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| height="0.9416666666666667in"}    |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **NOAA In Your State**            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Alabama**                       |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| *NOAA\'s work touches the daily   |   -------------------             |
| lives of every person in the      | --------------------------------- |
| United States and in much of the  |   ![](media/image2.               |
| world. Our products and services  | png){width="2.6333333333333333in" |
| are the result of the hard work   |   height="1.6888888888888889in"}  |
| of NOAA's dedicated staff and     |                                   |
| partner organizations located in  |   -------------------             |
| program and research offices      | --------------------------------- |
| throughout the country. The       |                                   |
| following is a summary of NOAA    |                                   |
| programs based in, and focused    |                                   |
| on, your state. The entries are   |                                   |
| listed by statewide, region, and  |                                   |
| then by congressional districts   |                                   |
| and cities or towns.*             |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ***AL***                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Birmingham, Calera,            |                                   |
| Huntsville, Millers Ferry, Mobile |                                   |
| Point***                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Earth System Research           |                                   |
| Laboratory/Global Systems         |                                   |
| Division**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Ground-Based GPS Meteorology**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Earth System Research         |                                   |
| Laboratory maintains the          |                                   |
| Ground-Based GPS Meteorology      |                                   |
| project, currently consisting of  |                                   |
| 400 GPS water vapor observing     |                                   |
| systems that provide near         |                                   |
| real-time integrated precipitable |                                   |
| water vapor (IPW) measurements    |                                   |
| for weather forecasting, climate  |                                   |
| modeling, calibration and         |                                   |
| validation of satellite and       |                                   |
| radiosonde water vapor            |                                   |
| measurements, and research. This  |                                   |
| project provides water vapor data |                                   |
| available to all users.           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.gpsmet.noaa.gov/j    |                                   |
| sp/raob.jsp]{.underline}](http:// |                                   |
| www.gpsmet.noaa.gov/jsp/raob.jsp) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Coastal***                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Elevation Mapping**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Center works with state and   |                                   |
| local officials to collect and    |                                   |
| distribute high-resolution        |                                   |
| topographic and bathymetric data  |                                   |
| sets. The Center worked with the  |                                   |
| private sector to acquire new     |                                   |
| light detection and ranging       |                                   |
| (lidar) and Interferometric       |                                   |
| Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR)  |                                   |
| data for coastal management       |                                   |
| applications such as the analysis |                                   |
| of storm surge and storm          |                                   |
| inundation, erosion, and habitat  |                                   |
| mapping. The Center also worked   |                                   |
| with state and federal partners   |                                   |
| to share costs and find multiple  |                                   |
| uses for coastal lidar and IfSAR  |                                   |
| data sets.                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| <http://ww.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/> |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Land Cover Mapping**            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Nothing provides a big-picture    |                                   |
| view of land cover status better  |                                   |
| than these maps, which are        |                                   |
| developed using remote sensing    |                                   |
| technology. The Center has        |                                   |
| baseline land cover data for most |                                   |
| of the coastal zone. The goal is  |                                   |
| to update the imagery every five  |                                   |
| years to also provide a means of  |                                   |
| detecting change or trends.       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| <ht                               |                                   |
| tp://www.csc.noaa.gov/landcover/> |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Mobile Regional and Resilience  |                                   |
| Planning**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Public-sector stakeholders in     |                                   |
| Alabama are partnering to improve |                                   |
| the future resilience of the      |                                   |
| environment, economy,             |                                   |
| transportation, and other         |                                   |
| factors. Partners include         |                                   |
| representatives of municipal and  |                                   |
| county government, the South      |                                   |
| Alabama Regional Planning         |                                   |
| Commission, the Alabama Emergency |                                   |
| Management Agency, and the        |                                   |
| Alabama Department of             |                                   |
| Transportation. The Mobile        |                                   |
| Chamber of Commerce is the host   |                                   |
| for the project. Other key        |                                   |
| partners in addition to the       |                                   |
| Center are the                    |                                   |
| Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant     |                                   |
| Consortium, Sanborn Consulting,   |                                   |
| and Michael Gallis and            |                                   |
| Associates.                       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Partnerships for Habitat        |                                   |
| Conservation: Mobile Bay**        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| A new pilot project under NOAA    |                                   |
| Fisheries\' Cooperative Habitat   |                                   |
| Protection Partnerships program   |                                   |
| in Mobile Bay, Alabama, is a      |                                   |
| joint effort of the Center, The   |                                   |
| Nature Conservancy, and the       |                                   |
| Mobile Bay National Estuary       |                                   |
| Program (NEP). The pilot project  |                                   |
| focuses on updating the Mobile    |                                   |
| Bay NEP\'s local acquisition and  |                                   |
| restoration priorities plan by    |                                   |
| incorporating new habitat and     |                                   |
| land use data, information on     |                                   |
