National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Agency overview
Formed	October 3, 1970
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Agency Executive	Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Administrator
Parent agency	Department of Commerce
Website
www.noaa.gov

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Conrad C Lautenbacher is the incumbent Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere within the United States Department of Commerce and the eighth administrator The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting Economic growth The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting Economic growth An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five NOAA warns of dangerous weather, charts seas and skies, guides the use and protection of ocean and coastal resources, and conducts research to improve understanding and stewardship of the environment. The weather is a set of all the phenomena occurring in a given Atmosphere at a given Time. See also Natural environment The '''biophysical''' environment is the symbiosis between the physical environment and the Biological In addition to its civilian employees, NOAA research and operations are supported by 300 uniformed service members who make up the NOAA Corps. The United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps ( NOAA Corps) is the uniformed service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere at the Department of Commerce, retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, serves as the administrator for NOAA. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere is the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting Economic growth Conrad C Lautenbacher is the incumbent Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere within the United States Department of Commerce and the eighth administrator

NOAA is currently celebrating 200 years of Science, Service, and Stewardship.

Vision, mission, and goals

National Weather Service meteorologists preparing a forecast, early 20th century

NOAA's strategic vision is "an informed society that uses a comprehensive understanding of the role of the oceans, coasts, and atmosphere in the global ecosystem to make the best social and economic decisions. An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( "

The agency's mission is "to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs. "

In support of its vision and mission, has four goals to guide its suite of operations. Each goal corresponds to activities focusing on ecosystems, climate, weather and water, and commerce and transportation. Specifically, NOAA operates to:

• Ensure the sustainable use of resources and balance competing uses of coastal and marine ecosystems, recognizing both their human and natural components. Sustainability, in a general sense is the capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely
• Understand changes in climate, including global climate change and the El Niño phenomenon, to ensure that Americans can plan and respond properly. Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences El Niño-Southern Oscillation ( ENSO; commonly referred to as simply El Niño) is a global coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon
• Provide data and forecasts for weather and water cycle events, including storms, droughts, and floods.
• Provide weather, climate, and ecosystem information to make sure individual and commercial transportation is safe, efficient, and environmentally sound.

Purpose and function

Two NOAA hurricane hunters. Hurricane Hunters are aircraft that fly into Tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeastern Pacific Ocean for the specific purpose of

NOAA plays several specific roles in society, the benefits of which extend beyond the US economy and into the larger global community:

• A Supplier of Environmental Information Products. NOAA supplies information to its customers and partners pertaining to the state of the oceans and the atmosphere. This is clearly manifest in the production of weather warnings and forecasts through the National Weather Service, but NOAA’s information products extend to climate, ecosystems, and commerce as well. The National Weather Service ( NWS) once known as the Weather Bureau is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• A Provider of Environmental Stewardship Services. NOAA is also the steward of U. S. coastal and marine environments. In coordination with federal, state, local, tribal, and international authorities, NOAA manages the use of these environments, regulating fisheries and marine sanctuaries as well as protecting threatened and endangered marine species.

• A Leader in Applied Scientific Research. NOAA is intended to be a source of accurate and objective scientific information in the four particular areas of national and global importance identified above: ecosystems, climate, weather and water, and commerce and transportation.

Recognizing that it is essential that we understand the challenges that we face as part of the Earth system in order to create appropriate solutions, NOAA conducts an end-to-end sequence of activities, beginning with scientific discovery and resulting in a number of critical environmental services and products. The five "fundamental activities" are:

• Monitoring and observing Earth systems with instruments and data collection networks.
• Understanding and describing Earth systems through research and analysis of that data.
• Assessing and predicting the changes of these systems over time.
• Engaging, advising, and informing the public and partner organizations with important information.
• Managing resources for the betterment of society, economy and environment.

History and organizational structure

Seal of the NOAA Commissioned Corps

NOAA was formed on October 3, 1970 after Richard Nixon proposed creating a new department to serve a national need ". Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. . . for better protection of life and property from natural hazards. . . for a better understanding of the total environment. . . [and] for exploration and development leading to the intelligent use of our marine resources. . . " NOAA formed a conglomeration of three existing agencies that were among the oldest in the Federal Government. They were the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, formed in 1807; the Weather Bureau, formed in 1870; and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, formed in 1871. The National Geodetic Survey and the Office of Coast Survey are the two successor agencies in the United States to the U The National Weather Service ( NWS) once known as the Weather Bureau is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA was established within the Department of Commerce via the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970.

