Aloha from the Pacific Island's Fisheries Science Center Marine Debris Program! Twenty four metric tons of abandoned lines and ghost nets were collected from the waters of Laysan Island, Kure Atoll and Pearl and Hermes Atoll in he Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands) over sixteen days of field operations.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary celebrated 15 years with an Ocean's Fair at the Coastal Discovery Center at San Simeon Bay, cooperatively managed by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and California State Parks. The staff volunteers and exhibitors who organized the Ocean's Fair are pictured here .

Some of the NOAA Research leadership and management took a break during the annual OAR Management Conference held in July at the National Weather Service Center. L-R: Mark Brown, Kevin Kelleher, Dianne Burgess, Capt. Wade Blake, Dr. Richard Spinrad, Craig McLean, Barry West, Joseph Klimavicz, Karen Kohanowich, Dr. Sandra Knight, Randee Exler, and Nancy Huang.

NOAA Port Agent Joanne Pellegrino, stationed in Toms River, New Jersey, removes an otolith (ear bone) from a Golden Tilefish, as part of a biological sampling exercise. Port Agents visit docks, where fish are off loaded by commercial fishers, to take samples, measure and weigh the fish.

he NOAA 200th Celebration was commemorated at the 10th Annual Kauai Family Ocean Fair at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge this summer. Overlooking the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, the refuge is an important partner in education, outreach, and monitoring. NOAA personnel and other participants are shown.

Representatives from OAR's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and Argo Program Office participated in a workshop in Accra, Ghana, designed to promote Argo capacity building for Atlantic nations in Arfica. Argo is a broad-scale, global array of floats that measure temperature/salinity in ocean and are major part of the Global Ocean Observing System.

When the WFO Mount Holly NJ radar's bull gear failed, it was up to engineer's from NOAA's Radar Operational Center to get the system up an running, normally a 7-10 job, but finished here in 6 days. L-R: Jimmy Roper, Ray Lena, Matt Lynch, Bobby Harp, Mike Shattuck and Terrell Ballard.

After an All-Hands meeting at NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Regional Office, employees gathered to commemorate NOAA's 200 years of science, service, and stewardship.

Greetings from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, home of the Seminoles, the FSU Department of Meteorology, and - most importantly, the co-located National Weather Service WFO Tallahassee. L-R: Bob Goree, Ron Eimiller, Irv Watson, Bob Duggan, Alex Gibbs, Kelly Godsey, Tony Freeman, Mike Jamski, Mark Wool, Paul Duval, and Joel Lanier.

Greetings from Chicago! The Nation's Port Meteorological Officers gathered at the Argonne National Laboratory to discuss the state of the U.S. Voluntary Observing Ship Project and commemorate NOAA's 200th Celebration. NWS Cline Award recipient Amy Seeley is pictured in left center with plaque.

National Weather Service San Diego has been working with Dr. Chung-Sheng (CS) Wu of NWS' Meteorological Development Laboratory to help better forecast the occurrence of rip currents. L-R: Senior Lifeguard Dave Brown, Ed Clark, Jim Purpura, Ivory Small, Lifeguard Sgt. Rob Viera, Lifeguard Rory Allen , Marine Safety Captain Larry Giles, Dr. Wu, Jennifer Chase, and Noel Isla.

Representatives from the NPOESS Integrated Program Office Management Operations Division recently visited Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to learn more about our Air Force partners, the satellite and how the satellite will be launched into orbit. The group took a moment for a photo at the Delta Rocket Launch Facility.

Scientists from NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory participated on NASA's Tropical Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling mission (TC4) . Holger Voemel, Karl Froyd, Troy Thornberry, Geoff Dutton, Fred Moore, Jim Elkins , Dave Fahey, RuShan Gao, Laurel Watts, Ryan Spackman, and Joshua Schwarz.

National Status & Trends Program scientists from NOAA's Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment pose with their collaborators aboard the fishing "Columbia", including a representative of the Alaskan Native village of Port Graham. L-R: Tim Roberston, Kimani Kimbrough, Ian Hartwell, Herman Moonin, John Crosbie, Everett Anderson, and Glenn Seaman (kneeling).

