+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ![](media/image1                  |                                   |
| .png){width="7.527777777777778in" |                                   |
| height="0.9416666666666667in"}    |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **NOAA In Your State**            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Maryland**                      |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| *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.*             |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ***MD***                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Annapolis, Baltimore,          |                                   |
| Beltsville, Greenbelt,            |                                   |
| Hagerstown***                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **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)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Integrated Ocean Observing      |                                   |
| System (IOOS) Program**           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **IOOS Regional Association**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean    |                                   |
| Observing Regional Association    |                                   |
| (MACOORA) is one of eleven        |                                   |
| regional associations in the      |                                   |
| United States focused on ocean    |                                   |
| observing. Our region exends from |                                   |
| Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod and     |                                   |
| includes all the estuaries and    |                                   |
| the continental shelf waters.     |                                   |
| Nearly 25% of the nation\'s       |                                   |
| population lives next to the      |                                   |
| MACOORA ocean region.             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.macoora.org/]{.und   |                                   |
| erline}](http://www.macoora.org/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Coastal***                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **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 Maryland.  |                                   |
| 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/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Statewide***                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **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://www.csc                  |                                   |
| .noaa.gov/crs/tcm/]{.underline}]( |                                   |
| http://www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Statewide***                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Management Fellowship** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The NOAA Coastal Management       |                                   |
| Fellowship matches postgraduate   |                                   |
| students with state coastal zone  |                                   |
| programs to work on two-year      |                                   |
| projects proposed by the state.   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fe  |                                   |
| llows.html]{.underline}](http://w |                                   |
| ww.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **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.       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.csc.noa              |                                   |
| a.gov/landcover/]{.underline}](ht |                                   |
| tp://www.csc.noaa.gov/landcover/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Legislative Atlas**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| This Web-based legislative        |                                   |
| mapping tool provides coastal     |                                   |
| resource managers with easy       |                                   |
| access to coastal legislative     |                                   |
| data and information. In 2008 the |                                   |
| Legislative Atlas team added      |                                   |
| additional legislative            |                                   |
| information for the three regions |                                   |
| represented in the                |                                   |
| atlas---Hawaii, West Coast, and   |                                   |
| the Gulf of Maine. This added     |                                   |
| information included both federal |                                   |
| and state regulations. The        |                                   |
| legislative query tool is also    |                                   |
| being redesigned according to     |                                   |
| user input.                       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [                                 |                                   |
| [http://www.csc.noaa.gov/legislat |                                   |
| iveatlas/]{.underline}](http://ww |                                   |
| w.csc.noaa.gov/legislativeatlas/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Coastal Services Center (CSC)** |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Fisheries' Community-Based |                                   |
| Restoration Program and           |                                   |
| Cooperative Habitat Protection    |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| These two programs help           |                                   |
| practitioners and coastal         |                                   |
| managers implement                |                                   |
| ecosystem-based management        |                                   |
| practices to increase the number  |                                   |
| of habitat acres restored or      |                                   |
| conserved. The Center has         |                                   |
| particular expertise in the       |                                   |
| planning for habitat restoration  |                                   |
| and conservation. Current efforts |                                   |
| for this project involve          |                                   |
| developing information resources  |                                   |
| and tools that improve and        |                                   |
| enhance shoreline restoration and |                                   |
| protection in the Chesapeake Bay. |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **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://www.csc.noa              |                                   |
| a.gov/topobathy/]{.underline}](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.g           |                                   |
| ov/bins/resources/training.html]{ |                                   |
| .underline}](http://www.csc.noaa. |                                   |
| gov/bins/resources/training.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **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. These mobile PC--based      |                                   |
| client software packages are used |                                   |
| by NWS forecasters at fires in    |                                   |
| all 50 states. Computer servers   |                                   |
| that communicate with the mobile  |                                   |
| PC clients are located in Hawaii, |                                   |
| Alaska, Utah, Colorado, Texas and |                                   |
| New York. The PC-base clients are |                                   |
| also used by state emergency      |                                   |
| managers in many of the NWS       |                                   |
| regional areas. 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)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Climate Program Office**        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Maryland Grants**               |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA is a leading provider of     |                                   |
| climate, weather, and water       |                                   |
| information and services to the   |                                   |
| nation and the world. NOAA's      |                                   |
| Climate Program Office was        |                                   |
| established in October 2005. The  |                                   |
| Office manages the competitive    |                                   |
| research program by which NOAA    |                                   |
| funds high-priority climate       |                                   |
| science to advance understanding  |                                   |
| of atmospheric, oceanic,          |                                   |
| land-based, and snow and ice      |                                   |
| processes, and how they affect    |                                   |
| climate. It focuses on developing |                                   |
| a broader user community for      |                                   |
| climate products and services,    |                                   |
| provides NOAA a focal point for   |                                   |
| climate activities within NOAA,   |                                   |
| leads NOAA climate education and  |                                   |
| outreach activities, and          |                                   |
| coordinates international climate |                                   |
| activities. It supports projects  |                                   |
| across the nation conducted by    |                                   |
| investigators outside the federal |                                   |
| government, such as the through   |                                   |
| the academic and private sectors, |                                   |
| within the federal government,    |                                   |
| and in NOAA Cooperative           |                                   |
| Institutes. The Climate Program   |                                   |
| Office provides climate funding   |                                   |
| in this state.                    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [http                             |                                   |
| ://www.cpo.noaa.gov/]{.underline} |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Sea Grant College      |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Maryland Sea Grant College      |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| 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. Located at the          |                                   |
| University of Maryland's College  |                                   |
| Park Campus, Maryland Sea Grant   |                                   |
| supports a statewide program of   |                                   |
| research, education, and          |                                   |
| extension services that works to  |                                   |
| promote the wise use of marine    |                                   |
| resources, with a strong ethic of |                                   |
| stewardship. Current research     |                                   |
| targets coastal ecosystem health  |                                   |
| and economic leadership,          |                                   |
| including toxic contaminants,     |                                   |
| environmental management, the     |                                   |
| balance between population growth |                                   |
| and the productivity of the       |                                   |
| Chesapeake Bay, oyster disease,   |                                   |
| and invasive species. Maryland    |                                   |
| Sea Grant, through active         |                                   |
| communications and extension      |                                   |
| efforts, informs industry, policy |                                   |
| makers and the public on issues   |                                   |
| related to aquaculture, oyster    |                                   |
| disease, commercial and           |                                   |
| recreational fishing, natural     |                                   |
| resources conservation and        |                                   |
| biodiversity, coastal water       |                                   |
| quality, seafood processing, and  |                                   |
| nutrition. The Program also       |                                   |
| produces a wide range of print    |                                   |
| and nonprint materials, including |                                   |
| award-winning videos and two      |                                   |
| newsletters, Chesapeake Quarterly |                                   |
| and Maryland Aquafarmer, in       |                                   |
| addition to web-based information |                                   |
| and educational activities.       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.mdsg.umd.edu]{.unde  |                                   |
| rline}](http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***MD-1***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Annapolis***                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Ocean and Coastal     |                                   |
| Resource Management**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Chesapeake Bay National         |                                   |
| Estuarine Research Reserve**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| One site is not sufficient to     |                                   |
| represent the environmental       |                                   |
| diversity in the Chesapeake Bay.  |                                   |
| The Reserve, designated in 1985,  |                                   |
| is managed by the Maryland        |                                   |
| Department of Natural Resources.  |                                   |
| The three different components of |                                   |
| the Chesapeake Bay Maryland       |                                   |
| Reserve feature very different    |                                   |
| and distinct habitat types:       |                                   |
| freshwater and flooded hardwood   |                                   |
| marshes, brackish marshes,        |                                   |
| riverine wetlands and open water. |                                   |
| The reserve provides educational  |                                   |
| and interpretive programs for     |                                   |
| school groups and the public.     |                                   |
| Peregrine falcon bald eagles can  |                                   |
| be seen within the borders of the |                                   |
| 6,249-acre reserve.               |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Ches      |                                   |
| apeakeBayMD/]{.underline}](http:/ |                                   |
| /nerrs.noaa.gov/ChesapeakeBayMD/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Ocean and Coastal     |                                   |
| Resource Management**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Maryland Coastal Management     |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Maryland Coastal Program is   |                                   |
| administered by the Department of |                                   |
| Natural Resources, and is a       |                                   |
| networked program comprised of    |                                   |
| several state planning and        |                                   |
| regulatory programs, as well as   |                                   |
| the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays   |                                   |
| Critical Areas Protection         |                                   |
| Program. Maryland\'s coastal      |                                   |
| boundary follows the inland       |                                   |
| boundary of the counties (and     |                                   |
| Baltimore City) bordering the     |                                   |
| Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay,   |                                   |
| and the Potomac River (as far as  |                                   |
