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Force of nature Deep inside an old Saturn rocket facility, a North Shore guardian is busy saving lives one buoy at a time. Craig Kohler is a low-key hero whose network of high-tech buoys is a masterpiece of computerized, pressure-sensitive technology that transmits real-time data essential for forecasting deadly mega-waves known as tsunamis. “The service we provide to the American public is kind of an unsung hero story,” says Kohler, 50, project manager and professional ocean engineer for the National Data Buoy Center’s Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis program, better known as DART, housed in the center’s 300,000-square-foot facility at the John C. Stennis Space Center. Kohler, a resident of Mandeville, leads operations, maintenance and improvements for the 39 tsunami-detecting buoys in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. DART is a crucial program for the National Data Buoy Center, which manages the buoy network. It is a unit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service and provides weather, tide, environmental and other data. The buoys’ data can range from tsunami or hurricane warnings to important information for North Shore recreational boaters. The life-saving information the buoys provide can’t be overstated. While Kohler is not a tsunami research scientist, he says that if a tsunami were to occur, the “low-lying areas of the North Shore and the New Orleans area are particularly vulnerable to tsunami inundation. “It’s vital to the National Weather Service for providing quality weather forecasting,” says Kohler. A retired U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant commander, Kohler has spent nearly 30 years PHOTO COURTESY NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION The National Buoy Data Center is responsible for deploying buoys worldwide to track weather, tide, environmental and other data. in design, construction and maintenance of marine equipment. With his wife, Jean Ann, and three children, Clint, 22, Adam, 19, and Jena, 17, Kohler moved to Mandeville in 2008 when he took his current job. Outside of work, he is director of the Mandeville TOPSoccer program for children with disabilities. PHOTO BY JIM MACKIN Depth of responsibility In his job, Kohler faces enormous challenges dealing with expensive, deep-water buoys that can be anchored at depths of more than 16,000 feet. Chung-Chu Teng, chief of the Observing Systems Branch of NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center, estimates a single buoy can range in cost from $300,000 to more than $1 million. These highly sensitive buoys must be perfectly placed in the deep ocean so they can detect sudden changes in water pressure and provide realtime measurements of how the ocean surface is impacted by a seismic event such as an earthquake or landslide. Any improper placement, drift or technical or human error can interfere with the information’s accuracy. Kohler’s range of responsibilities is extensive. He regularly contracts commercial ships on tours worldwide to retrieve buoys for maintenance, clean barnacles from hulls, supervise testing of vital sensors and computer elements, and oversee the buoy center’s $11 million facility upgrade. “We do everything here from cradle to grave. We test everything because it is very expensive to deploy a buoy out there,” Kohler says. “It can’t hiccup at all. It’s got to perform flawlessly.” Perfection is fundamental to the mission of the center, which indirectly saves lives by providing critical weather information to boaters. “Our mission is saving lives one observation at a time,” says Teng. Like Kohler, Teng is also a North Shore resident and lives in Slidell. He estimates that about 19 of 49 NDBC government employees live on the North Shore, with the percentage similar for the more than 140 contractors. Dangerous waves NOAA began developing the DART system in 1995. By 2001, there were six buoy stations. After the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the fleet was beefed up to its present network of 39 buoys to provide data essential to tsunami warnings. The Indian Ocean tsunami was estimated to have released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and the United Nations reported that 229,866 people were dead or missing, as well as millions impacted in several countries. The importance of tracking tsunamis was restated in February, after the 8.8-magnitude Chilean earthquake scale sent potentially treacherous waves across the Pacific Ocean. 42 April/May 2010 Buoys are often damaged by collision, and maintenance is expensive.
$59 PHOTO COURTESY CFAIG KOHLER att.com c mmitment. “ We test everything because it is very expensive to deploy a buoy out there. It can’t hiccup at all. It’s got to perform flawlessly. ” CRAIG KOHLER project manager and professional ocean engineer for the National Data Buoy Center’s Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis program Early this year, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, visited the buoy center, recognizing it as a crucial component of NOAA at Stennis. “NOAA continues its significant presence at Stennis after three decades. ... Among our essential services, the National Data Buoy Center provides worldwide ocean observations and quality data. ... I’m proud of what NOAA does for the vital Gulf Coast and the value we bring nationwide,” Lubchenco wrote in a recent e-mail to North Shore Report. While the global, regional and local impact of NOAA’s weather forecasting, climate monitoring and other contributions are enormous in terms of life-saving, the organization’s mission is epitomized by Kohler’s quiet work. “I love helping people,” Kohler says. “That’s why I joined the Coast Guard. I love that we are contributing to saving lives.”• We’re deeply committed to environmental sustainability, whether that’s using alternative fuel sources, reducing electronic waste or upgrading our vehicle fleet to cut carbon emissions. Our network connects people and businesses seamlessly, increasing efficiency, minimizing environmental impact and strengthening our connection to the world we all share. Every step, big or small, makes a difference. © 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property. If you are doing business in New Orleans, You should be reading We bring you the stories that detail the issues that matter most to New Orleans Business. Subscribe Today! https://subscribe.neworleanscitybusiness.com Call 800-451-9998 B OOK O F LIS TS200 9-2010 April/May 2010 43
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