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Region handles the management responsibilities mandated by the Fur Seal Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act regarding fur seals and NMFS property in the Pribilof Islands. L-R: William Jones, Suzanne Johnston, John Lindsay, and Jay Ver Hoef.

The Communication and Education Division of the National Ocean Service teamed up with the Des Moines' National Weather Service at the Iowa State Fair to highlight NOAA as part its 200th Celebration. L-R: Jim Girardi, Brenda Brock- MIC Des Moines, Brad Filbach, Jeff Johnson, Terri the Robot, Tom Cox, NOS, Lynn Maximuk-Central Region Director, Mario Bory, Craig Cogil, and Bridget Moe.

Greetings from the hydrologic community of NOAA's National Weather Service! In July the third biennial Hydrologic Program Managers Conference was held at the NWS Training Center in Kansas City.

The Officers and Crew of NOAA Ship ALBATROSS IV wish all of NOAA a happy 200 Years of Science and Service to our Nation. The ALBATROSS provides operational support to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center as a fisheries research platform. Master Stephen Wagner on left.

Celebration greetings from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, from the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. L-R: Frank Almeida, Gary Reisner, Nancy Thompson, Maureen Wiley, NOAA RADM Jonathan Bailey, Steve Murawski, Rory Sheehan of Congressman William Delahunt's office, Mike Bancroft, Chuck Byrne, and Commander Stephen Beckwith, commanding officer.

Hello from DASS, the Documentation and Supplies Services division of NOAA's Seafood Inspection Program, which distributes supplies to Consumer Safety Officers, provides support to the Seafood Inspection Program, and other tasks related to Seafood Safety. Back L-R: Susan Reppel, Judy Stone, and Lenora Williams. Seated L-R: Jill Hyland and Janette Hamilton.

The National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC) supports ecosystem stewardship by providing access to the Nation's coastal data resources. The images represent the recovery process that still continues two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated our area.

Employees from NOAA Fisheries Service's Northeast Regional Office get together to celebrate NOAA's 200 years of science and service. The Northeast Regional Office is responsible for fisheries management, habitat protection and restoration, protected resources management, fisheries statistics and state/federal programs from Maine to North Carolina.

At the recent NOAA Fish Fry "Kansas Style" (burgers and brats) the staff of the Goodland WSFO checked out a tractor from Yost Farm Supply as neighboring farmers prepare for wheat harvest on the High Plains.

NOAA Fisheries Service Advanced Sampling Technologies Working Group is leading research into a non-lethal and more efficient method of assessing fish stocks. The ASTWG, a coordinated effort among all NOAA Fisheries Science Centers, sponsored the acquisition of a small, portable, instrumented AUV. L-R: Josiah Renfree, Steve Sessions, Randy Cutter, and David Demer.

Greetings from OMAO's Marine Operations Center - Atlantic and NOS's Atlantic Hydrographic Branch! This is the proud homeport of NOAA Ships RUDE and THOMAS JEFFERSON, hydrographic survey vessels. The marine center also supports NOAA ships RONALD H. BROWN, ALBATROSS IV, HENRY B. BIGELOW, DELAWARE II, NANCY FOSTER,GORDON GUNTER, and OREGON II.

Hundreds of Utah glider pilots rely daily on NOAA's National Weather Service Salt Lake City aviation services, including soaring forecasts and observed surface and upper air wind information. Here at the Flight Park State Recreation Area, hang glider and paraglider pilots such as Lisa Verzella, former NOAA Student intern, take advantage of the consistent south winds in this area.

Staff of the NOAA Weather Forecast Office in Grand Forks celebrating NOAA's 200 years of science and service along the banks of the Red River of the North, at the height of its recent summer crest. L-R: Brad Hopkins, Greg Gust, Jim Kaiser, Brad Bramer, John Hoppes, Ed Schulz and Mike Lukes; front row L-R: Al Voelker, Nancy Godon, Kim Klein; kneeling L-R: Mark Ewens, Dave McShane.

