64020 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 / Notices

are made, and regulations are issued.

Under the MMPA, the term ‘‘taking’’

means to harass, hunt, capture or kill or

to attempt to harass, hunt, capture or

kill marine mammals.

Permission may be granted for periods

up to 5 years if the Secretary of

Commerce finds, after notification and

opportunity for public comment, that

the taking will have a negligible impact

on the species or stock(s) of marine

mammals and will not have an

unmitigable adverse impact on the

availability of the species or stock(s) for

subsistence uses. In addition, NMFS

must prescribe regulations that include

permissible methods of taking and other

means effecting the least practicable

adverse impact on the species and its

habitat, and on the availability of the

species for subsistence uses, paying

particular attention to rookeries, mating

grounds and areas of similar

significance. The regulations must

include requirements pertaining to the

monitoring and reporting of such taking.

Regulations governing the taking of

ringed seals incidental to on-ice seismic

activities were published on January 13,

1993 (58 FR 4091) and remain in effect

until December 31, 1997.

Summary of Requests

NMFS received requests for letters of

authorization on the dates specified

from (1) BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.,

900 East Benson Blvd. P.O. Box 196612,

Anchorage, AK 99519–6612 (September

11, 1995); (2) Geco-Prakla, 500 W.

International Airport Road, Anchorage,

AK 99518 (October 11, 1995) and (3)

Western Geophysical/Western Atlas

International, Inc. 351 E. International

Airport Road, Anchorage, AK 99518–

1299 (November 10, 1995). All letters

request a take by harassment of a small

number of ringed seals incidental to onice seismic work in the Beaufort Sea,

AK.

Issuance of these letters of

authorization is based on findings that

the total takings will have a negligible

impact on the ringed seal species or

stock and will not have an unmitigable

adverse impact on the availability of

this species for subsistence uses.

Dated: December 1, 1995.

William W. Fox, Jr.,

Director, Office of Protected Resources,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–30379 Filed 12–12–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

National Weather Service; Automated

Surface Observing System

SUBJECT: Notice of Intent.

SUMMARY: The National Weather Service

(NWS) implemented the Supplemental

Data Program effective October 1, 1995.

This program supplements data

provided by the Automated Surface

Observing System (ASOS). Observations

produced through the Supplementary

Data Program are transmitted separately

from the ASOS operations and provide

data to support hydrometeorological

operations and climatological

applications. This notice explains the

reasons for the shift in reporting

methods and describes how to obtain

and interpret hydrometeorological

information that was previously

available in the surface aviation

observation (SAO) format.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Requests for information

should be sent to Steve Pritchett, NWS,

Office of Systems Operations, 1325 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910

or through electronic mail at suppdata

@smtpgate.ssmc.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Steve Pritchett at 301–713–1792.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of

the NWS modernization, the NWS is

undergoing a major shift in the methods

used to observe and report surface

weather information.

The NWS has developed and is

installing ASOS to automate certain

observing functions, thereby taking

advantage of advances in sensor and

microprocessor technology. At

approximately 900 airports in the

United States during the 1990s, the U.S.

Departments of Commerce,

Transportation, and Defense are

deploying ASOS to support aviation

operations and weather forecasting and

warnings, as well as general needs of the

hydrometeorological, climatological,

and meteorological research

communities.

ASOS will provide greatly expanded

coverage (locations and observing

hours), objective observations, a

continuous weather watch, and

improved operating efficiency. ASOS,

when integrated with advances in

remote sensing and weather information

processing systems, is expected to

contribute to improved warning and

forecast services. ASOS will perform the

basic observing functions necessary to

generate a SAO. However, because some

weather parameters observed manually

today will not initially be observed by

ASOS, the NWS is introducing two new

classes of observations to the array of

meteorological surface observations: the

supplementary data observation (SDO)

and the supplementary climate data

(SCD).

Supplementary observations are not

appended to the ASOS observation;

rather, they are disseminated as separate

messages. The NWS will disseminate

these reports to a variety of Federal and

non-Federal users of NWS data.

Supplementary data will be made

available through NWS communication

systems such as Family of Services,

NOAA Weather Wire, and various

computer and commercial vendor

services.

Surface observational data in the

ASOS era will continue to come from

many sources. ASOS, along with

complementary data derived from

remote sensing technologies, such as

statellites, will form the backbone of the

surface observing network (SAO)

system. Surface data from over 20,000

automatic and manual

hydrometerological sites, including

cooperative and hydrologic networks,

will continue to play an important role

in NWS operational forecast programs.

