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| ![](media/image1.png){width="7.527777777777778in"                     |
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| **NOAA In Your Territory**                                            |
|                                                                       |
| **American Samoa**                                                    |
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| *NOAA\'s work touches the daily lives of every person in the United   |
| States and in much of the world. Our products and services are the    |
| result of the hard work 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.*             |
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| ***American Samoa***                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| ***Coastal***                                                         |
|                                                                       |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**                                      |
|                                                                       |
| **Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program**                  |
|                                                                       |
| **IOOS Regional Association**                                         |
|                                                                       |
| The NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) program manages the |
| development of a national network of 11 Regional Associations (RAs)   |
| of coastal ocean observing systems. The Pacific Islands Ocean         |
| Observing System (PacIOOS) intent is to create an effective           |
| partnership of data providers and users who will work together to     |
| develop, disseminate, evaluate and apply new ocean data and           |
| information products designed specifically to address the needs of    |
| the communities, businesses and resources that call the Pacific home. |
| The PacIOOS region is defined as the state of Hawaii, the             |
| Commonwealth and Territories of the United States in the Pacific and  |
| the Freely Associated States in the Pacific.                          |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pacioos//i                       |
| ndex.htm]{.underline}](http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pacioos/index.htm) |
|                                                                       |
| ***Entire Territory***                                                |
|                                                                       |
| **National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)**                          |
|                                                                       |
| **Pacific Islands Region**                                            |
|                                                                       |
| **Habitat Conservation Field Office**                                 |
|                                                                       |
| The Habitat Conservation field office in American Samoa is an         |
| extension of the Honolulu office that reviews local Army Corps of     |
| Engineer permit applications and is engaged in extensive fieldwork to |
| support project reviews. This field office responds to request from   |
| other NMFS divisions as the local experts providing valuable          |
| information on habitat and protected resources. The Habitat           |
| Conservation division in American Samoa coordinates activities of the |
| NMFS Coral Program including responsibility in revising local action  |
| strategies and works closely with coral reef program points of        |
| contact on issues of funding projects in the area. There are field    |
| offices in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands  |
| serving similar functions.                                            |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/]{.underline}](http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/)  |
|                                                                       |
| **National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)**                          |
|                                                                       |
| **Pacific Islands Region**                                            |
|                                                                       |
| **International Fisheries Field Office**                              |
|                                                                       |
| The essential duties of the International Fisheries field office in   |
| American Samoa are to monitor activities of the U.S. purse seine      |
| fleet under the South Pacific Tuna Treaty and to fulfill a variety of |
| ancillary activities related to treaty obligations. This field office |
| is responsible for sampling the catch of U.S. purse seiners for       |
| species composition and collecting length frequency data, which       |
| contributes to tuna stock assessments. They facilitate the placement  |
| of Forum Fishery Agency deployed observers on U.S. purse seiners and  |
| monitor the purse seine fleet through the Vessel Monitoring System.   |
| They act as the point of contact for fishery related treaty issues    |
| with the Forum Fishery Agency and other foreign nations on issues of  |
| mutual interest. In the future, this field office will play a pivotal |
| role in implementing the port state obligations under the Western and |
| Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.                                 |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/]{.underline}](http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/)  |
|                                                                       |
| **National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)**                          |
|                                                                       |
| **Pacific Islands Region**                                            |
|                                                                       |
| **Observer Program Field Office**                                     |
|                                                                       |
| The Observer Program in American Samoa is responsible for fielding    |
| observers in the American Samoa longline fishery to obtain data on    |
| incidental sea turtle take and collect fishing effort data. The       |
| observers document interactions of all protected species, record data |
| on fish that are kept and discarded, and process selected specimens   |
| for life history information. The Pacific Islands Region uses         |
| observer data to calculate official estimates *(e.g.* protected       |
| species interactions) and produce technical reports.                  |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/]{.underline}](http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/)  |