| the municipal limits of           |                                   |
| Washington, D.C.). The Coastal    |                                   |
| Program addresses a variety of    |                                   |
| coastal issues including          |                                   |
| provision of public access,       |                                   |
| nonpoint source pollution         |                                   |
| reduction, coastal hazards        |                                   |
| mitigation, habitat and living    |                                   |
| resources protection, and growth  |                                   |
| management. The Coastal Program   |                                   |
| supports growth management at the |                                   |
| local level through the Coastal   |                                   |
| Communities Initiative, which     |                                   |
| helps local jurisdictions         |                                   |
| identify and change codes and     |                                   |
| ordinances in ways that are       |                                   |
| protective of natural resources.  |                                   |
| Maryland Shorelines Online helps  |                                   |
| property owners, municipal        |                                   |
| officials, educators, and marine  |                                   |
| contractors understand shoreline  |                                   |
| management processes, assistance  |                                   |
| opportunities and practices       |                                   |
| appropriate for maintaining the   |                                   |
| rich cultural and natural         |                                   |
| resources associated with         |                                   |
| Maryland\'s coastal and shoreline |                                   |
| areas.                            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://coastalm                 |                                   |
| anagement.noaa.gov/mystate/md.htm |                                   |
| l]{.underline}](http://coastalman |                                   |
| agement.noaa.gov/mystate/md.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA-wide**                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Chesapeake Bay Program**        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office**    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is |                                   |
| headquartered on the Annapolis,   |                                   |
| Maryland, waterfront, close to    |                                   |
| the Chesapeake Bay Program. This  |                                   |
| location enables access to many   |                                   |
| Bay constituencies and encourages |                                   |
| close collaboration with other    |                                   |
| federal agencies and partners.    |                                   |
| The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office's  |                                   |
| Fisheries, Habitat, Coastal       |                                   |
| Observations, and Education       |                                   |
| efforts are coordinated through   |                                   |
| this office.                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://noa                      |                                   |
| a.chesapeakebay.net/]{.underline} |                                   |
| ](http://noaa.chesapeakebay.net/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Berlin***                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **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. Office for Law   |                                   |
| Enforcement 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. From  |                                   |
| the Maine/Canadian border south   |                                   |
| to the southern parts of Virginia |                                   |
| lies one of the largest and       |                                   |
| most-active fishing fleets in the |                                   |
| world.                            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Over 12,000 federally licensed    |                                   |
| commercial fishing vessels ply    |                                   |
| these waters in search of         |                                   |
| scallops, blue fin tuna,          |                                   |
| swordfish, monkfish, lobster and  |                                   |
| Atlantic cod. In the Northeast    |                                   |
| Division, the special agents and  |                                   |
| support personnel monitor         |                                   |
| thousands of recreational fishing |                                   |
| vessels, 43 major seafood ports,  |                                   |
| 12 major seafood exchanges, 21    |                                   |
| major international airports, and |                                   |
| eight major entry stations from   |                                   |
| Canada. The Office for Law        |                                   |
| Enforcement Northeast Division is |                                   |
| also responsible for enforcement  |                                   |
| activities within NOAA's          |                                   |
| Stellwagen Bank National Marine   |                                   |
| Sanctuary off Massachusetts and   |                                   |
| Thunder Bay National Marine       |                                   |
| Sanctuary in Michigan. The        |                                   |
| Northeast Division has a vast     |                                   |
| assortment of missions to enforce |                                   |
| laws across 84,000 miles of open  |                                   |
| water in the EEZ that are home to |                                   |
| multiple endangered species       |                                   |
| including the critically          |                                   |
| endangered Northern Right Whale.  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://ww                       |                                   |
| w.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/ne_northeast. |                                   |
| html]{.underline}](http://www.nmf |                                   |
| s.noaa.gov/ole/ne_northeast.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Chesapeake Bay***              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Center for Operational          |                                   |
| Oceanographic Products and        |                                   |
| Services**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Chesapeake Bay PORTS®**         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| A Physical Oceanographic          |                                   |
| Real-Time System (PORTS®) is      |                                   |
| operated cooperatively with the   |                                   |
| local maritime community in       |                                   |
| Chesapeake Bay 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 from fourteen        |                                   |
| stations, conductivity from one   |                                   |
| station, currents from six        |                                   |
| stations, air gap from two        |                                   |
| stations and meteorological data  |                                   |
| from seventeen locations.         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://tidesand                 |                                   |
| currents.noaa.gov]{.underline}](h |                                   |
| ttp://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Oxford***                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office**    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Oxford Laboratory**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office    |                                   |
| runs a fisheries and habitat      |                                   |
| research and modeling program at  |                                   |
| the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory |                                   |
| on Maryland's Eastern Shore.      |                                   |
| Here, scientists investigate the  |                                   |
| health problems of fish,          |                                   |
| shellfish, and other aquatic life |                                   |
| in the Chesapeake Bay. Oxford     |                                   |
| researchers collaborate with      |                                   |
| scientists nationally and         |                                   |
| internationally to improve the    |                                   |
| understanding of aquatic animal   |                                   |
| health and to develop             |                                   |
| ecosystem-based management        |                                   |
| strategies to prevent and         |                                   |
| mitigate diseases in fish and     |                                   |
| shellfish. The Environmental      |                                   |
| Science Training Center supports  |                                   |
| education efforts about the       |                                   |
| Chesapeake Bay. The NOAA          |                                   |
| Chesapeake Bay Office manages the |                                   |
| B-WET competitive grant program,  |                                   |
| which supports educational        |                                   |
| programs that enable meaningful   |                                   |
| watershed educational experiences |                                   |
| for students throughout the Bay   |                                   |
| watershed, including Maryland.    |                                   |
| The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office's  |                                   |
| Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy  |                                   |
| System monitors meteorological    |                                   |
| and water-quality conditions up   |                                   |
| and down the Bay.                 |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Centers for Coastal    |                                   |
| Ocean Science**                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Center for Coastal              |                                   |
| Environmental Health and          |                                   |
| Biomolecular Research -           |                                   |
| Cooperative Oxford Laboratory**   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Cooperative Oxford Laboratory |                                   |
| (COL), part of the National       |                                   |
| Centers for Coastal Ocean         |                                   |
| Science, is situated along the    |                                   |
| Tred Avon river, a tidal estuary  |                                   |
| of the Chesapeake Bay on          |                                   |
| Maryland\'s Eastern Shore. COL is |                                   |
| the only Federal aquatic research |                                   |
| facility on the Chesapeake Bay,   |                                   |
| the largest estuary in the United |                                   |
| States. Laboratory investigations |                                   |
| include infectious and            |                                   |
| non-infectious diseases of        |                                   |
| molluscan and crustacean          |                                   |
| shellfish species and the         |                                   |
| influence of natural and manmade  |                                   |
| environmental factors on the      |                                   |
| occurrence and persistence of     |                                   |
| those diseases. NOAA and the      |                                   |
| Maryland Department of Natural    |                                   |
| Resources have a cooperative      |                                   |
| agreement to share this facility  |                                   |
| and conduct research on the       |                                   |
| health of living marine           |                                   |
| resources.                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.ch                   |                                   |
| br.noaa.gov/default.aspx?category |                                   |
| =oxford&pageName=Oxford%20home%20 |                                   |
| page]{.underline}](http://www.chb |                                   |
| r.noaa.gov/default.aspx?category= |                                   |
| oxford&pageName=Oxford home page) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA-wide**                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Chesapeake Bay Program**        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office --   |                                   |
| Cooperative Oxford Laboratory**   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office    |                                   |
| runs a fisheries and habitat      |                                   |
| research and modeling program at  |                                   |
| the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory |                                   |
| on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Here |                                   |
| scientists investigate the health |                                   |
| problems of fish, shellfish, and  |                                   |
| other aquatic life in the         |                                   |
| Chesapeake Bay. Oxford            |                                   |
| researchers collaborate with      |                                   |
| scientists nationally and         |                                   |
| internationally to improve the    |                                   |
| understanding of aquatic animal   |                                   |
| health and to develop             |                                   |
| ecosystem-based management        |                                   |
| strategies to prevent and         |                                   |
| mitigate diseases in fish and     |                                   |
| shellfish.                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://noa                      |                                   |
| a.chesapeakebay.net/]{.underline} |                                   |
| ](http://noaa.chesapeakebay.net/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***MD-1 through 5***              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Various Ocean and Bay          |                                   |
| cities***                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Center for Operational          |                                   |
| Oceanographic Products and        |                                   |
| Services**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Water Level            |                                   |
| Observation Network**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The National Ocean Service (NOS)  |                                   |
| operates six long-term            |                                   |
| continuously operating tide       |                                   |
| stations in the state of          |                                   |
| Maryland, which provide data and  |                                   |
| information on tidal datums and   |                                   |
| relative sea level trends, and    |                                   |
| are capable of producing          |                                   |
| real-time data for storm surge    |                                   |
| warning. These stations are       |                                   |
| located at Ocean City Inlet,      |                                   |
| Cambridge,Bishops Head,,          |                                   |
| Baltimore, Annapolis and Solomons |                                   |
| Island.                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://tidesand                 |                                   |
