge flooding etc. can be sent to our voipwxnet Facebook and Twitter feeds or the following email address: pics@nsradio.org and credit will be given to the Amateur Radio Operator, weather spotter or individual that took the photos and media and be shared with the Amateur Radio team at the National Hurricane Center and other agencies and outlets.

Advisories on Imelda can be seen off of the Atlantic Tropical Products menu selection on the voipwxnet web site, via our Facebook and Twitter feeds, and off the National Hurricane Center web site via the following link:
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov

Reports as obtained via the VoIP Hurricane Net from Amateur Radio Operators in the affected area, relays from the affected area or from APRS/CWOP Weather Station feeds and other social media outlets can be found at the following link:
https://www.voipwx.net/qilan/nhcwx/list_VOIP_records1?auth=OK

APRS, Winlink, AllStar, Hams Over IP and other resources that can be monitored are as follows:
APRS kc5fm-9
Winlink KC5FM
Allstar 28848
Echolink KC5FM-R 906281
Hams Over IP 15154
Amateur Wire 30415154
DMR TGIF 31207
P25 31207
DSTAR XLXOKL C
Yaesu Fusion 31207
M17-SUN module A

Stations outside the affected area that do not have relays into the affected area who would like to listen into the VoIP Hurricane Net can use any of the following systems for listen-only purposes and can connect on either Echolink or IRLP:
*NEW-ENG3* Echolink conference node: 9123/IRLP 9123
*SKY_GATE* Echolink conference node: 868981/IRLP 9252
*KC4QLP-C* Echolink conference node: 290251
*ARERT* Echolink conference node: 902723 (Also bridged to Allstar on Node 273660 and on the YCS311 C4FM Server at http://c4fm.mntrbo.net ID:74)
*FLORIDA* Echolink conference node: 3082

These three streaming audio feeds should be available. Those streaming audio feeds are as follows:
Streaming feed 1: http://74.208.24.77:8000 -Provided by KC4QLP-Bob Carter
Streaming feed 2: http://radio.arert.net:8000/ARERT -Provided by the ARERT conference owners and sysops
Streaming feed 3: https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/38868 -Provided by the ARERT conference owners and sysops

Video streams will be provided by ARERT if they find video feeds from the affected area and will have audio from the hurricane net on it. Those streams are below:
Video stream feed 1: https://www.twitch.tv/pp93news
Video stream feed 2: https://dlive.tv/ARERT
Special thanks to N0VZC-Mike Norrbom and the ARERT sysops for their support of these feeds.

Please note that there could be additional listen only nodes and streaming feeds. If time allows, this info will be updated via the voipwxnet web site and social media feeds.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management team continues to closely watch Hurricane Imelda. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net

Once Upon a Kilobyte: A Brief History of the National Oceanographic Data Center NOAA Heritage Deep Dive:
An in-depth look back at the National Oceanographic Data Center.This story was originally published on NOAA's 200th Anniversary website in 2007.

The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) maintains, updates, and provides access to marine environmental and ecosystem data and information. Collected data include physical, biological, and chemical measurements derived from in situ oceanographic observations and satellite remote sensing of the oceans. This information is used to monitor global environmental changes.

From rudimentary water sampling equipment and techniques to modern-day satellite surveillance, from kilobytes of data to terabytes per day, we have studied our seas. Despite advances to date, we are only just beginning to understand this "last frontier."

The NODC Coastal Water Temperature Guide presents water temperatures and climatological averages for U.S. coastal areas based on observations from NOAA tide stations and National Data Buoy Center buoys. (Image credit: NOAA)Download Image

Since 1960, the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) has been charged with archiving global physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic data. These long-term historical observations have played heavily in environmental impact studies, global climate change studies, and validation of ocean data collected via satellites. Once primarily of national economic and security importance, such data are of increasing interest to the general public. For example, the NODC "Beach Temperature" site is the Center's most popular Web offering and increased hurricane activity over the last few years has increased the interest of "armchair" scientists in surface ocean temperatures.

This article traces the origins of the NODC, telling the story of how we came to be, some of the initial obstacles encountered, and how we got our feet wet without drowning in the data.

