How NOAA Protects People and the Planet

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has remained at the forefront of atmospheric and earth sciences for more than half a century. Established in 1970 under The U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA combined three pre-existing agencies— the Weather Bureau, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries— to form a unified force in environmental monitoring, research, and communication. NOAA has since become the leading institution for understanding our planet’s weather, climate, and ocean systems with an influence that reaches far beyond the borders of the United States (1).

NOAA’s Specializations

NOAA operates through six line offices (figure 1). The National Weather Service provides weather, water, and climate forecasts and advisories to protect life, property, and critical infrastructure. The National Ocean Service monitors coastal ecosystems, ocean health, and maritime navigation to ensure safe and sustainable use of ocean resources. The National Marine Fisheries Service, or NOAA Fisheries, oversees the management and conservation of marine life to protect fisheries and endangered species. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research conducts cutting-edge scientific studies to improve weather and climate predictions. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services manages NOAA’s satellite programs, which provide crucial data for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and environmental research. Lastly, the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and NOAA Corps operate NOAA’s fleet of research ships and aircraft, supporting a range of scientific missions from tropical cyclone air reconnaissance to deep sea exploration. Together, these line offices form a cohesive system that empowers NOAA to tackle environmental endeavors and challenges from multiple angles, ensuring comprehensive observations and response capabilities (2).

Complementing these line offices are numerous specialized service centers, each with a distinct focus on a particular aspect of Earth and atmospheric sciences. Through an extensive network of satellites, ocean buoys, radar systems, and even citizen science programs (e.g., SKYWARN), NOAA and its layered divisions collect and disseminate real-time information on environmental, atmospheric, and solar conditions for everyday users, emergency management, planners, and policymakers. These centers work together to provide accurate forecasts, improve technology, and fuel advancements in meteorology, oceanography, climate science, space weather, and more. For example, the National Weather Service is the parent department of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), where the NCEP oversees nine service centers, including the Aviation Weather Center, Climate Prediction Center, and National Hurricane Center to name a few. Each center supports NOAA’s ability to monitor and predict many environmental phenomena with unprecedented accuracy, from coastal erosion to severe weather to imminent solar storms (3).

Groundbreaking Research and Progress

Beyond data collection and forecasting, NOAA has pioneered numerous research initiatives that have transformed our understanding of Earth’s complex systems. With the joint efforts of the Environmental Modeling Center, National Hurricane Center, and the Hurricane Research Division, the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program (HFIP) has worked to enhance the forecast certainty for tropical cyclone track and intensity through applied research and the development of the Hurricane Analysis and Forecasting System (HAFS) model (4). The sophisticated high-resolution HAFS model, among others, has contributed to the recent improvements in hurricane intensity forecasting at the National Hurricane Center, especially as an ensemble system (5), and even accurately predicted the rapid intensification of major hurricanes Helene and Milton during the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season, well before landfall (6).

In 2022, after several years of extreme wildfire events across the United States, NOAA wildfire research revealed critical insights into the factors driving extreme fire behavior and its consequences on local and global systems. A study on the Marshall Fire of 2021, fueled by a cycle of wet and dry extremes paired with extreme winds, demonstrates how climate variability can create the perfect conditions for devastating wildfires. Beyond the immediate destruction caused by wildfires, NOAA scientists have found that large-scale wildfire and severe heat events are exacerbating air pollution across the western United States, erasing much of the progress achieved under the Clean Air Act. To enhance smoke and pollution forecasting, NOAA assessed the performance of their High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model using the 2018 Camp Fire as a case study, which validates the model’s ability to accurately predict the fire’s smoke concentration and movement. The data collected during this study helped inform NOAA researchers on ways to improve the HRRR model for future use in wildfire events (7).

In response to the growing instability of our global climate, NOAA and its multi-agency partnerships are working to build a climate-resilient nation by use of innovative science and technology and strategic planning, with an emphasis on equity to guide its approach. Drought has become a major economic and environmental crisis, and costs U.S tax-payers billions of dollars in damages and strains vital resources like food and water. NOAA continues to further its dedication to monitoring, forecasting, and mitigating drought impacts at every level of government, and in October of 2022, NOAA introduced a new National Drought Action Plan that underlines the need for a deeper understanding of how drought affects ecosystems, public health, and wildfire risk. In addition to drought risk, NOAA worked with federal agencies to launch HEAT.gov in 2022; this comprehensive platform provides science-based tools and information to help communities prepare for and respond to extreme heat, which is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Featured in COP27 in 2022 (27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), this publicly accessible and free platform serves as an essential resource for safeguarding public health in the United States (7).

Final Thoughts

NOAA continuously refines forecasting models, advances wildfire and air quality research, and implements proactive climate resilience strategies to equip communities with the knowledge and tools they need to adapt to an evolving world. NOAA’s efforts have a global impact— the agency collaborates with international organizations such as the World Meteorological Organization and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to share critical climate and weather data (8). NOAA’s research vessels and ocean-monitoring programs contribute to global efforts to study marine ecosystems, track tsunamis, and monitor CO2 levels in the atmosphere (9). As climate challenges intensify across the planet, NOAA’s science-driven approach plays an indispensable part in shaping policies that build a safer and more resilient future.