| long-term stressors, interactive  |                                   |
| GIS functionality, regional       |                                   |
| planning considerations, and a    |                                   |
| range of implementation           |                                   |
| strategies.                       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Resilience Planning in the Gulf |                                   |
| of Mexico**                       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| At workshops in Biloxi,           |                                   |
| Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama, and |                                   |
| Panama City Beach and Tampa,      |                                   |
| Florida, the Center led a session |                                   |
| soliciting feedback on potential  |                                   |
| revisions to the community        |                                   |
| resilience portion of the Gulf of |                                   |
| Mexico Alliance (GOMA)            |                                   |
| Governors\' Action Plan. Other    |                                   |
| attendees included local leaders, |                                   |
| planners, engineers, real estate  |                                   |
| professionals, community groups,  |                                   |
| and state and federal partners.   |                                   |
| The workshop is part of an        |                                   |
| ongoing effort to engage          |                                   |
| stakeholders in a unified fashion |                                   |
| as recommended by the NOAA        |                                   |
| Science Advisory Board.           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Topographic and Bathymetric     |                                   |
| Applications**                    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Center provides information   |                                   |
| about the availability of         |                                   |
| topographic and bathymetric data  |                                   |
| sets and assists coastal managers |                                   |
| in working with these             |                                   |
| sets---particularly in relation   |                                   |
| to storm surge and inundation     |                                   |
| modeling. The current focus of    |                                   |
| this project is on developing a   |                                   |
| data inventory for Texas,         |                                   |
| Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,  |                                   |
| Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North |                                   |
| Carolina, South Carolina, and     |                                   |
| Virginia and guidance documents   |                                   |
| describing the coastal management |                                   |
| applications of topography and    |                                   |
| bathymetry.                       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [http://w]{.underline             |                                   |
| }[www.csc.noaa.gov/topobathy/](ht |                                   |
| tp://www.csc.noaa.gov/topobathy/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Training**                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Center provides training to   |                                   |
| the coastal resource managers of  |                                   |
| the nation in three focus areas:  |                                   |
| geospatial technology, coastal    |                                   |
| management, and building process  |                                   |
| skills. Training can take place   |                                   |
| at the Center's training facility |                                   |
| for some courses but most often   |                                   |
| is taken to coastal managers in   |                                   |
| the field.                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| <http://www.csc.noaa.             |                                   |
| gov/bins/resources/training.html> |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Integrated Ocean Observing      |                                   |
| System (IOOS) Program**           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **IOOS Regional Association**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean  |                                   |
| Observing System (GCOOS) is one   |                                   |
| of 11 Regional Associations being |                                   |
| established through IOOS. GCOOS   |                                   |
| seeks to establish a sustained    |                                   |
| observing system for the Gulf of  |                                   |
| Mexico that will provide          |                                   |
| observations and products needed  |                                   |
| by users in the region for the    |                                   |
| purposes of detecting and         |                                   |
| predicting climate variability    |                                   |
| and consequences, preserving and  |                                   |
| restoring healthy marine          |                                   |
| ecosystems, ensuring human        |                                   |
| health, managing resources,       |                                   |
| facilitating safe and efficient   |                                   |
| marine transportation, enhancing  |                                   |
| national security, and predicting |                                   |
| and mitigating against coastal    |                                   |
| hazards.                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [ht                               |                                   |
| tp://gcoos.tamu.edu/]{.underline} |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Weather Service (NWS)  |                                   |
| and Office of Oceanic and         |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Incident Meteorologist Program  |                                   |
| and Earth Systems Research        |                                   |
| Laboratory**                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Fire Weather Services and       |                                   |
| Support**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The National Weather Service      |                                   |
| (NWS) fire weather forecasters    |                                   |
| are called Incident               |                                   |
| Meteorologists (IMETS). When a    |                                   |
| fire reaches a large enough size  |                                   |
| the IMETS are called out to the   |                                   |
| fire to provide constant weather  |                                   |
| updates and forecast briefings to |                                   |
| the fire incident commanders at   |                                   |
| the fire. The IMETS are very      |                                   |
| important members of the fire     |                                   |
| fighting team, as changes in the  |                                   |
| fires are largely due to changes  |                                   |
| in the weather. To improve NWS    |                                   |
| fire weather services to the      |                                   |
| public, NOAA's Earth System       |                                   |
| Research Laboratory (ESRL)        |                                   |
| conducts modeling,                |                                   |
| instrumentation and data services |                                   |
| research.                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ESRL data dissemination and       |                                   |
| display systems are designed to   |                                   |
| be used by trained                |                                   |
| meteorologists, the US Forest     |                                   |
| Service, and the Bureau of Land   |                                   |
| Management. For example, the      |                                   |
