1. April 16, 2012
Top Stories
NAVOCEANO Using Airborne Laser to Survey in Belize
By George Lammons, CNMOC Public Affairs
For almost two months, since early February 2012, the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) has been
using airborne laser and imagery systems to conduct cooperative hydrographic surveys in the coastal waters
of Belize.
The survey work is part of an ongoing, long-term project to survey the western Caribbean Sea off the coasts of
Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua, based on U.S. 4th Fleet oceanography, hydrography and bathymetry (OHB)
survey requirements.
"This is just a piece of a much bigger program," said Bill Elenbaas, head of NAVOCEANO's Airborne Coastal
Surveys branch. "There are a lot of miles to cover."
The surveys are designed to improve safety of navigation by mapping the seafloor and locating shallow reefs
and other obstructions in the approaches to Belize's major ports, Belize City and Big Creek, and are being
conducted in cooperation with the government of Belize. The airborne laser system, called Compact
Hydrographic Airborne Rapid Total Survey (CHARTS) system, is particularly effective in the Caribbean Sea
because of the water clarity. Laser systems are useful OHB survey tools in clear and/or shallow water because
the system uses light to map the bottom. U.S. and Belize governments will use the data to make new charts.
"Comparison of the survey data with existing navigation products showed significant discrepancies in the
locations of charted features," Elenbaas said. "In addition to improving the safety of navigation in coastal
waters, these data can be used for maritime security, environmental management and to support Belize's
important eco-tourism industry."
Big Creek is the country's major oil port as well as an important agriculture port. The nation also is building a
new Coast Guard base at Big Creek. New charts will allow the port to increase its traffic and consequently its
business because all of the obstructions and channels will be clearly and accurately mapped. The area is
home to one of the world's largest coral reef systems, which makes it environmentally sensitive as well as
difficult to navigate.
"This (project) will be important to their economy as well," said Eric L. Villalobos, U.S. Naval Forces Southern
Command/C4F Representative for the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC), the parent
command of NAVOCEANO.

2. He said the socio-economic development value of the work attracted the attention of the U.S. Ambassador to
Belize, Vinai Thummalapally, and the Deputy Chief of Mission, Margaret Hawthorne, who made a 90-minute
visit to the NAVOCEANO mission field office in Belize City.
Last week, the Commander of the Belize Coast Guard, Capt. Elton Bennet, and the Ports
Commissioner/Harbor Master of the Belize Port Authority, Maj. (ret) John Flowers, visited the field office for an
hour.
Last year, the operation was in Honduras. Villalobos said that crews worked two months in 2010 in Nicaragua
and expect to work here again for about two months this year.
"We are chipping away at a large C4F requirement," he said.
Naval Academy Contributes to Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration
By Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Danian Douglas
A U.S. Naval Academy team of researchers and Navy divers completed a year of collecting oyster samples
from the Severn River March 20 as part of an ongoing effort to study and restore oyster populations in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The team helps rejuvenate the declining oyster population by monitoring water quality and testing the
collected samples.
The project was initiated two years ago, when a group of oceanography and ocean engineering faculty and
staff working independently on Chesapeake Bay-related issues saw the Army Corps of Engineers was
reconstructing local oyster reefs.
The USNA group contacted the Army's engineers to suggest that the Naval Academy could play a role,
said Louise Wallendorf, an ocean engineer, who works in the academy's hydromechanics laboratory.
Oyster larvae need a hard surface on which to attach, so they can change to young oysters called "spat,"
and grow. Normally larvae settle on the shells of oysters that make up the bay's reefs, but overharvest and
changes in the oyster reefs have led to a dramatic decline in oyster populations.
Oyster restoration involves building reefs made of oyster shells, granite, recycled concrete and slag and
placing them in known oyster breeding spots, including an area in the Severn River near the Naval
Academy yard.
The Academy works with researchers from the University of Maryland who hatch oyster larvae and grow
the spat on shell, and the Oyster Recovery Partnership, which coordinates placement of the oyster spat on
the Army's artificial reefs, said Wallendorf.
The Naval Academy Sailing Center also became involved, supplying boats for the researchers to place
water quality instrumentation and the Navy divers to collect oyster samples from the reefs.
"What we do on each dive is harvest a certain amount of oysters from each type of reef," said Navy Diver
2nd Class Casey Mrozek, of Lake Zurich, Ill. "The Academy team then conducts biological tests to
determine which areas promote the best growth rates."
Cecily Steppe, associate professor in the Oceanography Department, examines the maturity and gender of
the oysters under microscopes and compares it to measurements of the water's salinity, temperature and
dissolved oxygen at each reef site. This helps determine the oysters' ability to survive and reproduce.
Reports are then sent to the Army Corps of Engineers for evaluation.

