NOAA 95-R308


CONTACT:  Wendy Raeder, ERIM                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
          313-994-1200, Ext. 3234                9/13/95         
          Patricia Viets, NOAA/NESDIS
          301-457-5005
          Brian Gorman, NOAA, Seattle
          206-526-6613

NOAA ADMINISTRATOR TO GIVE KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE

D. James Baker, a well-known expert in oceanography and former dean of the University of Washington's College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, will be the featured speaker at a major environmental conference in Seattle on Sept. 18.

Baker is the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and under secretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere. He will deliver the keynote address at the Third Thematic Conference on Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Environments.

During the conference, which runs Sept. 18-20, experts from more than 30 countries will present information on all aspects of remote sensing for the coastal and marine environments. Topics include oil and chemical spills, sea ice mapping, fisheries management, acoustical oceanography and others.

Baker's keynote address, "The Changing World of Remote Sensing--from Operations to Data Management," will describe the need for long-term remote sensing measurements for operations and applications, the importance of international, interagency and public/private cooperation; data management and exchange; and global observing systems.

The conference is sponsored by the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM), Marine Spill Response Corporation, and NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service.

The conference will be held at the Westin Hotel, 1900 Fifth Avenue, Seattle. Reporters who wish to attend the conference should call Wendy Raeder at 313-994-1200, Ext. 3234.