The Chicago WSFO sends greetings! The office serves 9 million people, the Nation's busiest airspace and shipping on Lake Michigan. L-R: Walter Cowan, Charles Mott, James Bottger, Justin Stachnik, Ken McAdams, Terrie Sheetz, Bill Morris, Nathan Marsili, Paul Merzlock, JoAnna Green, Mark Ratzer, Bill Nelson, Jim Allsopp, Gino Izzi, Ken Labas, Andy Krein, Ed Fenelon, and Tim Halbach.

NOAA fisheries, Protected Resources Division of the Pacific Islands Region are shown with Monk Seal N9 (sleeping upper right). They hiked out to this remote area of Oahu to find this seal. L-R: en Metz, Chris Yates, Kim Maison, Krista Graham, Jayne LeFors, David Schofield, Stephani Harrison, Lisa Van Atta, and Michelle Yuen.

Members of NOAA's National Weather Service Alaska Region, National Marine Fisheries Service Alaska Region, Office of Atmospheric Research Barrow Observatory man a booth at the Alaska State Fair at Palmer. Paul Huang (L), Geophysicist from the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, and Joe Joe Cannon, Webmaster, Alaska Regional Headquarters (R) manning the booth.

A field crew from NOS National Geodetic Survey conducted a GPS survey of Surface Elevation Tables throughout Southeastern Louisiana, in cooperation with the University of New Orleans, the U.S Geological Survey, and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. L-R: Charlie Geoghegan, Project Manager, Galen Scott, NGS COASTAL Team Lead, Philippe Hensel, elevation dynamics specialist.

Rear Admiral Sam De Bow,director of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations, was on the annual low water tour of the Mississippi River Commission and its inspection of the Missouri River basin. At the request of Tribal Elders, the commissioners led the Grand Entry of the Powwow of the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Tribes on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.

Members of NOAA's Office of Coast Survey and National Geodetic Survey, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' Port Authority and Department of Lands and Resources are shown at the Port of Saipan during an Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping project. NOAA participants include: Front L-R Erin Campbell, Cory Allen (with logo), Ed Carlson, and Kurt Brown.

Greetings From Puget Sound! En route from surveying the coast of southeast Alaska to a project in the Columbia River, NOAA ship RAINIER took the rare opportunity to see her homeport and Mount Rainier, the inspiration for the ship' s name. The crew and officers celebrated NOAA's 200th with the two RAINIERs.

NOAA representatives from around the Great Lakes region co-hosted a day-long event with Chicago's Shedd Aquarium as part of NOAA's 200th Celebration. "A Great Day in the Great Lakes" featured day-long NOAA and Sea Grant and a NOAA Green Ship open house. The R/V Laurentian, shown here, is one of three petroleu m-free ships operated by NOAA's GLERL, the only such ships in the Federal fleet.

The NOAA Ship McArthur II watches the remnants of Hurricane Henrietta fade into the distance as it conducts research operations 250 miles SW of Manzanillo, Mexico, in support of NMFS SWFSC Stenella Abundance Research Project Line Transect and Ecosystem (STAR-LITE) Cruise, 2007. Dr. Eric Archer was the chief scientist for this STAR-LITE cruise.

Greetings from the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve where NOAA researchers recently conducted dart biopsy sampling of bottlenose dolphins. L-R back: Todd Speakman, Karen Coomer, Sarah Howlett, Lori Schwacke, J. D. Dubick; Front L-R: Eric Zolman, Jamison Smith.

Cooperative Weather Observer Mr. Joe Alexander of Burris, Wyoming (right) recently received the prestigious John Campanius Holm Award on behalf of his family from Data Acquisition Program Manager Ralph Estell of NOAA's National Weather Service in Riverton, Wyoming. The Alexander family has provided quality weather observations since 1962.

