I A The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gathers data, con- ducts research, and makes predictions about the environment in which we live. NOAA— ■ Warns of dangerous weather ■ Charts the seas and skies ■ Guides the use and protection of ocean resources, and ■ Helps shape America's future by enriching understanding of the oceans, atmosphere, space, and sun. % IE" s W Solar disturbances which may affect our planet are monitored by NOAA. NOAA fishery bioJogists seek fundamental knowl- edge of Jiving marine resources. A WATCH ON OUR PLANET NOAA at a Glance ■ NOAA keeps a constant vigil for dangers such as hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, and floods. Its weather forecasts influence the daily decisions of most Americans. Its localized forecasts support pilots, mariners, utility, industrial, and recreational interests, farmers, and foresters who are vital to the Nation's economy. ■ NOAA produces the nautical and aeronautical charts that guide our ships and aircraft. Its geo- detic surveys define land boundaries. Its research ships and aircraft chart the Nation's coastal water- ways and help us understand and use the marine environment wisely. It works with the states to manage the Nation's coastal zone. It safeguards marine and estuarine sanctuaries and monitors ocean water quality. ■ NOAA operates satellite systems that provide information for weather and flood forecasts, crop and ocean conditions to a wide variety of users. Its data centers provide climate, geophysical, and oceanographic information vital to food supply, construction, energy development, and human health. n NOAA helps keep a bountiful supply of nutritious fish and shellfish on America's tables by working with commercial and sport fishermen, and managing the sea's living resources within our Exclusive Economic Zone and beyond. It protects marine habitats and such animals as the great whales, porpoises, seals, and sea turtles. ■ NOAA research investigates many aspects of the oceans, the atmosphere, and Sun-Earth re- lationships necessary to better understand our environment. ■ The NOAA Corps, the Nation's seventh uni- formed service, has nearly 400 officer-scientists who serve in every major NOAA activity, includ- ing oceanography, meteorology, biology, and physics. NOAA Weather Radio provides continuous broad- casts of weather forecasts and warnings. Satellite technology provides forecasters with precise storm tracking. BRINGING YOU TOMORROW'S WEATHER Weather Forecasts and Warnings NOAA provides the warnings and forecasts that affect the daily activities of most Americans. NOAA's National Weather Service watch and warning program gives timely notice, vital to the protection of life and property, of impending natural hazards. This service is carried out by field offices, supported by national centers, that serve every state of the Union. The National Hurricane Center in Miami, the Pacific hurricane office in Honolulu, the National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City, Mo., and 13 River Forecast Centers are on year-round alert for dangerous storms. NOAA also provides a tsunami warning system, with cen- ters in Hawaii and Alaska, to warn of the approach of these deadly, earthquake-generated ocean waves. In addition to emergency warnings, the National Weather Service's daily forecasts influence many important decisions. Farmers depend on NOAA's forecasts for decisions on when to plant and har- vest, when to apply fertilizers, pesticides, and herbi- cides and water management. For safe and eco- nomical operations, aviators must know the weather to expect en route and at airports. Fishermen and ocean shippers require timely information to avoid storms and save fuel. State, county, and city gov- ernment managers need accurate forecasts to dis- patch road crews and operate schools safely dur- ing snow emergencies. Weather forecasts govern what we wear, and often what we do on any given day. NOAA collects weather observations from hun- dreds of locations across the nation and off its coasts. These include data from surface and upper- air observing stations, weather radar sites, ocean data buoys, cooperative weather reporting ships, environmental satellites, and volunteer observers. Other observations are provided by cooperating national weather services around the world. At the National Meteorological Center (NMC) in Maryland, more than 100,000 weather observations are incorporated daily into models of the atmo- sphere to produce weather forecasts from 48 hours to as far as 10 days ahead. Monthly and seasonal predictions of temperature and precipitation over North America also are produced. NMC guidance goes to National Weather Service facilities in every part of the nation where it helps meteorologists and hydrologists prepare local warnings and fore- casts. The National Weather Service is undergoing an extensive modernization program to provide the Nation with improved severe weather and flood warnings and forecasts. Incorporating advanced scientific concepts and state-of-the-art technol- ogy, this program will establish an integrated, national system of modern weather stations called Warning and Forecast Offices. NOAA meteorologists there will use an advanced weather radar network, automated surface obser- vations, new weather satellites, and a computer- ized system for the processing and communica- tion of observations, warnings, and forecasts. With this new technology, they will be able to provide more timely and site-specific warnings of such deadly, largely local events as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and flash floods. It will also provide improved routine forecasts out to 10 days. International agreements, bilaterally and through the United Nations' World Meteorological Organi- zation, provide access to worldwide weather data. This enables NOAA to provide global analysis and forecast services that help