They comprise the climatological data

bases and supply information to users

who currently rely on surface

observations from airports, as well as for

non-aviation related information.

The NWS Weather Forecast Offices

(WFOs) will issue these new

supplemtary data reports. The SDOs

will provide significant, event-driven

observations primarily intended to

support weather forecasting and general

hydrometeorological needs. Elements

may be reported in SDOs on an ‘‘asobserved’’ basis and do not imply a

continuous or basic weather watch.

SDOs will not generally include

elements that are in augmented ASOS

observations from that location.

The SCD reports may provide

routinely scheduled observations useful

for climatological applications, as well

as hydrometeorological operations.

SCDs are routinely issued at designated

hours at about the same time as the

recorded surface observation (note: the

SDOs are issued on an event basis,

which may fall ‘‘on the hour’’ only by

chance).

Most offices issuing SCDs and SDOs

will not issue the full suite of SCD/SDO

elements. There will be some variation

among individual offices in the

elements they report. Elements reported

in SCDs will generally not be reported

in SDOs. Exceptions are: (1)

precipitation type and intensity

reported in SCDs may also be reported

in SDOs when considered significant by

the on-site observer, and (2) volcanic

ash reported in SCDs will also be

reported in SDOs. Observations of

volcanic eruptions and volcanic ash

when first noted and severe weather

(severe thunderstorms and tornadic
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 / Notices 64021

activity) when first observed may be

included in weather warnings and

statements issued by cognizant NWS

offices rather than in supplementary

data reports. The same elements may be

reported in both SDO’s and aviation

observations from some sites (see

enclosures).

In the future, non-Federal observers

(volunteers, Cooperative Observers, etc.)

are expected to participate as members

of the supplementary data network.

Their reports will focus on snow depth,

snowfall amount, hail and ice pellet

occurrences. It is expected that a subset

of volunteer observers will report water

equivalent of snow on the ground.

Susan F. Zevin,

Deputy Assistant Administrator for

Operations.

Report Format and Content

The information in supplementary

data reports will follow the syntax and

abbreviations used in Federal

Meteorological Handbook Number 1 for

Surface Observations (FMH–1). (FMH–2

for synoptic cloud reports) where

practical. Supplementary data reports

differ from surface aviation observations

in the following ways:

• Only a limited set of observed

elements is included in supplementary

data reports. A given supplementary

report may contain one or several

elements.

• Supplementary data reports are not

issued on an hourly basis. Timescheduled SCDs are issued at main

synoptic hours or at other designated

hours of the day depending on the

variable(s) being reported. Event-driven

SDOs are issued when a significant

phenomenon is first observed. A followup ‘‘termination’’ SDO will be issued

after the cessation of certain events.

• Some SDOs will contain a ‘‘/’’,

solidus remarks separator. The purpose

of the remarks separator is to help

computer decoders differentiate

between decodable (parsable) remarks

and remarks not readily amendable to

decoding. SCDs will not inclde the ‘‘/’’

remarks separator because all remarks in

SCDs are decodable.

Supplementary data reports are

encoded as follows:

SID—TYPE—(COR—)TIME—WX/—

Decodable RMKS—/—Other RMKS (‘‘—

’’ indicates a required space and ‘‘/’’

indicates a required solidus. The ‘‘/’’

will appear in an observation if and

only if one or more ‘‘WX’’ elements are

reported and are followed by remarks.

The ‘‘/’’ remarks separator will appear

in an SDO, only if, the SDO contains

both decodable and noncodable

remarks.

SID—Station identifier (3 to 5

alphanumeric characters).

TYPE—Type of observation (either SCD

or SDO). If the observation is a

correction to a previously

disseminated SCD or SDO, the

contraction COR will follow the type

of observation (in which case the time

(TIME) will be the time of the

observation being corrected).

TIME—Time of observation in hours

and minutes UTC [0000 * * * 2359].

WX—Weather and/or obstructions to

vision. This field will be from 1 to 15

characters in length including the

precipitation intensity symbol (¥,+).

The elements to be reported in the

‘‘WX’’ field are given in Table 1 of

this guide. Contractions for

precipitation types are given in Table

2; contractions for obstructions to

vision are in Table 3.