NOAA works toward its mission through these five major organizations in addition to several special program units:

• The National Weather Service
• The National Ocean Service
• The National Marine Fisheries Service
• The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service
• Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
• Program Planning and Integration

In addition, NOAA research and operational activities are supported by a uniformed service, the NOAA Corps. The National Weather Service ( NWS) once known as the Weather Bureau is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the The US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS is a United States federal agency The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR is a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA The United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps ( NOAA Corps) is the uniformed service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration They are a commissioned officer corps of men and women who operate NOAA ships and aircraft, and serve in scientific and administrative posts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine and Aviation Operations (NMAO operates a wide variety of specialized aircraft and ships to complete NOAA's environmental

National Weather Service (NWS)

Seal of the National Weather Service

Main article: National Weather Service

The National Weather Service (NWS) is tasked with providing "weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. The National Weather Service ( NWS) once known as the Weather Bureau is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration " This is done through a collection of national and regional centers, and more than 120 local weather forecast offices (WFOs). They are charged with issuing weather forecasts, advisories, watches, and warnings on a daily basis. Forecasting is the process of Estimation in unknown situations Severe weather terminology is different around the world varying between regions and countries They issue more than 734,000 weather and 850,000 river forecasts, and more than 45,000 severe weather warnings annually. Severe weather terminology is different around the world varying between regions and countries NOAA data is also relevant to the issues of global warming and ozone depletion. Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the Ozone depletion describes two distinct but related observations a slow steady decline of about 4 percent per decade in the total amount of Ozone in Earth's The NWS operates NEXRAD, a nationwide network of Doppler weather radars which can detect precipitation and their velocities. NEXRAD or Nexrad ( Nex t-Generation Rad ar is a network of 158 high-resolution Doppler Weather radars operated by the National Weather A weather radar is a type of Radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion estimate its type ( Rain In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric Many of their products are broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio, a network of radio transmitters that broadcasts weather forecasts, severe weather statements, watches and warnings 24 hours a day. NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio is a network of Radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service (NWS Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. For biologic transmitters see Transmitter substance. A transmitter is an electronic device which usually with the aid of an antenna For the band see Broadcast (band Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or Video signals which transmit

The National Ocean Service (NOS) was formed from the old Coast and Geodetic Survey, and in turn created a new division called the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). The NOS protects 12 National Marine Sanctuaries and is an advocate for coastal and ocean stewardship. It also introduced electronic nautical charts which they combine with GPS to enhance the safety and efficiency of navigation of U. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth S. waterways. The NGS specifies latitude, longitude, height, scale, gravity, and orientation throughout the United States. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi ( Φ) gives the location of a place on Earth (or other planetary body north or south of the Longitude (ˈlɒndʒɪˌtjuːd or ˈlɒŋgɪˌtjuːd symbolized by the Greek character Lambda (λ is the east-west Geographic coordinate measurement Height is the measurement of vertical Distance, but has two meanings in common use The scale of a Map is the ratio of a single unit of distance on the map to the equivalent distance on the ground Gravitation is a natural Phenomenon by which objects with Mass attract one another Aviation safety, in particular the orientation of runways, depends on this system. An example of the work the NGS does is the work they did taking measurements of the Washington Monument. The Washington Monument is a large tall sand-colored Obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington D When it was covered in scaffolding for renovations in 1999, NGS surveyors confirmed the height and stability of the structure. Hydrographic survey in its strictest sense is the process of gathering information about navigable waters for the purposes of safe navigation of vessels

The National Ocean Service is composed of eight program offices and two staff offices:

Program Offices

• Office of Coast Survey (OCS)
• Office of National Geodetic Survey (NGS)
• Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
• National Sanctuary Marine Program (NMSP)
• Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)
• NOAA Coastal Services Center (CSC)
• Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM)
• National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)

