NOS Headquarters

Nicole R. LeBoeuf, Assistant Administrator 

Paul M. Scholz, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal 

Zone Management

Rachael A. Dempsey, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Navigation, 

Observations, and Positioning

Cherish K. Johnson, Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer

Navigation, Observations, and Positioning

RDML Benjamin Evans, Director, Office of Coast Survey

Juliana Blackwell, Director, National Geodetic Survey

Marian Westley, Ph.D., Acting Director, Center for Operational Oceanographic 

Products and Services

Carl Gouldman, Director, U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System Program

Coastal Science and Assessment 

Margo Schulze-Haugen, Acting Director, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science 

Scott Lundgren, Director, Office of Response and Restoration 

Ocean and Coastal Management Services

Jeffrey Payne, Ph.D., Director, Office for Coastal Management

John Armor, Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

An Introduction to NOS Statutory Authorities

NOS administers and/or supports implementation of 

more than 20 statutory authorities. To fulfill this diversity 

of authorities and programs, NOS provides a broad range 

of scientific, technical, and management expertise. NOS 

expertise supports holistic and interdisciplinary approaches 

to coastal issues challenges.

• Clean Water Act

• Coast and Geodetic Survey Act

• Coastal Zone Management Act

• Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund)

• Coral Reef Conservation Act

• Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research

and Control Act

• Hydrographic Services Improvement Act

• Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation

System Act

• Marine Debris Act

• National Coastal Monitoring Act

• National Marine Sanctuaries Act

• Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act

• Oil Pollution Act

NOAA’s NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE

Coastal Challenges and 

Opportunities

Almost 40 percent of the U.S. population 

lives and works in coastal shoreline counties. 

Millions more flock to the coast each year for 

recreation and relaxation, generating a thriving 

tourist industry. The overall economy of coastal 

shoreline counties contributes $7.6 trillion to 

GDP and employs 53.6 million people earning 

wages of about $3 trillion.

Today, U.S. coastal areas are undergoing 

significant changes and face a variety of 

challenges, including port congestion and 

navigation hazards, recurrent flooding and 

beach erosion, pollution and algal blooms, 

habitat loss, and risk of catastrophic impacts 

from coastal storms and tsunamis. 

NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) is working 

across all levels of government and with 

academic and private-sector partners to prepare 

America’s coastal communities to address 

these challenges, reduce risks, and ensure 

thriving coastal communities, economies, and 

ecosystems now and in the future.

 July 2023

NOS is one of six major divisions within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), which is housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce. 

NOS is the nation’s most comprehensive coastal agency with world-class 

expertise in science, technology, and management. Although NOS delivers a 

diverse suite of products and programs, the main mission areas are reflected 

in the three primary sections of its budget: Navigation, Observations, 

and Positioning; Coastal Science and Assessment; Ocean and Coastal 

Management and Services. 

NOS conducts applied research and employs advanced surveying, 

observing, modeling, and computing technologies to provide services 

and tools that inform federal, state, and local decision making. The 

agency leads national partnerships to address and balance economic 

and environmental needs and conducts extensive outreach to 

ensure its services are meeting priorities. NOS is also a trustee for 

the long-term conservation of coastal resources, including response 

and restoration for oil and chemical spills and a system of marine 

sanctuaries and protected areas. 

Who We Are and What We Do

We use PORTS® air gap data from the 

Bayonne Bridge and water level data from 

the Bergen Point water level gauge to bring 

vessels within two feet of the bridge and two 

feet from the bottom at the same time!

— New York Metro Pilots

”

“
 Navigation, Observations, and

 Positioning

NOS has a longstanding mission to promote safe 

and efficient transportation and commerce, and 

is the nation’s leading authority on hydrography, 

shoreline mapping, and nautical charting; 

water levels, tides, and currents; and geodetic 

positioning. NOS maintains the National 

Spatial Reference System, National Water Level 

Observation Network, and National Current 

Observation Program. NOS also maintains 

partnership programs and provides services 

through the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing 

System (IOOS®), the Physical Oceanographic 

Real-time System (PORTS®), and the Continuously 

Operating Reference Station (CORS) network.