Decodable RMKS, Other RMKS—

Remarks are separated from the ‘‘WX’’

group with a solidus and a space. If no

‘‘WX’’ is reported, the remarks are

preceded with a space after the time

(TIME) element.

SCD remarks are encoded in the

following order:

8NNhCLhCMCH—Total cloud cover and

synoptic cloud types

931nnn—Depth of new snow (snowfall)

933RRR—Water equivalent of snow on

the ground

4/sss—Depth of snow on ground

98xxx—Duration of sunshine

7R24R24R24R24—Calendar day total

precipitation (from designated sites)

4snTxTxTxsnTnTnTn—Calendar day

maximum and minimum temperature

(from designated sites)

NIL—Nothing to report

SDO remarks are encoded in the

following order:

Temination reports for ‘‘WX’’ elements

(e.g., END IP)

SNOINCR x/x—Snow increasing rapidly

HLSTO x—Size of largest hailstone

observed

‘‘ / ’’ remarks separator

Other SDO remarks when considered

significant by the on-site staff:

Local variation in visibility (e.g., VSBY

N2; F BANK N–E2) (designated

stations)

Virga—Precipitation evaporating before

reaching ground (designated stations)

Precipitation not at station (e.g., RWU

SW; SU OVR MTNS N) (designated

stations)

Clouds above 12,000 feet (types and/or

layers) (designated stations)

Distant clouds obscuring mountains

(designated stations)

Other meteorological information

considered significant, such as

blowing volcanic ash

The SDO ‘‘WX’’ group, remarks of

snow increasing rapidly (SNOINCR),

hailstorms (HLSTO), and termination

reports for ‘‘WX’’ elements are

considered decodable.

Initiation and termination reports will

be issued for selected ‘‘WX’’ elements

(those listed in Table 2 of this guide).

An exception is hail, for which only an

initiation report will be issued.

Termination reports will be issued for

any weather and/or obstructions to

vision previously reported in the ‘‘WX’’

field of an SDO when the event is

determined to have ended. Termination

reports are not required for information

reported in SDO remarks unless

designated by NWS regional

headquarters.

• The initiation report for a ‘‘WX’’

element is implicit in the ‘‘WX’’ field

(e.g., ‘‘MCI SDO 1325 BS’’ is an

initiation report for blowing snow). The

initiation report for other significant

events carries the information in the

SDO remarks section (e.g., ‘‘MCI SDO

1325 BD/ RWU SW’’ may be an

initiation report for distant rain

showers. The blowing dust, previously

reported, continues).

• Termination reports contain the key

word ‘‘END’’ followed by a space and a

description of the event which ended.

All termination information, even for a

‘‘WX’’ element, is considered to be in

the remarks category. Termination

information for ‘‘WX’’ elements

precedes any ‘‘ / ’’ remarks separator

(e.g., ‘‘MCI SDO 1445 END BD / END

RWU SW’’).

• Termination reports for items listed

under ‘‘other SDO remarks when

considered significant by the on-site

staff’’ can have several meanings: (1) the

event ended, (2) the event is no longer

considered significant, but it may still

exist, or (3) because of darkness, it is not

possible to determine if the event still

exists.

Plain language remarks may at times

be necessary to clarify changing local

conditions. For example, if a fog bank

previously reported to the north (e.g.,

‘‘ANC SDO 1205 F BANK N2’’) moves

over the airport, ‘‘ANC SDO 1330 F

BANK MOVD OVR ARPT’’ might be

subsequently reported.

Location of phenomena within 10

miles of the station will be reported as

‘‘VCNTY STN,’’ followed by the

direction from the station. Phenomena

between 10 and 30 miles of the station

will be located by direction from the

station. Phenomena beyond 30 miles

will be reported as ‘‘DSNT,’’ followed

by the direction from the station.

If there are no coded remarks or

weather to report in a scheduled SCD,
64022 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 / Notices

the SCD will be transmitted with ‘‘NIL’’

(e.g., ‘‘PHL SC 1758 NIL’’).

Table 1 gives the type of

supplementary information reported,

the category of the supplementary data

report, criteria for reporting, and type of

site making the report. It also gives the

syntax of the element and one or more

examples. Examples of complete

supplementary data reports are given in

the back of this guide. Except where

explicitly stated otherwise, the ‘‘WFO’’

column refers to all WFOs, whether or

not they have a collocated ASOS. The

‘‘Other NWS Office’’ column refers to

NWS staffed or manual observing sites

with responsibility for supplementary

data reporting. This table represents the

initial supplementary data reporting

configuration by office type (augmented

elements are excluded).