| FX-Net thin client system and the |                                   |
| Gridded FX-Net full function      |                                   |
| system are ESRL-developed         |                                   |
| software systems that are a       |                                   |
| critical part of the equipment    |                                   |
| the IMETS bring with them to the  |                                   |
| fire. NWS forecasters at fires in |                                   |
| all 50 states use these mobile    |                                   |
| PC--based client software         |                                   |
| packages. Computer servers that   |                                   |
| communicate with the mobile PC    |                                   |
| clients are located in Hawaii,    |                                   |
| Alaska, Utah, Colorado, Texas and |                                   |
| New York. State emergency         |                                   |
| managers in many of the NWS       |                                   |
| regional areas also use the       |                                   |
| PC-base clients. Other            |                                   |
| collaborators who work to improve |                                   |
| NWS fire weather services include |                                   |
| the University of Colorado in     |                                   |
| Boulder (CU), NCAR and private    |                                   |
| sector instrumentation companies. |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Atlantic Oceanographic and      |                                   |
| Meteorological Laboratory**       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Hurricane Landfall Experiment   |                                   |
| in Northern Gulf of Mexico**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Hurricane Landfall Experiment |                                   |
| in Northern Gulf of Mexico is     |                                   |
| part of a cooperative project     |                                   |
| between the Atlantic              |                                   |
| Oceanographic and Meteorological  |                                   |
| Laboratory\'s Ocean Chemistry     |                                   |
| Division and the University of    |                                   |
| Southern Alabama. The program     |                                   |
| collects data from 22             |                                   |
| meteorological stations across    |                                   |
| Alabama and three acoustic wave   |                                   |
| monitoring devices in the         |                                   |
| Northern Gulf of Mexico, south of |                                   |
| Mobil Bay entrance. The purpose   |                                   |
| of this experiment is to collect  |                                   |
| data relating to hurricane        |                                   |
| intensification and developing    |                                   |
| storm surge as the storm moves on |                                   |
| shore.                            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Atlantic Oceanographic and      |                                   |
| Meteorological Laboratory**       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Hurricane Research**            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Atlantic Oceanographic and    |                                   |
| Meteorological Laboratory\'s      |                                   |
| Hurricane Research Division       |                                   |
| (HRD), located in Miami, FL,      |                                   |
| conducts research to advance the  |                                   |
| understanding and prediction of   |                                   |
| hurricanes and other tropical     |                                   |
| weather, benefiting the Alabama   |                                   |
| coastal region. HRD's research is |                                   |
| based on a combination of models, |                                   |
| theories, and observations, with  |                                   |
| particular emphasis on data       |                                   |
| obtained with research aircraft.  |                                   |
| These observations are primarily  |                                   |
| collected in our annual field     |                                   |
| program using the two NOAA        |                                   |
| turboprop aircraft and jet        |                                   |
| operated by the NOAA Aircraft     |                                   |
| Operations Center. The goals of   |                                   |
| this research are to advance the  |                                   |
| prediction of tropical cyclone    |                                   |
| intensity change, improve the     |                                   |
| prediction of tropical cyclone    |                                   |
| tracks, improve the understanding |                                   |
| of and ability to predict         |                                   |
| tropical cyclone frequency and    |                                   |
| intensity, and enhance the        |                                   |
| ability to diagnose and predict   |                                   |
| the impact of tropical cyclones   |                                   |
| on life and property.             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd    |                                   |
| /index.html]{.underline}](http:// |                                   |
| www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/index.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Pacific Marine Environmental    |                                   |
| Laboratory**                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Center for Tsunami         |                                   |
| Research (NCTR)**                 |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Tsunami Research Program at   |                                   |
| the Pacific Marine Environmental  |                                   |
| Laboratory (PMEL), headquartered  |                                   |
| in Seattle, Washington, seeks to  |                                   |
| mitigate tsunami hazards to all   |                                   |
| U.S. coastal states and           |                                   |
| territories, including Alabama. A |                                   |
| tsunami is a series of very large |                                   |
| ocean waves caused by underwater  |                                   |
| earthquakes, landslides, volcanic |                                   |
| eruptions, explosions, and even   |                                   |
| meteor impacts. Capable of        |                                   |
| flooding hundreds of meters       |                                   |
| inland past the typical           |                                   |
| high-water level, the fast-moving |                                   |
| water associated with an          |                                   |
| inundating tsunami can crush      |                                   |
| homes and other coastal           |                                   |
| structures. More common           |                                   |
| occurrences, and devastating in   |                                   |
| an economic sense, are false      |                                   |
| alarms that lead to expensive     |                                   |
| evacuations of coastal areas.     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The PMEL NCTR staff conducts      |                                   |
| research and development          |                                   |
| activities in close collaboration |                                   |
| with the National Weather Service |                                   |
| (NWS) Tsunami Warning Centers,    |                                   |
| National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), |                                   |
| and the coastal states.           |                                   |
| Activities focus on the           |                                   |
| development of site-specific      |                                   |
| forecast models for coastal       |                                   |
