The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has proven integral in assessing the progress of human-driven and natural climatic shift on a global scale. But this group of dedicated scientists does far more than chart and examine the monthly and annual changes in ocean temperature or current patterns. In the article below, we’ll review their history and explore some of the fascinating, vital projects in which they are engaged.

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A Bit of Background

In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson founded the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, this agency in order to provide information in the form of nautical and weather patterns to seafaring vessels. The east coast of the United States is extensive, with many natural and augmented harbors. The data gathered by the Survey was intended to facilitate safe passage, prevent damage to property and loss of human life.

Sixty-three years later, the American Weather Bureau was founded, followed the next year by the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries. These three agencies utilized scientific data gathering in order to preserve life, property, and the bounty of the environment. However, it wasn’t until 1970 that they were combined to form the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is a part of the Department of Commerce.

Agency Mission and Goals

The NOAA investigates and monitors aspects of our environment, from the shifting conditions on the surface of the sun to the deepest parts of Earth’s oceans. Their guiding ethos is one of stewardship and science. It has long been understood by the scientific community that our Little Blue Planet is one system, composed of many interdependent systems. NOAA monitors the structure and interaction of these systems, using tools such as environmental modeling to determine the scope of any change observed.

They continue their exploration of the Earth’s oceans and their relationship to the atmosphere, catalogue and model predictions for the path and internal dynamics of large-scale weather events, investigate complex ecosystems and their relationship to other systems, and use modeling to further understand the impacts of climate shift and predict future changes. The agency then makes all their data free and publicly accessible. Their website offers detailed catalogues of raw climatic data as well as more processed and predictive data sets.

Because NOAA is a non-elected legislative body, they do have some power to enact necessary conservation measures as they pertain to fisheries, marine and marginal ecosystems, delicate species populations, and laws that govern their protection. However, they are a primarily research-focused community of specialists. These scientists utilize technology to monitor ecosystems, process raw data, and run projections to determine the best course of action in the present. One of their main foci is to preserve the ecosystems we rely upon for industry and nourishment, so that future generations can benefit from them as well.

They are, in essence, utilizing millions of data in order to derive a Big Picture, which is sometimes not available to industries or individuals. NOAA provides us all with the necessary information and enacts constructive action plans to help us preserve our environments from our own limited understanding. They work to create and sustain resilient environments that will provide our culture with the materials of tomorrow’s success without stripping the resources or threatening their diversity today. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides everyone with the tools to build a better world and to sustain the natural realms from which we draw our livelihoods.