TABLE 1.—DESCRIPTION OF ELEMENTS REPORTED AS SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Element

Type of report

When reported

Reported by

Format, example, comments

SDO SCD WFO Other NWS offices

WX—Weather

and/or obstructions to

vision.

—All precipitation types

and intensities.

—Volcanic ash

........................ X .....................

Volcanic ash

will not be

included in

SCDs from

sites with a

collocated

ASOS.

at 6-hrly synoptic times

(00, 06, 12,

and 18 UTC)

and staff is

available.

X ..................... Designated

Stations.

Format: Table 2 gives contractions for

precipitation types; Table 3 gives

contractions for obstructions to vision.

Where: ‘‘WX’’ refers to weather and

obstructions to vision. Weather refers to precipitation and tornadoes.

Obstructions to vision refer to phenomena that reduce visibility but

are not precipitation. Weather and

obstruction to vision elements included in SCDs and SDOs are

given in the ‘‘Element’’ column to

the left.

Examples: VOLCANIC ASH; IF;

HLSTO 1⁄4; IP-: END VOLCANIC

ASH; END IF

Comments: Visibility specified by

FMH-1 for qualifying intensity of

snow and drizzle may not be well

resolved at certain WFOs without a

collocated ASOS. Consequently,

snow and drizzle intensities reported by non-ASOS WFOs must

be considered to be estimates. A

follow-up ‘‘termination’’ SDO will be

issued upon termination of the

event (with the exception of hail).

The termination SDO will give the

event preceded by the key world

‘‘END.’’

Volcanic ash will not be reported in

supplementary data originating from

sites which have collocated ASOS.

Volcanic ash is appended directly to

the ASOS observations at those

sites.

Visibility will not be a factor in reporting ‘‘VOLCANIC ASH’’ as present

weather (WX) in an SDO. Any observed ‘‘VOLCANIC ASH’’ will be

reported.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 / Notices 64023

TABLE 1.—DESCRIPTION OF ELEMENTS REPORTED AS SUPPLEMENTARY DATA—Continued

Element

Type of report

When reported

Reported by

Format, example, comments

SDO SCD WFO Other NWS offices

WX—Weather

and/or obstructions to

vision.

—Ice pellets ...

—Volcanic ash

—Other

nonaugmented elements

when considered significant by the

on-site staff

(ice crystals,

ice fog,

smoke, blowing snow,

blowing

sand, blowing dust, and

blowing

spray).

X .....................

Volcanic ash

will not be

included in

SDOs from

sites with a

collocated

ASOS.

........................ when observed

and staff is

available.

X ..................... Designated

stations.

Daily total sunshine duration......................... X ..................... Once daily at

08 UTC. If

the station is

closed at 08

UTC, the

‘‘98xxx’’

group will be

reported in

the first 6-

hrly observation after

opening.

Equipment

must be

available.

Reported at official NWS

sunshine-duration reporting sites.

These sites

may be

moved as

required.

........................ Format: 98xxx.

Where: ‘‘98’’ is the code group indicator and ‘‘xxx’’ gives the total minutes of sunshine for the previous

calendar day. ‘‘xxx’’ is encoded in

hundreds, tens, and units.

Example: 98096; 98000.

Interpretation: 96 minutes of sunshine;

0 minutes of sunshine.

Missing data indicator: 98///.

Calendar day

total prescription accumulation

(water equivalent).

........................ X ..................... 24-hour value

once daily at

00 LST and

staff is available.

Only reported

by WFOs

which do not

have a collocated ASOS.

........................ Format: 7R24R24R24R24.

Where: ‘‘7’’ is the code group indicator; R24R24R24R24 gives precipitation

amount encoded in tens, units,

tenths, and hundredths of inches.

Example: 70125.

Interpretation: 1.25 inches of precipitation (water equivalent) in the preceding 24 hours.

Missing data indicator: 7////.

Comment: Note that in the SCD the

‘‘7’’ group refers to a 24-hr precip

total ending at midnight LST whereas the ‘‘7’’ group in the remarks of

an ASOS observation or a manual

surface observation refers to a 24-

hr precip total ending at 12 UTC.