| currents.noaa.gov]{.underline}](h |                                   |
| ttp://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **MD-1,2,3,5**                    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Chesapeake Bay Region**         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Habitat Program**               |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Restoration Center**            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NMFS Restoration Center works     |                                   |
| with 152 private and public       |                                   |
| partners in Maryland to remove    |                                   |
| invasive species and dams, modify |                                   |
| culverts, restore tidal wetlands  |                                   |
| and submerged aquatic vegetation, |                                   |
| and rebuild the native oyster     |                                   |
| population. Nearly one hundred    |                                   |
| projects have been constructed in |                                   |
| the State since 1996, and roughly |                                   |
| 11,000 volunteers have            |                                   |
| contributed their time to restore |                                   |
| more than 1,100 acres of habitat  |                                   |
| and open more than 30 stream      |                                   |
| miles. The Community-based        |                                   |
| Restoration Program and its       |                                   |
| partners have restored over 250   |                                   |
| acres of tidal salt marsh in      |                                   |
| Maryland. Volunteers have         |                                   |
| contributed more than 100,000     |                                   |
| hours in these restoration        |                                   |
| efforts.                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.nmfs.                |                                   |
| noaa.gov/habitat/]{.underline}](h |                                   |
| ttp://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office**    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Chesapeake Bay Interpretive     |                                   |
| Buoy System**                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office   |                                   |
| operates and maintains \"smart    |                                   |
| buoys\" in key locations          |                                   |
| throughout Maryland\'s portion of |                                   |
| the Chesapeake Bay that provide   |                                   |
| real-time meteorological,         |                                   |
| oceanographic, and water-quality  |                                   |
| data available at www.buoybay.org |                                   |
| or by calling 877-BUOY-BAY. The   |                                   |
| Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy  |                                   |
| System buoys also mark and        |                                   |
| interpret points along the        |                                   |
| Captain John Smith Chesapeake     |                                   |
| National Historic Trail and serve |                                   |
| as an important component of the  |                                   |
| Chesapeake Bay Observing          |                                   |
| System.](http://www.buoybay.org/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| <htt                              |                                   |
| p://www.buoybay.org/site/public/> |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Northeast Region**              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Northeast Regional Office and   |                                   |
| Science Center**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NMFS is responsible for the       |                                   |
| management, conservation and      |                                   |
| protection of living marine       |                                   |
| resources within the United       |                                   |
| States\' Exclusive Economic Zone  |                                   |
| (water three to 200 mile          |                                   |
| offshore). 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).   |                                   |
| With the help of the six regional |                                   |
| offices and eight councils, NMFS  |                                   |
| is able to work with communities  |                                   |
| on fishery management issues. The |                                   |
| Northeast Regional Office         |                                   |
| (located in Gloucester, MA) is    |                                   |
| comprised of five divisions:      |                                   |
| Sustainable Fisheries, Habitat    |                                   |
| Conservation, Protected           |                                   |
| Resources, Fisheries Statistics,  |                                   |
| and State, Federal, and           |                                   |
| Constituent Programs. Key species |                                   |
| managed in the Northeast Region   |                                   |
| include the northeast             |                                   |
| "multispecies complex" (cod,      |                                   |
| haddock, yellowtail flounder      |                                   |
| etc.), Atlantic sea scallops,     |                                   |
| herring, lobster, and summer      |                                   |
| flounder. Key marine endangered   |                                   |
| species in this region are        |                                   |
| Atlantic salmon, northern right   |                                   |
| whales, and Atlantic shortnose    |                                   |
| sturgeon.                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Northeast Science Center      |                                   |
| (headquartered in Woods Hole, MA) |                                   |
| focuses on collection, analysis,  |                                   |
| and presentation of scientific    |                                   |
| information about the Northeast   |                                   |
| Shelf ecosystem, its condition,   |                                   |
| and its marine life. In addition  |                                   |
| to its six laboratories, the      |                                   |
| Center uses 5 research vessels to |                                   |
| support its work. They are: the   |                                   |
| NOAA ships *Delaware II*, and     |                                   |
| *Henry B. Bigelow*, and the small |                                   |
| research vessels *Gloria          |                                   |
| Michelle*, *Victor Loosanoff*,    |                                   |
| and *Nauvoo*. The Northeast       |                                   |
| Regional Office and Science       |                                   |
| Center are responsible for the    |                                   |
| District of Columbia and the      |                                   |
| following states: Maine, New      |                                   |
| Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode   |                                   |
| Island, Connecticut, New York,    |                                   |
| New Jersey, Pennsylvania,         |                                   |
| Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and |                                   |
| North Carolina; and the inland    |                                   |
| states of Vermont, Minnesota,     |                                   |
| Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois,    |                                   |
| Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| <http://www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/>  |                                   |
| and <http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/>  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Earth System Research           |                                   |
| Laboratory/Chemical Sciences      |                                   |
| Division**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Fish Lidar, Oceanic,            |                                   |
| Experimental (FLOE)**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA\'s Earth System Research     |                                   |
| Laboratory is doing numerous      |                                   |
| coastal water surveys using NOAA  |                                   |
| Fish Lidar. LIDAR is an acronym   |                                   |
| for Light Detection And Ranging.  |                                   |
| Fish Lidar uses pulses of laser   |                                   |
| light to measure schools of fish  |                                   |
| swimming in the ocean. The per    |                                   |
| kilometer cost of a survey using  |                                   |
| Lidar from a small aircraft is    |                                   |
| less than 10% of a ship survey,   |                                   |
| and the depth penetration is more |                                   |
| than 3 times that of a visual     |                                   |
| survey. Current projects include  |                                   |
| distribution of forage species    |                                   |
| and biological hot spots in the   |                                   |
| southeast Bering Sea, abundance   |                                   |
| and distribution of sardine off   |                                   |
| the coast of Oregon and           |                                   |
| Washington, and surveys of        |                                   |
| menhaden abundance in Chesapeake  |                                   |
| Bay. The work in Chesapeake Bay   |                                   |
| uses a Partenavia Observer owned  |                                   |
| and operated by the U.S.          |                                   |
| Department of Interior. Research  |                                   |
| is being done with the Maryland   |                                   |
| State Department of Natural       |                                   |
| Resources.                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://esrl.noaa.gov            |                                   |
| /csd/fishlidar/]{.underline}](htt |                                   |
| p://esrl.noaa.gov/csd/fishlidar/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***MD-3***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Annapolis***                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office**    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Annapolis Office**              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is |                                   |
| headquartered on the Annapolis,   |                                   |
| Maryland, waterfront, close to    |                                   |
| the Chesapeake Bay Program. This  |                                   |
| location enables access to many   |                                   |
| Bay constituencies and encourages |                                   |
| close collaboration with other    |                                   |
| federal agencies and partners.    |                                   |
| The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office's  |                                   |
| Environmental Science, Coastal    |                                   |
| and Living Resource Management,   |                                   |
| and Environmental Literacy        |                                   |
| efforts are coordinated through   |                                   |
| this office. The NOAA Chesapeake  |                                   |
| Bay Office manages the B-WET      |                                   |
| competitive grant program, which  |                                   |
| supports educational programs     |                                   |
| that enable meaningful watershed  |                                   |
| educational experiences for       |                                   |
| students throughout the Bay       |                                   |
| watershed, including Maryland.    |                                   |
| The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office    |                                   |
| also collaborates with the        |                                   |
| Environmental Protection Agency   |                                   |
| and National Park Service on the  |                                   |
| Chesapeake Network for Education  |                                   |
| of Municipal Officials, which     |                                   |
| provides education and assistance |                                   |
| to local communities on           |                                   |
| conservation and planning topics. |                                   |
| The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office's  |                                   |
| Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy  |                                   |
| System monitors meteorological    |                                   |
| and water-quality conditions up   |                                   |
| and down the Bay.                 |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Northeast Region**              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Habitat Conservation Chesapeake |                                   |
| Bay Field Office**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| This office provides local        |                                   |
| support for NMFS habitat          |                                   |
| conservation efforts. It provides |                                   |
| consultative services for Federal |                                   |
| activities and Federally          |                                   |
| permitted activities that could   |                                   |
| affect living marine resources or |                                   |
| the habitats upon which they      |                                   |
| depend.                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www                      |                                   |
| .nero.noaa.gov/nero/]{.underline} |                                   |
| ](http://www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Princess Anne***               |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA's Office of Education**    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Educational Partnership         |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Living Marine Resources         |                                   |
| Cooperative Science Center**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA's Living Marine Resources    |                                   |
| Cooperative Science Center is led |                                   |
| by the University of Maryland -   |                                   |
| Eastern Shore, with its partners, |                                   |
| Delaware State University,        |                                   |
| Hampton University, Savannah      |                                   |
| State University, the University  |                                   |
| of Maryland Marine Biotechnology  |                                   |
| Institute's Center of Marine      |                                   |
| Biotechnology and the University  |                                   |
| of Miami Rosensteil School of     |                                   |
| Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.  |                                   |
| This Center is one of four        |                                   |
| cooperative science centers that  |                                   |
| are part of NOAA's Educational    |                                   |
| Partnership Program with Minority |                                   |
| Serving Institutions. The goals   |                                   |
| of the Center are to enhance the  |                                   |
| academic program capacities of    |                                   |
