1. Commander Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Clippings
June 21-July 5, 2012
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Top Story
1. June 29-The Washington Post- Saturday night drags on by a leap second to compensate for
slightly slower Earth rotation-Page 2
U.S. Naval Observatory
2. June 29-Sky & Telescope-A Glitch in Time-Page 2
3. July 1-ABC News-Extra second added to weekend-Page 3
4. July 1-Boston Herald-World’s atomic clock finds a second coming-Page 4
5. July 4-CBS News-Earth is farthest from the sun this week-Page 5
6. July 5-Discover Magazine-Happy aphelion!-Page 6
Personnel
7. June 21-Navy.mil-Fleet Survey Team Holds Change of Command-Page 6
8. June 23-The Washington Post- Rich Seesholtz, Navy oceanographer Obituary-Page 8
9. June 27-Hydro International- Rear Admiral Titley Named as Deputy Under Secretary for
Operations-Page 8
To subscribe to CNMOC Clippings contact Kelly.LeGuillon@navy.mil

2. 1. Saturday night drags on by a leap second to compensate for slightly slower Earth rotation
WASHINGTON — Saturday night will stretch longer by a second. A leap second.
International timekeepers are adding a second to the clock at midnight universal time Saturday,
June 30, going into July 1. That’s 8 p.m. EDT Saturday. Universal time will be 11:59:59 and then
the unusual reading of 11:59:60 before it hits midnight.
A combination of factors, including Earth slowing down a bit from the tidal pull of the moon, and an
atomic clock that’s a hair too fast, means that periodically timekeepers have to synchronize the
official atomic clocks, said Daniel Gambis, head of the Earth Orientation Service in Paris that
coordinates leap seconds.
The time it takes the Earth to rotate on its axis — the definition of a day — is now about two
milliseconds longer than it was 100 years ago, said Geoff Chester, spokesman at the U.S. Naval
Observatory, keeper of the official U.S. atomic clocks. That’s each day, so it adds up to nearly
three-quarters of a second a year.
Timekeepers add that leap second every now and then to keep the sun at its highest at noon, at
least during standard time. This is the first leap second since January 2009 and the 25th overall.
Gambis said the next one probably won’t be needed until 2015 or 2016.
There should be no noticeable affect or inconvenience on computers or any other technology that
requires precise timekeeping because they adjust for these leap seconds, Gambis said Friday.
Earlier this year, official timekeepers from across the world discussed whether to eliminate the
practice of adding leap seconds. They decided they needed more time to think about the issue and
will next debate the issue in 2015.
So for now, Chester said, “you get an extra second, don’t waste it.”
2. A Glitch in Time
By Roger Sinnott
Tomorrow night — June 30, 2012 — the world's official timekeepers will add a leap second for the
first time in 3½ years.
Anyone who'd like to "feel" the Earth slowing down can do so on Saturday evening, June 30, 2012.
The final minute before midnight Greenwich Mean Time will contain 61 seconds — an adjustment
needed to bring the world's clocks back into sync with Earth itself.
This is the first occasion in 3½ years when a "leap second" has been necessary, and only the third
time since the start of the new millennium. In contrast, seven leap seconds were added during the
1990s — a clue that the slowdown is neither regular nor predictable. (Tidal friction within the Earth
is the main cause, but there are fluctuations due to shifting proportions of water in the polar and
equatorial regions and other factors.) For more on the purpose and history of the leap second, see
this U.S. Naval Observatory press release or this more technical discussion.
Should leap seconds be abolished? Since 2003 the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a