A Growing Need for Oceanographic Data

There has always been a curiosity, and certainly a need, to know about our water planet. Between 1872 and 1876, the H.M.S. Challenger undertook the first major attempt to gather systematic global ocean data. Coastal and Gulf Stream data were already being routinely collected by various government agencies by then, and it was becoming obvious that understanding our marine environment, both locally and globally, was in our national best interest. During World War II, the threat of enemy submarines made the need for subsurface water temperatures and salinities critically obvious, as better knowledge of these factors meant better detection capabilities.

The H.M.S. Challenger preparing to sound, 1872. (Image credit: NOAA)Download Image

The U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries was also increasingly interested in catch statistics and in how the physical parameters of our coastal waters affected economically important species. The loss of the Titanic taught us that we needed to have better data on icebergs.

By the mid-1950s, calls were being sounded for a central repository for these various collections of data, thus leading to the efforts that would eventually result in the birth of the National Oceanographic Data Center.

Public Interest

Although there was a definite need for oceanographic data for national economic and security reasons, use of such data has increasingly become important to the average citizen. By the early 1900s, Americans began having more free time and more disposable income. Questions such as "I am going to be taking part in a long-distance swim next weekend...will I need a wetsuit?" became increasingly commonplace.

Vacations at the beach and ocean swimming were suddenly very much "in vogue." In 1916, a series of shark attacks along the New Jersey coast sent cries to "do something!" reverberating all the way to Congress and the White House. Unfortunately, knowledge of sharks, especially in U.S. waters, was sorely lacking. Even if such data had existed, there was no central place to look for the information.

Today, the rush to coastal beaches for summer holiday or to the islands for a winter break have many people looking up the water temperatures they are likely to encounter. Recreational sailors, divers, and fishermen want to know about currents and water temperatures to more effectively enjoy their sport. Having these data available in a single location benefits our country and our society in ways we may never have imagined 200, 100, or even 50 years ago.

A Movement to Create a Central Repository

Until the advent of satellites, the gathering of most marine data depended upon scientists going out into the field and collecting measurements. All of the great scientific expeditions of the early 20th century, while providing much more data than ever before, still provided only a snapshot of a planet whose surface is covered by more than 70 percent water.

This snapshot was also very fragmented because there was no central repository for collected data. There was no one place for researchers to go to see what data had already been collected and where data were incomplete. No single location existed for researchers to share and compare data.

Getting Started

In 1954, Dr. Oscar Elton Sette, of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, attended the second annual Eastern Pacific Oceanic Conference (EPOC). It was at this conference that Dr. Sette first put forth the call to establish a central location for storage and dissemination of oceanographic data. It was another five years before that suggestion was acted upon.

O. E. Sette, Director of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Laboratory in 1929, examining larval mackerel. (Image credit: NOAA)Download Image

In April of 1959, the National Academy of Sciences Coordinating Committee established a Working Group on Oceanography. This group recommended that "a National Oceanographic Data Center be established at the U.S. Navy Oceanographic Office in Suitland, Maryland. That this center be financed, administered, and policies of operations determined jointly by the Navy, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries."

Legislative Action

Later that year, Senator Magnuson (D-WA) sponsored a bill proposing the "establishment of a national oceanographic records center to assemble, prepare, and disseminate all scientific and technical oceanographic and closely related data..." The bill also recommended formal international cooperation in the marine sciences and suggested the center be created within the Department of Commerce.

A bill was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives in May 1960 to "establish within the...Coast and Geodetic Survey a National Oceanographic Data Center...The function of the [NODC] shall be to acquire, assemble, process, and disseminate all scientific and technological and oceanographic and related environmental data, including but not limited to physical, biological, fisheries, hydrographic and coastal survey, meteorological, climatological, and geophysical data."

The NODC Is Born The original NODC logo, displayed over a variety of exhibits during the official NODC dedication ceremony, reflects the various agencies that contributed to this new organization.  (Image credit: NOAA)Download Image

Neither of these bills were acted upon or passed into law; however, the Interagency Committee on Oceanography submitted similar recommendations to the Federal Council for Science and Technology. On December 23, the NODC was officially established with an interagency charter signed by the Navy, the Departments of Interior and Commerce, the National Science Foundation, and the Atomic Energy Commission. The deed was done!

