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style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Contact:<span style="">
</span>Sarah
Marquis<span style=""> </span><span style="">
</span><b style="">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 4in; text-indent: -3.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><span style="">949-222-2212<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Jan.
12, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">David Hall<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">301-713-3066<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b
style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b
style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">NOAA Twin
Otter Aircraft to Support West Coast Ocean
Research, Management<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><i
style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Highly
capable plane will support Channel Islands National
Marine Sanctuary<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Senior federal
officials today dedicated a specially equipped twin-engine NOAA
aircraft that
will support ocean research and management along the West Coast. The
NOAA
Office of Marine and Aviation Operations is basing the plane and flight
crew in
Monterey, Calif., to meet the needs of NOAA programs and national
marine sanctuaries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">NOAA will use the
DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft to observe marine mammals and other living
ocean
resources, conduct offshore and coastal surveys, and support emergency
response
and enforcement missions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">“The highly modified
aircraft is well-suited for offshore and coastal surveys and marine
resource
management,” said John H. Dunnigan, NOAA assistant administrator for
the National
Ocean Service. “We are pleased that this valuable asset will serve the
West
Coast.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Built by de Havilland
Canada, the Twin Otter is a maneuverable, versatile aircraft that can
be flown
at slow speeds and in tight circles. The NOAA version of this
high-winged
turboprop plane is equipped with color weather radar, dual GPS/Loran-C
navigation systems, radar altimeter, and camera ports in the nose and
belly
areas. A standard flight crew consists of two pilots and up to six
scientists.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">By basing the
aircraft in <st1:City w:st="on">Monterey</st1:City>, NOAA will have
the ability
to quickly monitor and protect the waters off the West Coast and <st1:State
w:st="on">Alaska</st1:State>, including five national marine
sanctuaries that
encompass more than 9,000 square nautical miles of open ocean and
remote,
rugged coastlines from <st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State> to
the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region>
border. They
include Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary in Washington, Cordell
Bank and
Gulf of the Farallones national marine sanctuaries off San Francisco,
Monterey
Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National Marine
Sanctuary off
Santa Barbara.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">As part of the NOAA
fleet of research and survey ships and aircraft, the NOAA Twin Otter
will be
operated, managed and maintained by NOAA Corps officers and civilians
with the
NOAA Aircraft Operations Center. Specific research instrumentation or
remote
sensing technologies will be supplied by program scientists.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">NOAA understands and
predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the
ocean to
the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and
marine
resources.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">
Visit <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.noaa.gov">http://www.noaa.gov</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">On the Web:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">NOAA
Twin
Otter: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.aoc.noaa.gov/aircraft_otter.htm">http://www.aoc.noaa.gov/aircraft_otter.htm</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">NOAA
Office
of National Marine Sanctuaries: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.sanctuaries.noaa.gov">www.sanctuaries.noaa.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">NOAA
Marine
and Aviation Operations: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.omao.noaa.gov">http://www.omao.noaa.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">-
30 -<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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