| population centers. These models  |                                   |
| are integrated into a             |                                   |
| PMEL-developed operational        |                                   |
| tsunami forecasting system at the |                                   |
| Tsunami Warning Centers. PMEL     |                                   |
| developed the original real-time  |                                   |
| DART tsunami-measuring buoy,      |                                   |
| which has been transitioned to    |                                   |
| NDBC. Engineering development is  |                                   |
| underway at PMEL to improve the   |                                   |
| cost-effectiveness of these       |                                   |
| platforms. Tsunami research at    |                                   |
| PMEL focuses on model             |                                   |
| improvements and tsunami hazard   |                                   |
| mitigation.                       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[h                               |                                   |
| ttp://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov]{.underl |                                   |
| ine}](http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***AL-1***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Coastal***                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Center for Operational          |                                   |
| Oceanographic Products and        |                                   |
| Services**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Mobile PORTS®**                 |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| A Physical Oceanographic          |                                   |
| Real-Time System (PORTS®) is      |                                   |
| operated cooperatively with the   |                                   |
| local maritime community in the   |                                   |
| Port of Anchorage at which        |                                   |
| real-time data are                |                                   |
| quality-controlled and            |                                   |
| disseminated to local users for   |                                   |
| safe and efficient navigation.    |                                   |
| Real-time data are available for  |                                   |
| water levels data from two        |                                   |
| stations, currents from two       |                                   |
| stations and meteorological from  |                                   |
| three stations.                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.tidesa               |                                   |
| ndcurrents.noaa.gov]{.underline}] |                                   |
| (http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Center for Operational          |                                   |
| Oceanographic Products and        |                                   |
| Services**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Water Level            |                                   |
| Observation Network**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOS operates two long-term        |                                   |
| continuously operating tide       |                                   |
| station in the state of Alabama   |                                   |
| which provides data and           |                                   |
| information on tidal datums and   |                                   |
| relative sea level trends, and is |                                   |
| capable of producing real-time    |                                   |
| data for storm surge warning.     |                                   |
| These stations are located at     |                                   |
| Dauphin Island and Mobile         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.tidesa               |                                   |
| ndcurrents.noaa.gov]{.underline}] |                                   |
| (http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Daphne***                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Ocean and Coastal     |                                   |
| Resource Management**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Alabama Coastal Management      |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Alabama Coastal Program is    |                                   |
| administered by the Alabama       |                                   |
| Department of Conservation and    |                                   |
| Natural Resources (planning,      |                                   |
| fiscal management, public         |                                   |
| education and research            |                                   |
| management); and the Alabama      |                                   |
| Department of Environmental       |                                   |
| Management (permitting,           |                                   |
| regulatory, and enforcement       |                                   |
| functions). The Alabama coastal   |                                   |
| zone extends inland to the        |                                   |
| continuous 10-foot contour in     |                                   |
| Mobile and Baldwin Counties.      |                                   |
| Alabama's coastal counties are    |                                   |
| experiencing high growth and      |                                   |
| development rates, and the        |                                   |
| Coastal Program works closely     |                                   |
| with local governments to address |                                   |
| the impacts of growth in the      |                                   |
| coastal zone through watershed    |                                   |
| planning, water quality           |                                   |
| monitoring, technical training,   |                                   |
| and initiatives such as the       |                                   |
| Alabama-Mississippi Clean Marina  |                                   |
| Program. The Coastal Program also |                                   |
| prioritizes projects to mitigate  |                                   |
| coastal hazards and increase      |                                   |
| public access to coastal          |                                   |
| resources. In addition, the       |                                   |
| Coastal Program supports numerous |                                   |
| public outreach projects such the |                                   |
| annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup    |                                   |
| and the Sea Turtle Volunteer      |                                   |
| Program at the Bon Secour         |                                   |
| National Wildlife Refuge.         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://coastalm                 |                                   |
| anagement.noaa.gov/mystate/al.htm |                                   |
| l]{.underline}](http://coastalman |                                   |
| agement.noaa.gov/mystate/al.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Dauphin Island***              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Dauphin Island Sea Lab**        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Richard C. Shelby Center for    |                                   |
| Ecosystem-Based Fisheries         |                                   |
| Management**                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| To be completed in 2009. This     |                                   |
| joint NOAA - Dauphin Island Sea   |                                   |
| Lab center will conduct           |                                   |
| ecological and fisheries research |                                   |
| designed to aid the development   |                                   |
| of sustainable management         |                                   |
| strategies for living resources   |                                   |
| in the Gulf of Mexico. This will  |                                   |
| be the first NMFS facility in     |                                   |
| Alabama.                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Planning Initiative for Dauphin |                                   |
