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What NOAA Research does
Working under the broad themes of Climate, Atmosphere, and Oceans, NOAA scientists study the ocean's depths and the highest reaches of space to better understand our environment. NOAA's long-term commitment to conducting preeminent research includes engaging in-house and extramural talent to:
- Continue to conduct experiments to understand natural processes (physical, geochemical, ecological)
- Build predictive models for use in weather, climate, solar, ocean, and coastal assessments and predictions
- Develop and deploy new observing technologies to provide data to support predictive models and to document natural variability
- Develop new analytical and forecast tools to improve weather services and earlier warnings for natural disasters
- Use new information technology to share information with other federal and academic scientists and
- Prepare scientific assessments and information products to enhance public education and guide governmental action.
Research plans and products are developed in partnership with academia and other federal agencies, and are peer-reviewed and widely distributed. A high premium is placed on external collaboration both domestically and internationally.
The components and programs of NOAA Research are:
- 7 NOAA laboratories
- 14 Joint Institute research partners
- Office of Global Programs
- Climate Observations and Services
- Office of Weather and Air Quality
- Arctic Research Office
- Office of Ocean Exploration
- National Undersea Research Program
- National Sea Grant Program
NOAA Research has three primary research areas: climate, atmosphere and oceans.
Climate research
NOAA's research laboratories, the Climate Program Office, and research partners conduct a wide range of research into complex climate systems and how they work. These scientists want to improve their ability to predict climate variation in both the shorter term, like cold spells or periods of drought, and over longer terms, like centuries and beyond.
NOAA scientists are at the forefront of studying climate change and modeling what the effects will be on the Earth. Researchers at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) have developed the Coupled Hydrosphere-Atmosphere Research Model (CHARM) to enable a valid assessment of the impact of how climate change might affect the climate and ecology of the Great Lakes. The CHARM model provides a realistic surface-atmosphere feedback portrayal, and accounts for runoff from land surfaces. It allows researchers to predict that global warming likely will bring higher temperatures and increased precipitation to the Great Lakes. Development of a second generation of CHARM is underway to help answer questions about greenhouse warming effects on Great Lakes water quantity.
NOAA researchers will continue their careful, consistent and uninterrupted monitoring of the Earth's atmosphere that can give us clues about long-term changes in the global climate. The data collected worldwide by NOAA researchers aids our understanding of, and ability to forecast changes in, complex climatic systems.
Atmospheric research
NOAA Research organizations conduct research on the upper and lower atmosphere as well as the space environment. Their findings form the basis for NOAA's contributions to major national and international environmental programs and agreements.
For instance, improvements in forecast and warning services provided by the National Weather Service are a direct result of NOAA research. Improvements in numerical modeling, observations gathered by satellites and Doppler weather radars (NEXRAD), and sophisticated weather warning and information processing and communications systems, have collectively led to significantly improved severe weather forecasts and warnings.
Other research programs focus on observation and study of the chemical and physical processes of the atmosphere, detecting the effects of pollution on those processes and monitoring and forecasting the phenomena affecting the Sun-Earth environment.
Ocean and coastal research
NOAA Research, in cooperation with its research partners, explores and investigates ocean habitats and resources. We provide scientific results to help manage and understand fisheries, conserve and protect our coasts, and build a stronger economy through marine products and businesses, such as biotechnology and sustainable aquaculture. We also look for changes in the oceans due to natural and human activities.
NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) in Seattle, WA, designed Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART-II) technology, which provides two-way communication capabilities, allowing engineers the ability to troubleshoot these systems from the lab and repair the systems remotely when possible.
The new capability minimizes system downtime, especially in the harsh winter conditions of the North Pacific; and moreover, saves money by not having to deploy a ship to make this type of repair.
Benefits of NOAA Research
Most of the environmental questions our nation and the world face are not easily answered. A strong NOAA is necessary to tackle the complex issues that only advanced scientific knowledge is able to adequately address. NOAA Research answers the call and:
- Provides comprehensive knowledge to guide national environmental policy decisions, including better predictions of the climate response to emissions changes, choices for protection of the ozone layer, and alternatives for developing coastal communities;
- Improves environmental services to the nation, including reliable predictions and assessments; and
- Promotes economic growth through science for decision-making, new technology, and partnerships with academia and industry.
- NOAA is a world leader in environmental science today and is well positioned and organized to provide the sound scientific research policy-makers will always need.
NOAA Research laboratories
The 7 laboratories that are part of NOAA Research are located throughout the United States near their areas of focus.
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) - Miami, FL
- Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) - Silver Spring, MD
- Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) - Boulder, CO
- Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) - Princeton, NJ
- Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) - Ann Arbor, MI
- National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) - Norman, OK
- Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) - Seattle, WA and Newport, OR
Joint Institute research partners
NOAA Research partners with research-oriented universities and institutions to share data and resources to advance the goals of NOAA.
- Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research (CIFAR) - Fairbanks, AK
- Cooperative Institute for Atmospheric Sciences and Terrestrial Applications (CIASTA) - Las Vegas/Reno, NV
- Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications and Research (CICAR) - Palisades, NY
- Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research (CICOR) - Woods Hole, MA
- Cooperative Institute for Climate Science (CICS) - Princeton, NJ
- Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research (CILER) - Ann Arbor, MI
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) - Miami, FL
- Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) - Norman, OK
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) - Fort Collins, CO
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) - Boulder, CO
- Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) - Honolulu, HI
- Joint Institute for Marine Observations (JIMO) - La Jolla, CA
- Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) - Seattle, Washington
- Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) - Stennis Space Center, MS
External links
- Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- NOAA Cooperative Research Institutes