3. United Nations agency, has debated doing just that. Communications engineers say it would
simplify time distribution around the globe. But most astronomers favor the current (and time-
honored) link of clock time to the Sun, which occasional leap seconds help to maintain. With
member countries unable to agree, the ITU decided in January to revisit the issue in 2015.
How To "Observe" the Leap Second
The June 30th leap second will be inserted into the very last minute before Greenwich midnight,
which corresponds to 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (or 5 p.m. PDT) in North America. You might try
listening to the Naval Observatory Master Clock by calling 202-762-1401 or visiting online — but
good luck getting through if too many people have the same idea.
Or find a shortwave radio. A few minutes before the appointed hour, tune in a time-signal station
like WWV (at 5, 10, 15, or 20 megahertz) or CHU (at 3.330, 7.335, or 14.670) and start counting
ticks. For successive minutes you'll get 60, 60, 60, ... , and then 61 seconds, just before the top of
the hour.
It's easy to lose count if signal reception fades, so I prefer to tie a small weight to a string 39 inches
long and let it swing from a nail over an open doorway. I adjust the string's length (a slip knot helps)
until the weight makes exactly 60 swings, back or forth, during a normal minute. Then, in the final
moment before the witching hour, the weight will make one more jog and start the hour with a swing
in the opposite direction.
3. Extra second added to weekend
An extra second has been added to the world's atomic clocks in a rare adjustment to keep them in
step with the slowing rotation of the Earth.
The so-called leap second was added to electronic clocks at midnight universal time on Saturday.
At that time, atomic clocks read 23 hours, 59 minutes and 60 seconds before they moved on to
Greenwich Mean Time.
Super-accurate atomic clocks are the ultimate reference point by which the world sets its wrist
watches.
But their precise regularity - which is much more constant than the shifting movement of the Earth
around the sun that marks out our days and nights - brings problems of its own.
If no adjustments were made, the clocks would move further ahead and after many years the sun
would set at midday.
Leap seconds perform a similar function to the extra day in each leap year which keeps the
calendar in sync with the seasons.
The last so-called leap seconds happened in 2008, 2005 and 1998.
Adjustments to atomic clocks are more than a technical curiosity.
A collection of the highly-accurate devices are used to set Coordinated Universal Time which
governs time standards on the world wide web, satellite navigation, banking computer networks and
international air traffic systems.

4. There have been calls to abandon leap seconds but a meeting of the International
Telecommunications Union, the UN agency responsible for international communications
standards, failed to reach a consensus in January.
Opponents of the leap second want a simpler system that avoids the costs and margin for error in
making manual changes to thousands of computer networks.
Supporters argue it needs to stay to preserve the precision of systems in areas like navigation.
A decision is not urgent. Some estimate that if the current arrangement stays, the world may
eventually have to start adding two leap seconds a year. But that is not expected to happen for
another hundred years or so.
4. World’s atomic clock finds a second coming
By Rene Lynch
LOS ANGELES - The planet’s timekeepers added an extra second to the clock at midnight
universal time Saturday night. But if you blinked, you just might have missed it.
The so-called leap second was needed to synchronize the world’s official atomic clocks, said John
Lowe, who heads the time and frequency services group at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology.
The reason? Earth is spinning just a bit slowly. The time it takes Earth to rotate on its axis - the very
definition of a day - is about two milliseconds longer than it was 100 years ago, said Geoff Chester,
spokesman at the U.S. Naval Observatory, in an interview with the Associated Press.
Over the course of a year, that adds up to nearly three-quarters of a second.
A second might not seem like much, Lowe said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "But if
you allow that accumulation to go on, it starts to become apparent." The seconds would stack up
and "sunrise" would eventually take place at sunset. And "spring" would arrive in the dead of winter,
Lowe said.
"Soon you’d have an obvious problem," he said.
It’s up to the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service to coordinate such leap
seconds, and such coordination typically takes place in either June or December. Hence, this
weekend’s skip: Universal time was 11:59:59 and then the rarely seen 11:59:60 before the clocks
struck midnight.
When asked what he planned to do with his extra second, Lowe responded:
"I am going to observe it by making sure that all our broadcast services take effect," he said.

