The NetCDF-Java/Common Data Model (CDM) library and THREDDS Data Server (TDS) version 4.3.20 were released on November 26, 2013. The development team recommends this upgrade for anyone using the CDM or TDS.

Although piracy has been around since nations have engaged in maritime trade, the scale and focus of attacks in and around the Horn of Africa has attracted significant attention over the past few years. The publicity reached a peak in April 2009 following the seizure of the Maersk Alabama and the direct involvement of the US Navy in the release of the ship's Captain. The extent of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and waters adjacent to Somalia led to the formation of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF151) to conduct anti-piracy operations.

As part of their task force activities, the Royal Australian Navy's Hydrography and METOC branch began to analyze whether any weather-dependent patterns could be identified in the timing and distribution of piracy attacks. The study commenced with accessing the NGA piracy database and overlaying the location of each attack on the long-term climate average for monthly mean significant wave height (a measure of the combined height of the locally wind driven sea and the underlying long wave swell).

The NetCDF-Java/Common Data Model (CDM) library and THREDDS Data Server (TDS) version 4.3.19 were released on October 8, 2013. The development team recommends this upgrade for anyone using the CDM or TDS.

The NetCDF-Java/Common Data Model (CDM) library and THREDDS Data Server (TDS) version 4.3.18 were released on August 1, 2013. The development team recommends this upgrade for anyone using the CDM or TDS.

UWM student Charles Smith

The University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee (UWM) offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in the atmospheric sciences. The program, which consists of 7 faculty and approximately 15 graduate and 30 undergraduate students, prepares students for career pursuits by stressing breadth of knowledge in course studies in the various sub-fields of atmospheric science and the development of quantitative thinking through a unique emphasis on the mathematical and computational aspects of the discipline. In addition, the program offers students real operational experience through the Innovative Weather Program (IW), where students provide weather-based decision support for paying community clients. Through IW and other initiatives, the program maintains strong ties with regional employers in both the private sector and the National Weather Service, where many of our recent graduates have been placed.