| Island, Alabama**                 |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The coastal town of Dauphin       |                                   |
| Island, Alabama, developed a      |                                   |
| strategic plan for sustaining     |                                   |
| economic and natural systems.     |                                   |
| Center personnel helped define    |                                   |
| policy needs, map desired land    |                                   |
| uses, and create drawings of      |                                   |
| potential mixed-use developments. |                                   |
| Other entities contributing to    |                                   |
| the planning process included the |                                   |
| Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant     |                                   |
| Consortium and the Alabama        |                                   |
| Department of Conservation and    |                                   |
| Natural Resources.                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Dauphin Island***              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Cooperative Institute**         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Northern Gulf Institute (NGI),  |                                   |
| Dauphin Island Sea Lab**          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NGI was established at Stennis    |                                   |
| Space Center, Mississippi, in     |                                   |
| October 2006. NGI is a consortium |                                   |
| of universities led by            |                                   |
| Mississippi State University, in  |                                   |
| partnership with the University   |                                   |
| of Southern Mississippi,          |                                   |
| Louisiana State University,       |                                   |
| Florida State University, and     |                                   |
| [Dauphin Island Sea               |                                   |
| Lab]{.underline}. The fundamental |                                   |
| philosophy of NGI is integration: |                                   |
| integration of the                |                                   |
| land-coast-ocean-atmosphere       |                                   |
| continuum; integration of         |                                   |
| research to operations; and       |                                   |
| integration of individual         |                                   |
| academic institutional strengths  |                                   |
| into a holistic research and      |                                   |
| educational program specifically  |                                   |
| geared to the needs of Northern   |                                   |
| Gulf of Mexico users.             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Among NGI's major NOAA research   |                                   |
| collaborators are the National    |                                   |
| Weather Service, the Coastal      |                                   |
| Services Center, the Office of    |                                   |
| Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, |                                   |
| the Atlantic Oceanographic and    |                                   |
| Meteorological Laboratory, the    |                                   |
| National Ocean Service, the       |                                   |
| National Coastal Data Development |                                   |
| Center, the National Data Buoy    |                                   |
| Center, the National Marine       |                                   |
| Fisheries Service, and the        |                                   |
| National Sea Grant Office. NGI    |                                   |
| conducts research under four      |                                   |
| scientific themes, focusing on    |                                   |
| the northern Gulf of Mexico: (1)  |                                   |
| ecosystem management; (2)         |                                   |
| geospatial data integration and   |                                   |
| visualization in environmental    |                                   |
| science; (3) climate change and   |                                   |
| climate variability effects on    |                                   |
| regional ecosystems; and (4)      |                                   |
| coastal hazards.                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[htt                             |                                   |
| p://www.ngi.msstate.edu]{.underli |                                   |
| ne}](http://www.ngi.msstate.edu/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Fairhope***                    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Ocean and Coastal     |                                   |
| Resource Management**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Weeks Bay National Estuarine    |                                   |
| Research Reserve**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Weeks Bay National Estuarine      |                                   |
| Research Reserve is located in    |                                   |
| Baldwin County and is managed by  |                                   |
| the Alabama Department of         |                                   |
| Conservation and Natural          |                                   |
| Resources. Designated in 1986,    |                                   |
| the reserve protects over 6,500   |                                   |
| acres. The bay, a shallow         |                                   |
| embayment connected to larger     |                                   |
| Mobile Bay, is fed by the Fish    |                                   |
| and Magnolia Rivers and is an     |                                   |
| ideal size for research purposes. |                                   |
| Common research activities        |                                   |
| include the assessment and study  |                                   |
| of the effects of non-point       |                                   |
| sources of pollution (i.e.,       |                                   |
| pesticides, sediments, etc.) on   |                                   |
| the health of the estuary. The    |                                   |
| reserve is also restoring once    |                                   |
| extensive pitch plant bog         |                                   |
| habitats and its education and    |                                   |
| interpretive programs reach out   |                                   |
| to schoolchildren and the public  |                                   |
| to enhance the understanding and  |                                   |
| appreciation of the importance of |                                   |
| Weeks Bay to the region.          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/ne |                                   |
| rr/reserves/nerrweeks.html]{.unde |                                   |
| rline}](http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa. |                                   |
| gov/nerr/reserves/nerrweeks.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Climate Reference Network**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Fairhope Station**              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The U.S. Climate Reference        |                                   |
| Network (USCRN) is an operational |                                   |
| network of climate stations. Data |                                   |
| from the USCRN will be used in    |                                   |
| operational climate monitoring    |                                   |
| activities and for placing        |                                   |
| current climate anomalies into an |                                   |
| historical perspective. NOAA\'s   |                                   |
| National Climatic Data Center     |                                   |
| (NCDC) manages and operates the   |                                   |
| USCRN. The USCRN will also        |                                   |
| provide the United States with a  |                                   |
| reference network that            |                                   |
| contributes to an International   |                                   |