Calendar day

maximum

and minimum temperatures.

........................ X ..................... 24-hour value

once daily at

00 LST and

staff is available.

Only reported

by WFOs

which do not

have a collocated ASOS.

........................ Format: 4s,TxTxTxsnTnTnTn.

Where: ‘‘4’’ is the code group indicator; sn gives sign of the data (‘‘1’’

for temperatures below 0°F, ‘‘0’’ for

temperatures 0°F or higher); TxTxTx

is the maximum temperature in

whole degrees F; TnTnTn is the minimum temperature in whole degrees

F.

Example: 400700045.

Interpretation: 24-hr max temperature

of 70°F, 24-hr min temperature of

45°F.

Missing data indicator: 4////////.
64024 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 / Notices

TABLE 1.—DESCRIPTION OF ELEMENTS REPORTED AS SUPPLEMENTARY DATA—Continued

Element

Type of report

When reported

Reported by

Format, example, comments

SDO SCD WFO Other NWS offices

Snow increasing rapidly.X ..................... X ..................... Hourly when

snow depth

increase

equals or exceeds 0.5′′/

hr and staff

is available.

Designated

stations.

Designated

stations.

Format: SNOINCR x/x.

Reference: FMH–1 Table A3–88, 2.e

modified to exclude the depth increase since the last 6-hrly report.

Where: ‘‘SNOINCR’’ is the code group

indicator. ‘‘x/x’’ gives the snow

depth increase in the past hour/total

depth of snow on the ground at

time of observation, both of which

are reported in whole inches.

Example: SNOINCR 1/6.

Interpretation: One inch depth increase in the past hour with 6

inches on the ground at time of observation.

Size of largest

hailstone observed.

X ..................... ........................ when first observed and

staff is available.

Designated

stations.

Designated

stations.

Format: HLSTOx.

Where: ‘‘HLSTO’’ is the group indicator. ‘‘x’’ gives the diameter (in

inches) of the largest hailstone observed. Hailstone size is reported in

1⁄4 inch increments. If the hailstone

size is less than 1⁄8 inch, it will be

encoded as <1⁄4.

Example: HLSTO 1⁄2.

Interpretation: The largest hailstone

observed was 1⁄2’’ in diameter.

Other Significant Weather Information

Significant

local variations in visibility.

X ..................... ........................ when observed

and staff is

available.

Reported at

specific, currently staffed

NWS observing sites

which are

determined

to be especially problematic with

respect to

terrain, and

multiple visibility sensors

are not available or do

not suffice.

........................ Format: Description and direction from

station.

Examples: VSBY N2; F Bank N–E2.

Interpretation: (1) Visability to the

north is 2 miles. (2) A fog bank exists north through east.

Comment: Once reported, significant

changes to ‘‘local variations in visibility’’ will be reported in updated

SDO reports.

Virga ............... X ..................... ........................ when observed

and staff is

available..

Reported at

specific, currently staffed

NWS observing sites

in mountainous areas

lacking radar

coverage

which are

determined

to be especially problematic with

respect to

terrain.

........................ Format: ‘‘VIRGA’’ and direction from

station.

Example: VIRGA NW.

Comment: Once reported, significant

changes to ‘‘virga’’ will be reported

in updated SDO reports, e.g.,

VIRGA VCNTY STN NW MOVG E.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 / Notices 64025

TABLE 1.—DESCRIPTION OF ELEMENTS REPORTED AS SUPPLEMENTARY DATA—Continued

Element

Type of report

When reported

Reported by

Format, example, comments

SDO SCD WFO Other NWS offices

Precipitation

not at the

station.

X ..................... ........................ when observed

and staff is

available.

Reported at

specific, currently staffed

NWS observing sites

in mountainous areas

lacking radar

coverage

which are

determined

to be especially problematic with

respect to

terrain.

........................ Format: Type and intensity (or ‘‘U’’ if

unknown) of precipitation and direction from station.

Examples: RWU SW; SU OVR MTNS

N.

Comment: Once reported, significant

changes to ‘‘precipitation not at the

station’’ will be reported in updated

SDO reports, e.g., RWU VCNTY

STN SW MOVD NW.

Significant

clouds above

12,000 feet

AGL and significant cloud

types.

X ..................... ........................ When observed and

staff is available.

