# Presentation: 492211

## Forecasting NOAA’s Future

- Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.)
- Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans & Atmosphere
- D.C. Chapter of AMS
- February 27, 2006

## Menu

- NOAA Vision & Mission
- Current Events
- NOAA Opportunities

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## NOAA’s Vision

- An informed society that uses a comprehensive understanding of the role of the oceans, coasts and atmosphere in the global ecosystem to make the best social and economic decisions

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## NOAA’sMission & Goals

- To understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and to conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet the Nation’s economic, social and environmental needs
- Mission Goals:
- Protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through an ecosystem approach to management
- Understand climate variability and change to enhance society’s ability to plan and respond
- Serve society’s needs for weather and water information
- Support the Nation’s commerce with information for safe, efficient, and environmentally sound transportation
- Provide critical support for NOAA’s mission

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Current Events

- NOAA Budget
- Hurricane Response
- Science in the Media

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## NOAA Budget

- NOAA Budget

- ($ in Billions)

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Current EnvironmentAppropriations Reorganization a Surprise

- NOAA will now be considered by both the Senate and House subcommittees with:
- 	=$16.5B FY ‘06 budget request
- 		=$5.6B FY ’06 budget request
- 		                 =$3.6B FY ’06 budget request
- Although budget allocations should cover all of the requests, it is ultimately up to the Subcommittees to divvy up the money

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Summary by Line Office$ in millions

| Line Office | FY 06 Enacted | FY 07 Current Program  | Net Program Increase | FY 07 President’s Budget | Percent Change 
(over Current Program) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NOS | $590.5 | $369.1 | $44.1 | $413.1 | 11.9% |
| NMFS | $811.5 | $656.6 | $81.1 | $737.7 | 12.4% |
| OAR | $379.6 | $310.4 | $38.2 | $348.7 | 12.3% |
| NWS | $848.2 | $838.4 | $43.5 | $881.9 | 5.2% |
| NESDIS | $952.2 | $916.4 | $117.4 | $1,033.9 | 12.8% |
| PS/Other | $491.0 | $385.1 | $21.0 | $406.1 | 5.5% |
| Total | $3,911.5 | $3,338.8 | $345.4 | $3,684.1 | 10.3% |

- *Total includes financing adjustments

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Hurricane Response

- One NOAA response
- Forecasts
- Wetland assessment (satellites)
- Citation flights – digital imagery
- NRTs – NOAA Ships
- Oil spill response
- Environmental assessment cruises

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Science in the Media

- Max Mayfield

- Robert Ricks

- NWS Lead Meteorologist, Gerry Bell

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## NOAA Opportunities

- GEOSS
- NWS Tiger Teams
- NOAA Education

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## NOAA

- NOAA’s mission is complex, involving biological, chemical, and physical issues—all intertwined.
- Large-scale (regional to global) multidisciplinary studies are necessary to achieve understanding of our environment.
- A collective NOAA is critical to completing our mission and solving the major environmental challenges that face our nation and planet.

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## GEOSSIntegrated Observations & Data Management

- GEOSSIntegrated Observations & Data Management

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## GEO Moves ForwardWorking Towards Implementation

- Received approval for formal GEO organization and 10-year implementation plan
- Held GEO-I in May 2005, and GEO-II in December 2005
- New GEO Secretariat Director, Jose Achache
- Agreed to 2006 Work Plan and adopted a budget
- Formally created GEO Committees
- GEONETCast as tangible near term project to implement GEOSS
- United States announced intention to move GOES satellite to a position to help offset the lack of sounder data over South America

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## USGEONear-Term Opportunities

- USGEO focusing on 6 Near-Term Opportunities
- Disasters
- Drought / National Integrated Drought Information System
- Land Observation
- Air Quality
- Sea Level
- Data Management
- Currently developing plans for all the Near-Term opportunities
- 	Will be available for public review in the next several months

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Near Term OpportunityDisasters—Tsunami Warning System

- USGEO Near-Term Opportunity
- Improved tsunami and coastal inundation forecast and warning capability
- GEO Near-Term Effort
- Working Group on Tsunami Activities continuing to provide integration observation requirements to the Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System effort

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Near Term Opportunity National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) 

- Identifies critical gaps in the nation’s infrastructure, which inhibit our ability to most effectively reduce the impact of drought
- Early opportunities to address gaps include:
- Improvements in the frequency, timeliness, and density of key observations
- Creation of an Internet portal to provide a drought early warning system
- Establishment of a NIDIS operations office to ensure optimization of existing Federal, state, local and private sector observations and information delivery
- Tracks to GEOSS and IEOS benefit areas
- Water Resource Management
- Disasters
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Climate Variability and Change

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Near Term Opportunity Land Observing

- Identifies three enhancements that would be the basis of a functional GLOS:
- Mid-decadal global data set of high resolution (30m) satellite imagery in 2006
- Global land data base at high resolution (30m) and the seasonal collection of such data (i.e., continuity of Landsat-type observations)
- Extension of a network (Global Integrated Trends Analysis Network) that combines ground data and earth observations from aircraft and space to evaluate land cover trends
- Tracks to GEOSS and IEOS benefit areas:
- Terrestrial Ecosystems
- Climate Variability and Change
- Disasters
- Biodiversity
- Sustainable Agriculture/Combating Desertification

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Near Term Opportunity Air Quality

- Noting that more than one-third of the U.S. population lives in areas that have unhealthy air quality (AQ), causing an estimated tens of thousands of deaths and costing society more than $100B, this plan identifies need for:
- Integrated Observation-Model Air Quality Fields
- Systems for Utilizing Observations to Improve AQ Forecasts
- Assessments of Key Air Quality Processes
- Improved Emissions Inventories
- Improved International Transport Assessments
- Tracks to GEOSS and IEOS benefit areas:
- Human Health
- Weather Forecasting
- Climate Variability and Change

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## NWS Tiger Teams

- IT Consolidation Team
- Concept of Operations Prototype Team
- Aviation Demonstration Team

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## NOAA Education 

- NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Grants (new in 2005)
- Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program (new in 2005)
- 110 students coming this summer!
- 2006 applications due out this spring!
- Interagency Ocean Education Coordination (new in 2006)
- Expand NOAA’s Authority for Education
- NOAA Organic Act – build on education authorization in the 2006 appropriations bill

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## The Future is Bright!

- NOAA is:
- An Effective, Successful Organization With World-wide Recognition
- Composed of Talented, Experienced & Dedicated People
- Critical to Meeting the Nation’s & the World’s Economic & Environmental Challenges
- Organizationally Positioned to Provide Leadership
- Where Science Gains Value

- Forecasting NOAA's Future—AMS DC Chapter

## Questions?