Coastal Science and Assessment

NOS provides expert scientific support and 

services in response to oil and chemical spills 

and marine debris. Working with partners, the agency 

provides the Environmental Response Management 

Application (ERMA®), an online tool that integrates 

real-time data with mapping to coordinate emergency 

response to coastal disasters. ERMA was the common 

operating platform used to coordinate the national 

response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and 

continues to be used in exercises and events nationally 

and internationally. NOS is also a leader in ecological 

forecasting, providing long-term monitoring, impact 

assessments, and risk analysis for marine toxins and 

threats such as harmful algal blooms and hypoxia.

 Ocean and Coastal Management 

 and Services

Through national marine sanctuaries, monuments, and 

marine protected areas, NOS manages ocean and Great 

Lakes waters and the coral reef conservation program. 

NOS also provides coastal planners with the skills, 

tools, and data needed to manage the nation’s coastal 

resources and communities. This includes the online, 

interactive Digital Coast, which helps improve coastal 

decision making in both public and private sectors by 

transforming vast quantities of data into useful tools and 

services. NOS also works in partnership with states to 

promote coastal research, outreach, and education and 

to address management needs through coastal programs 

and national estuarine research reserves.

NOS programs deliver data, tools, and services that support 

the growth of coastal economies and contribute to the 

national economy. More specifically, NOS advances the 

following strategic priorities and outcomes:

Safe and Efficient Transportation and 

Commerce

All mapping, charting, and transportation activities and 

infrastructure are founded on a reliable, accurate national 

coordinate system that NOS provides. NOS has specific 

missions to support maritime commerce where ships 

move $1.9 trillion worth of products in and out of U.S. 

ports every year. 

Preparedness and Risk Reduction

Coastal communities represent a major economic engine 

for the United States, accounting for about 46 percent 

of GDP. Coastal planners, first responders, and local 

managers turn to NOS daily for services to prepare for 

and reduce risk from coastal flooding, storms, oil spills, 

hazardous waste emergencies, harmful algal blooms, and 

other disasters. 

Stewardship, Recreation, and Tourism

The U.S. boasts some of the world’s most important 

natural, cultural, and historical coastal resources. NOS is 

entrusted with managing a network of underwater parks 

encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of coastal, 

marine, and Great Lakes waters that contribute $8 billion 

in economic activity annually.

Why We Do It

NOS works closely with many partners, including 

other federal agencies; regional, state, and local 

authorities; private sector, academia, and nongovernmental organizations; and the public. This 

is a system that works: national investments drive 

regional and local implementation of programs 

and capacities. NOS programs and their coastal 

partners provide the science, stewardship, and 

management where decisions are being made. 

This strategy emphasizes taking action where 

people live, providing critical information to 

partners to ensure that coastal communities 

receive the right tools, products, and services at 

the right time. Similarly, NOS engages directly 

with local communities and businesses in the 

nomination, designation, and management of 

national marine sanctuaries.

A Partnership Approach: Taking Action Where We Live

There are parts of the 

world where you can’t 

fish this way anymore 

because there are too 

many people doing 

too many different 

things. That is the 

last thing that makes 

the Keys special: the 

sanctuary protecting 

its waters to keep the 

balance.

— Nathaniel Linville, 

owner of The Angling 

Company, on Florida 

Keys National Marine 

Sanctuary

“

(FY 2020 appropriation for NOS, $ in millions)

I would like to extend my gratitude for your 

unflinching and admirable actions during 

the Hurricane Matthew response and 

recovery. Your tireless efforts and scores 

of flight hours resulted in the collection of 

over 15,000 high-resolution images of flood 

and surge damage from Florida to Virginia 

and continue to serve FEMA Headquarters 

and FEMA Region IV. 

— Glen Russell, Remote Sensing 

 Coordinator, FEMA

”

“

”

$230.5

$101.0

$267.5

NOS Budget and Mission Areas

nos.info@noaa.gov

oceanservice.noaa.gov