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Overview:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a science-based agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. The NOAA monitors and researches the oceanic and atmospheric environments to provide information to the public, related industries, researchers and government agencies. The NOAA forecasts changes in these environments to support economic productivity and assesses safe and cost-effective methods for related industries such as fisheries. The NOAA’s services extend into climate, commerce, transportation, weather and water.

History:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was formed in 1970 from three pre-existing agencies: the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (1807), the Weather Bureau (1870), and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries (1871). The NOAA, along with the Environmental Protection Agency, was part of a reorganization effort meant to coordinate and consolidate the scattered environmental activities into a rational administration. These efforts were the result of the 1966 Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act that created a commission to review the multiple marine activities. In 1969, the reorganization efforts extended to replace the Department of the Interior with the Department of Natural Resources, which was to include the new NOAA. This NOAA would combine activities from the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) from the Department of Commerce. Since the ESSA compromised a large part of the NOAA, Secretary of Commerce Maurice Stans consolidated the NOAA into the Department of Commerce temporarily to retain employees and budget allocations. Deliberations in the Executive led to the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970 that permanently moved the NOAA to the Department of Commerce.

An Official History of NOAA

What it Does:

Programs

According to the NOAA website, its programs’ responsibilities extend from the ocean to the atmosphere and include seven line offices and the NOAA Corps.

National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Services (NESDIS) - Acquires and manages the nations environment satellites, provides data and information, and performs related research.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) - Acts as a steward of marine and coastal areas to preserve and manage living marine resources. NMFS assesses fish stocks, enforces fishing regulations and advocates for sustainable fishing methods to increase economic and recreational opportunities.

National Ocean Service (NOS) - Supports safe navigation, coastal communities and marine environments through information and products. It also mitigates coastal and ecosystem hazards.

National Weather Service (NWS) - Provides weather, hydrologic and climate warnings and forecasts.

Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) - Operates specialized ships and aircrafts to carry out research missions for NOAA. The OMAO fleet is operated and managed by the NOAA Corps Officers along with civilian employees.

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) - Provides research to help understand environmental phenomenon, develop new technologies, and provide information for consumers in business, conservation and policy making.

Office of Program Planning and Integration (PPI) - Uses corporate management to effectively run NOAA’s many programs with stakeholders, domestic and international partners in regards to environmentalism. PPI involves strategic management, support for employees and performance evaluation.

Where Does the Money Go:

Contractors

Top 10 Contractors (2000-2008)

Noblis, Inc.	$205,755,466
International Business Machines Corp.	$173,968,100
SAIC, Inc.	$165,781,168
Wyke Information Systems, LLC	$164,755,700
Raytheon Company	$156,271,689
Emhart Corporation	$119,169,317
The Aerospace Corporation	$116,422,634
I.M. Systems Group, Inc.	$105,390,099
National Interest Security Company LLC	$84,131,444
Lockheed Martin Corporation	$70,903,057

Controversies:

Censoring Scientists

The NOAA has undergone criticism, along with the rest of the Bush administration, for censoring scientists and for limiting media access to information regarding the causes and implications of global warming.

House Oversight report on administration political interference with climate change science (ClimateScienceWatch)

Committee Report: White House Engaged in Systematic Effort to Manipulate Climate Change Science (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)

Censorship is Alleged at NOAA (by Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post)

Statement Acknowledges Some Government Scientists See Link to Global Warming (by Antonio Regaldo and Jim Carlton, Wall Street Journal)

A Storm Over Warming (by Bret Schulte, U.S. News & World Report)

Bush's science man sceptical about global warming weather link (by Sarah Clarke, Lateline, Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Ouster of Hurricane Center Director

The NOAA and its administrator were criticized for the removal of National Hurricane Director, Bill Proenza and the effectiveness of the QuickSCAT satellite technology.

Chairmen Seek Answers on Controversy at National Hurricane Center (U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology)

Importance of QuickSCAT Downplayed (by Jefferson Morris, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report)

Losing sight of Planet Earth (by Molly Bentley, BBC News)

Lawmakers back ousted hurricane center chief (by Anika Gupta, Government Executive)

Ousted hurricane center chief defends request for new satellite (by Aliya Sternstein, National Journal’s Technology Daily)

U.S. Weather and Environmental Satellites: Ready for the 21st Century? (Hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation)

NOAA names new National Hurricane Center director (by Bob Brewin, Government Executive)

Ocean Deserts

Are the Oceans Giving Up? (Deccan Herald)

Extreme Weather Ahead

Report on Climate Predicts Extremes (by Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post)

Suggested Reforms:

House Committee Chair Calls for Reform of NOAA Public Affairs Policy (ClimateScienceWatch)

Addressing Oceans and Climate Change in Federal Legislation (Joint Ocean Commission Initiative) (PDF)

Comments

James Ascot 9 years ago

The American Global Forecasting Sytem is not accurately able to forecast as the European Sytem. They have invested in data simulation, computing power and underlying physics. Are we investing to upgrade the software and computers as well in professional staff to have a system that forecasts and able to predict timely and accurately? Because as of last week the American system missed predicting the course of hurricane Jouquim. Thank you in advance for your response.

Ehlnara 11 years ago

I would like to attend an onnlie course in LIDARd which takes me through:(a) Data Capture along a corrdior(b) Data Down Load(c) Processing of Data to segregate and plot as on a conventional 1:1000 map: (i) Topographical Details (ii) Utilities (iii) Vegitation types and attributes like height , Girth, Spread(d) Additional possibilities LIDAR throughsup in assessment of resources and management

Name

Content

Table of Contents
Overview
History
What it Does
Where Does the Money Go
Controversies
Suggested Reforms
Comments
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Founded: 1970

Annual Budget: $413.8 million (FY 2013 Request)

Employees: 758 (FY 2013 Estimate)

Official Website: http://www.noaa.gov/

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Sullivan, Kathryn

Previous Administrator

On March 6, 2014, Kathryn D. Sullivan was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In that post, Sullivan is responsible for the agency that makes weather forecasts, monitors climate change and supports marine commerce.