other nations, in turn, strengthen their weather services. This experimental radar tells the forecaster the areas of heaviest rainfall. ON AND UNDER OUR GLOBAL SEAS Measurements of the Sea and Shore NOAA is a young agency with an historic tradi- tion of service that began in 1807 with President Thomas Jefferson's establishment of a "Survey of the Coast." Today, this mandate to survey and chart the Nation's navigable coastal waterways is carried out by NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS), the federal government's oldest scientific and technical organization. For generations nautical charts, accurate tide predictions, Coast Pilots, and other chart-related NOS products have ensured safe and efficient passage in our coastal waterways. The NOS also maintains the National Geodetic Reference Sys- tem, which provides precise geographic framework for all mapping and charting, and produces aero- nautical charts and related publications for air travel in the National Airspace System. From its expertise in environmental surveying and monitoring, the modern National Ocean Service also collects information about the physical NOAA oceanographers measure the size and con- tent of the global oceans. NOAA officers (inset) plot a course to position their ship for survey work. The NOAA Ship Discoverer conducts worldwide oceanographic research. characteristics of U.S. coastal waters, the Great Lakes, and the global ocean for a wide range of scientific and engineering applications. NOS infor- mation is used to contain oil spills, assess the effects of coastal pollution, and manage coastal resources. A NOAA-pioneered network of ships — using NOAA's fleet of research and survey ships, com- mercial freighters, and other ocean-going vessels — measures ocean conditions on a global scale and relays oceanographic and weather information by satellite to NOAA facilities in Washington, D.C. This approach to understanding the Earth's oceans and atmosphere as a whole helps NOAA scientists improve weather forecasts, unlock the mysteries of hurricane formations, and predict the next weather-affecting El Nino. In U.S. waters, NOS annually collects samples of sediments and fish from harbors and other coastal areas to monitor the health of our coastal envi- ronment. Determining whether environmental conditions are getting better or worse, and by how much helps us make sound decisions about the uses of coastal resources. The National Ocean Service publishes data atlases of environmentally related characteristics — such as offshore oil and gas reserves, commercial fish- ing and fish spawning grounds, the speed and direc- tion of water currents, and the location of waste water treatment plants — of each major U.S. coastal region. This information, combined in a single reference atlas for an entire region, makes possible scientifically based decisions about the develop- ment and protection of coastal resources. An atlas of the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico and one of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas are avail- able to coastal planners and managers. An atlas of the U.S. west coast and the Gulf of Alaska is sched- uled for completion soon. NOAA's National Ocean Service also manages a national system of marine sanctuaries and estua- rine research reserves to protect and improve our understanding of uniquely significant coastal areas. NOAA works closely with state and local govern- ments to promote the rational use and conserva- tion of coastal resources. The National Ocean Service operates a fleet of 23 research and survey vessels to carry out NOAA's oceanographic mission. The distinctive all-white ships, ranging in size from the 65-foot fisheries research ship Murre II to the 303-foot oceanographic research ships Discoverer and Oceanographer, operate in U.S. coastal waters and around the world. U.S. DEPARTMEM NATIONAL OCEANIC AND AT [ UNDER: FOR OCEANS 1 AND ADK* Naval Deputy ASSISTANT SECRi AND ATM AND DEPUTY I Administration ! ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE Charlmg and Geodelic Servic Ocean and Coaslal Resource ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASSISTANT fl NATION/" FISHERIE • Resource Managem Modern weather offices use state of the art computer techniques. >F COMMERCE SPHERIC ADMINISTRATION ARY ^OSPHERE VTOR | FOR OCEANS I ClllL '" UGntU RE, 3TRAT0R 1 Public 1 Comptroller ~~l Aircraft Operations 1 i TRATOR NE /ICE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE, DATA AND INFORMATION SERVICE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR OFFICE OF OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH agement Satellites ■ Satellite Data Process and Distribution • Systems Developmen Information Services Services • National Oceanograp ■ National Geophysical Center ,c e o n : • Climatic and Atmospheric . Sea Grant and Extramural Programs '0 1 A- j [ f\ \/F ^ I r* / j , L^^j^ >*M A NOAA researcher uses a plankton net during studies of the oceanic food chain. Signals from NOAA environmental satellites an gathered and processed at ground stations Visible and infrared satellite images from NOAA satellites provide ocean and weather data. ENVIRONMENTAL DATA IN THE SATELLITE AGE Satellite Services and Data Management The view from space, seen by earth-orbiting satellites, has revolutionized weather analyses and provided new insights into the physical processes that control our environment. NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) manages the nation's civil earth- observing satellite systems and global data centers for meteorology, land sciences, oceanography, solid- earth geophysics, and solar-terrestrial sciences. NESDIS develops and provides environmental data and information products and services criti- cal to the protection of life and property, business, energy development and distribution, global food supplies, and the development and management of natural