5. 5. Earth is farthest from the sun this week
By Tariq Malik
(SPACE.com) With a heat wave roasting parts of the United States this week, it may seem strange
that our planet is now actually at its farthest point from the sun this year. Strange, but true.
According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the Earth will reach a point in its orbit called "aphelion" at
12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT) on Thursday (July 5). The Earth's aphelion is the spot where it is the
farthest from the sun that it can get in a single year -- about 94.5 million miles (152 million
kilometers).
To put that in perspective, the Earth is typically about 93 million miles (150 million km) from the sun.
But because our planet's orbit is not a perfect circle (it's actually an ellipse) it has a farthest point
and closest point to the sun. Earth's closest approach to the sun is called perihelion and occurs in
early January.
At aphelion, Earth is exactly 3,104,641 miles (4,996,435 km) -- or 3.28 percent -- farther from our
star than at its closest approach. Those few million miles mean that Earth will receive about 7
percent less radiant heat at its farthest point from the sun than at its closest point, researchers say.
[50 Amazing Earth Facts]
If you're in a heat-wave state in the United States, you may be wondering how it can be so hot if
Earth is farther from the sun than it usually is. It's a good question.
But our current warm weather isn't directly tied to Earth's relative distance from the sun; rather, the
23.5-degree tilt of Earth's axis is playing a major role. This tilt means that the sun is above the
horizon for different lengths of time during different seasons. It's this tilt that determines if the sun's
rays strike your spot on Earth directly or at a low angle.
At the latitude of New York City, the sun's direct rays on the June 21 summer solstice mean the city
receives three times as much heat as it does during the winter solstice in late December. The
reverse is true for the Southern Hemisphere, where it is currently winter.
The dates for aphelion and perihelion can vary by a few days. Perihelion typically occurs between
Jan. 1 and 5, and aphelion ranges between July 2 and 5. While this year's aphelion occurs on July
5, last year it was on July 4, just in time for the Fourth of July celebrations marking the
Independence Day holiday in the United States.
So tonight, after catching your local fireworks display to celebrate the Fourth of July, take a moment
to mark another annual event on Earth: aphelion. We'll only get closer to the sun from here.
6. Happy aphelion!
Today – July 5, 2012 – at about 04:00 UTC (a few hours ago as I write this) the Earth reached
aphelion, the point in its elliptical orbit when it’s farthest from the Sun.

6. According to the US Naval Observatory, we were 1.016675058 Astronomical Units from the Sun at
that time. An AU is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, and is defined as 149,597,870.7
kilometers (92,955,807.2 miles).
That means that at aphelion the center of the Earth was 152,092,424 km (94,505,851 miles) from
the center of the Sun.
Over the next six months we’ll slowly approach the Sun again until we reach perihelion – the closest
point in the Earth’s orbit to the Sun – on January 2, 2013, at about 05:00 UTC.
When we’re farther from the Sun it appears a little bit smaller in the sky, but you’d never notice. For
one thing, staring at the Sun is a bad idea! For another, the change is so slow day by day that it’s
impossible to notice anyway. For a third thing, the total change over the course of six months isn’t
very big either. Astronomer (and friend of the blog) Anthony Ayiomamitis took two pictures that
show this:
These are from aphelion and perihelion in 2005, but the scale is always about the same every year.
As you can see, the change in the Sun’s size isn’t terribly big.
So even though you may not notice it, it’s still neat to think that after the past 183 days or so we’ve
been steadily moving farther from the Sun, and now we’re on our way back in. And even neater…
the Earth has done this over four and half billion times before. So it has some experience here.
7. Fleet Survey Team Holds Change of Command
By Lanee Cooksey, Naval Oceanographic Office, Public Affairs
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. (NNS) -- The Fleet Survey Team (FST) held a change of
command ceremony at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, June 21.
Cmdr. Ronald R. Shaw relieved Cmdr. Christopher J. Sterbis as commanding officer.
"You should be extremely proud of what you have accomplished. The Navy understands the value
of the Fleet Survey Team and what it does," said Naval Oceanographic Office Commanding Officer
Capt. Paul Oosterling, guest speaker.
Shaw graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1992 and was commissioned as an
ensign. He earned a master's degree in meteorology and physical oceanography from the Naval
Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. In 1994, he reported to Naval Support Force Antarctica as
a flight meteorologist and served as officer in charge of a detachment in Christchurch, New
Zealand.
In 2000, Shaw reported to the Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center in San Diego,
Calif., as a senior ship router and assistant operations officer.
In 2002, he completed a tour as the OA division officer/officer of the deck aboard the USS John C.
Stennis (CVN 74). Shaw graduated with a master's degree in hydrography from the University of
Southern Mississippi in 2005 and reported to the Fleet Survey Team as executive officer. He
graduated with distinction from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., and in 2009 served in
Hawaii on the staff of the U.S. Pacific Command.