| the Center's collaborating        |                                   |
| Minority Serving Institutions, to |                                   |
| establish research programs in    |                                   |
| the marine sciences, and to       |                                   |
| generate a pool of scholars       |                                   |
| entering the marine sciences.     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.umbi.umd             |                                   |
| .edu/%7Ecomb/welcome/welcome.html |                                   |
| ]{.underline}](http://www.umbi.um |                                   |
| d.edu/~comb/welcome/welcome.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***MD-4***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Beltsville***                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Air Resources Laboratory**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Mercury Measurement Site**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA maintains a specialized      |                                   |
| ambient air mercury measurement   |                                   |
| site near Beltsville, Maryland,   |                                   |
| operated in collaboration with    |                                   |
| the U.S. EPA. The                 |                                   |
| state-of-the-art site is one of   |                                   |
| only a handful of stations        |                                   |
| nationwide providing              |                                   |
| semi-continuous measurements of   |                                   |
| reactive gaseous mercury,         |                                   |
| elemental mercury, and            |                                   |
| particulate mercury in air.       |                                   |
| Additional data are collected for |                                   |
| ambient air concentrations of     |                                   |
| trace gases (e.g., sulfur         |                                   |
| dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon  |                                   |
| monoxide, ozone), as well as      |                                   |
| meteorological parameters such as |                                   |
| temperature, humidity,            |                                   |
| precipitation, wind speed and     |                                   |
| direction. The site has been in   |                                   |
| operation since late 2006 and     |                                   |
| provides high quality data to air |                                   |
| quality and mercury transport     |                                   |
| models.                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [http://www.arl.noaa.             |                                   |
| gov/Mercury_meas.php]{.underline} |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Camp Springs***                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Center for Satellite            |                                   |
| Applications and Research         |                                   |
| (STAR)**                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Research and Product            |                                   |
| Development**                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Center for Satellite          |                                   |
| Applications and Research (STAR)  |                                   |
| is the science arm of the         |                                   |
| National Environmental Satellite, |                                   |
| Data and Information Service      |                                   |
| (NESDIS), which acquires and      |                                   |
| manages the nation\'s operational |                                   |
| Earth-observing satellites.       |                                   |
| NESDIS provides data from these   |                                   |
| satellites, and conducts research |                                   |
| to make that possible. STAR\'s    |                                   |
| mission is to transfer satellite  |                                   |
| observations of the land,         |                                   |
| atmosphere, ocean, and climate    |                                   |
| from scientific research and      |                                   |
| development into routine          |                                   |
| operations, and to offer          |                                   |
| state-of-the-art data, products   |                                   |
| and services to decision-makers.  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://ww                       |                                   |
| w.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/index |                                   |
| .php]{.underline}](http://www.sta |                                   |
| r.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/index.php) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and              |                                   |
| Informational Service (NESDIS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Center for Satellite            |                                   |
| Applications and Research         |                                   |
| (STAR)**                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA CoastWatch Program**       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The CoastWatch mission is to      |                                   |
| provide and ensure timely access  |                                   |
| to near real-time satellite data  |                                   |
| to protect, restore, and manage   |                                   |
| U.S. coastal ocean resources, and |                                   |
| understand climate variability    |                                   |
| and change to further enhance     |                                   |
| society\'s quality of life. Our   |                                   |
| primary users include Federal,    |                                   |
| State, and local marine           |                                   |
| scientists, coastal resource      |                                   |
| managers, and the general public. |                                   |
| There are two components to       |                                   |
| CoastWatch: Central Operations    |                                   |
| and Regional Nodes. Central       |                                   |
| Operations, managed by NOAA\'s    |                                   |
| National Environmental Satellite, |                                   |
| Data, and Information Service     |                                   |
| (NESDIS), coordinates the         |                                   |
| processing, delivery, quality     |                                   |
| control and storage of data       |                                   |
| products. The six regional nodes  |                                   |
| are made up of other NOAA line    |                                   |
| offices that participate in the   |                                   |
| CoastWatch Program. They are      |                                   |
| located around the country,       |                                   |
| hosting equipment and personnel   |                                   |
| to provide near real-time data    |                                   |
| distribution and regional         |                                   |
| scientific expertise to the local |                                   |
| user community. Together, central |                                   |
| operations and the regional nodes |                                   |
| provide for the distribution      |                                   |
| pathway for CoastWatch data       |                                   |
| products.                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://coastwatch.noaa.gov/cw_  |                                   |
| index.html]{.underline}](http://c |                                   |
| oastwatch.noaa.gov/cw_index.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Weather Service        |                                   |
| (NWS)**                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Camp Springs Campus**           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Centers for            |                                   |
| Environmental Protection**        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The National Centers for          |                                   |
| Environmental Protection (NCEP)   |                                   |
| provide timely, accurate and      |                                   |
| continually improving worldwide   |                                   |
| forecast guidance products, the   |                                   |
| starting point for nearly all     |                                   |
| weather forecasting the United    |                                   |
| States. Headquartered in Camp     |                                   |
| Springs, the NCEP (formally the   |                                   |
| National Meteorological Center)   |                                   |
| prepares and makes available      |                                   |
| national forecasts and outlooks   |                                   |
| of weather and climate. Each of   |                                   |
| the nine Centers, which comprise  |                                   |
| NCEP has a specific               |                                   |
| responsibility for a portion of   |                                   |
| the NCEP products and services    |                                   |
| suite. Five of the nine Centers   |                                   |
| are located in the Camp Springs   |                                   |
| area. The Environmental Modeling  |                                   |
| Center improves weather, marine,  |                                   |
| and climate predictions for the   |                                   |
| Nation by developing and          |                                   |
| improving computer models of the  |                                   |
| atmosphere and oceans using       |                                   |
| worldwide weather observations.   |                                   |
| The Hydrometeorological           |                                   |
| Prediction Center provides an     |                                   |
| array of analyses and guidance    |                                   |
| forecast products for NWS field   |                                   |
| offices and private               |                                   |
| meteorologists throughout the     |                                   |
| United States. The Marine         |                                   |
| Prediction Center produces and    |                                   |
| issues a variety of marine        |                                   |
| meteorological and oceanographic  |                                   |
| analyses and forecasts. The       |                                   |
| Climate Prediction Center         |                                   |
| monitors and predicts the climate |                                   |
| for time scales rangingranging    |                                   |
| from weeks to seasons in order to |                                   |
| provide socioeconomic benefits    |                                   |
| and improved decision-making.     |                                   |
| Central Operations is the nucleus |                                   |
| which links all the National      |                                   |
| Centers together via computing    |                                   |
| and communications-related        |                                   |
| services.                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[                                |                                   |
| http://www.ncep.noaa.gov/]{.under |                                   |
| line}](http://www.ncep.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Silver Spring***               |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Fisheries       |                                   |
| Service (NMFS)**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Silver Spring Campus**          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters Office**           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA\'s National Marine Fisheries |                                   |
| Service (NMFS) is responsible for |                                   |
| the management, conservation and  |                                   |
| protection of living marine       |                                   |
| resources within the United       |                                   |
| States\' Exclusive Economic Zone  |                                   |
| (water three to 200 mile          |                                   |
| offshore). Using the tools        |                                   |
| provided by the Magnuson-Stevens  |                                   |
| Act, NMFS assesses and predicts   |                                   |
| the status of fish stocks,        |                                   |
| ensures compliance with fisheries |                                   |
| regulations and works to reduce   |                                   |
| wasteful fishing practices. Under |                                   |
| the *Marine Mammal Protection     |                                   |
| Act* and the *Endangered Species  |                                   |
| Act*, NMFS recovers protected     |                                   |
| marine species (i.e. whales,      |                                   |
| turtles) without unnecessarily    |                                   |
| impeding economic and             |                                   |
| recreational opportunities. With  |                                   |
| the help of the six regional      |                                   |
| offices and eight councils,       |                                   |
| NOAA\'s National Marine Fisheries |                                   |
| Service is able to work with      |                                   |
| communities on fishery management |                                   |
| issues. NMFS works to promote     |                                   |
| sustainable fisheries and to      |                                   |
| prevent lost economic potential   |                                   |
| associated with overfishing,      |                                   |
| declining species and degraded    |                                   |
| habitats.                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.nmfs.gov]{.          |                                   |
| underline}](http://www.nmfs.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Integrated Ocean Observing      |                                   |
| System (IOOS) Program**           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Integrated Ocean Observing    |                                   |
| System (IOOS) is a                |                                   |
| multidisciplinary system designed |                                   |
| to enhance our ability to         |                                   |
| collect, deliver, and use ocean   |                                   |
| information. The goal is to       |                                   |
| provide continuous data on our    |                                   |
| open oceans, coastal waters, and  |                                   |
| Great Lakes in the formats,       |                                   |
| rates, and scales required by     |                                   |
| scientists, managers, businesses, |                                   |
| governments, and the public to    |                                   |
| support research and inform       |                                   |
| decision-making. No single agency |                                   |
| or organization has the capacity  |                                   |
| or resources to fully implement   |                                   |
| the U.S. IOOS on a national       |                                   |
| scale. IOOS represents a national |                                   |
| partnership in which 17 Federal   |                                   |
| agencies and 11 Regional          |                                   |
| Associations share responsibility |                                   |
