Photo (left): Heather Zorn of NOAA's Environmental Technology Laboratory on top of the Radiometer Van attending to scanning 5-mm and 14-um radiometers. These instruments slide to the end of a 20-foot-long I-beam, well beyond the side of the ship, to view undisturbed portside waters 25 feet below. Olympic gymnastic hopefuls have used the beam to practice balance beam routines, but they have not been seen since Other snapshots from the Ron Brown

Commentary:

We had 7 overflights by the Cessna today--7 circumnavigations of the small triangle--at various altitudes up to 1.4 km. A New Zealand film crew arrived by RHIB (small boat) from Nauru, together with the newest member of our science party, Tony Reale of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Environmental Satellite Data Information System (NESDIS). Tony carried with him a "care package" from Boulder, Colorado, via Ed Westwater, who remains on Nauru.

The RHIB crew returned with a good sunburn, despite using plenty of sun screen. Overnight, the Ron Brown changed position slightly to fall just outside territorial waters of Nauru, so we could launch radiosondes unencumbered by coordination with Nauru airport. Through the heroic efforts of U.S. Department of Energy's Clif Meyer on Nauru, Ann Weickmann on the Ron Brown secured an Air Nauru ticket to return home July 5 -- not easy when most credit cards are rejected, business is not conducted over the weekend, and it is Friday, an unofficial, quasi-holiday!

Visual Observations:

It was another fair, shower-free day, much to the chagrin of radar hopefuls. Brisk breezes have produced more whitecaps and a more exciting ride to Nauru in the ship's small craft.

Instrument Status:

The Differential Absorption Lidar flashlamps were finally replaced and its small telescope was realigned. All instruments continue to run well.

Previous Days' Updates:

July 1, 1999
June 30, 1999
June 29, 1999
June 28, 1999
June 27, 1999
June 26, 1999
June 25, 1999
June 24, 1999
June 23, 1999
June 22, 1999
June 21, 1999
June 20, 1999
June 19, 1999
June 18, 1999
June 17, 1999
June 16, 1999
June 15, 1999
June 14, 1999
June 10, 1999

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