NOAA’s National Ocean Service

For more information, please visit: 

www.noaa.gov and www.oceanservice.noaa.gov

Positioning America for the Future

More than half of us—163.8 million Americans as of the last

Census— live in a coastal or Great Lakes watershed county.

This number is expected to increase by nearly 10 percent—

15 million more people—by 2020.

NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) is a leading federal

provider of science-based, environmental services to people,

communities, and industries working, living, and recreating

along our coasts and Great Lakes. We position America’s

coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems for a

healthy future of sustainable economic growth and

adaptation to environmental change.

The NOS budget supports NOAA’s mission to build resilient

coastal communities and foster healthy oceans by focusing

on three interrelated areas:

Navigation, Observations and Positioning

NOS is the nation’s provider and leading national authority

on nautical charting and coastal mapping; water levels, tides

and currents; and geographic positioning. Programs such as

the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®),

National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON),

National Spatial Reference System, National Current

Observation Program and the Physical Oceanographic Realtime System (PORTS®) contribute to this suite of core Federal

services.

Coastal Science and Assessment

NOS provides expert scientific support in response to oil and

chemical spills and marine debris. Working with partners,

NOS supported development of the Environmental Response

Management Application (ERMA®), an online tool that

integrates real-time data with mapping to aid and coordinate

emergency response to coastal disasters. NOS is also a

leader in ecological forecasting, providing long-term

monitoring, impact assessments, and risk analysis from

threats such as Harmful Algal Blooms and hypoxia.

Ocean and Coastal Management

NOS provides for effective management of our nation’s

coasts and special marine places such as coral reefs, marine

protected areas, national marine sanctuaries, and estuarine

research reserves. We provide coastal planners with the

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

resources and communities. This includes Digital Coast, an

interactive, online tool to aid and improve coastal decision

making in both public and private sectors. NOS implements

the Coastal Zone Management Act in partnership with the

states to promote informed coastal management, as well as

research, outreach, and education.

Two NOAA divers cut a large piece of derelict fishing 

gear into pieces at the surface.

Taro Lo'i and the Ko'olau Mountains surrounding the the 

proposed National Estuarine Research Reserve site in He'eia. 
NATIONAL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

For more information, please visit: http://www.noaa.gov/budget

FY 2017 Budget Request Highlights

The FY 2017 President’s Budget request for NOAA’s National Ocean Service is $569,915,000. This request 

will allow NOAA to make investments to increase the resilience of the Nation’s coastal communities to 

extreme weather events, coastal inundation, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditions. Highlights 

include:

•Regional Coastal Resilience Grants (+$15.0M). NOAA will expand the Regional Coastal Resilience Grant Program to 

more fully address resilience challenges facing all U.S. coastal regions—including extreme weather events, inundation, 

coastal hazards, changing conditions, and competing uses of resources—within a single competitive grants program. 

The grants will provide communities with resources to implement regionally-tailored actions that increase their ability to 

“better bounce back" from hazardous events. 

•Ecosystem-Based Solutions for Coastal Resilience (+$5.0M). The NOS component of this integrated initiative with the 

National Marine Fisheries Service will help coastal planners integrate ecosystem-based solutions into hazard mitigation, 

resilient coastal development, and post-disaster rebuilding. 

•Capacity to Respond to Extreme Events (+$4.0M). In response to increased frequency and intensity of coastal flooding 

and inundation, NOS will help coastal communities implement informed, risk-based approaches to preparing for, 

responding to, and recovering from these events.

•AmeriCorps Resilience Corps Training (+$2.0M). NOAA will develop and administer a training program for AmeriCorps 

members who will support communities and tribes on vulnerability assessments, resilience program implementation, 

and coordination with federal resilience efforts.

•Coastal Ecosystem Research and Development (+$4.0M). National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science will expand its 

competitive grant program to fund extramural research and applied science that address coastal ocean issues including 

harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, and coastal ecosystem assessment.

•Integrated Water Prediction: Driving Decisions for a Water-Prepared Nation (+$2.5M). The NOS component of this 

integrated initiative with the National Weather Service includes our capabilities in coastal modeling and service delivery. 

NOS’s contribution is essential to ensuring accurate predictions in coastal areas and products and services that are 

targeted to users’ needs from the earliest stages of product development.

•Oceans and Coastal Security Fund (+$10M). NOAA is requesting an appropriation of $10,000,000 to the National 

Oceans and Coastal Security Fund to help coastal states and other entities to better understand and utilize the oceans, 

coasts, and Great Lakes of the United States. NOAA will partner with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) 

to award grants that enhance ecological, economic, social, and recreational benefits of coastal resources.