3. Only since diving for the project did Mrozek realize how important the oyster culture is to the community.
"It's cool to know that you're part of something that's helping the environment and the whole ecosystem
around here," he said. "Participating in projects like this shows that the Navy is not just concerned about
defense. We're concerned about the environment that we need to live in and sustain ourselves."
Personnel
Lt. Cmdr. Michael Vancas Retires After 20 Years of Service
By Lt. Bethany McDonald
Lt. Cmdr. Michael Vancas, Naval Ice Center (NAVICE)
retired March 1, during a ceremony held at the Navy
Memorial in Washington, D.C. Vancas enlisted in the
Navy as a nuclear machinist’s mate in 1992 and served
the first four years of his career aboard USS Bainbridge
(CGN 25).
He attended Texas A&M and received his commission
through the Enlisted Commissioning Program in 1999.
Upon graduation, he entered the Surface Warfare Officer
pipeline before being selected for lateral transfer to the
meteorology and oceanography community in March
2004.
Cmdr. John Simms IV, commanding officer, Naval Ice
Center, presents Lt. Cmdr. Michael Vancas, Naval Ice
Center, with a command-signed picture frame during his
retirement ceremony, Washington, D.C., March 1. U.S.
Navy photo by Aerographer’s Mate 1st Class Adam
Froehlig
Lt. Stanley Rogers reenlists Mass Communications
Specialist 2nd Class Ashante Hammons, March 21,
Fleet Numerical Meteorology & Oceanography Center.
U.S. Navy photo by Paul Frawley

4. Awards
Stamper receives PDC Civilian of the Year award
Mr. William O. Stamper was recognized as the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Professional
Development Center Civilian of the Year for 2011.
Stamper delivered over 700 hours of instruction and
conducted nine OA team trainers and 13 mobile
environmental team trainers. His ability to flex teams
in a "train like they fight" environment was
consistently praised during strike group
oceanography team post-deployment briefs.
He also conducted multiple AREPS and TAWS
mobile training teams supporting Fleet Numerical
Meteorology Oceanography Center and the U.S.
Marine Corps. As a recognized METOC tactical
decision aid (TDA) subject matter expert, he
frequently provided technical support to deployed
Navy and Marine Corps units and the Weather
Services Director of Operations (WxSvc DOO).
Cmdr. John Daziens, commanding officer, Naval Meteorology Stamper’s other passion is photography. An active
and Oceanography Professional Development Center, and member of the Virginia Beach Photography Club, he
Chief Aerographer’s Mate (AW/SW) Leonard McCoy, acting assists in photography training sessions and has
officer-in-charge, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography been the winner of several club photo contests, to
Professional Development Detachment Atlantic, present Mr. include nomination as the club’s Photographer of the
William O. Stamper with the Naval Meteorology and Year.
Oceanography Professional Development Center Civilian of
the Year for 2011 award, Fleet Weather Center Norfolk,
March 19.
JMAPS team receives 2012 Superintendent Award
Members of the Joint Milli-Arcsecond Pathfinder Survey (JMAPS) team receive Superintendent’s Award
citations from Capt. Timothy Gallaudet, superintendent, U.S. Naval Observatory. From left to right: Capt.
Gallaudet, Mr. Daniel Veillette, Dr. Rachel Dudik, Mr. Christopher Dieck, Dr. Paul Barrett and Dr. Brian
Dorland Not pictured: Dr. Ciprian Berghia, Dr. Gregory Hennessy and Dr. Valery Makarov. U.S. Navy photo
by Geoff Chester

5. Coward, Bryant Named NAVOCEANO’s Civilians of the Year
By Kaley Turfitt
Capt. Paul Oosterling, commanding officer, Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO), announced Chris
Coward (senior grade) and Danielle Bryant (mid-grade) as the civilians of the year March 22.
Chris Coward, Mine Warfare Department, was nominated for his position as the leader of the environmental
post mission analysis (EPMA) system and for his stint as acting division director. He oversaw three builds of
the EPMA architecture, which resulted in it becoming a leading candidate as the backbone for the net-centric
sensor analysis.
Coward also supported numerous exercises throughout the year including FOAL EAGLE, FRONTIER
SENTINEL, TRIDENT FURY, COMFIFTHFLT TACEVAL and the Kings Bay Limited Objective Experiment.
Danielle Bryant, Oceanographic Department, was nominated for her exemplary contributions to the littoral
battlespace sensors-glider (LBS-G) program. She was the primary facilitator between the four agencies
involved and is applauded for her professionalism.
Bryant also visited Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) to refine glider continuity
of operations MOA requirements and co-authored a paper titled, “Naval Oceanographic Office and SPAWAR
Systems Center Pacific conduct Southern California Glider Survey.”
Items of Interest
COMET Publishes New Module
The COMET Program has published a new module, "The U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO): Mission, Products,
and Services."
Intended as an introduction to the USNO, this module examines how the observatory goes about its mission
and describes the science behind its observations and publications.
The intended audience is the operational community and general public interested in the measurement of
precise time and the positions of celestial bodies and how these measurements are applied.
Follow this link to begin the module: The U.S. Naval Observatory: Mission, Products, and Services
https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=883
Social Media
Follow Naval Oceanography and Rear Adm. Jonathan White on Facebook and @navyoceans on
Twitter to keep up with all the latest news and images from the Naval Meteorology and
Oceanography community

6. Rear Adm. Jonathan W. White, USN
Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command
Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command News
1100 Balch Boulevard, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
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