Sullivan was born October 3, 1951, in Patterson, New Jersey. Her family moved to California when she was six years old, settling in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles. She attended grade school with Sally Ride, a fact Sullivan didn’t realize until years later when both she and Ride were astronauts. Sullivan graduated from Taft High in Woodland Hills, California in 1969.

Sullivan attended the University of California Santa Cruz, originally intending to study foreign languages. However, she was bitten by the science bug early on and graduated in 1973 with a B.S. in earth sciences. She then went to study at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, earning a Ph.D. in geology in 1978.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Sullivan to become an astronaut in January 1978. Her first space flight came in October 1984 as a mission specialist aboard the Challenger. On that flight, she became the first U.S. woman to walk in space. While serving in the space program, in 1988 Sullivan joined the U.S. Naval Reserve, from which she retired 18 years later as a captain.

In April 1990, Sullivan again went into space, this time aboard Discovery. On that mission, she helped launch the Hubble Space Telescope. Sullivan flew the shuttle once more, in 1992 on Atlantis, as payload commander. During her three flights she logged 532 hours in space.

She left NASA in 1993 to become chief scientist for NOAA. In that post, she oversaw research into climate change, marine biodiversity and satellite instrumentation.

Sullivan left federal service in 1996, when she was selected as president of the Center of Science and Industry museum in Columbus, Ohio. She remained in that post until 2005, when she left to become head of the Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy at Ohio State University. The center works to increase the number of students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

President Barack Obama nominated Sullivan in 2011 to serve as assistant secretary of Commerce at NOAA. There, she helped direct weather and water services, climate science and services, integrated mapping services and Earth-observing capabilities. Sullivan became acting NOAA administrator in February 2013 and was nominated by Obama as administrator in August of that year.

Sullivan is a private pilot and was one of the first two female members of The Explorers Club.

To Learn More:

Official Biography

Astronaut Biography (NASA)

Five Amazing Facts About Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Our Newly Confirmed Head of NOAA (by Jeff Watters, Ocean Conservancy)

Lubchenco, Jane

Former Under Secretary

Jane Lubchenco, one of the nation’s most prominent marine biologists, has devoted much of her career to encouraging scientists to become more engaged in public policy debates, and is a vocal proponent of curbing greenhouse gases linked to global warming.

Born on December 4, 1947, Lubchenco grew up in Denver with her five younger sisters. Her father was a surgeon and her mother a pediatrician. She attended a Catholic girls’ high school, St. Mary’s Academy, where, like so many Obama appointees, she played basketball. Lubchenco attended Colorado College, where she fell in love with the ocean during a summer course in invertebrate zoology at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. After earning her BA in biology in 1969, she received her MS in zoology from the University of Washington in 1971, and her PhD in ecology from Harvard University in 1975.

From 1975-1977, Lubchenco served as assistant professor at Harvard, sandwiched around a one-year visiting professorship in 1976 at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. She then moved on to Oregon State University, beginning her more than 30-year career there. She worked as an assistant professor (1977-1982) and then associate professor (1982-88). Concurrently, she was a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution (1978-1984), spent time in 1986 at the Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile, and part of 1987 at the Institute of Oceanography, Academica Sinica, Qingdao, China.

In 1988, Lubchenco was made a full professor at Oregon State. She chaired the Department of Zoology from 1989 to 1992. In 1993, she was made a distinguished professor, and two years later, she was given the new title of Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology. Also in 1995, she began her teaching relationship at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand (1995-96, 1999-2000, 2002-2003).

Lubchenco’s expertise includes interactions between humans and the environment: biodiversity, climate change, sustainability science, ecosystem services, marine reserves, coastal marine ecosystems, the state of the oceans and of the planet. She has led an interdisciplinary team of scientists studying the marine ecosystem off the west coast of the United States.

She has served as president of the International Council for Science (the first woman to do so), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the Ecological Society of America. She was a presidential appointee to two terms on the National Science Board (1996-2006), which advises the President and Congress and oversees the National Science Foundation. She co-chaired an Oregon gubernatorial advisory group on global warming that recommended actions the state should take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Lubchenco founded the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program that teaches environmental scientists to be leaders and communicators of scientific information to the public, policy makers, the media and the private sector. She currently serves as chair of the program’s advisory board. She also participated in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), a five-year, international scientific assessment of the consequences of environmental changes to human well-being, and co-chaired the MA’s Synthesis for Business and Industry (PDF). She is also a Founding Principal of COMPASS (the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea), a collaboration among academic scientists, communication and media specialists that communicates academic marine conservation science to policy makers, the media, managers and the public.

Lubchenco served on the Pew Oceans Commission and now the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative (a merger of the Pew Oceans Commission and the US Commission on Ocean Policy). She is a director, co-chair or trustee of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, SeaWeb and the Environmental Defense Fund; Trustee Emerita of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and a former trustee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics and the World Resources Institute.

Lubchenco is married to Bruce Menge, also a marine biologist, and the couple has two sons.

Oregon State Bio

Oregon State CV

Jane Lubchenco (Mother Jones Profile)

National Academy of Sciences Interviews

Conversations with Outstanding Americans; Jane Lubchenco (by Brad Knickerbocker, Christian Science Monitor)