Greetings from the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown off the coast of Praia, Cape Verde, in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. Pictured is a multidisciplinary group of scientists, students, and volunteers working to acquire oceanic and atmospheric data as part of the PIRATA Northeast Extension, Aerosol and Ocean Science Expedition joint field campaign.

Greetings from the (corn) field! The Air Resources Laboratory is collaborating with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and North Carolina State University in a 3-year project to measure and model ammonia fluxes in forest and agricultural lands. L-R: Mary Hicks, John T. Walker, Lauren Elich, Tilden Meyers, R. Laureen Gunter, and Jesse Bash.

The NOAA Ship Rainier docked at NOAA's Western Regional Center (WRC) and held an Open House for the employees of the WRC campus before heading out to sea. On this unusually blustery and gray Seattle day, only the courageous few braved the elements to show their NOAA pride. The WRC hosts the greatest variety of NOAA programs and the most NOAA employees outside of Washington, D.C.

Beginning its second decade of continuous operations the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) was successfully deployed from the University of Hawai'i Research Vessel Ka'imikai-O-Kanaloa (KOK) in Hawaiian waters off Lana'i. L-R: Terence Houlihan, Darryl Peters, Kent Hughes, Eric Stengel, Yong Sung Kim, Mark Yarbrough, Michael Ondrusek, and Michael Feinholz.

Greetings from NOAA Fisheries Northwest Region.This photo was taken at the first Open Rivers Initiative dam removal project, on the Calapooia River, Oregon. This dam removal, coupled with another downstream, will open up 50 miles of newly accessible salmon and steelhead habitat. L-R: Melissa Jundt, Micheal Tehan, Mike Crouse, Barry Thom, Christy Fellas, and Ben Meyer.

Greetings from the San Joaquin Valley of California! The National Weather Service Office in Hanford provides forecasts, advisories, watches and warnings for a large and geographically diverse area of interior Central California. L-R: Chris Stachelski, Steve Mendenhall, James Brotherton, Paul Jones, Kevin Durfee, and Jim Knutson.

Greetings from Cameroon, West Africa! During the week of September 3-7, 2007, the NOS Office of Response and Restoration sent a member to Douala, Cameroon, to co-teach a class on Incident Command System with the U.S. Coast Guard to 30 students from the governments of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Students are shown with instructor Mark Dix of OR&R and other instructors.

The National Data Buoy Center commemorates NOAA's 200th celebration with a catfish fry attended by NDBC and its technical services contractor, Science Applications International Corporation. Led by NDBC Director Dr. Paul Moersdorf (2nd from R) and SAIC's Program Manager Ted Neville (t3rd from L) over 100 employees, spouses and children attended and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon.

Greetings from the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory, Special Operations and Research Division, Desert Rock Meteorological Observatory, which provides meteorological services and support to the NNSA Nevada Test Site. L-R: Marc Pitchford, Karen Balecha, Rick Lantrip, Don Kim, Paul Rogers, Ray Dennis, Darryl Randerson, Don Bullard, Phil Abbott, Kip Smith, Ogie Olanday, and James Wood.

Managers from the Weather Service Offices in Micronesia gathered on Guam for a week-long meeting at WFO Guam to discuss regional issues among the offices. L-R: Johannes Berdon (WSO Chuuk OIC), Maria Ngemaes (WSO Koror MIC), David Aranug (WSO Yap MIC), Chip Guard (WFO Guam WCM), Genevieve Miller (WFO Guam MIC), Eden Skilling (WSO Pohnpei OIC), and Reginald White (WSO Majuro MIC).

Participants celebrating the launch of a tsunami buoy in the Indian Ocean took time to commemorate NOAA's 200th celebration on the deck of the Indonesian R/V Baruna Jaya III before it left Jakarta in mid-September with the buoy and four NOAA climate buoys on board.

The scientists and crew of the NOAA Ship OSCAR DYSON crossed the Arctic Circle during the Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Survey in the Chukchi Sea and Eastern Bering Sea Shelf. To celebrate, everyone got their "Bluenose".