Reported at

specific, currently staffed

NWS observing sites

in mountainous areas

which are

determined

to be especially problematic with

respect to

terrain.

........................ Format: ‘‘CLD LYR’’ followed by one

or more cloud base heights (generally estimated, hundreds of feet

AGL) and amounts (SCT, BKN, or

OVC). Ceiling designators (‘‘E’’ and

‘‘M’’) are not reported as this layer

may not be the layer constituting a

ceiling. Only significant cloud layers

above 12,000 feet AGL are reported. Types of significant clouds

associated with orographic features,

such as ACSL and rotor clouds,

may also be reported.

Example: CLD LYR 140 OVC; ACSL

VCNTY STN SW–W

Interpretation: A significant overcast

cloud layer based at 14,000 feet

above ground level was observed.

Comment: Once reported, significant

changes to ‘‘cloud layers above

12,000 feet’’ and ‘‘significant cloud

types’’ will be reported in updated

SDO reports, e.g., CB W MOVD N.

Significant distant clouds

obscuring

mountains.

X ..................... ........................ When observed and

staff is available.

Reported at

specific, currently staffed

NWS observing sites

which are

determined

to be especially problematic with

respect to

terrain.

........................ Format: Description and direction from

station.

Example: CLD BASES OBSCG

MTNS W.

Interpretation: Cloud bases obscuring

mountains to the west.

Comment: Once reported, significant

changes to ‘‘distant clouds obscuring mountains’’ will be reported in

updated SDO reports.

Any other meteorological

information

when considered significant by the

on-site staff.

X ..................... ........................ When observed and

staff is available.

X ..................... X ..................... Format: Plain language using FMH–1

contractions where practical.

Comments: Any significant weather

information such as convective

cloud types not covered above may

be entered here if not included in

an ASOS observation.
64026 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 / Notices

TABLE 1.—DESCRIPTION OF ELEMENTS REPORTED AS SUPPLEMENTARY DATA—Continued

Element

Type of report

When reported

Reported by

Format, example, comments

SDO SCD WFO Other NWS offices

Depth of new

snow.

........................ X ..................... At 6-hrly synoptic times

(00, 06, 12,

and 18 UTC)

when any

amount of

snow has

fallen in the

past 6 hours

and staff is

available.

Designated

stations.

Designated

stations.

Format: 931nnn.

Where: ‘‘931’’ is the code group indicator for the amount of solid precipitation (i.e., snow, snow pellets,

snow grains, ice pellets, ice crystals, and hail) that fell in the past 6

hours, even if some or all of it melted. ‘‘nnn’’ gives the depth in the frozen state to the nearest tenth of an

inch using a leading zero if less

than 1 inch. Trace amounts are reported as 931000.

Example: 931012.

Interpretation: 1.2 inches of new snow

fell in the past 6 hours.

Missing data indicator: The group is

not reported if no solid precipitation

fell during the past 6 hours or if hail

was the only form of solid precipitation.

Water equivalent of snow

on the

ground.

........................ X ..................... Once daily at

18 UTC if

the average

snow depth

(to the nearest inch) is 2

inches or

more and

staff is available.

Designated

stations.

Designated

stations.

Format: 933RRR.

Where: ‘‘933’’ is the code group indicator and ‘‘RRR’’ is the water equivalent of snow on the ground reported in tenths of inches.

Example: 933125.

Interpretation: 12.5 inches water

equivalent of snow on the ground.

Missing data indicator: Not reported if

no solid precipitation fell during the

past 6 hours or if hail was the only

form of solid precipitation.

Depth of snow

on the

ground.

........................ X ..................... At 6-hrly synoptic times

(00, 06, 12,

and 18 UTC)

and staff is

available.

See comments.

Designated

stations.

Designated

stations.

Format: 4/sss.

Where: ‘‘4/’’ is the code group indicator for depth of snow on the ground

at observation time. ‘‘sss’’ gives the

snow depth encoded in whole

inches with leading zeros.

Example: 4/009.

Interpretation: The snow depth at observation time was 9 inches.

Missing data indicator: Not reported if

the frozen precipitation was comprised exclusively of hail.

