COLD SNAP PROMPTS NATIONAL ICE CENTER TO ISSUE
ICE ANALYSES FOR CHESAPEAKE AND DELAWARE BAYS
A recent spell of cold temperatures in the northeastern United States, including
the Washington, D.C., area, led the National Ice Center (NIC) to issue the first ice
analyses of the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays since the winter of 2000, the center
announced.
The National Ice Center has reported significant ice growth in the upper portion
of the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, as well as in the Potomac River and C & D
Canal. The Ice Center issued the first ice charts of the season and posted them on the
Internet, then contacted the United States Coast Guard in Philadelphia and Baltimore
with this information.
Responding to a request from the Coast Guard, the Ice Center's
Reconnaissance Team conducted ice reconnaissance missions of the Chesapeake
Bay. Aerographer's Mates First Class Paul McKenna and Odis Fields flew with the
Coast Guard Air Auxiliary from Lee Airport, Annapolis, and collected valuable ice
analysis data. The data were incorporated into updated ice charts of the Chesapeake
Bay and transmitted to the Coast Guard in Baltimore. These analyses can be found on
the Internet at: www.natice.noaa.gov/greatlakes.htm.
All NIC regional ice analyses are derived from near real-time integration of
remotely sensed and in-situ observations. The data sources include: satellite-derived
data, aerial ice reconnaissance, ship/shore stations observations, drifting buoy reports,
meteorological guidance products, ice prediction model output, climatology and sea ice
information obtained from international partners such as foreign ice services.
The National Ice Center is a tri-agency operational center represented by the
United States Navy (Department of Defense); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (Department of Commerce); and the United States Coast Guard
(Department of Transportation). The NIC mission is to provide worldwide operational
ice analyses for the armed forces of the United States and allied nations, U.S.
government agencies, and the private sector.
The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the
prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing
environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. To learn
more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.
Relevant Web Sites
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/press_release.htm
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/greatlakes.htm