Data Sharing

Although a national data repository was endorsed by such prestigious organizations as the EPOC and the National Academy of Sciences, there was considerable trepidation among individual scientists. There was a prevailing "every scientist for him or herself" attitude that precluded much data sharing. Lack of standardization was part of the reason; scrambling for funding was another. Scientists tended to trust only their data, and they were not thrilled with the idea of using conglomerated data from a government entity. Convincing scientists to submit and share their data for the common good was a challenge that needed to be overcome.

Lack of standardization on any front became rapidly apparent. Scientists were not consistent with one another in how the data were collected, what units data were recorded in, or what media were used. The fledgling Data Center was now faced with photographs, coding sheets, punch cards, publications, log sheets, strip charts, glass slides, magnetic tapes, etc. Wave and ocean current data arrived in a variety of codes and from a wide spectrum of recording instruments. Ice data submissions arrived as digital data, as descriptive information, and as photographs taken from a variety of angles. The challenge was to digitally store these various data, and somehow be able to retrieve them as needed.

NODC Advisory Board meeting, September 8, 1970. Included in the photo are Dr. Thomas Austin, NODC Director, and Annette Farral, both seated to the right.  (Image credit: NOAA)Download Image

Fortunately, the NODC Charter also established an Advisory Board to "afford...an effective means of formulating, expressing, and transmitting joint policy and technical direction to the said Data Center." This Board included one member from each of the sponsoring governmental agencies and two non-voting members from the National Academy of Sciences.

With the help of this Advisory Board and members of the oceanographic community at large, standardized data formats were created for a variety of data. Computer processing was developing rapidly. Soon it was much easier to share and compare data collected by various scientists and programs. Over time, it became obvious that commonly shared data was cost-effective and a time saver. And, as marine research became more sophisticated, a hard truth slowly dawned on researchers: their independent disciplines of biology, chemistry, meteorology, etc., were all interrelated. Having access to a variety of data collected by experts in other fields which was quality controlled was actually good!

Now, scientists thought, if only we could get ships to every spot in the ocean, multiple times, and if only computers could store unlimited amounts of data...

Oceanographic Data Management Today "C'mon in - the water's fine!" As more and more Americans enjoy the recreational opportunities available along our coasts, interest in the holdings of the NODC have grown. (Image credit: Mary B. Hollinger)Download Image

In a few short decades, early dreams of data that covers the globe and is stored in easy-access computer systems is a reality. Digital data storage is no longer an issue. Satellites are providing unprecedented coverage, not just of weather, but of sea surface temperatures, ocean waves, and even the shape of the ocean bottom. The historical in situ data archived by the NODC has proven invaluable in calibrating and verifying satellite data. These long-term data collections are critical to studies of climate change. NODC Beach Temperature tables gather information from NOAA buoys and tide stations, to help people plan their recreational activities. We have come a long way from the Challenger days!

Contributed by Mary Hollinger, NOAA's National Environmental, Satellite, Data, and Information Service

Works Consulted

Abram, R. (1997). National Oceanographic Data Center: 35 Years of Oceanographic Data Management, Science, and Services. Internal Publication.

Cuzon du Rest, R. (1996). History of NODC. NODC unpublished manuscript.

NODC.  (1961). Annual Reports of the NODC (beginning with November 1960–June 1961). Washington, DC.

NODC. (1969).  Introduction to the National Oceanographic Data Center brochure. Publication G-1. General Series 1969.

Ocean & Coasts Heritage

Diving into ghost shark systematics: My summer as a NOAA Hollings Scholar

An undetermined ghost shark species observed during a 2016 ROV exploration of the Mariana Trench. (Image credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research)

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Northeastern University student Lei Curtis reflects on their Hollings internship experience with the National Systematics Laboratory.

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Hello to all…

Hurricane Idelma will cause direct impacts to Bermuda as we get into late Wednesday Afternoon through Thursday Morning. A Hurricane Watch is posted for Bermuda and it is expected that the watch will be converted to a Hurricane Warning later today. VoIP Hurricane Net Activation is likely for Idelma and impacts to Bermuda in the Wednesday Afternoon to Thursday Morning timeframe. A net activation announcement will be posted later tonight or Wednesday Morning. Presuming net activation occurs for Bermuda as expected, we will cancel the VoIP Hurricane Prep Net for Saturday Evening due to the net activation for Idelma. Hurricane Humberto will pass west and north of Bermuda and may cause wind gusts to tropical storm force today over Bermuda.

