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| NOAA/NWS | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / National Weather Service |
| Nativename | NOAA / NWS |
| Formed | 1970 |
| Preceding1 | United States Weather Bureau |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Headquarters | Silver Spring, Maryland |
| Parentagency | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
NOAA/NWS The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service operate as a federal scientific agency providing environmental monitoring, weather forecasting, and climate services. Founded from antecedents like the United States Weather Bureau and influenced by institutions such as the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, the agency collaborates with national and international partners including NASA, United States Navy, United States Air Force, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and World Meteorological Organization. Its activities intersect with programs administered by agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, and academic centers like the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.
The agency traces institutional lineage to the United States Weather Bureau and the United States Signal Corps meteorological work that advised expeditions including the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Reorganizations in the 20th century linked functions from the Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries leading to the establishment of NOAA in 1970 under the Reorganization Act of 1970. Key events include technological shifts during the Cold War, collaboration with Project SKYLARK and TIROS satellite initiatives, and policy interactions with presidential administrations from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Major programmatic milestones relate to the development of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System and responses to disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy.
Organizational components historically align with offices and centers akin to the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, National Hurricane Center, Storm Prediction Center, and regional Weather Forecast Office networks. Leadership has included officials confirmed by processes comparable to other executive appointments influenced by congressional committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. NOAA/NWS coordination involves cooperation with military meteorological units like the Air Force Weather Agency and civilian agencies including the National Science Foundation and United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Programs encompass operational products comparable to those produced by the National Hurricane Center, Storm Prediction Center, Weather Prediction Center, Aviation Weather Center, and regional Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Public-facing services include warnings and advisories used by stakeholders such as the Federal Aviation Administration, United States Department of Transportation, National Park Service, and utilities coordinated with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. Environmental monitoring interfaces with networks like the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, the Argos system, and long-term datasets maintained alongside the International Arctic Research Center.
Forecasting relies on numerical weather prediction models developed and run in collaboration with centers such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, United Kingdom Met Office, Canadian Meteorological Centre, and research groups at the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and NCAR. Observational inputs derive from platforms including the GOES satellite series, Doppler radar networks akin to NEXRAD, upper-air sounding programs used by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers, and oceanographic instruments similar to Argo (oceanography). Computational efforts integrate systems like the Weather and Research Forecasting model, high-performance computing comparable to national supercomputing centers, and visualization tools used in projects with institutions such as ESRI.
Research collaborations link to laboratories and universities including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Washington, and Colorado State University. Joint initiatives have been pursued with international bodies like the World Meteorological Organization and regional centers such as NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Grants and cooperative institutes support studies related to climate science debated in venues such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and inform engagements with stakeholders including the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Operational emergency support interfaces with emergency management organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state-level counterparts. Warning coordination procedures have been tested in events including Superstorm Sandy and wildfire seasons associated with incidents like the Camp Fire (2018). Public safety outputs serve sectors including Aviation Weather Center partners, maritime operators referencing United States Coast Guard advisories, and critical infrastructure entities coordinated through exercises similar to those run by the Department of Homeland Security.
Critiques have addressed forecasting accuracy and program management debated in congressional hearings before the United States Congress and oversight by the Government Accountability Office. Controversies have arisen around budgetary allocations, modernization efforts such as the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System procurement, and coordination challenges reported during responses to events like Hurricane Katrina. Scientific disputes have intersected with public policy debates involving the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and regulatory discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Category:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Category:United States federal agencies