UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 31, Page 7
May 12, 1994
TechTalk
Ocean information flows into Lewes

     OCEANIC, an on-line data information system, has been developed at the
College of Marine Studies in Lewes to assist oceanographers in an important
study of the world's ocean circulation.
     Led by Prof. Ferris Webster, OCEANIC (Ocean Network Information
Center) answers the need for a clearinghouse where researchers can share
data gathered in the study, which involves oceanographers from all over the
world
     As part of the study, known as the World Ocean Circulation Experiment
(WOCE), data are being collected by ships, satellites, drifting buoys,
island stations and moored instruments.
     Even before WOCE actually started, it was apparent there would be a
need for some mechanism to track these data and provide researchers with
information on what was planned for collection, what had actually been
collected and how the data could be acquired for further research, Webster
said.
     OCEANIC also contains information on the Tropical Ocean and Global
Atmosphere experiment (TOGA) that focuses on the interaction of the
tropical ocean and the atmosphere and may improve predictions of how the
earth's climate will change.
     OCEANIC information is on line in U-Discover!, including data
collected by such groups as the National Oceanographic Data Center, the
National Center for Atmospheric Research, NASA Ocean Data System, the
National Snow and Ice Data Center, the European Center for Medium-range
Weather Forecasting and the universities of Miami, Rhode Island and Hawaii.
     There also are descriptions in U-Discover! OCEANIC of products that
have been created using data from WOCE, including the Mesoscale Air-Sea
Interaction Group at Florida State University, which produces wind-stress
maps of the Pacific and Indian oceans. These maps use wind stress, a
measure of the force of winds on the sea surface, to model and predict the
ocean circulation.
     OCEANIC also has a searchable database of international research and
supply-ship schedules with both cruise schedule and ship contact
information. This extensive database may be searched by ocean area,
research discipline, principal investigator, last update, ports and/or
date. The database contains over 1,000 cruises of research and supply ships
from the U.S. and 14 other countries.
     To learn more about OCEANIC in U-Discover!, select:
          UD Department & College Information Services
               UD OCEAN Information Center
                    OCEANIC-The OCEAN Information Center
                                                  -Katherine Bouton