NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Name	Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Formed	1967
Headquarters	Seattle, Washington
Parent agency	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Chief1 name	Rick Spinrad
Chief1 position	Administrator
Employees	~300
Website	noaa.gov

NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) is a United States federal research laboratory focused on oceanographic, atmospheric, and climate processes in the Pacific Basin. Founded in 1967, PMEL conducts observational, modeling, and instrument development work to support operational services and scientific understanding relevant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce (United States), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and international treaty and program partners. PMEL’s work informs decision-makers involved with El Niño–Southern Oscillation, tsunami, marine fisheries management, climate change, and seafloor spreading impacts.

History

PMEL traces roots to earlier 20th-century U.S. oceanography institutions and postwar initiatives such as the International Geophysical Year and programs under the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. Formal establishment in 1967 followed organizational shifts in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and consolidation of Pacific field programs from laboratories in Seattle, Washington and Honolulu, Hawaii. Over decades PMEL integrated efforts from researchers associated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the University of Washington while contributing to multinational efforts like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the World Meteorological Organization cooperative networks. Technological advances at PMEL paralleled developments in autonomous platforms pioneered by laboratories including Naval Research Laboratory and innovations from private firms such as MTS Systems Corporation and collaborations with agencies including National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Mission and Research Areas

PMEL’s mission centers on observing and understanding Pacific marine and coupled ocean-atmosphere processes to improve forecasting and stewardship for stakeholders including National Weather Service, Marine Mammal Commission, and regional fisheries councils such as the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Research foci encompass ocean and coastal observing systems relevant to El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, ocean acidification, and greenhouse gas exchange; tsunami detection and modeling tied to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center; and subseafloor processes linked to plate tectonics and hydrothermal vents. PMEL employs numerical models developed alongside teams from NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and National Center for Atmospheric Research to produce operational forecasts used by Federal Emergency Management Agency and international disaster response organizations.

Facilities and Platforms

PMEL operates laboratories and field facilities at locations including the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean facilities in Seattle, Washington, shipboard laboratories aboard research vessels such as NOAAS Ronald H. Brown, and remote mooring arrays deployed across the Tropical Pacific and Northern Pacific. Instrument platforms include deep-sea moorings tied to arrays like TAO/TRITON, gliders similar to those used by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, underway systems compatible with Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program, and seafloor observatories interlinked with programs such as Ocean Observatories Initiative. PMEL also maintains calibration and engineering workshops that collaborate with manufacturers like Teledyne Technologies and research groups from Oregon State University.

Major Programs and Projects

Key PMEL programs include the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean/TAO array supporting El Niño monitoring, the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory Tsunami Program coordinating sensors and modeling for tsunami warning systems, and global carbon programs that measure oceanic carbon dioxide fluxes as part of international efforts like the Global Ocean Observing System. PMEL leads or contributes to projects such as high-precision buoy networks used in Pacific Islands Forum member territories, coupled ocean-atmosphere forecast products for the National Weather Service, and interdisciplinary expeditions studying ocean acidification impacts on calcifying organisms relevant to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Instrument development programs at PMEL produced innovations that advanced the capabilities of autonomous floats used by the Argo program.

Partnerships and Collaborations

PMEL partners with academic institutions including the University of Washington, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Oregon State University, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks as part of joint institutes such as the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean and the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies. International collaborations span entities like the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Pacific Community (SPC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, and regional meteorological services including the Meteorological Service of New Zealand. PMEL’s work supports treaty and policy frameworks such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change through data provision and technical expertise, while operational ties with National Centers for Environmental Prediction and the Federal Aviation Administration underpin applied forecasts and warnings.

Education, Outreach, and Publications

PMEL engages in education and outreach through programs with the National Science Foundation and university partners offering internships, postdoctoral fellowships, and K–12 resources aligned with initiatives from NOAA Education. The laboratory publishes peer-reviewed research in journals such as Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters, and Science Advances, and contributes datasets to repositories coordinated with NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and the Global Drifter Program. Outreach also includes public seminars, contributions to documentary storytelling alongside producers from PBS and BBC, and participation in policy briefings for congressional committees including the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and advisory boards like the National Research Council.

Category:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration laboratories