resources. NESDIS polar-orbiting and geostationary satel- lites monitor weather and surface conditions over the entire globe each day. Their data are distri- buted continuously to the National Weather Service and other domestic and foreign users who employ Earth images and other satellite-derived data to help produce weather forecasts and warnings. Satellites are especially effective in early warn- ing of the birth of hurricanes. They collect data daily from thousands of instruments throughout the world and relay them back to scientists on Earth. They provide many other services, such as monitoring solar activity worldwide, search-and- rescue operations, measuring snow and ice cover, and observing the health of forests and agricul- tural resources. Direct readout systems enable users in the U.S. and more than 100 other countries to receive images and weather charts directly from NOAA's weather satellites on low-cost equipment. NOAA satellite scientists are seeking new and improved applications for their data, and designing new systems and components to ensure that tech- nological advances are put to work. Weather satel- lites play an increasingly important role in moni- toring global changes in climate and the marine environment. 13 Electronic information facilities operated by NESDIS constitute the world's largest environmen- tal data storage and retrieval system. Internationally, this information is shared through a multi-nation World Data Center organization which makes physical environmental data available to anyone, anywhere. Principal NESDIS elements that acquire, process, archive, analyze, and disseminate various types of data and develop analytical and descriptive products to meet national needs are: ■ The National Climatic Data Center in Ashe- ville, N.C., which deals with global climatologi- cal data. It is the collection center for all United States weather records, and the world's largest climate data center. ■ The National Oceanographic Data Center in Washington, D.C., which provides global ocean- ographic data and services. The first such cen- ter established, it houses the world's largest collection of usable marine data. ■ The National Geophysical Data Center in Boul- der, Colo., which collects and disseminates products evolving from solid earth and marine geophysical data collection, as well as iono- spheric, solar, and other space environment information. A NOAA weather satellite provides a view from space of the entire North American continent. HELP FOR OUR NATION'S FISHERMEN Marine Fisheries Management Americans today eat almost 15 pounds of fish a year, and between 15 and 20 percent of the world's stocks of traditionally harvested fish are found within 200 miles of the United States' coasts. American commercial and recreational fishing industries tap a large part of this resource by producing food and industrial goods valued at more than $16 billion annually. Commercial fishing alone creates direct employment for more than 300,000 people. Coastal recreational fishing lures over 17 million anglers who, during approximately 71 million fishing trips each year, catch an estimated 25 percent of all finfish eaten here. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) supports these activities by establishing sound fishery management practices and through research. The federal government, in cooperation with fishermen and other interested citizens, manages fishing for the ecological and economic benefit of NOAA helps the fishing industry by testing fishing gear, such as trawling setup. the nation within a conservation zone between 3 and 200 nautical miles off our coasts. NOAA, through NMFS, administers and enforces the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Manage- ment Act (MFCMA), to assure that fishing stays within sound biological limits, and that U.S. com- mercial and recreational fishermen have the opportunity to harvest all the available fish within these limits. Under the MFCMA, foreign fishing has been substantially reduced and Americans are captur- ing an ever-increasing share of the fish within the 200-mile conservation zone. Management planning under the MFCMA is car- ried out by regional fishery management councils, assisted by NOAA. The councils, made up of repre- sentatives from government, commercial and rec- reational fishing groups, consumers, and other inter- ests, develop plans based on scientific, ecological, social, and economic factors, describing objectives for each fishery and the best ways to achieve them. NMFS carries out the fishery management plans after their approval by the Under Secretary at NOAA and the Secretary of Commerce. NOAA is also responsible for conserving marine mammals and endangered species — including whales, porpoises, seals, and sea turtles — under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. NOAA is active in fisheries utilization and devel- opment, including the harvesting of underutilized species. For example, on the East Coast, squid, butterfish, and mackerel are finding new markets. On the Pacific Coast pollock, historically harvested in huge quantities by foreign fleets, is being caught increasingly by Americans. Through growing joint- ventures with foreign processing vessels, Ameri- can fishermen have found substantial markets for underutilized species off the West Coast and Alaska. NOAA works to lower tariffs, quotas, and other barriers to U.S. fishery exports, and to reduce fed- eral regulations. It helps commercial and recrea- tional fishing sectors find private financing, through federal guarantees, and provides information on domestic and foreign market conditions. NMFS also provides technical expertise for Amer- ican participation in a wide variety of international fishery agreements and organizations, and carries out international conservation programs. NMFS conducts research to provide better infor- mation about the safety, quality, identity, and