Staff Offices

• Staff Office for International Programs (IPO)
• Management and Budget Office (M&B)

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)

NOAA engineer at work

The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) was created by the NOAA to operate and manage the United States environmental satellite programs, and manage the data gathered by the NWS and other government agencies and departments. The Office of Response and Restoration ( OR&R) is a program office of the National Ocean Service and a Natural resource trustee that protects the coastal Data collected by the NWS, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration, and meteorological services around the world, are housed at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of The United States National Climatic Data Center ( NCDC) in Asheville, North Carolina is the world's largest active Archive of Asheville is a City in and the County seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United NESDIS also operates the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) in Boulder, Colorado, the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) in Silver Spring, Maryland, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC) which are used internationally by environmental scientists. The National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC provides scientific stewardship products and services for Geophysical Data describing the solid Earth, Boulder is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and most populous city of Boulder County, Colorado, in the United States The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC manages the acquisition ingest processing quality control and long-term preservation of oceanographic Data. Silver Spring is an urbanized Unincorporated area in Montgomery County Maryland, USA The National Snow and Ice Data Center, or NSIDC, is a United States information and referral center in support of polar and cryospheric Environmental science is the study of interactions among physical chemical and biological components of the environment.

NESDIS also runs the:

• Office of Systems Development
• Office of Satellite Operations
• Office of Satellite Data Processing & Distribution
• Office of Research & Applications
• NPOESS Integrated Program Office
• GOES-R Program Office
• International & Interagency Affairs Office
• Office of Space Commercialization

The service operates and manages many geosynchronous satellites. The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System ( NPOESS) is the United States ' next-generation satellite system that will monitor the Earth's The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (or GOES) program is a key element in United States' National Weather Service (NWS operations A geosynchronous satellite is a Satellite whose orbital track on the Earth repeats regularly over points on the Earth over time In 1975 Tiros-1 (also known as GEOS-1), NOAA's first owned and operated geostationary satellite was launched. TIROS I (or TIROS-1) was the first successful Weather satellite, and the first of a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites It was launched In 1983 NOAA assumed operational responsibility for LANDSAT satellite system. The Landsat program is the longest running enterprise for acquisition of imagery of Earth from space In 1984 the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere program (TOGA) program began. The Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere program is a component of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP aimed specifically at the prediction of Climate phenomena

In 1977 the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) deployed the first successful moored equatorial current meter - the beginning of the Tropical Atmosphere/Ocean (TAO) array. The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL is a laboratory in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA/ Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research In 1979 NOAA's first polar-orbiting environmental satellite was launched.

Current operational satellites include NOAA-15, NOAA-16, NOAA-17 and NOAA-18. NOAA-15 is a weather forecasting satellite run by NOAA. It was launched on 15 May 1998 and is currently operational in a Sun-synchronous orbit, 807km above the Earth NOAA-16 is a weather forecasting satellite run by NOAA. It was launched on 21 September 2000 and is currently operational in a Sun-synchronous orbit, 849km above NOAA-17 is a weather forecasting satellite run by NOAA. It was launched on 24 June 2002 and is currently operational in a Sun-synchronous orbit, 810km above the NOAA-18 is a weather forecasting satellite run by NOAA. It was launched on 20 May 2005 and is currently operational in a Sun-synchronous orbit, 854km above the Earth

NOAA-N' (the convention is that satellites have letter designations before launch, numbers afterwards) is due to be launched some time after 2009-02-01. The NOAA-N' (NOAA N-Prime is the last of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's POES series of weather satellites prior to the launch This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen ^[1] .

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

Main article: National Marine Fisheries Service

The National Marine Fisheries Service, also known as NOAA Fisheries, is the direct descendant of the U. The US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS is a United States federal agency S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, which was initiated in 1871 to protect, study, manage and restore fish. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two The NMFS has a marine fisheries research lab in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and is home to one of NOAA's five fisheries science centers. For the fishing industry and the practice of fishing see Fishing. Woods Hole is a Census-designated place (CDP in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States.

