NOAA Corps

LCDR Paul S. Hemmick, NOAA

Shades of Blue

What is the NOAA Corps • One of the seven uniformed services of the United States • 321 Commissioned Officers • The NOAA Commissioned Corps traces its roots back to the former Survey of the Coast,

established in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson • Provides a cadre of professionals trained in engineering, earth sciences, oceanography,

meteorology, fisheries science, and other related disciplines • Officers operate ships, fly aircraft, facilitate research projects, conduct diving operations, and

serve in staff positions throughout NOAA

Career at a Glance Navigation and Operations Officer, OREGON II

Pascagoula, MS

Flag Lieutenant, NOAA HQ Silver Spring, MD

Pilot, Airborne Snow Survey Program Chanhassen, MN

Career at a Glance

Project Manager, Space Weather Prediction Center Boulder, CO

Career at a Glance

The Fleet

Missions

NOAA Diving

Aircraft Operations Center

• MacDill AFB (Tampa, FL) • 9 manned aircraft in the

fleet • 5 small unmanned

Aircraft Systems (UAS) • NASA partnership

(Global Hawk)

Aircraft

In the News… CU-Boulder scientists, colleagues probe methane emission mystery in Four Corners region -CIRES News Release A team of scientific investigators is now in the Four Corners region of the U.S. Southwest, aiming to uncover reasons for a mysterious methane hotspot detected from space by a European satellite. The joint project is working to solve the mystery from the air, on the ground, and with mobile laboratories.....From the end of March through May 1, NOAA, CIRES and U-M researchers will cover the Four Corners area with many platforms and instruments. A NOAA Twin Otter will quantify methane emissions from the region. Pilots Duck Birds, Dodge Towers to Gauge New England Flood Risk Lieutenant Commander Patrick Didier, left, and Lieutenant Junior Grade Kevin Doremus, members of the uniformed officer corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stand in front of the Gulfstream aircraft they use to conduct snow surveys across the U.S. Photographer: Brian K. Sullivan/Bloomberg

NOAA’s Missions • Hurricane Research/Surveillance • Marine Mammal Population Assessments • Atmospheric Research • Emergency Response • Coastal Mapping • Thunderstorms • Marine Debris • Gravity • Snow Survey

Safety First!

• Weather • Low level threats • Aircraft • Birds • IMSAFE

Safety

Mountainous Terrain

West Virginia

Idaho Alaska

Low Flying Aircraft

• Power plants • Power lines • Towers

Obstructions

Lockheed WP-3D Orion • 2 aircraft in the fleet (Kermit and Miss Piggy) • Primary mission: hurricane research and reconnaissance • Other missions: atmospheric research and air quality science

Dr. Jeff Masters – PI onboard https://noaahrd.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/25th-anniversary-of-a-hairy-hop-into-hurricane-hugo/

Gulfstream IV-SP

Gulfstream IV-SP • Provides high altitude surveillance of hurricanes and tropical storms • Operates in both the Atlantic and Pacific regions for both hurricanes and

tropical storms • Atmospheric Rivers • Winter Storms

Beechcraft King Air 350ER

• Coastal mapping • Emergency response

Beechcraft King Air 350ER • Equipped with two large down-

facing sensor ports for digital imaging, topographic, and LIDAR systems

• Primary Mission: Coastal Mapping

DeHavilland Twin Otter DHC-6

• Equipped with camera ports and bubble windows to support a wide range of missions.

• These missions include: • Marine Mammal Studies • Aerial Photography and

LIDAR • Atmospheric and Air

Chemistry Research • Coastal Erosion Studies • Snow Survey

• Harbor Seals • Stellar Sea Lions • Humpback, Beluga and Right Whales • Leatherback Turtles

Gulfstream Jet Prop Commander 1000

• Pressurized multi-role airplane equipped with a camera port • Accepts several different science payloads in the cabin • Supports:

• National Geodetic Survey gravity surveys • Snow Survey with gamma detection system

“Snow Survey” Flight Profile • 500 feet above ground level • 100-120 knots groundspeed • Flying a track line displayed on a moving map in the cockpit

Snow Survey Flight Line

Snow Survey

• National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center • Snow Survey • Measure snow, water, and ice in the northern states. • These measurements provide the data to predict flooding

events in the spring snowmelt.

Grav-D • Objective: Driven by the fundamental connection between Earth’s gravity field and the very

definition of “height” itself

• Specific goal of GRAV-D is to model and monitor Earth’s geoid (a surface of the gravity field, very closely related to global mean sea level) to serve as a zero reference surface for all heights in the nation

• Accurate heights are critical to many scientific endeavors, but particularly to understanding and protecting low-lying coastal ecosystems

NOAA/NASA Global Hawk

Maximum Altitude: 65,000 ft (19.8km) Loiter Velocity: 343 knots True Air Speed (TAS) Maximum Endurance: 31 hrs

NASA's Global Hawk flew five science missions into Tropical Storm/Hurricane Nadine, plus the transit flight circling around the east side of Hurricane Leslie. This is a composite of the ground tracks of the transit flight to NASA Wallops plus the five science flights. TD means Tropical Depression; TS means Tropical Storm. Credit: NASA

UAS are being used by NOAA to: • Inform tropical storm forecasts • Assess changes in Arctic sea ice • Observe endangered whales and other mammals without

disturbance

UAS

Haiti Earthquake– January 12, 2010

Deepwater Horizon – April 20, 2010

200 million gallons of crude oil was pumped into the Gulf of Mexico for a total of 87 days, making it the biggest oil spill in U.S. history.

Hurricane Sandy

October 22-31, 2012

• By the numbers 12,000 images over 3000 miles of impacted shoreline

• 24 flights, 91.2 flight hours, 7 days • Imagery delivered 4-8 hours after

landing

Any Questions?

paul.hemmick@noaa.gov