Navy Supports Environmental Research

Navy Supports Environmental Research
Navy News | January 23, 2008

DAKAR, Senegal - An Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative to support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) oceans and climate research and data collection efforts kicked off Jan. 18-21 when the crew of High Speed Vessel 2 Swift deployed five surface drifting buoys at sea during a transit from Rota, Spain to Dakar.

Drifter buoys move with ocean currents and collect data such as sea surface temperature. Data is transmitted via satellite and distributed to meteorological services and made available to researchers worldwide.

The Global Drifter Program is managed by NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), which worked closely with Swift to provide training prior to the ship's deployment Jan. 4 to join APS.

"After learning how vital the drifter data is in Africa and around the world, it's a good feeling to help," said Mineman 2nd Class Matthew Rishovd, a Swift (Blue) crew member who visited AOML's Miami facility in December for training.

Rishovd is now training other crew members and overseeing the four-month project.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,160625,00.html



uhc comment: :rofl: How'se that Naples trash situation going? Is Otis AFB a bright shining example of your environmental friendliness?