| for the design, operation, and    |                                   |
| improvement of a national network |                                   |
| of observations. The 17 Federal   |                                   |
| agency partners also provide our  |                                   |
| nation's contributions to advance |                                   |
| the global component.             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://ioos.noaa.gov/]{.u       |                                   |
| nderline}](http://ioos.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ** **                             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Centers for Coastal    |                                   |
| Ocean Science**                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Center for Coastal Monitoring   |                                   |
| and Assessment**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Center for Coastal Monitoring |                                   |
| and Assessment (CCMA), part of    |                                   |
| the National Centers for Coastal  |                                   |
| Ocean Science (NCCOS), is located |                                   |
| in the Silver Spring Metro Campus |                                   |
| facility. CCMA monitors, surveys, |                                   |
| and assesses coastal              |                                   |
| environmental quality, habitats,  |                                   |
| and resource distribution. The    |                                   |
| Center\'s National Status and     |                                   |
| Trends Program conducts long-term |                                   |
| monitoring and bioeffects         |                                   |
| assessments of toxic contaminants |                                   |
| at more than 350 coastal sites in |                                   |
| order to understand and predict   |                                   |
| impacts of pollution and coastal  |                                   |
| development on sensitive habitats |                                   |
| and resources. The Center\'s      |                                   |
| Biogeography Program develops     |                                   |
| regional and national assessments |                                   |
| on living marine resource         |                                   |
| distributions and ecology. The    |                                   |
| Center\'s Physical Environmental  |                                   |
| Characterization Program          |                                   |
| collects, synthesizes, and        |                                   |
| analyzes data on the physical and |                                   |
| hydrological features of the      |                                   |
| nation\'s estuaries and coastal   |                                   |
| areas.                            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [                                 |                                   |
| [http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov]{.under |                                   |
| line}](http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Centers for Coastal    |                                   |
| Ocean Science**                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Center for Sponsored Coastal    |                                   |
| Ocean Research**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Center for Sponsored Coastal  |                                   |
| Ocean Research (CSCOR), part of   |                                   |
| the National Centers for Coastal  |                                   |
| Ocean Science (NCCOS), is located |                                   |
| in the Silver Spring Metro Campus |                                   |
| facility. CSCOR manages the       |                                   |
| Coastal Ocean Program (COP) which |                                   |
| is a federal-academic partnership |                                   |
| providing predictive capabilities |                                   |
| for managing coastal ecosystems.  |                                   |
| COP supports long-term,           |                                   |
| multi-disciplinary research in    |                                   |
| coastal fisheries ecosystems,     |                                   |
| cumulative coastal impacts, and   |                                   |
| harmful algal                     |                                   |
| blooms/eutrophication. COP        |                                   |
| translates its findings into      |                                   |
| accessible information for        |                                   |
| coastal managers, planners,       |                                   |
| lawmakers, and the public. The    |                                   |
| COP provides a focal point        |                                   |
| through which the agency,         |                                   |
| together with other organizations |                                   |
| with responsibilities for the     |                                   |
| coastal environment and its       |                                   |
| resources, can make significant   |                                   |
| strides toward finding the        |                                   |
| solutions that will protect       |                                   |
| coastal resources and ensure      |                                   |
| their availability and well-being |                                   |
| for future generations.           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.cop.noaa.gov/]{.unde |                                   |
| rline}](http://www.cop.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Centers for Coastal    |                                   |
| Ocean Science**                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA\'s National Centers for      |                                   |
| Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS),    |                                   |
| located in the Silver Spring      |                                   |
| Metro Campus facility, conducts   |                                   |
| and supports research,            |                                   |
| monitoring, assessments, and      |                                   |
| technical assistance to meet      |                                   |
| NOAA's coastal stewardship and    |                                   |
| management responsibilities.      |                                   |
| NCCOS focuses its research on     |                                   |
| four ecosystems: coral reefs;     |                                   |
| estuaries, including the National |                                   |
| Estuarine Research Reserves;      |                                   |
| National Marine Sanctuaries; and  |                                   |
| coastal ocean regions. NCCOS      |                                   |
| activities focus on five key      |                                   |
| ecosystem stressors: climate      |                                   |
| change, extreme natural events,   |                                   |
| pollution, invasive species, and  |                                   |
| land & resource use.              |                                   |
| Understanding how these stressors |                                   |
| affect ecosystems is vital for    |                                   |
| assessing the impacts on coastal  |                                   |
| communities and effectively       |                                   |
| managing our Nation\'s ocean and  |                                   |
| coastal resources. In addition to |                                   |
| Headquarters, NCCOS consists of   |                                   |
| five Centers and two              |                                   |
| laboratories.                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.coastals             |                                   |
| cience.noaa.gov]{.underline}](htt |                                   |
| p://www.coastalscience.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Geodetic Survey        |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The National Geodetic Survey\'s   |                                   |
| (NGS) time-tested survey          |                                   |
| expertise is the foundation for   |                                   |
| measuring the size, shape, and    |                                   |
| height of our nation\'s entire    |                                   |
| land area. This data comprises    |                                   |
| the National Spatial Reference    |                                   |
| System, a set of standard         |                                   |
| reference points that provide the |                                   |
| latitude, longitude, and          |                                   |
| elevation framework necessary for |                                   |
| the nation\'s land surveying,     |                                   |
| navigation, positioning, and      |                                   |
| mapping activities. Committed to  |                                   |
| making transportation and         |                                   |
| navigation safer, NGS also        |                                   |
| conducts airport surveys in the   |                                   |
| United States to position         |                                   |
| obstructions and aids to air      |                                   |
| travel. In addition, NGS conducts |                                   |
| a coastal mapping program to      |                                   |
| provide a regularly updated and   |                                   |
| consistent national shoreline     |                                   |
| using remote sensing techniques   |                                   |
| and technology.                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.ngs.noaa.gov]{.unde  |                                   |
| rline}](http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***MD-4***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Silver Spring***               |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of National Marine       |                                   |
| Sanctuaries Headquarters**        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Marine sanctuaries, or underwater |                                   |
| national parks, form a network of |                                   |
| protected areas that are both     |                                   |
| environmentally and culturally    |                                   |
| important to our nation. They     |                                   |
| provide habitat for creatures and |                                   |
| plants of the sea, and serve as   |                                   |
| living laboratories for the study |                                   |
| of coastal and ocean              |                                   |
| environments. There are currently |                                   |
| 13 marine sanctuaries and 1       |                                   |
| marine monument in the system.    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [http://sanctuaries.noaa.g        |                                   |
| ov](http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Ocean and Coastal     |                                   |
| Resource Management**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Marine Protected Areas |                                   |
| Center Program Headquarters       |                                   |
| (MD)**                            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Marine protected areas (MPAs)     |                                   |
| serve many different purposes and |                                   |
| are established for a variety of  |                                   |
| reasons, including the protection |                                   |
| of the nation\'s natural and      |                                   |
| cultural heritage and to sustain  |                                   |
| its fisheries. The National       |                                   |
| Marine Protected Areas Center is  |                                   |
| developing and implementing a     |                                   |
| national system of MPAs to        |                                   |
| establish partnerships and        |                                   |
| efficiencies among MPAs across    |                                   |
| all levels of government, conduct |                                   |
| gap analyses to identify key      |                                   |
| areas where additional protection |                                   |
| may be needed, establish          |                                   |
| mechanisms for stakeholder        |                                   |
| engagement, and provide the       |                                   |
| scientific foundation for sound   |                                   |
| decisions. The MPA Center is a    |                                   |
| collaboration between NOAA and    |                                   |
| the Department of the Interior.   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.mpa.gov/]{           |                                   |
| .underline}](http://www.mpa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Ocean and Coastal     |                                   |
| Resource Management Program**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA's Office of Ocean and        |                                   |
| Coastal Resource Management       |                                   |
| (OCRM) provides national          |                                   |
| leadership, strategic direction,  |                                   |
| and guidance to state and         |                                   |
| territory coastal programs and    |                                   |
| estuarine research reserves. OCRM |                                   |
| administers the Coastal Zone      |                                   |
| Management Act and assists states |                                   |
| in managing the National          |                                   |
| Estuarine Research Reserves       |                                   |
| System. OCRM priorities include   |                                   |
| addressing impacts of climate     |                                   |
| change, hazards, competing land   |                                   |
| uses, habitat loss, and           |                                   |
| pollution  on coastal areas and   |                                   |
| communities.                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://coastalmana              |                                   |
| gement.noaa.gov/]{.underline}](ht |                                   |
| tp://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Response and          |                                   |
| Restoration**                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Assessment and Restoration      |                                   |
| Division**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| OR&R's Assessment and Restoration |                                   |
| Division (ARD) helps to fulfill   |                                   |
| NOAA's natural resource trustee   |                                   |
| responsibilities by conducting    |                                   |
| natural resource damage           |                                   |
| assessments (NRDAs)**.** The      |                                   |
| purpose of a NRDA is to determine |                                   |
| the appropriate type and amount   |                                   |
| of restoration needed to restore  |                                   |
| injured public natural resources  |                                   |
| and compensate for the public's   |                                   |
| lost use of those resources. ARD  |                                   |
| scientists and economists provide |                                   |
| the technical foundation for      |                                   |
| these assessments and work with   |                                   |
| other trustees and responsible    |                                   |
| parties to restore injured        |                                   |