nutri- tional value of seafoods. Its prestigious voluntary 16 A biologist examines fish larvae, gaining funda- mental knowledge of marine resources. National Seafood Inspection Program is used by many seafood packers, processors, and brokers. The Habitat Conservation Program helps mini- mize losses and degradation in areas where fish and shellfish grow and live by working with other federal and state agencies involved in development projects; and helps the regional councils incorpo- rate habitat considerations in management plans. NOAA'a nationwide system of fishery laborato- ries performs such diverse tasks as resource assess- ment, ecosystems analysis, experimental biology, pathobiology, fishery engineering, seafood technol- ogy development, food quality research, basic sci- ence, conservation engineering, and aquaculture research. PROGRESS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Environmental Research at NOAA NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) conducts environmental research at numerous laboratories, and supports university research on national and global problems of the oceans and atmosphere. High among the OAR's priorities is improved weather warnings and forecasts. Researchers at NOAA's Environmental Research Laboratories in Boulder, Colo.; Norman, Okla.; Princeton, N.J.; and Miami, Fla.; design better observing instru- ments, make improved theoretical models of atmo- spheric and oceanic processes, and develop new techniques to forecast tornadoes, flash floods, winter storms, and hurricanes. They work closely with the National Weather Service to ensure that results are incorporated into operational weather pre- dictions. NOAA research seeks to improve the understand- ing and prediction of the seasonal and longer-term variability of global climate. Better knowledge of the climate system will bring improved forecasts of temperature, rainfall, and water levels, and allow more soundly based planning. OAR conducts exten- sive experiments on land and sea, performs numer- ical climate modelling, theoretical studies, and analyzes historic data. NOAA's air quality scientists work to determine the sources, movement and fate of trace constitu- ents (such as ozone) and pollutants in the atmo- sphere, with emphasis on acid rain, urban smog, and the greenhouse effect. NOAA researchers seek to provide basic understanding of air pollution to government regulatory agencies (such as the En- vironmental Protection Agency), state and local air quality officials, and other decision-makers. The Space Environment Laboratory investigates the influence of the Sun on the Earth's upper atmos- phere and interplanetary space. The nation's cen- ter for solar-terrestrial research, it operates the NOAA Space Environment Services Center which monitors and predicts solar activity in the upper atmosphere. Solar-terrestrial scientists work closely with other government agencies, especially the 18 Solar disturbances which may affect our planet are monitored from NOAA facilities such as this. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Air Force, as well as with such civil- ian interests as the communications, transporta- tion, satellite, and utility industries. Ocean and Great Lakes research at NOAA has two elements — prediction and assessment. The prediction effort seeks to improve maritime serv- ices through better observations and understand- ing of winds and waves, seismic sea waves (tsu- namis), sea ice, and El Nino (the Pacific Ocean warming which affects worldwide weather). Because of the importance of the ocean in regulating and interacting with the atmosphere, NOAA oceanographic research, conducted at laboratories in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Miami, Fla.; and Seattle, Wash.; is closely linked with NOAA's climate and weather research programs. The marine assessment program determines the ecological impacts of human activities, such as coastal power generation, fishing, mining, and waste disposal. Scientists conduct theoretical and labo- ratory experiments of chemical and dynamical processes in the deep oceans as well as in the Great Lakes and estuaries. NOAA's marine resource research program seeks to improve the Nation's ability to make environ- mentally and economically sound decisions affect- ing living and mineral resources in the oceans. A major effort is devoted to research on hydrother- mal venting systems at seafloor-spreading centers. Another is fisheries-oceanography research, conducted jointly with the National Marine Fisher- ies Service to improve understanding of the effects of atmospheric and oceanic variations on fish and shellfish. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research is the home of the National Sea Grant College Program and the National Undersea Research Program. 19 THE SEVENTH SERVICE The NOAA Corps NOAA is home to the nation's seventh and smallest uniformed service — the NOAA Corps. The NOAA Corps' nearly 400 men and women officers command NOAA's fleet of research and survey ships, fly its aircraft, work on mobile field survey parties, and serve in a variety of significant management and scientific positions throughout the agency. The Corps was created in 1917 to provide engi- neers to command survey parties at sea and ashore. Today, as the responsibilities of NOAA have grown, the range of specialties of NOAA Corps officers has expanded to include meteorology, oceano- graphy, biology, and other scientific and engineer- ing disciplines. Service in today's NOAA Corps combines a tech- nical career with many aspects typical of military life: travel, outdoor work, opportunities for com- mand, and service as a commissioned officer, who may expect to serve in a variety of positions at sea, ashore, and on mobile survey parties. NOAA Corps officer/scientists are trained to com- mand NOAA's research and survey vessels. S £ w o o > p O 30 O S 7 ° - m |2 A0DDD133bEfl3b