| network under the auspices of the |                                   |
| Global Climate Observing System   |                                   |
| (GCOS). NOAA's National           |                                   |
| Environmental Satellite, Data,    |                                   |
| and Information Service and       |                                   |
| NOAA's Office of Oceanic and      |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research jointly      |                                   |
| manage USCRN.                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.ncdc.noaa            |                                   |
| .gov/crn/hourly]{.underline}](htt |                                   |
| p://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/crn/hourly) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Mobile***                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Seafood Inspection     |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Northern Gulf Inspection        |                                   |
| Office**                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The National Seafood Inspection   |                                   |
| Program conducts a voluntary      |                                   |
| inspection program for fishery    |                                   |
| products on a fee-for-service     |                                   |
| basis. The office offers a wide   |                                   |
| range of services to the area\'s  |                                   |
| fishermen and fish processors     |                                   |
| including process and product     |                                   |
| inspection, product grading, lot  |                                   |
| inspection, laboratory analysis,  |                                   |
| and training. All edible          |                                   |
| foodstuffs, ranging from whole    |                                   |
| fish to formulated products, as   |                                   |
| well as fishmeal used for animal  |                                   |
| foods, are eligible for           |                                   |
| inspection and certification.     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://s                        |                                   |
| eafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/]{.underline |                                   |
| }](http://seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Southeast Fisheries Science     |                                   |
| Center**                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Fishery Statistics Office**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Field agents serve as the         |                                   |
| principle data collection agent   |                                   |
| for marine fisheries throughout   |                                   |
| the Southeast US (NC-TX). They    |                                   |
| implement and coordinate surveys  |                                   |
| involving the collection of       |                                   |
| fishery related data from the     |                                   |
| public. Responsibilities and      |                                   |
| functions are to develop,         |                                   |
| implement, operate, and manage an |                                   |
| integrated fishery statistical    |                                   |
| data acquisition program for      |                                   |
| research and fishery management.  |                                   |
| In Alabama, a field agent is      |                                   |
| stationed in Mobile*.*            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Weather Service        |                                   |
| (NWS)**                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Weather Forecast Office**       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Mobile Regional Airport**       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Located at Mobile Regional        |                                   |
| Airport, this National Weather    |                                   |
| Service Weather Forecast Office   |                                   |
| provides weather and flood        |                                   |
| warnings, daily forecasts and     |                                   |
| meteorologic and hydrologic data  |                                   |
| for southwestern Alabama, the     |                                   |
| three most western counties of    |                                   |
| the Florida Panhandle and five    |                                   |
| counties in southeastern          |                                   |
| Mississippi. This office also     |                                   |
| provides marine warnings and      |                                   |
| forecasts for portions of the     |                                   |
| Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast.   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http                            |                                   |
| ://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob]{.underli |                                   |
| ne}](http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Sea Grant College      |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Alabama-Mississippi Sea Grant   |                                   |
| College Program Consortium**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA's National Sea Grant College |                                   |
| Program is a federal-university   |                                   |
| partnership that integrates       |                                   |
| research, education, and outreach |                                   |
| (extension and communications).   |                                   |
| Sea Grant forms a network of 32   |                                   |
| programs in all U.S. coastal and  |                                   |
| Great Lakes states, Puerto Rico   |                                   |
| and Guam. The Alabama-Mississippi |                                   |
| Sea Grant Consortium supports     |                                   |
| efforts that foster the           |                                   |
| conservation, sustainable         |                                   |
| development, and use of oceanic   |                                   |
| and coastal resources for the     |                                   |
| benefit of both the economy and   |                                   |
| the environment in Mississippi    |                                   |
| and Alabama. Recent research      |                                   |
| targets critical areas in marine  |                                   |
| natural products, fisheries and   |                                   |
| seafood safety, marine            |                                   |
| aquaculture, coastal ecosystems   |                                   |
| and habitats, coastal communities |                                   |
| and economies, and marine         |                                   |
| education and outreach. Citizens, |                                   |
| industry and policy makers are    |                                   |
| kept informed on issues related   |                                   |
| to these areas of research        |                                   |
| through the Sea Grant extension   |                                   |
| and communication programs in     |                                   |
| both states.                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.masgc.org]{.u        |                                   |
| nderline}](http://www.masgc.org/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***AL-2***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Montgomery**                    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Geodetic Survey**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Geodetic Advisor**              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Geodetic Advisor is a jointly |                                   |
| funded NOS employee that resides  |                                   |
| in the state to provide liaison   |                                   |
| between NOS and the host state.   |                                   |
| The Geodetic Advisor guides and   |                                   |