Advisories on Imelda and Humberto can be seen off the main menu of the voipwx.net web site, via our Facebook and X feeds and via the National Hurricane Center web site at the following link:

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

The VoIP Hurricane Net will continue to monitor Imelda, Humberto and any other developments in the Tropics. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net

Lessons from gulls: My experience creating a collaborative research program for seabird colony monitoring

Claire on the research vessel doing disturbance monitoring and population plot surveys at one of the research sites, Gull Island, a remote island only accessible by boat where one of the kittiwake colonies is located. (Image credit: Claire Labuda)

Download Image September 30, 2025

My name is Claire Labuda, and I am currently majoring in fish, wildlife, and conservation biology at Colorado State University. For my Hollings internship under the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, I created a disturbance monitoring program for Black-legged Kittiwake colonies at Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. 

Kittiwakes are an important indicator species, as their health reflects the health of nearshore fish populations which are of high economic and sustenance value for coastal communities. I spent the summer creating my own research protocol and program to quantify human and predator disturbance levels at the three colonies at the reserve. I then paired this data with reproductive success and breeding behavior between sites to better understand what may be causing differences between colonies, and how human impact plays a role. This data will serve as an important baseline, as now the reserve can continue this monitoring program every year to track how increased industrialization and changing environmental patterns will be affecting the colonies. I also aimed to get the community involved by developing citizen science opportunities within the research program. 

This internship has given me invaluable hands-on research experience. I learned the trials and errors of being the first person to create a research program from the ground up. I learned the importance of collaboration and seeking input from experts in the field, as I had the opportunity to work with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) biologists that gave me insight on how to create my protocol. And, I learned how to develop and promote my own community outreach initiatives and the best practices to invest a community in local research. After undergoing this internship, I hope to apply what I’ve learned by continuing researching seabirds while creating community-based conservation practices.

Claire Labuda, 2024 Hollings scholar

Claire is a class of 2024 Hollings scholar and is majoring in fish, wildlife, and conservation biology at Colorado State University.

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Reflections on my internship experience: Piloting data collection to empower sustainable aquaculture

A thick-horned nudibranch (Hermissenda crassicornis) with eggs resting on a piece of seaweed. Ruby saw several nudibranch species on the oyster cages the team pulled, but this one was "by far" Ruby's favorite.

Download Image September 30, 2025

Hello! My name is Ruby Kresge. I’m an undergraduate at the University of Alaska Southeast majoring in fisheries and ocean sciences and a 2024 Hollings scholar. This summer, I had the opportunity to help pilot data collection methods for a bivalve aquaculture nutrient removal calculator in Puget Sound during my internship at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington. 

When bivalves like oysters, clams, and geoducks are harvested at commercial farms, the nutrients stored in these shellfish are removed too. In many environments, nutrient removal is an ecosystem service since surplus nutrients can lead to harmful algal blooms, dead zones, or other negative environmental effects. Eventually, this calculator will allow shellfish growers to quantify how much nitrogen and phosphorus they’re removing at harvest. In addition to helping farmers navigate the permitting process, we can combine this tool with existing nutrient concentration data from different regions to determine if removing nutrients has a positive, negative, or neutral ecosystem impact at a particular farm site.

Ruby holding two of the Pacific oysters (Crassostera gigas) we collected for sampling. Many of these oysters were held together by biofouling organisms like sea cucumbers, scallops, chitons, barnacles, and mussels.(Image credit: Ruby Kresge)Download Image

To collect some of our Pacific oyster (Crassostera gigas) samples, we traveled to the Northwest Fisheries Research Station in Manchester, Washington. These oysters were the largest we sampled all summer, with one being 11 inches long! The cage the oysters were growing in was covered in biofouling, and we were able to see a ton of marine species up close and personal. As a mollusc enthusiast, my favorite were the thick-horned nudibranchs (Hermissenda crassicornis). They were so colorful and graceful! Getting to see all of these critters firsthand was a great reminder of how diverse our marine ecosystems are. It’s exciting to know that my efforts this summer have helped lay the groundwork for a tool that will assist shellfish growers in sustainably developing the bivalve aquaculture industry while also protecting these vital marine habitats.

Ruby Kresge, 2024 Hollings scholar

Ruby is a class of 2024 Hollings scholar and is majoring in fisheries and ocean sciences at  the University of Alaska Southeast.

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