|                                                                       |
| **National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)**                          |
|                                                                       |
| **Pacific Islands Region**                                            |
|                                                                       |
| **Pacific Islands Regional Office & Fisheries Science Center**        |
|                                                                       |
| NMFS is responsible for the management, conservation and protection   |
| of living marine resources within the United States\' Exclusive       |
| Economic Zone (water to 200 miles off the seaward boundaries of       |
| coastal states). Using the tools provided by the Magnuson-Stevens     |
| Act, NMFS assesses and predicts the status of fish stocks, develops   |
| and ensures compliance with fisheries regulations, restores and       |
| protects habitat and works to reduce wasteful fishing practices, and  |
| promote sustainable fisheries. Under the *Marine Mammal Protection    |
| Act* and the *Endangered Species Act*, NMFS recovers protected marine |
| species (i.e. whales, turtles). Federal waters surrounding the U.S.   |
| States, Territories and Commonwealth of the Pacific Islands States    |
| are home to a unique and varied marine environment---the Pacific      |
| Islands Regional Office (located in Honolulu, HI) integrates policy   |
| expertise and cutting-edge scientific research to provide management  |
| and conservation of domestic and international living marine          |
| resources using a number of ecosystem-based strategies to manage the  |
| marine resources of the region. Responsibilities include maintaining  |
| healthy fish stocks for commercial, recreational and subsistence      |
| fishing, protecting and recovering populations of protected species,  |
| preserving and restoring marine habitat, and coordinating with        |
| international organizations to implement and monitor fishery          |
| agreements and treaties.                                              |
|                                                                       |
| The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (also located in         |
| Honolulu, HI) conducts monitoring and research on marine fisheries,   |
| marine mammals and cetaceans, sea turtles, and coral reef and other   |
| ecosystems in the central and western Pacific. It is responsible for  |
| providing scientific advice for the conservation and management of    |
| both domestic and international fisheries as well as on protected     |
| species and marine habitats. The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science    |
| Center also utilizes two other facilities: the Kewalo Research        |
| Facility located on the Honolulu docks, has seawater capabilities for |
| conducting research on live large pelagic fishes, monk seals, and sea |
| turtles, and the Aiea Research Facility that has wet lab capabilities |
| for fisheries research. The Center uses the NOAA ship Oscar E. Sette  |
| as its primary at-sea research platform.                              |
|                                                                       |
| [http://www.fpir.noaa.gov](http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/) and             |
| [http://www.nmfs.hawaii.edu](http://www.nmfs.hawaii.edu/)             |
|                                                                       |
| **National Weather Service (NWS)**                                    |
|                                                                       |
| **Pacific Region**                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| **Headquarters**                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| Located in the Mauka Tower of the Pacific Guardian Center in downtown |
| Honolulu, HI, this regional office has administrative and management  |
| responsibilities for all National Weather Service field operations in |
| Hawaii and the territories of American Samoa, Guam and Commonwealth   |
| of the Northern Mariana Islands. These areas include offices in       |
| Honolulu, Hilo, Kahului, and Lihue, Hawaii; Guam; Pago Pago, American |
| Samoa; Koror, Republic of Palau; Majuro, Republic of the Marshall     |
| Islands; and Pohnpei, Yap and Chuuk, Federated Sates of Micronesia.   |
| The NWS Pacific Region operates its five Micronesian offices in       |
| cooperation with the Republic of the Palau, Republic of the Marshall  |
| Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia in accordance with the |
| provisions of the Compact of Free Association between the United      |
| States and each Micronesian government. The five Micronesian Weather  |
| Service Offices provide the United States with critical Upper-Air     |
| Data and Aviation Weather Observations. These offices also provide    |
| adaptive weather forecasts and warnings to their local constituents.  |
| The Pacific Region Headquarters also oversees the Central Pacific     |
| Hurricane Center and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and it hosts |
| the International Tsunami Information Center.                         |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://www.prh.noaa.gov.]{.underline}](http://www.prh.noaa.gov/)    |
|                                                                       |
| **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 American Samoa. 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 (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.                                            |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov]{.underline}](http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/) |
|                                                                       |
| **National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)**                          |
|                                                                       |
| **Office of Law Enforcement**                                         |
|                                                                       |
| **Field Office**                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| NOAA\'s Office of Law Enforcement is dedicated primarily to the       |
| enforcement of laws that protect and regulate our nation's living     |
| marine resources and their natural habitat. Special agents and        |
| enforcement officers have specified authority to enforce over 37      |
| statutes, as well as numerous treaties related to the conservation    |
| and protection of marine resources and other matters of concern to    |
| NOAA. With the recent formation of the Pacific Island Division, the   |
| Southwest has the opportunity to focus solely on California issues.   |
| Comprised of the Hawaiian Islands, the Commonwealth of Guam, American |
| Samoa and the Northern Marianas, the Pacific Island Division's area   |
| of responsibility covers 9,870 miles of coastline incorporating not   |