| assists the state\'s charting,    |                                   |
| geodetic and surveying programs   |                                   |
| through technical expertise. The  |                                   |
| program is designed to fill a     |                                   |
| need for more accurate geodetic   |                                   |
| surveys, and is in response to    |                                   |
| the desire of states to improve   |                                   |
| their surveying techniques to     |                                   |
| meet Federal Geodetic Control     |                                   |
| subcommittee standards and        |                                   |
| specifications. The surveys       |                                   |
| provide the basis for all forms   |                                   |
| of mapping and engineering        |                                   |
| projects, and monitoring of the   |                                   |
| dynamic Earth. This program also  |                                   |
| provides technical assistance in  |                                   |
| planning and implementing         |                                   |
| Geographic/ Land Information      |                                   |
| System: (GIS/LIS) projects.       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.ngs.noaa.g           |                                   |
| ov/ADVISORS/AdvisorsIndex.shtml]{ |                                   |
| .underline}](http://www.ngs.noaa. |                                   |
| gov/ADVISORS/AdvisorsIndex.shtml) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***AL-4***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Gadsden***                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Southeast Fisheries Science     |                                   |
| Center**                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Fishery Statistics Office**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Field agents serve as the         |                                   |
| principle data collection agent   |                                   |
| for marine fisheries throughout   |                                   |
| the Southeast US (NC-TX). They    |                                   |
| implement and coordinate surveys  |                                   |
| involving the collection of       |                                   |
| fishery related data from the     |                                   |
| public. Responsibilities and      |                                   |
| functions are to develop,         |                                   |
| implement, operate, and manage an |                                   |
| integrated fishery statistical    |                                   |
| data acquisition program for      |                                   |
| research and fishery management.  |                                   |
| In Alabama, a field agent is      |                                   |
| stationed in Mobile*.*            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Climate Reference Network**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Gadsen Station**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The U.S. Climate Reference        |                                   |
| Network (USCRN) is an operational |                                   |
| network of climate stations. Data |                                   |
| from the USCRN will be used in    |                                   |
| operational climate monitoring    |                                   |
| activities and for placing        |                                   |
| current climate anomalies into an |                                   |
| historical perspective. NOAA\'s   |                                   |
| National Climatic Data Center     |                                   |
| (NCDC) manages and operates the   |                                   |
| USCRN. The USCRN will also        |                                   |
| provide the United States with a  |                                   |
| reference network that            |                                   |
| contributes to an International   |                                   |
| network under the auspices of the |                                   |
| Global Climate Observing System   |                                   |
| (GCOS). NOAA's National           |                                   |
| Environmental Satellite, Data,    |                                   |
| and Information Service and       |                                   |
| NOAA's Office of Oceanic and      |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research jointly      |                                   |
| manage USCRN.                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.ncdc.noaa            |                                   |
| .gov/crn/hourly]{.underline}](htt |                                   |
| p://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/crn/hourly) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***AL-5***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Huntsville***                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Weather Service        |                                   |
| (NWS)**                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Weather Forecast Office**       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Huntsville WFO**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Located in NASA's National Space  |                                   |
| Science and Technology Center     |                                   |
| (NSSTC) Annex on the University   |                                   |
| of Alabama Campus in Huntsville,  |                                   |
| this National Weather Service     |                                   |
| Weather Forecast Office provides  |                                   |
| weather and flood warnings, daily |                                   |
| forecasts and meteorologic and    |                                   |
| hydrologic data for 11 northern   |                                   |
| Alabama counties and three        |                                   |
| southern Tennessee Counties.      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www                      |                                   |
| .srh.weather.gov/hun]{.underline} |                                   |
| ](http://www.srh.weather.gov/hun) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Earth System Research           |                                   |
| Laboratory/Global Monitoring      |                                   |
| Division**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Monitoring the Surface          |                                   |
| Atmosphere -- Ozone               |                                   |
| Measurements**                    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ESRL conducts long-term           |                                   |
| monitoring of ozone at the        |                                   |
| surface, with aircraft, and with  |                                   |
| balloons, through cooperative     |                                   |
| relationships with local          |                                   |
| partners. The ESRL tropospheric   |                                   |
| ozone aircraft measurement        |                                   |
| program is being done in          |                                   |
| conjunction with the Carbon Cycle |                                   |
| and Greenhouse Gas (CCGG)         |                                   |
| group\'s existing aircraft        |                                   |
| sampling network. Aircraft based  |                                   |
| in-situ tropospheric ozone        |                                   |
| measurements provide data         |                                   |
| relevant to: pollution events,    |                                   |
| lower atmosphere mixing dynamics, |                                   |
| boundary layer stability, ozone   |                                   |
| trend studies, and the validity   |                                   |
| of other samples collected        |                                   |
| in-flight. Near ground level      |                                   |
| ozone is currently monitored      |                                   |
| using ultraviolet absorption      |                                   |
| photometers at eight sites that   |                                   |
