Abstract
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) does work that affects more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product, and provides information that helps people make decisions related to topics ranging from weather to coastal restoration to fisheries. We develop tools and information to advance coastal community resiliency, and we chart navigable waters, track tides and currents, and provide training for and respond to major events like oil spills. We forecast weather and water conditions around the country and provide related services to support decision making and help protect lives and property. We collect, archive, and provide vast amounts of data from satellites, buoys, drifters, and a variety of other platforms. We conduct cutting edge applied research on the ocean and atmosphere, and are looking at ways that emerging technologies and fields connect to that research. We have labs and offices that focus on sustainable fisheries, protected resources, and habitat conservation and restoration. Our ships and aircraft collect data around the country and world, and some of the planes even fly through hurricanes. All of these things that NOAA does are represented in the Gulf of Mexico region, and all are done better thanks to partnerships with a wide array of organizations that connect with NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO), and the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).
