NOAA CoastWatch Launches the East Coast Node

NOAA CoastWatch provides ocean remote sensing data for six regions covering the entire coast line of the United States, including the Great Lakes. In June 2006, NOAA CoastWatch launched its newest region, the East Coast Node, at the Chesapeake Bay office of NOAA in Annapolis, Maryland. The new node provides diverse data from multiple satellites; the data include sea surface temperature, ocean surface winds, and levels of chlorophyll-a in the water; and the products are available on the internet. Scientists, resource managers, and fishers use this data to forecast atmospheric events, predict harmful algal blooms, and detect the presence and distribution of fish and marine mammals along the eastern seaboard of the United States. With CoastWatch products, fishermen are able to find fish in less time; public health authorities have advance warning of toxic waters off the shore; and ships receive forecasts of sea- state conditions with less delay.