Comments: Report at 00 and 12 UTC

whenever there is more than a

trace of snow on the ground and at

06 and 18 UTC if there is more

than a trace of snow on wht ground

and more than a trace of precipitation (water equivalent) occurred

within the past 6 hours.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 / Notices 64027

TABLE 1.—DESCRIPTION OF ELEMENTS REPORTED AS SUPPLEMENTARY DATA—Continued

Element

Type of report

When reported

Reported by

Format, example, comments

SDO SCD WFO Other NWS offices

Synoptic total

cloud cover

and cloud

types (low

cloud base

height; low

cloud

amount; low,

middle, and

high cloud

types).

........................ X ..................... At 6-hrly synoptic times

(00, 06, 12,

and 18 UTC)

unless the

sky is clear.

Designated

stations.

........................ Format: 8NNh CL hCM CH.

Reference: FMH–2 paragraph 4.2.7

modified to include ‘‘N’’ (total cloud

cover) as described in FHM–2 paragraph 4.2.2.1 and ‘‘h’’ (height of

lowest cloud) as described in FMH–

2 paragraph 4.2.1.3.

Where: ‘‘8’’ is the code group indicator. ‘‘N’’ is total fraction of oktas

(eighths) of the celestial dome covered by clouds, where ‘‘9’’ represents sky obscured by fog and/or

other meteorological phenomena

and ‘‘/’’ in the ‘‘N’’ position means

cloud cover is indiscernible for reasons other than fog or other meteorological phenomena, or the observation was not made. Nh gives

the total amount (oktas) of all CL

clouds. If there are no CL clouds,

Nh gives the total amount of all CM

clouds. Otherwise Nh=0. Nh=9 for

sky obscured by fog and/or other

meteorological phenomena. Nh=/ for

cloud cover indiscernible for reasons other than fog or other meteorological phenomena, or if the observation is not made. CL, CM, and

CH are types of low, middle, and

high clouds respectively. ‘‘0’’ is

coded for clouds absent, except

that ‘‘/’’ is coded in the cloud layer

subfield(s) above on overcast layer

if the types are not determinable.

‘‘h’’ gives the height with respect to

the surface of the base of the lowest cloud seen. It is a single digit

coded in accordance with FMH–2.

Table 3–3. ‘‘h’’ and CL CM CH are

coded with ‘‘/’’ if there is a total surface based obscuration which prevents an observation of the clouds.

Example: 8220850.

Interpretation: N=2 oktas total cloud

cover. Scattered middle clouds

(Nh=2 oktas cloud coverage and

CL=0) with bases between 7,000

and 8,000 ft AGL (h=8); no low

clouds; middle clouds are altocumulus progressively invading the

sky; no high clouds.

Missing data indicator: The ‘‘8’’ group

is not reported for clear skies.

Precipitation types

Weather Contraction Weather Contraction

Rain ....... R ........... Snow ..... S

Rain

Showers.

RW ........ Snow

Showers.

SW

Drizzle ... L ............ Snow

Pellets.

SP

Precipitation types

Weather Contraction Weather Contraction

Freezing

Rain.

ZR ......... Snow

Grains.

SG

Freezing

Drizzle.

ZL .......... Ice Crystals.IC

Precipitation types

Weather Contraction Weather Contraction

Ice Pellets.IP ........... Hail ........ A

Ice Pellet

Showers.

IPW ....... ................
64028 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 / Notices

TABLE 2.—PRECIPITATION TYPES AND

THEIR CONTRACTIONS

Obstructions to vision

ObstructionContractionObstructionContraction

Volcanic

ash.

VOLCANIC

ASH.

Blowing

Sand.

BN

Ice Fog ... IF ........... Blowing

Dust.

BD

Smoke .... K ............ Blowing

Spray.

BY

Blowing

Snow.

BS ......... Fog ........ F

Ground

Fog.

GF ......... Dust ....... D

Haze ...... H ........... ...............

Table 3.—Obstructions to Vision and

their Contractions

Examples of Supplementary Data

Reports

CAESCDCHS

TTAA00 KCHS DDHHMM

CHS SCD 1758 IP–/ 8872// 931024

933009 4/009

This SCD shows the occurrence of

weather (ice pellets) along with coded

remarks. 8872// indicates overcast low

clouds (ragged shreds of stratus or

cumulus associated with precipitation)

with low cloud base height of 400–600

ft. 931024 represents a 6 hour snowfall

amount of 2.4 inches. The water

equivalent of snow on the ground was

0.9′′. The snow depth (4/009) at time of

observation was 9 inches.

