The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) is the research agent of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is also referred to as NOAA Research. OAR and its scientists study different aspects of the environment in an effort to understand, protect, and predict climate variability, water resources, and the world’s different ecosystems. The Office has three main research areas: 1) climate, 2) oceans, great lakes, and coasts, and 3) weather and air quality. In 2007 OAR won the Nobel Peace Prize for its work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore in distributing information about its subject and immediacy. This advancement comes in conflict with President Bush’s original stance against the idea of climate change; however, he is now moving forward to accepting the idea with recent reports on preparations to cut greenhouse emissions. (See Controversies).

OAR was formed with the creation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in October 1970, which merged the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Weather Bureau, and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries into one agency. NOAA was placed under the administration of the Department of Commerce by means of the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970.

During the 1970s this research branch of NOAA continued to expand its activities including accelerating research on hurricane intensity and movement, a federal-state cooperative program to evaluate the effectiveness of weather modification in Utah and North Dakota, and passing the National Climate Program Act in 1978 to develop a plan with federal and non-federal participants to estimate climate trends and predict future changes. Undersea research also expanded during this time, with the creation of the Manned Undersea Science and Technology Office in 1971; by 1977 they had established the first regional undersea research facility in St. Croix.

With its primary focuses being climate, oceans, great lakes, and coasts, and weather and air quality, OAR continued to make gains in several fields. In 2007, its scientists’ climate model discovered that warming-induced wind shear changes could impact hurricane development and intensity. Also in 2007, NOAA Research scientists were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Vice President Al Gore for their efforts to build up and distribute knowledge about man-made climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was represented by Dr. Susan Soloman of OAR’s Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), and Dr. Dan Albritton, former director of ESRL’s Chemical Sciences Division. Other 2007 achievements include launching the first buoy to measure acidification, measuring oceanic methane emissions for climate impact, and continued undersea exploration of the Ring-of-Fire.

NOAA Research studies and predicts changes in the environment through its many components. Its Research Laboratories combine research, technology development, and services to improve our understanding of the world’s environment and how to predict changes. The laboratories have also established collaborative programs with universities and non-profit institutions that form Joint Research Institutes relating to the earth’s oceans, inland waters, intermountain west, atmosphere, and arctic environments.

OAR’s second component is the National Sea Grant College Program that connects the nation’s top universities and research institutions in conducting scientific research, education, and extension projects to understand and use our ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources. Currently, there are 30 programs at locations including the University of Southern California, Scripps Institution at UC San Diego, Louisiana State University, University of Georgia, and the University of Florida.

In addition, the NOAA Undersea Research Program and its scientists explore, sample, and live under the ocean using advanced technologies and techniques. With one national office and six national undersea research centers, scientists use mixed gas scuba diving, underwater remotely operated vehicles and other technologies to study fisheries, diversity of life, and environmental change.

OAR also has a Climate Program Office (CPO), created in 2005, which leads NOAA’s Climate and Global Change Program. CPO incorporates the Office of Global Programs, the Arctic Research Office, and the Climate Observations and Services Program in sponsoring research and climate activities across NOAA aimed at predicting climate variability.

OAR is also involved in many cooperative research partnerships with universities, research institutions, and other branches of NOAA including the Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research in Alaska, the Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications and Research in New York, the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies in Oklahoma, and the Joint Institute for Marine Observations in California.

Research Programs

NOAA Research Laboratories

• Air Resources Laboratory
• Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory
• Earth System Research Laboratory
• Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
• Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
• National Severe Storms Laboratory
• Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

National Sea Grant College Program

NOAA Undersea Research Program

NOAA Climate Program Office

Research Partnerships

Cooperative Research Institutes

Sea Grant Programs

Undersea Research Centers

• Center for the Caribbean
• Center for Hawaii and the Western Pacific
• Center for the Middle Atlantic Bight
• Center for the North Atlantic and Great Lakes
• Center for the Southeastern United States and Gulf of Mexico
• Center for the West Coast and Polar Regions

Recently, there has been speculation that the Bush administration has changed and/or ignored data from government scientists regarding global warming and climate change. There has been a major push by scientists and Congress on President Bush to change his opinions and stop pressuring federal scientists to change their information. The follow reports address these issues, including reports that the Government Accountability Project found that 43% of surveyed federal scientists saw edits during review of their work that changed the meaning of their findings. Currently, the Bush administration is changing its position on climate change from disbelief to inviting countries to a climate change summit.

Bush Administration in Hot Seat Over Warming (Associated Press/MSNBC)

Bush Aide Softened Greenhouse Gas Links to Global Warming (by Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times)

Bush Seeks Climate Change Talk (by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press)

US Prepared to Cut Greenhouse Emissions (CNN)