| only the main inhabited islands but also remote locations such as     |
| Wake Island, Howland Island, Baker Island, Jarvis Island, Palmyra     |
| Atoll, Johnston's Atoll and Kingman Reef. These marine areas provide  |
| habitat to thousands of species of protected marine mammals and       |
| managed fish, and four species of endangered sea turtles. The         |
| Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary in Hawaii   |
| Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa and the      |
| newly created Northwest Hawaiian Islands National Monument are all    |
| found within this region.                                             |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/se_southea                             |
| st.html]{.underline}](http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/se_southeast.html) |
|                                                                       |
| ***Pago Pago***                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**                                      |
|                                                                       |
| **Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services**        |
|                                                                       |
| **National Water Level Observation Network**                          |
|                                                                       |
| The National Ocean Service (NOS) operates one long-term continuously  |
| operating tide station in American Samoa, which provides data and     |
| information on tidal datums and relative mean sea level trends, and   |
| is capable of producing real-time data for storm surge and tsunami    |
| warning. This station is located in Pago Pago.                        |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://tid                                                          |
| esandcurrents.noaa.gov]{.underline}](http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/) |
|                                                                       |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**                                      |
|                                                                       |
| **Office of National Marine Sanctuaries**                             |
|                                                                       |
| **Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary**                            |
|                                                                       |
| Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1986 in      |
| response to a proposal from the American Samoa Government to the      |
| National Marine Sanctuary Program. Fagatele Bay National Marine       |
| Sanctuary comprises a fringing coral reef ecosystem nestled within an |
| eroded volcanic crater on the island of Tutuila, American Samoa.      |
| Fagatele Bay provides a home to a wide variety of animals and plants  |
| that thrive in the protected waters of the bay. The coral reef        |
| ecosystem found in the Sanctuary contains many of the species native  |
| to this part of the Indo-Pacific biogeographic region. Turtle,        |
| whales, sharks and the giant clam all find refuge in this protected   |
| area.                                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| <http://fagatelebay.noaa.gov/>                                        |
|                                                                       |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**                                      |
|                                                                       |
| **Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management**                   |
|                                                                       |
| **American Samoa Coastal Management Program**                         |
|                                                                       |
| The American Samoa Department of Commerce administers the American    |
| Samoa Coastal Program. The entire territory, 126 miles of coastline,  |
| is included in its coastal zone boundary. The Coastal Program has     |
| developed a unique approach that incorporates both western and        |
| traditional systems of management. The Territory and the coastal      |
| program face many issues including rapid population growth, drastic   |
| loss of wetland resources, water contamination, and loss of valuable  |
| ecosystems. To address the challenges, the program emphasizes         |
| land-use permitting, community-based management of wetlands,          |
| non-point source pollution, and building public awareness around      |
| coastal issues. Program implementation relies heavily on inter-agency |
| partnerships.                                                         |
|                                                                       |
| [[                                                                    |
| http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/mystate/american_samoa.html]{.under |
| line}](http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/mystate/american_samoa.html) |
|                                                                       |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**                                      |
|                                                                       |
| **Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management**                   |
|                                                                       |
| **Coral Reef Conservation Program**                                   |
|                                                                       |
| American Samoa is composed of high volcanic islands and low-lying     |
| atolls that have narrow reef flats with fairly diverse marine life    |
| and are in relatively good condition. However, warming seas and       |
| intense fishing pressure have begun to take their toll on these       |
| reefs. The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) conducts       |
| seafloor mapping, assessment and characterization, and monitoring     |
| activities in each U.S. jurisdiction with coral reefs. Shallow-water  |
| seafloor habitat maps for American Samoa were released in 2005. he    |
| CRCP also conducts research to better understand coral reef           |
| structure, function, and health. Each U.S. jurisdiction receives      |
| coral reef grants annually to conduct research, monitoring, and       |
| management activities and in addition have developed Local Action     |
| Strategies to promote effective local management of coral reefs. A    |
| coral reef status report is produced every 2-3 years based on         |
| monitoring and research conducted in each jurisdiction. The program   |
| also strives to increase the use and effectiveness of coral reef      |
| Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as a management tool.                   |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://http:/                                                       |