| are generally representative of   |                                   |
| background conditions. These      |                                   |
| sites, four of which have records |                                   |
| exceeding 25 years in length,     |                                   |
| provide information on possible   |                                   |
| long-term changes in tropospheric |                                   |
| ozone near the surface and        |                                   |
| support air quality research.     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.esrl.no              |                                   |
| aa.gov/gmd/ozwv/]{.underline}](ht |                                   |
| tp://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ozwv/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Severe Storms          |                                   |
| Laboratory**                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Short-term Weather Prediction   |                                   |
| Research**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| SPoRT (Short-term Prediction      |                                   |
| Research and Transition Center) - |                                   |
| NSSL collaborates with SPoRT, a   |                                   |
| NASA-funded project to transition |                                   |
| unique observations and research  |                                   |
| capabilities to the operational   |                                   |
| community to improve short-term   |                                   |
| weather forecasts on a regional   |                                   |
| scale. SPoRT researchers          |                                   |
| participate in evaluating the     |                                   |
| reliability and performance of    |                                   |
| high-resolution real-time NSSL    |                                   |
| WRF model forecasts for severe    |                                   |
| convective weather. This          |                                   |
| collaboration and the             |                                   |
| dissemination of the NSSL         |                                   |
| forecasts to several WFO\'s for   |                                   |
| use as supplemental forecast      |                                   |
| guidance shows a clear pathway    |                                   |
| for research capabilities to      |                                   |
| operations.                       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://wwwghcc.msfc.            |                                   |
| nasa.gov/sport/]{.underline}](htt |                                   |
| p://wwwghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/sport/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***AL-6***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Birmingham***                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Weather Service        |                                   |
| (NWS)**                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Weather Forecast Office**       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Birmingham WFO**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Located at the Shelby County      |                                   |
| Airport, this National Weather    |                                   |
| Service Weather Forecast Office   |                                   |
| provides weather and flood        |                                   |
| warnings, daily forecasts and     |                                   |
| meteorologic and hydrologic data  |                                   |
| for most of Alabama and four      |                                   |
| counties in western Georgia.      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http                            |                                   |
| ://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx]{.underli |                                   |
| ne}](http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***AL-7***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Birmingham***                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Earth System Research           |                                   |
| Laboratory/Global Systems         |                                   |
| Division**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Science On a Sphere®**          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Science On a Sphere (SOS) is a    |                                   |
| room-sized global display system  |                                   |
| that uses computers and video     |                                   |
| projectors to display planetary   |                                   |
| data onto a six-foot diameter     |                                   |
| sphere, analogous to a giant      |                                   |
| animated globe. Researchers at    |                                   |
| NOAA developed Science On a       |                                   |
| Sphere® as an educational tool to |                                   |
| help illustrate Earth System      |                                   |
| science to people of all ages.    |                                   |
| Animated images of atmospheric    |                                   |
| storms, climate change, and ocean |                                   |
| temperature can be shown on the   |                                   |
| sphere, which is used to explain  |                                   |
| what are sometimes complex        |                                   |
| environmental processes, in a way |                                   |
| that is simultaneously intuitive  |                                   |
| and captivating.                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.sos.noaa.gov/]{.unde |                                   |
| rline}](http://www.sos.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Selma***                       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Climate Reference Network**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Selma Station**                 |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The U.S. Climate Reference        |                                   |
| Network (USCRN) is an operational |                                   |
| network of climate stations. Data |                                   |
| from the USCRN will be used in    |                                   |
| operational climate monitoring    |                                   |
| activities and for placing        |                                   |
| current climate anomalies into an |                                   |
| historical perspective. NOAA\'s   |                                   |
| National Climatic Data Center     |                                   |
| (NCDC) manages and operates the   |                                   |
| USCRN. The USCRN will also        |                                   |
| provide the United States with a  |                                   |
| reference network that            |                                   |
| contributes to an International   |                                   |
| network under the auspices of the |                                   |
| Global Climate Observing System   |                                   |
| (GCOS). NOAA's National           |                                   |
| Environmental Satellite, Data,    |                                   |
| and Information Service and       |                                   |
| NOAA's Office of Oceanic and      |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research jointly      |                                   |
| manage USCRN.                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.ncdc.noaa            |                                   |
| .gov/crn/hourly]{.underline}](htt |                                   |
| p://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/crn/hourly) |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **NOAA's Office of Legislative    |                                   |
| Affairs**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Tel: 202-482-4981               |                                   |
| [ht                               |                                   |
| tp://www.legislative.noaa.gov](ht |                                   |
| tp://www.legislative.noaa.gov/)** |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+