7. His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Navy and Marine Corps
Commendation Medals; two National Defense Medals; Navy Humanitarian Assistance Medal,
Armed Service Medal, Antarctica Service Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Medal and various
campaign and service awards.
Sterbis' next assignment will be in Washington D.C. at OPNAV N81, Assessment Division, which
provides capability-based analyses of naval warfare and support requirements.
FST is a rapid-response team with the capabilities to conduct quick-turnaround hydrographic
surveys anywhere in the world. It is comprised of approximately 65 military and civilian members.
FST is collocated with the Naval Oceanographic Office and the Commander, Naval Meteorology
and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss.
8. Rich Seesholtz, Navy oceanographer Obituary
By Bart Barnes
Rich Seesholtz, 79, the oceanographer of the Navy who retired as a rear admiral in 1988, died of
leukemia and lymphoma June 8 at his home in the Mount Vernon section of Fairfax County. The
death was confirmed by his wife, Marylee Seesholtz.
Adm. Seesholtz served as the Navy’s oceanographer from 1983 to 1988. The position included
command of five oceanographer centers in the United States and 14 ships doing deep-ocean
mapping and magnetic and gravitational surveys.
He supervised 3,600 military and civilian employees in the fields of meteorology, hydrography,
astronomy, chronometry and oceanography.
In 1985, under Adm. Seesholtz’s command, a research submarine discovered a hot spring in the
Pacific Ocean off the coast of the northwestern United States. It measured 750 degrees Fahrenheit
and is believed to be the hottest water recorded on Earth.
As oceanographer of the Navy, Adm. Seesholtz was also responsible for the operation of the
master clock at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington.
John Richard Seesholtz was born in Ashland, Pa. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in
1956.
Early in his Navy career, he served in Antarctica, where he helped capture six pairs of penguins for
the San Diego Zoo.
In 1968, he received a doctorate in oceanography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He served aboard submarines, including command of the Dolphin, a deep-diving submarine, which
undertook deep sonar operations.
Adm. Seesholtz’s decorations included two awards of the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service
Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal.

8. In retirement, he was a consultant for the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, among other
organizations.
He had lived in the Washington area since 1972. He was a member of Aldersgate United Methodist
Church in Fairfax, where he sang in a choir called the Men of Note. He was also a member of the
Mount Vernon Civic Association.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Marylee Gehris Seesholtz of Fairfax; twin children, Amy
Seesholtz of Alexandria and retired Navy Capt. Dan Seesholtz of Edmond, Okla.; and three
grandchildren.
9. Rear Admiral Titley Named as Deputy Under Secretary for Operations
Administrator Jane Lubchenko has announced Rear Admiral David Titley as the next Deputy Under
Secretary for Operations (DUS/O) at NOAA, USA. As NOAA’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr Titley will
be responsible for managing operations across NOAA’s entire portfolio and will serve as one of Dr
Lubchenko's key advisors on NOAA programme and policy issues.
Dr Titley brings to this position experience in leading large, complex organisations and directing
major operations around the world. A naval officer since 1980, Rear Admiral Titley’s career has
included seven deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and Western Pacific region
and multiple commands (Fleet Numerical Meteorological and Oceanographic Center, Naval
Oceanography Operations Command, and Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command).
Shore tours include serving on the staff of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and as the senior
military assistant to the director of Net Assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
In 2009, he assumed the duties of the oceanographer and navigator of the Navy, and in 2012, he
became acting assistant deputy chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance. Dr Titley’s
education includes a Bachelor of Science in meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University, a
Master of Science in meteorology and physical oceanography, and a PhD in meteorology, both
from the Naval Postgraduate School. His dissertation focused on better understanding tropical
cyclone intensification. He was elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society in 2009.