| resources. ARD collects data,     |                                   |
| conducts studies, and performs    |                                   |
| analyses needed to determine      |                                   |
| whether coastal resources have    |                                   |
| been adversely affected, whether  |                                   |
| there has been a public lost use  |                                   |
| and the appropriate type and      |                                   |
| amount of restoration needed. The |                                   |
| responsible party then either     |                                   |
| implements the restoration or     |                                   |
| pays the trustees to do so.       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://response.restora         |                                   |
| tion.noaa.gov]{.underline}](http: |                                   |
| //response.restoration.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Ocean Service (NOS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Response and          |                                   |
| Restoration Program**             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Every day, oil spills, hazardous  |                                   |
| material releases, vessel         |                                   |
| groundings, and fierce storms     |                                   |
| assault our Nation\'s coasts. The |                                   |
| Office of Response and            |                                   |
| Restoration (OR&R) is the focal   |                                   |
| point within NOAA to prevent,     |                                   |
| plan for, and respond to these    |                                   |
| disasters. On behalf of the       |                                   |
| public, OR&R and its partners     |                                   |
| protect and restore coastal       |                                   |
| resources through the application |                                   |
| of science and technology. OR&R   |                                   |
| also empowers communities by      |                                   |
| providing training, guidance, and |                                   |
| the decision-making tools that    |                                   |
| will help improve the health of   |                                   |
| our coasts. OR&R\'s Assessment    |                                   |
| and Restoration Division is       |                                   |
| headquartered in Silver Spring.   |                                   |
| Silver Spring ORR is also the     |                                   |
| home to NOAA's Marine Debris      |                                   |
| Program.                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [http://response.                 |                                   |
| restoration.noaa.gov]{.underline} |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA**                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **All Line Offices**              |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Silver Spring Metro Center      |                                   |
| Campus**                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA\'s Silver Spring Metro       |                                   |
| Center campus houses offices for  |                                   |
| all of the agency\'s line offices |                                   |
| and program groups, including the |                                   |
| National Marine Fisheries         |                                   |
| Service, the National Weather     |                                   |
| Service, the Office of Oceanic    |                                   |
| and Atmospheric Research, the     |                                   |
| National Environmental Satellite  |                                   |
| Data and Information Service, and |                                   |
| the National Ocean Service.       |                                   |
| Situated in downtown Silver       |                                   |
| Spring, the four-building complex |                                   |
| is home to 80 percent of the      |                                   |
| agency\'s Washington-area         |                                   |
| employees. It is conveniently     |                                   |
| located next to a Metrorail       |                                   |
| station and rail commuter         |                                   |
| station.                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http:/                          |                                   |
| /www.ofa.noaa.gov/\~hrmo/PMFabout |                                   |
| ss.htm]{.underline}](http://www.o |                                   |
| fa.noaa.gov/~hrmo/PMFaboutss.htm) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Air Resources Laboratory**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Laboratory**               |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Headquarters of ARL is        |                                   |
| located in Silver Spring, MD. In  |                                   |
| addition to overseeing its        |                                   |
| divisions, Headquarters develops  |                                   |
| products to augment the           |                                   |
| operational product suites of the |                                   |
| NOAA service-oriented line        |                                   |
| offices (particularly the         |                                   |
| National Weather Service). This   |                                   |
| includes the research and         |                                   |
| development of improved           |                                   |
| dispersion models for emergency   |                                   |
| response and air quality forecast |                                   |
| models. Headquarters also         |                                   |
| improves the understanding of     |                                   |
| climate variability and trends,   |                                   |
| the exchange of pollutants        |                                   |
| between the air and land, and the |                                   |
| sources of mercury that influence |                                   |
| sensitive ecosystems.             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.arl.noaa.gov]{.unde  |                                   |
| rline}](http://www.arl.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Climate Program Office**        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA is a leading provider of     |                                   |
| climate, weather, and water       |                                   |
| information and services to the   |                                   |
| nation and the world. NOAA's      |                                   |
| Climate Program Office was        |                                   |
| established in October 2005. The  |                                   |
| Office manages the competitive    |                                   |
| research program by which NOAA    |                                   |
| funds high-priority climate       |                                   |
| science to advance understanding  |                                   |
| of atmospheric, oceanic,          |                                   |
| land-based, and snow and ice      |                                   |
| processes, and how they affect    |                                   |
| climate. It focuses on developing |                                   |
| a broader user community for      |                                   |
| climate products and services,    |                                   |
| provides NOAA a focal point for   |                                   |
| climate activities within NOAA,   |                                   |
| leads NOAA climate education and  |                                   |
| outreach activities, and          |                                   |
| coordinates international climate |                                   |
| activities. It supports projects  |                                   |
| across the nation conducted by    |                                   |
| investigators outside the federal |                                   |
| government, such as the through   |                                   |
| the academic and private sectors, |                                   |
| within the federal government,    |                                   |
| and in NOAA Cooperative           |                                   |
| Institutes.                       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [http                             |                                   |
| ://www.cpo.noaa.gov/]{.underline} |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Sea Grant College      |                                   |
| Program**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The National Sea Grant College    |                                   |
| Program headquarters is located   |                                   |
| in Silver Spring. The National    |                                   |
| Sea Grant Program encourages the  |                                   |
| wise stewardship of our marine    |                                   |
| resources through research,       |                                   |
| education, outreach and           |                                   |
| technology transfer. It is a      |                                   |
| partnership and bridge between    |                                   |
| government, academia, industry,   |                                   |
| scientists, and private citizens  |                                   |
| concerning issues surrounding our |                                   |
| precious Great Lakes and ocean    |                                   |
| waters.                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://                         |                                   |
| www.nsgo.seagrant.org]{.underline |                                   |
| }](http://www.nsgo.seagrant.org/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Oceanic and           |                                   |
| Atmospheric Research (OAR)**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Ocean Exploration and |                                   |
| Research**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters**                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA\'s Office of Ocean           |                                   |
| Exploration and Research focuses  |                                   |
| on exploration, advanced undersea |                                   |
| technology development, research  |                                   |
| of extreme and unique             |                                   |
| environments, continental shelf   |                                   |
| ecosystems, new ocean resources,  |                                   |
| and ocean dynamics, and the       |                                   |
| communication of results to       |                                   |
| various audiences through         |                                   |
| education and outreach. OER was   |                                   |
| created in October 2007 from the  |                                   |
| merging of NOAA's Undersea        |                                   |
| Research Program (NURP) and       |                                   |
| NOAA's Office of Ocean            |                                   |
| Exploration. NOAA\'s Undersea     |                                   |
| Research Program (NURP) is a      |                                   |
| unique national service that      |                                   |
| provides undersea scientists with |                                   |
| tools and expertise that they     |                                   |
| need to work in the undersea      |                                   |
| environment, from the shoreline   |                                   |
| to the deep sea. Each year, the   |                                   |
| program supports 200 or more      |                                   |
| undersea research projects        |                                   |
| related to NOAA\'s mission as     |                                   |
| steward of oceanic resources and  |                                   |
| environments, including research  |                                   |
| to support NOAA\'s management     |                                   |
| responsibilities in fisheries     |                                   |
| (stock assessment validation,     |                                   |
| understanding essential fish      |                                   |
| habitat), corals, and other       |                                   |
| coastal resources. NURP,          |                                   |
| headquartered in Silver Spring,   |                                   |
| MD, is comprised of a network of  |                                   |
| six regional centers and a        |                                   |
| national technology institute.    |                                   |
| NURP is a clearinghouse of        |                                   |
| undersea science and technology   |                                   |
| information for other federal     |                                   |
| agencies and decision makers.     |                                   |
| Information NOAA's Ocean          |                                   |
| Exploration (OE) Program,         |                                   |
| headquartered in Silver Spring,   |                                   |
| Maryland, supports activities     |                                   |
| that search and investigate the   |                                   |
| oceans for the purpose of         |                                   |
| discovery. OE missions fit into   |                                   |
| the following areas: (1) mapping  |                                   |
| the physical, biological,         |                                   |
| chemical and archeological        |                                   |
| aspects of the ocean; (2)         |                                   |
| understanding ocean dynamics at   |                                   |
| new levels to describe the        |                                   |
| complex interactions of the       |                                   |
| living ocean; (2) developing new  |                                   |
| sensors and systems for ocean     |                                   |
| exploration, and; communicating   |                                   |
| to the public how current and     |                                   |
| future generations can benefit    |                                   |
| from unlocking the secrets of the |                                   |
| ocean. OE dedicates 10 percent of |                                   |
| its annual budget to outreach and |                                   |
| education activities.             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [http://www.nurp.noaa.gov and     |                                   |
| http://www.oc                     |                                   |
| eanexplorer.noaa.gov]{.underline} |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Suitland***                    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Satellite Data        |                                   |
| Processing and Distribution       |                                   |
| (OSDPD)**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Product Processing and          |                                   |
| Distribution**                    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Office of Satellite Data      |                                   |
| Processing and Distribution       |                                   |
| (OSDPD) operates 24x7 to manage   |                                   |
| and direct the operation of the   |                                   |
| central ground facilities which   |                                   |
| ingest, process, and distribute   |                                   |
| environmental satellite data and  |                                   |
| derived products to domestic and  |                                   |
| foreign users. OSDPD also         |                                   |
| partners with the US Coast Guard  |                                   |