| /www.coralreef.noaa.gov]{.underline}](http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/) |
|                                                                       |
| **National Weather Service (NWS)**                                    |
|                                                                       |
| **Weather Service Office (WSO)**                                      |
|                                                                       |
| **Pago Pago WSO**                                                     |
|                                                                       |
| WSO Pago Pago\'s area of responsibility is the Territory of American  |
| Samoa and adjacent territorial waters. The office conducts surface    |
| and upper air observing programs and provides a full suite of watch,  |
| warning, advisory, and forecast products for the general public and   |
| marine communities. WSO Pago Pago is also responsible for             |
| coordination of its meteorological products with the Meteorological   |
| Service in the Independent State of Samoa.                            |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://                                                             |
| www.prh.noaa.gov/samoa/]{.underline}](http://www.prh.noaa.gov/samoa/) |
|                                                                       |
| **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.go                                           |
| v/jsp/raob.jsp]{.underline}](http://www.gpsmet.noaa.gov/jsp/raob.jsp) |
|                                                                       |
| ***Tutuila Island***                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| **Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)**                  |
|                                                                       |
| **Earth System Research Laboratory/Global Monitoring Division**       |
|                                                                       |
| **Monitoring the Surface Atmosphere -- Halocarbon Measurements**      |
|                                                                       |
| NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) operates a sampling    |
| network to measure the distribution and trends of the gases most      |
| responsible for human-caused depletion of the stratospheric ozone     |
| layer. Weekly samples are collected in high-pressure flasks at fixed  |
| locations. The air sample flasks are delivered to the ESRL            |
| laboratory, located in Boulder, CO for analysis. Some locations       |
| conduct continuous surface measurements on site. Halocarbon           |
| measurements help determine the effectiveness of efforts to protect   |
| and restore the ozone layer - so it can protect us from the sun's     |
| ultraviolet radiation.                                                |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://www.esrl                                                     |
| .noaa.gov/gmd/hats/]{.underline}](http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/hats/) |
|                                                                       |
| **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 provide information on possible long-term changes in      |
| tropospheric ozone near the surface and support air quality research. |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://www.esrl                                                     |
| .noaa.gov/gmd/ozwv/]{.underline}](http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ozwv/) |
|                                                                       |
| **Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)**                  |
|                                                                       |
| **Earth System Research Laboratory/Global Monitoring Division**       |
|                                                                       |
| **Samoa Observatory**                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| The Samoa Observatory is one of five baseline observatories supported |
| by NOAA\'s Climate Observations and Analysis Program and operated by  |
| the NOAA Research, Earth System Research Laboratory, located in       |
| Boulder, CO. The observatories are part of a global network of        |
| observatories monitoring atmospheric constituents that cause climate  |
| change and depletion of the ozone layer. The Samoa Observatory was    |
| established in 1974 and is located on the northeastern tip of Tutuila |
| Island, on a ridge overlooking the South Pacific Ocean. It maintains  |
| monitoring programs in greenhouse and other trace gases, atmospheric  |
| aerosols, solar radiation variability and meteorological parameters.  |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/smo/index                         |
| .html]{.underline}](http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/smo/index.html) |
|                                                                       |
| **Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)**                  |
|                                                                       |
| **Earth System Research Laboratory/Global Monitoring Division**       |
|                                                                       |
| **Stratospheric Aerosol Lidar Measurements**                          |
|                                                                       |
| NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) operates three         |
| stratospheric lidar systems to measure atmospheric aerosol profiles.  |
| The Samoa system went online in 2004. Stratospheric lidar systems     |
| measure aerosol light for monitoring stratospheric aerosols from      |
| volcanic origins. Volcanic aerosols in the stratosphere from future   |
| eruptions could act as catalysts for large scale stratospheric ozone  |
| depletions until anthropogenic stratospheric halocarbon               |
| concentrations decrease to lower levels by mid-century. These ongoing |
| observations are important for monitoring the recovery of the         |
| stratospheric ozone layer, which protects us from the sun's           |
| ultraviolet radiation.                                                |
|                                                                       |
| [[http://www.esrl                                                     |
| .noaa.gov/gmd/ozwv/]{.underline}](http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ozwv/) |
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| **NOAA's Office of Legislative Affairs**                              |
|                                                                       |
| **Tel: 202-482-4981                                                   |
| [http://www.legislative.noaa.gov](http://www.legislative.noaa.gov/)** |
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