Back ||NOAA Home Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired) At the Ceremony Commemorating 150 Years of Tidal Observations in San Francisco Bay San Francisco, CA June 30, 2004 [Text as Prepared for Delivery] I would like to start of by thanking Superintendent O'Neill and Richardson for MCing this event as well as the National Park Service for hosting us today and for being a partner - in the truest sense—to NOAA and helping to celebrate 150 years of tidal observations in San Francisco Bay. Anchored in the shadow of one of the greatest bridges on earth, the San Francisco Tide Gauge has itself served as a scientific bridge connecting the discoveries of the 19th century with the high—tech innovation of the 21st. The San Francisco gauge owes its existence to the first scientific agency of the Federal Government. Authorized in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson, the Coast Survey eventually evolved into the modern—day National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which I am proud to head. Jefferson realized that coast surveys were needed to support the ever increasing demands of commerce and reduce the loss of life and property in the young Nation's coastal areas. For example when the San Francisco station was installed, California exported around $50,000,000 worth of gold every year and our Southern States about $100,000,000 worth of cotton. Nautical charts were required to ensure the safe and efficient navigation of ports and the Coast Survey, with tools like the tide gauge, met the demand. The significance of supporting commerce remains vital today as it did 150 years ago with 95 percent of all U.S. trade relying on maritime transportation. Ships today are enormous compared with the 1850s and the cargo includes cars, computers and other things folks in the 1854 never could have dreamed of in their wildest imagination. Through all the changes and advances, the need to understand tides has stood the test of time and continues to play a critical role in our Nation's economy. Like many technological advances, this tide gauge has also spawned its share of accidental discoveries. Take, for instance, the December 1854 earthquake off the coast of Japan. This earthquake caused tsunami waves to travel across the Pacific and register on the newly installed self—registering tide gauge at San Francisco. From a few squiggles on the tidal record, the Superintendent of the Coast Survey was able to derive an average depth of the Pacific Ocean which is remarkably close to today's value. Today scientists monitor data from tide gauges from all over the world to assess the tsunami risk for coastal areas and are able to provide warnings as appropriate. The benefits continue to mount and data from tide stations are now being used in such diverse projects as coastal wetlands habitat restoration, studies of sea level rise, and global climate monitoring. At events like this and in such a venue as a national historical park, is it always fun to look back into the past. However, for the San Francisco tide gauge the best times may be yet to come. The visionaries of 1854 had the foresight to understand the value of continuous observations and we have surely benefited from 150 years of tidal observations. Today, we are finally crossing the scientific bridge and stand ready to take full advantage of the power that resides in the ability to collect continuous observations. We are now in the early stages of developing a global earth observation system. Such a system will integrate millions of observation platforms and monitoring systems to provide us with a continuous observation of the Earth in a way that has profound implications for all of us. From the foundation of a tide gauge installed in 1854 here in San Francisco Bay will come, in the near future, the Global Earth Observation System, — an integrated system designed to observe natural phenomena, predict changes, and protect our planet from undesired consequences. This system will allow us to take the pulse of the planet, but its foundation lies in the individual components such as the San Francisco Tide Gauge. On its own, the tide gauge was and is valuable to mariners trying to navigate the port. As a part of an integrated earth observing system, it will now benefits people in every corner of the globe. Here in California, the system's benefits will range from providing better information about the potential for earthquakes to promoting reduction of erosion and other non—point sources of pollution in many watersheds and helping monitor and respond to drought and wildfire conditions. In closing, I want to recall the words of President Jefferson who once said, "A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable." Today we are honoring a morsel of genuine history that for 150 years has been of great value to San Francisco, California, the United States, and the World. Much has changed in the last 150 years. Through it all, the San Francisco Tide Gauge has been a constant, serving a valuable function and providing many unforeseen benefits. It is important because it serves as a bridge to our past, but it will remain important as a bridge to the future.