Subject: Tidal Predictions
Date: Jul 17 20:54:54 1996
From: Herb Curl - h.curl at hazmat.noaa.gov


FYI: Budget cuts have forced NOAA to cease publication of tidal height &
current predictions. However, the databases are available to commercial
sources. I thought you might be interested in what's available if you're
trying to time birding opportunities with tide heights.

------------------forwarded message-------------------------

Looking for Tide Data?

Insufficient funding has caused the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), to cease publishing
its
annual "Tide and Tide Current Prediction Tables." Additionally the role of
NOS has been redefined to be that of maintaining and updating the tidal
prediction database from domestic and international sources and generating
the annual predictions and associated information. Therefore, beginning
with the 1996 edition of these tables, NOS will no longer print and
distribute book-form Tables as a standard product.

What does this mean for you? That depends on what you are looking for. If
you are seeking a replacement printed annual publication, two private
publishers have made NOAA aware of their intent to fill the void. Tables
are being printed for 1996 by the International Marine Division of the
McGraw-Hill Companies. They will be available through McGraw-Hill's own
distribution system to book and marine supply stores. McGraw Hill can be
reached at 1 800 822-8158. Also Thomas Reed Publications is continuing to
produce these tables in their traditional format from NOS data files. They
plan to continue distributing their Nautical Almanacs through local
retailers and also directly at 1 800 995 4995.

If you would like an electronic version of the Tables, NOS will supply
anyone who requests it with a CD-ROM or IBM diskette containing
camera-ready
PostScript page-images. A PostScript reader will also be included to allow
viewing documents on-screen. The cost of either format is $90.00. The
information is not copyrighted, and can be duplicated. Inquiries are
welcome (see below). NOS has two new vehicles for obtaining predictions.
First, for approximately 3700 domestic tide stations, a 3-day window of
predictions for any date in 1996 or 1997 will be offered through the
Coastal
and Estuarine Oceanography Branch, Tidal Information Distribution and
Education System (TIDES) electronic bulletin board that is accessible by
modem (301-713-4492, N-8-1, up to 9600 baud). During 1996 this feature
will
be gradually expanded to include about 3000 additional sites in 120
countries around the world. Second, for domestic tidal reference stations,
predictions covering a 4-day period beginning the day of inquiry will be
available on the NOS Coastal and Estuarine Oceanography Branch Homepage on
the Internet: (http://www-ceob.nos.noaa.gov). Both of these sources will
also be used to inform customers when prediction products become available
or finalized during the year.

Anyone seeking tide or current predictions, answers to questions or wishing
more information, should write, phone or fax of e-mail:

NOAA, National Ocean Service
Attn: Information Products and Services Section
N/OES334
1305 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
phone: 1-301-713-2815
fax: 1-301-713-4500
e-mail: Ipss at ceob.nos.noaa.gov
www: http://www-ceob.nos.noaa.gov/

Finally, there are literally thousands of sites on the Internet World Wide
Web that provide
tide prediction tables. Using any good search engine will bring you to
many
of them. Just be prepared for the range of sources - for example diving
and
surfing clubs often post the data.

Tidal Observation data for some NOS tide stations and information about how
to obtain other data are available from the NOS Ocean and Lake Level
Division. Tidal Bench Mark Sheets and Tide Summary sheets contain detailed
information about the precise location, levels, datums and ranges at each
tide station. This information is available on the World Wide Web at:

http://isis.ngs.noaa.gov:80/olld/home.html

Tidal observation data is also available on TELNET (wlnet2.nos.noaa.gov),
and in hard copy by mail. Special arrangements can be made for continuing
access to data, or for real-time access to certain data sets.

Anyone with questions regarding this service or wishing more information
should write, phone, fax or e-mail to:

NOAA National Ocean Service
Attn.: Ocean and Lake Levels, N/OES232
1305 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
phone: 1-301-713-2877
fax: 1-301-713-4436
e-mail: connor at wlnet1.nos.noaa.gov

Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems (PORTS)

These PORTS sites were established by NOAA in partnership with other
agencies and institutions in selected areas. PORTS sites provide
constantly
updated information on tidal and tidal current conditions - updated every
six minutes. The PORTS sites currently in operation include Tampa Bay,
Florida; San Francisco, California; and New York/New Jersey, with future
sites to be added. They are accessible as follows:

TAMPA BAY
voice response: 1-813-822-5836 or 1-813-822-0022
data: 1-813-822-5931 (2400 baud, N-8-1)

SAN FRANCISCO
voice response: 1-707-642-4337
data: 1-707-642-4608 (2400 baud, N-8-1)

New York/New Jersey
voice response: 1-212-688-7725

Anyone with questions regarding this service or wishing more information
should write, phone, fax:

NOAA, National Ocean Service
Attn.: Office of Ocean and Earth Sciences, N/OES33
1305 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
phone: 1-301-713-2801
fax: 1-301-713-4501


Betty Petersen
Reference Librarian
phone: (301) 713-2607 x 114
fax: (301) 713-4599
e-mail: epetersen at nodc.noaa.gov
web page: http://www.lib.noaa.gov/
address: NOAA Central Library
SSMC3 Suite 2000
1315 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, MD 20910
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Herb Curl


h.curl at hazmat.noaa.gov "You may be only young once but you can be
Hazmat/NOAA, 7600 Sand Pt. Wy., NE immature the rest of your life."
Seattle, WA 98115-0070
(206) 526-6272