It law enforcement agency is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement based in Silver Spring, Maryland. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement ( NOAA OLE) is a Federal police part of the National Marine Fisheries Silver Spring is an urbanized Unincorporated area in Montgomery County Maryland, USA

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)

Main article: Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

NOAA's research, conducted through the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), is the driving force behind NOAA environmental products and services that protect life and property and promote economic growth. Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR is a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA Research, conducted in OAR laboratories and by extramural programs, focuses on enhancing our understanding of environmental phenomena such as tornadoes, hurricanes, climate variability, solar flares, changes in the ozone, air pollution transport and dispersion,^[2][3] El Niño/La Niña events, fisheries productivity, ocean currents, deep sea thermal vents, and coastal ecosystem health. Atmospheric dispersion modeling is the mathematical simulation of how air pollutants disperse in the ambient atmosphere. NOAA research also develops innovative technologies and observing systems.

The NOAA Research network consists of 7 internal research laboratories, extramural research at 30 Sea Grant university and research programs, six undersea research centers, a research grants program through the Climate Program Office, and 13 cooperative institutes with academia. The sea grant colleges are a group of 30 US universities that are involved in the National Sea Grant College Program. Through NOAA and its academic partners, thousands of scientists, engineers, technicians, and graduate students participate in furthering our knowledge of natural phenomena that affect the lives of us all.

The Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) is one of the laboratories in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. The Air Resources Laboratory (ARL is an Air quality and Climate laboratory in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR which is an operating It studies processes and develops models relating to climate and air quality, including the transport, dispersion, transformation and removal of pollutants from the ambient atmosphere. Atmospheric dispersion modeling is the mathematical simulation of how air pollutants disperse in the ambient atmosphere. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in The emphasis of the ARL's work is on data interpretation, technology development and transfer. The specific goal of ARL research is to improve and eventually to institutionalize prediction of trends, dispersion of air pollutant plumes, air quality, atmospheric deposition, and related variables. Air pollution dispersion terminology describes the words and Technical terms that have a special meaning to those who work in the field of Air pollution dispersion modeling The Air Quality Index ( AQI) is a standardized indicator of the Air Quality in a given location

Program Planning and Integration (PPI)

The Office of Program Planning and Integration was established in June 2002 as the focus for a new corporate management culture at NOAA. PPI was created to address the needs to:

• Foster strategic management among NOAA Line and Staff Offices, Goal Teams, Programs, and Councils,
• Support planning activities through greater opportunities for active participation of employees, stakeholders, and partners,
• Build decision support systems based on the goals and outcomes set in NOAA's strategic plan, and
• Guide managers and employees on program and performance management, the National Environmental Policy Act, and socioeconomic analysis. The National Environmental Policy Act ( NEPA) is a United States environmental law that was signed into law on January 1, 1970 by U

See also

• Robert Ballard
• Center for Environmental Technology (CET)
• NOAA's Virtual World Program
• Weather Modification Operations and Research Board

References

External links

• NOAA
• NOAA History
• NOAA Marine Operations
• NOAA Aircraft Operations
• NOAA Diving Program
• National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register

External National Weather Service links

• National Weather Service
• Ocean Prediction Center
• Hydrometeorological Prediction Center
• Aviation Weather
• Storm Prediction Center

External National Ocean Service and National Geodetic Survey links

• National Ocean Service (NOS)
• NOS Data Explorer - A portal to obtain NOAA National Ocean Service data
• National Geodetic Survey (NGS)
• Office of Coast Survey (OCS)
• Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)
• National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)

External NESDIS links

• National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service home page
• NOAA Economics & Benefits - Cost/benefit valuations, data applications, links to data/products, etc. from "NOAA Socioeconomics" website initiative

External Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research links

• Oceanic and Atmospheric Research website
• Office of Ocean Exploration (OE)
• Ocean Explorer (www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov) - Public outreach site for explorations sponsored by the Office of Ocean Exploration.
• NOAA, Ocean Explorer Gallery - A rich collection of images, video, audio and podcast.
• NOAA, Ocean Explorer YouTube Channel
• Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML)
• Air Resources Laboratory (ARL)
• Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL)
• Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL)
• National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)
• Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL)

External Program Planning and Integration links

• Program Planning and Integration home page
• Strategic Planning Office home page
• NOAA Economics & Social Science home page