| and US Navy to operate the US     |                                   |
| National Ice Center. OSDPD is     |                                   |
| also responsible for operating    |                                   |
| the US Mission Control Center,    |                                   |
| which is an integral part of the  |                                   |
| global satellite-assisted search  |                                   |
| and rescue system.                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/ml    |                                   |
| /index.html]{.underline}](http:// |                                   |
| www.osdpd.noaa.gov/ml/index.html) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Satellite Operations  |                                   |
| (OSO)**                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Satellite Operations**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Office of Satellite           |                                   |
| Operations (OSO) manages and      |                                   |
| directs the operation of NOAA\'s  |                                   |
| Geostationary Operational         |                                   |
| Environmental Satellite (GOES)    |                                   |
| and NOAA\'s Polar-orbiting        |                                   |
| Operational Environmental         |                                   |
| Satellite (POES) which includes   |                                   |
| command and control, tracking,    |                                   |
| acquisition of data from these    |                                   |
| spacecraft. OSO has operational   |                                   |
| responsibility for the Satellite  |                                   |
| Operations Control Center (SOCC)  |                                   |
| at Suitland, MD and Command and   |                                   |
| Data Acquisition (CDA) facilities |                                   |
| at Wallops, Virginia, and         |                                   |
| Fairbanks, Alaska to command and  |                                   |
| control the satellites, to track  |                                   |
| the satellites, and to acquire    |                                   |
| their data. Under agreement with  |                                   |
| the Department of Defense, OSO    |                                   |
| also provides command and control |                                   |
| for the Defense Meteorological    |                                   |
| Satellite Program (DMSP). In      |                                   |
| 2008, OSO assumed operational     |                                   |
| responsibility for the Jason 2    |                                   |
| satellite. OSO supports the       |                                   |
| launch, activation, and           |                                   |
| evaluation of new satellites and  |                                   |
| the in-depth assessment of        |                                   |
| satellite and ground systems      |                                   |
| anomalies. It prepares plans and  |                                   |
| procedures for responding to      |                                   |
| satellite and ground anomalies,   |                                   |
| and establishes and coordinates   |                                   |
| the schedules for satellite       |                                   |
| operation and data acquisition to |                                   |
| meet users\' needs. OSO also      |                                   |
| evaluates the technical           |                                   |
| performance of the satellites and |                                   |
| maintains current information and |                                   |
| future prediction on satellite    |                                   |
| orbits and attitudes. It          |                                   |
| evaluates the effectiveness of    |                                   |
| the operational facilities and    |                                   |
| procedures in terms of the        |                                   |
| quality, quantity, coverage, and  |                                   |
| timeliness of the data acquired.  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.oso.noaa.gov/]{.unde |                                   |
| rline}](http://www.oso.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and              |                                   |
| Informational Service (NESDIS)**  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Satellite Data        |                                   |
| Processing and Distribution**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Satellite Assisted Search and   |                                   |
| Rescue (SARSAT)**                 |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| Cospas-Sarsat is an               |                                   |
| international, humanitarian       |                                   |
| search and rescue system that     |                                   |
| uses satellites to detect and     |                                   |
| locate emergency beacons carried  |                                   |
| by ships, aircraft, or            |                                   |
| individuals. The system consists  |                                   |
| of a network of satellites,       |                                   |
| ground stations, mission control  |                                   |
| centers, and rescue coordination  |                                   |
| centers. NOAA\'s polar and        |                                   |
| geostationary satellites are part |                                   |
| of the high-tech, international   |                                   |
| Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided |                                   |
| Tracking System, along with       |                                   |
| Russia\'s Cospas spacecraft,      |                                   |
| called COSPAS-SARSAT. The SARSAT  |                                   |
| system uses a network of          |                                   |
| satellites to quickly detect and  |                                   |
| locate distress signals from      |                                   |
| emergency beacons onboard         |                                   |
| aircraft, boats and from          |                                   |
| hand-held personal locator        |                                   |
| beacons. When a NOAA satellite    |                                   |
| pinpoints a distress location     |                                   |
| within the United States, or its  |                                   |
| surrounding waters, the           |                                   |
| information is relayed to the     |                                   |
| agency\'s SARSAT Mission Control  |                                   |
| Center in Suitland, Md., and sent |                                   |
| to a Rescue Coordination Center,  |                                   |
| operated either by the U.S. Air   |                                   |
| Force (for land rescues), U.S.    |                                   |
| Coast Guard (for water rescues),  |                                   |
| or a local rescue coordinator.    |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http                            |                                   |
| ://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/]{.underli |                                   |
| ne}](http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***MD-5***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Greenbelt***                   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Geostationary Operational       |                                   |
| Environmental Satellite-R         |                                   |
| (GOES-R) Series Program**         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **GOES-R Series program           |                                   |
| management and acquisition**      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The GOES-R Program Office is      |                                   |
| responsible for the acquisition   |                                   |
| of the next generation, NOAA      |                                   |
| Geostationary Operational         |                                   |
| Environmental Satellite (GOES) R  |                                   |
| Series in order to maintain a     |                                   |
| continuous data stream            |                                   |
| geostationary data to support     |                                   |
| NOAA\'s mission. While NOAA       |                                   |
| manages and funds the GOES-R      |                                   |
| program, its development is a     |                                   |
| collaborative activity between    |                                   |
| NOAA and NASA. The GOES-R series  |                                   |
| of satellites will be comprised   |                                   |
| of improved spacecraft and        |                                   |
| instrument technologies, which    |                                   |
| will result in more timely and    |                                   |
| accurate weather forecasts, and   |                                   |
| improve support for the detection |                                   |
| and observations of               |                                   |
| meteorological phenomena that     |                                   |
| directly affect public safety,    |                                   |
| protection of property, and       |                                   |
| ultimately, economic health and   |                                   |
| development. The first launch of  |                                   |
| the GOES-R series satellite is    |                                   |
| scheduled for FY2015.             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.goes-r.gov/]{.un     |                                   |
| derline}](http://www.goes-r.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Systems Development   |                                   |
| (OSD)**                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **GOES-N Series system            |                                   |
| acquisition**                     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The GOES-N Program is responsible |                                   |
| for developing and launching the  |                                   |
| GOES-O and GOES-P spacecraft, the |                                   |
| last in the GOES-N Series. The    |                                   |
| GOES system provides a continuous |                                   |
| data stream to support the        |                                   |
| National Weather Service          |                                   |
| requirements. The GOES-N program  |                                   |
| objective is to meet requirements |                                   |
| by procuring, through NASA, the   |                                   |
| spacecraft, instruments, launch   |                                   |
| services, and ground equipment    |                                   |
| for the GOES spacecraft. GOES     |                                   |
| satellites provide the kind of    |                                   |
| continuous monitoring necessary   |                                   |
| for intensive data analysis       |                                   |
| routinely performed by NOAA       |                                   |
| National Weather Service          |                                   |
| meteorologists and forecasters.   |                                   |
| GOES circle the Earth in a        |                                   |
| geosynchronous orbit, which means |                                   |
| they orbit the equatorial plane   |                                   |
| of the Earth at a speed matching  |                                   |
| the Earth\'s rotation. This       |                                   |
| allows the spacecraft to hover    |                                   |
| continuously over one position on |                                   |
| the surface. The geosynchronous   |                                   |
| plane is about 35,800 km (22,300  |                                   |
| miles) above the Earth, high      |                                   |
| enough to allow the satellites a  |                                   |
| full-disc view of the Earth.      |                                   |
| Because GOES stay above a fixed   |                                   |
| spot on the surface, the          |                                   |
| spacecraft provide a constant     |                                   |
| vigil for the atmospheric         |                                   |
| \"triggers\" for severe weather   |                                   |
| conditions such as tornadoes,     |                                   |
| flash floods, hail storms, and    |                                   |
| hurricanes. When these conditions |                                   |
| develop the GOES satellites are   |                                   |
| able to monitor storm development |                                   |
| and track their movements. GOES   |                                   |
| satellite imagery is also used to |                                   |
| estimate rainfall during the      |                                   |
| thunderstorms and hurricanes for  |                                   |
| flash flood warnings, as well as  |                                   |
| estimates snowfall accumulations  |                                   |
| and overall extent of snow cover. |                                   |
| Such data help meteorologists     |                                   |
| issue winter storm warnings and   |                                   |
| spring snowmelt advisories.       |                                   |
| Satellite sensors also detect ice |                                   |
| fields and map the movements of   |                                   |
| sea and lake ice.                 |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.osd.noaa.gov/GO      |                                   |
| ES/index.htm]{.underline}](http:/ |                                   |
| /www.osd.noaa.gov/GOES/index.htm) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Polar Operational Environmental |                                   |
| Satellite (POES) Program**        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **POES spacecraft acquisition**   |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Polar-orbiting Operational    |                                   |
| Environmental Satellite (POES)    |                                   |
| program is responsible for        |                                   |
| procurement of the spacecraft ,   |                                   |
| instruments, launch services, and |                                   |
| ground equipment necessary to     |                                   |
| maintain an uninterrupted         |                                   |
| operational polar-orbiting        |                                   |
| satellite system. The POES        |                                   |
| satellite system offers the       |                                   |
| advantage of daily global         |                                   |
| coverage, by making nearly polar  |                                   |
| orbits roughly 14 times daily.    |                                   |
| POES series satellites collect    |                                   |
| global data on a daily basis for  |                                   |
| a variety of land, ocean, and     |                                   |
| atmospheric applications. Data    |                                   |
| from the POES series supports a   |                                   |
| broad range of environmental      |                                   |
| monitoring applications including |                                   |
| weather analysis and forecasting, |                                   |
| climate research and prediction,  |                                   |
| global sea surface temperature    |                                   |
| measurements, atmospheric         |                                   |
| soundings of temperature and      |                                   |