PHLSCDPHL

TTAA00 KPHL DDHHMM

PHL SCD 0455 70050 400700045

This SCD, issued at midnight EST, is

from a WFO which does not have a

collocated ASOS. The 24-hour

precipitation total (70050) was 0.50

inches water equivalent. The 24-hour

maximum and minimum temperatures

were 70°F and 45°F respectively.

BISSCDBIS

TTAA00 KBIS DDHHMM

BIS SCD 0755 98096

This SCD from a network sunshine

duration station reports 96 minutes of

sunshine for the previous calendar day.

STLSDOMCI

TTAA00 KMCI DDHHMM

MCI SDO 0642 IP–

This SDO reports the onset of light ice

pellets.

STLSDOMCI

TTAA00 KMCI DDHHMM

MCI SDO 0729 END IP

This SDO reports the cessation of ice

pellets.

PHLSDOACY

TTAA00 KACY DDHHMM

ACY SDO 0759 SNOINCR 1⁄2

This SDO indicates snow depth

increase at a rate of more than 0.5

inches/hour. The snow depth increased

1 inch during the past hour. Two inches

of snow were on the ground at

observation time.

PHLSDOACY

TTAA00 KACY DDHHMM

ACY SDO 2036 HLSTO 3⁄4

This SDO reports a hail occurrence

with the largest observed hailstone size

of 3⁄4 inch.

SEASDOSMP

TTAA00 KSMP DDHHMM

SMP SDO 1756 END IP / RWU CAD

LYR 140 OVC

This SDO was reported from a

mountainous site where terrain is

problematic. Ice pellets ended. Rain

showers of unknown intensity were

observed to the southwest. There was a

significant overcast cloud layer based at

14,000 feet above the observer’s ground

level. The ‘‘/ ’’ remarks separator

separates decodable and nondecodable

remarks.

DENSDODEN

TTAA00 KDEN DDHHMM

DEN SDO 1056 CLD BASES OBSCG

MTNS W

This SDO was also reported from a

mountainous site where terrain is

problematic. Clouds were observed

obscuring mountains to the west.

/D ANC SDO HHMM

ANC SDO 1310 IF=

This SDO shows the initiation of ice

fog. Notice that a different

communications header and message

ending code (=) are used in Alaska.

/D ANC SDO HHMM

ANC SDO 1645 END IF=

This SDO terminates the ice fog event.

[FR Doc. 95–30246 Filed 12–12–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-–12–M

[I.D. 111595A]

Marine Mammals

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application for a

scientific research permit (P772#67).

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Southwest Fisheries Science Center,

NMFS, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La

Jolla, CA 92038 (Principal Investigators:

Michael F. Tillman, Ph.D. and Rennie S.

Holt, Ph.D.) has applied in due form for

a permit to take Antarctic pinnipeds for

purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written comments must be

received on or before January 12, 1996.

ADDRESSES: The application and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment

in the following office(s):

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301/713–2289);

Director, Southwest Region, NMFS,

501 West Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA

90802–4213 (310/980–4001).

Written data or views, or requests for

a public hearing on this request, should

be submitted to the Director, Office of

Protected Resources, NMFS, NOAA,

U.S. Department of Commerce, 1315

East-West Highway, Room 13130, Silver

Spring, MD 20910, within 30 days of the

publication of this notice. Those

individuals requesting a hearing should

set forth the specific reasons why a

hearing on this particular request would

be appropriate.

Concurrent with the publication of

this notice in the Federal Register, the

Secretary of Commerce is forwarding

copies of this application to the Marine

Mammal Commission and its

Committee of Scientific Advisors.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

subject permit is requested under the

authority of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and the Regulations

Governing the Taking and Importing of

Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216).

The applicant proposes to conduct

Level B harassment during census

survey activities on Southern elephant

seals (Mirounga leonina) and Antarctic

fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella). Other

animals that may be harassed are

Crabeater seals (Lobodon

carcinophagus), Leopard seals

(Hydrurga leptonyx), Ross seals

(Ommatophoca rossii), and Weddell

seals (Leptonychotes weddellii). During

the 1996 season, up to 200 A. gazella

will be captured, weighed and released

during growth studies at Seal Island.

Thereafter, seals may be captured/

released up to 5 times per year for a

total take of 500 animals. Up to 3,000

animals may be inadvertently harassed

during these activities.

Dated: November 30, 1995.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–30378 Filed 12–12–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F