| humidity, ocean dynamics          |                                   |
| research, volcanic eruption       |                                   |
| monitoring, forest fire           |                                   |
| detection, global vegetation      |                                   |
| analysis, search and rescue, and  |                                   |
| many other applications.          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.osd.noaa.gov/PO      |                                   |
| ES/index.htm]{.underline}](http:/ |                                   |
| /www.osd.noaa.gov/POES/index.htm) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***MD-6***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Baltimore, Greenbelt***        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **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/ and     |                                   |
| http://sos.noaa.gov               |                                   |
| /news/sos_sites.html]{.underline} |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***MD-8***                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| ***Silver Spring***               |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters Office**           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Headquarters Office**           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| NOAA\'s National Environmental    |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS) is the largest   |                                   |
| civil operational environmental   |                                   |
| space agency and most extensive   |                                   |
| holder of atmospheric and         |                                   |
| oceanographic data in the world.  |                                   |
| NESDIS is dedicated to providing  |                                   |
| timely access to global           |                                   |
| environmental data from           |                                   |
| satellites and other sources to   |                                   |
| promote, protect, and enhance the |                                   |
| Nation\'s economy, security,      |                                   |
| envionment, and quality of life.  |                                   |
| To fulfil its responsibilities,   |                                   |
| NESDIS acquires and manages the   |                                   |
| Nation\'s operational             |                                   |
| environmental satellites,         |                                   |
| provides data and information     |                                   |
| services, and conducts related    |                                   |
| research. NESDIS acquires and     |                                   |
| operates Geostationary            |                                   |
| Operational Environmental         |                                   |
| Satellites (GOES) system and the  |                                   |
| Polar-orbiting Operational        |                                   |
| Environmental Satellites (POES)   |                                   |
| systems. It is in the process of  |                                   |
| developing and acquiring its next |                                   |
| generation operational            |                                   |
| satellites. The GOES-R Series is  |                                   |
| the next generation geostationary |                                   |
| satellite series, and the         |                                   |
| National Polar-orbiting           |                                   |
| Operational Satellite System      |                                   |
| (NPOESS) is the next generation   |                                   |
| polar-orbiting satellites.        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http                            |                                   |
| ://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/]{.underli |                                   |
| ne}](http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Integrated Program Office**     |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Polar-orbiting         |                                   |
| Operational Environmental         |                                   |
| Satellite System (NPOESS)**       |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Integrated Program Office     |                                   |
| represents the tri-agency         |                                   |
| partnership among the Department  |                                   |
| of Commerce (DOC), the Department |                                   |
| of Defense (DoD), and the         |                                   |
| National Aeronautics and Space    |                                   |
| Administration (NASA) to develop  |                                   |
| the National Polar-orbiting       |                                   |
| Operational Environmental         |                                   |
| Satellite System (NPOESS). NPOESS |                                   |
| will be the next generation of    |                                   |
| polar-orbiting environmental      |                                   |
| satellites for DOC and DoD.       |                                   |
| NPOESS spacecraft will circle the |                                   |
| Earth approximately once every    |                                   |
| 100 minutes. During these         |                                   |
| rotations, the NPOESS will be     |                                   |
| providing global coverage,        |                                   |
| monitoring environmental          |                                   |
| conditions, collecting,           |                                   |
| disseminating and processing data |                                   |
| about the Earth\'s weather,       |                                   |
| atmosphere, oceans, land, and     |                                   |
| near-space environment. The       |                                   |
| NPOESS system will be able to     |                                   |
| monitor the entire planet and     |                                   |
| provide data for long-range       |                                   |
| weather and climate forecasts.    |                                   |
| The data gathered by the NPOESS   |                                   |
| will aid in reducing the          |                                   |
| potential loss of human life and  |                                   |
| property by allowing more         |                                   |
| efficient disaster planning and   |                                   |
| response to severe weather        |                                   |
| conditions such as tornadoes and  |                                   |
| floods. Citizens will benefit     |                                   |
| from the satellite\'s data in the |                                   |
| areas of general aviation,        |                                   |
| agriculture, and maritime         |                                   |
| activities. Military users will   |                                   |
| benefit from the NPOESS as well,  |                                   |
| tactically and strategically. The |                                   |
| NPOESS will permit the military   |                                   |
| to capitalize on favorable        |                                   |
| weather conditions or avoid harsh |                                   |
| weather conditions that could     |                                   |
| hinder maneuverability. The       |                                   |
| NPOESS will collect a massive     |                                   |
| amount of very precise earth      |                                   |
| surface, atmospheric and space    |                                   |
| environmental measurements from a |                                   |
| variety of on-board sensors. This |                                   |
| volume of data will allow         |                                   |
| scientists and forecasters to     |                                   |
| monitor and predict weather       |                                   |
| patterns with greater speed and   |                                   |
| accuracy.                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [http                             |                                   |
| ://www.ipo.noaa.gov/]{.underline} |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Oceanographic Data     |                                   |
| Center**                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Oceanographic Data     |                                   |
| Archive**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The National Oceanographic Data   |                                   |
| Center is a national repository   |                                   |
| and dissemination facility for    |                                   |
| global oceanographic data which   |                                   |
| acquires and preserves a          |                                   |
| historical record of the Earth\'s |                                   |
| changing environment to be used   |                                   |
| for operational applications and  |                                   |
| ocean climate research. NODC      |                                   |
| manages the Oceanographic Data    |                                   |
| Center, the National Coastal Data |                                   |
| Development Center, the World     |                                   |
| Data Center for Oceanography, and |                                   |
| the NOAA Central Library which    |                                   |
| are integrated to provide access  |                                   |
| to the world\'s most              |                                   |
| comprehensive sources of marine   |                                   |
| environmental data and            |                                   |
| information.                      |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [                                 |                                   |
| [http://www.nodc.noaa.gov]{.under |                                   |
| line}](http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Oceanographic Data     |                                   |
| Center**                          |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **NOAA Library and Information    |                                   |
| Services**                        |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The NOAA Central Library, located |                                   |
| in Silver Spring, Maryland, and   |                                   |
| its libraries at the Atlantic     |                                   |
| Oceanographic and Meteorological  |                                   |
| Laboratory (Miami), National      |                                   |
| Hurricane Center/Tropical         |                                   |
| Prediction Center (Miami),        |                                   |
| Western Regional Center           |                                   |
| (Seattle), and Camp Springs       |                                   |
| (Maryland), provide information   |                                   |
| and research support to NOAA      |                                   |
| staff and the public. The library |                                   |
| also networks with over 30 NOAA   |                                   |
| libraries across the nation.      |                                   |
| Disciplines covered include       |                                   |
| weather and atmospheric sciences, |                                   |
| oceanography, ocean engineering,  |                                   |
| nautical charting, marine         |                                   |
| ecology, marine resources,        |                                   |
| ecosystems, coastal studies,      |                                   |
| aeronomy, geodesy, cartography,   |                                   |
| mathematics and statistics. The   |                                   |
| mission of the NOAA Library and   |                                   |
| Information Services (LISD) is to |                                   |
| ensure the delivery of            |                                   |
| scientific, technical, and        |                                   |
| legislative information to users. |                                   |
| The library\'s users include NOAA |                                   |
| staff, general public, academia,  |                                   |
| industry, and other government    |                                   |
| agencies. The principal resource  |                                   |
| for accomplishing this mission is |                                   |
| a research collection with a      |                                   |
| comprehensive coverage of         |                                   |
| hydrographic surveying (from      |                                   |
| 1820); oceanography, meteorology, |                                   |
| and hydrology (from 1870); living |                                   |
| marine resources (from 1970 with  |                                   |
| selected coverage from 1870), and |                                   |
| meteorological satellite          |                                   |
| applications (from 1960).         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.lib.noaa.gov/]{.unde |                                   |
| rline}](http://www.lib.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **National Environmental          |                                   |
| Satellite, Data, and Information  |                                   |
| Service (NESDIS)**                |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Office of Systems Development   |                                   |
| (OSD)**                           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Systems Development**           |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| The Office of Systems Development |                                   |
| (OSD) manages NOAA\'s operational |                                   |
| geostationary and polar-orbiting  |                                   |
| environmental satellite programs. |                                   |
| Our objective is to provide the   |                                   |
| spacecraft, launch services, and  |                                   |
| ground systems necessary to       |                                   |
| maintain the uninterrupted flow   |                                   |
| of remotely-sensed environmental  |                                   |
| data required to protect life,    |                                   |
| property and the environment and  |                                   |
| to promote economic well being.   |                                   |
| We are responsible for defining   |                                   |
| user requirements and development |                                   |
| of conceptual engineering design  |                                   |
| of future satellite systems to    |                                   |
| meet those requirements. We       |                                   |
| cooperate closely with other NOAA |                                   |
| offices, Federal agencies,        |                                   |
| foreign technical agencies,       |                                   |
| international scientific and      |                                   |
| technical organizations and our   |                                   |
| constituents in carrying out our  |                                   |
| responsibilities on behalf of the |                                   |
| American public.                  |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| [[http://www.osd.noaa.gov/]{.unde |                                   |
| rline}](http://www.osd.noaa.gov/) |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **NOAA's Office of Legislative    |                                   |
| Affairs**                         |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| **Tel: 202-482-4981               |                                   |
| [ht                               |                                   |
| tp://www.legislative.noaa.gov](ht |                                   |
| tp://www.legislative.noaa.gov/)** |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+