NOAA administrator reviews agency progress and challenges

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is moving forward with an agency‐wide scientific integrity policy and has released a draft policy to all of NOAA's employees for their review and comment, NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco said on 8 February. The draft policy lays out guidance for scientific conduct at the agency, encourages scientists to publish their data and findings, provides whistle‐blower protection, encourages NOAA scientists to be leaders in the scientific community, and explicitly states that NOAA science managers and supervisors “must never suppress, alter or otherwise impede the timely release of scientific or technological findings or conclusions,” Lubchenco said at a meeting of the Union of Concerned Scientists' board of directors.

Marine Mammal ScienceVolume 29, Issue 2 p. E193-E202 Notes An investigation of sound use and behavior in a killer whale (Orcinus orca) population to inform passive acoustic monitoring studies Marla M. Holt, Corresponding Author Marla M. Holt Marine Mammal & Seabird Ecology Team, Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington, 98112 U.S.ACorresponding author (e-mail: marla.holt@noaa.gov).Search for more papers by this authorDawn P. Noren, Dawn P. Noren Marine Mammal & Seabird Ecology Team, Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington, 98112 U.S.ASearch for more papers by this authorCandice K. Emmons, Candice K. Emmons Marine Mammal & Seabird Ecology Team, Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington, 98112 U.S.ASearch for more papers by this author Marla M. Holt, Corresponding Author Marla M. Holt Marine Mammal & Seabird Ecology Team, Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington, 98112 U.S.ACorresponding author (e-mail: marla.holt@noaa.gov).Search for more papers by this authorDawn P. Noren, Dawn P. Noren Marine Mammal & Seabird Ecology Team, Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington, 98112 U.S.ASearch for more papers by this authorCandice K. Emmons, Candice K. Emmons Marine Mammal & Seabird Ecology Team, Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington, 98112 U.S.ASearch for more papers by this author First published: 12 September 2012 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2012.00599.xCitations: 13Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume29, Issue2April 2013Pages E193-E202 RelatedInformation

The National Ocean Service, which I've headed since December 1983, is one of the major line components of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA, in turn, is part of the Department of Commerce and is the leading federal agency in the oceanic and atmospheric sciences. Other agencies are involved in the earth sciences, such as the Department of the Interior's Geological Survey, or are in the business of environmental regulations, like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but NOAA is the one federal agency charged specifically with analyzing and predicting oceanic and atmospheric components of the earth's environment as a whole. The importance of this global, integrated air‐sea approach is reflected in the five NOAA line offices.This past December, NOAA line offices were reorganized to consolidate programs as part of the Reagan Administration's general government‐wide belt tightening (see Figure 1). The idea was for NOAA to grow leaner but stronger. The main thrust of the work of the Weather Service and the Marine Fisheries Service remained the same. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research continued to provide research support to the other NOAA components. A trimmed down Environmental Data and Information Service merged with the National Environmental Satellite Service to become today's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Also, this past December the NOAA Office of Coastal Zone Management joined forces with the National Ocean Survey to become the National Ocean Service.

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is a key instrument onboard the Suomi NPP (S-NPP) and the NOAA-20 satellites that provides state-of-the-art Earth observations for ocean, land, aerosol, and cloud applications. VIIRS Reflective Solar Band (RSB) Sensor Data Records (SDR, or Level 1b products) are calibrated and produced independently by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) VIIRS science teams. Multiple versions of S-NPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs are available to date. This study evaluates the long-term calibration stability, biases, and inter-channel consistency of S-NPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs generated by NOAA and NASA over Deep Convective Clouds (DCC) to support downstream applications, especially climate data record studies. Five VIIRS RSB SDRs were analyzed in this study: (1) NOAA version 2 S-NPP VIIRS reprocessed SDRs (NOAA-NPP-V2, 2012–2020), (2) NASA Collection 1 S-NPP VIIRS SDRs (NASA-NPP-C1, 2012–2021), (3) NASA Collection 2 S-NPP VIIRS SDRs (NASA-NPP-C2, 2012–2021), (4) NOAA constant F-factor calibrated NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs (NOAA-N20-ConstF, 2018–2021), and (5) NASA Collection 2 NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs (NASA-N20-C2, 2018–2021). The DCC time series analysis results indicate that the calibrations of the three S-NPP VIIRS RSB SDRs are generally stable, with trends within ±0.1%/year for all RSBs, except for M3–M4 (all three S-NPP SDRs) and I3 (NASA-NPP-C1 only). The calibration of NASA-NPP-C2 SDRs is more uniform at individual detector levels. NOAA-NPP-V2 and NASA-NPP-C1 SDRs exhibit non-negligible time-dependent detector level degradation in M1–M4 (up to 1.5% in 2020–2021), causing striping in the SDR imagery. The biases between NOAA and NASA S-NPP VIIRS RSB SDRs are from 0.1% to 2.4%. The calibrations of the two NOAA-20 VIIRS RSB SDRs are also generally stable, with trends within ±0.16%/year. Small downward trends were observed in the visible and near-infrared (VIS/NIR) bands, and small upward trends were observed in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands for both NOAA and NASA NOAA-20 SDRs. The biases between NOAA and NASA NOAA-20 VIIRS RSB SDRs are nearly constant over time and within ±0.2% for VIS/NIR bands and ±0.7% for SWIR bands. There exists large inter-satellite biases between S-NPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs, especially in the VIS/NIR bands (up to 4.5% for NOAA SDRs and up to 7% for NASA SDRs). In addition, the DCC reflectance of S-NPP VIIRS RSB spectral bands is more consistent with that of the SCanning Imaging Absorption SpectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) than that of NOAA-20. Bands M4 and M9 seem out of family in all five S-NPP and NOAA-20 RSB SDRs evaluated.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in the process of developing acoustic guidelines for assessing the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammal species under NOAA’s jurisdiction. The guidelines will provide a summary of past policies and updated basic science-based guidance. The guidelines are intended for use by NOAA analysts/managers and relevant stakeholders, including federal agencies, and will increase the transparency and consistency of how acoustic effects on marine mammals are assessed in the context of our authorizations, permits, consultations, and exemptions under the various environmental statutes NOAA administers (e.g., Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Marine Sanctuaries Act).

Summary form only as given. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has not traditionally been concerned with science and technology commercialization. In March 1997, NOAA launched the Center for Technology Innovation in Charleston, South Carolina, USA-a region not generally known for technology entrepreneurship. This paper discusses the antecedents to NOAA's launching this experiential learning laboratory and steps taken to make it successful.

Research across natural resource management disciplines has identified an implementation gap between researchers and managers, where institutional norms and practices limit integration of novel data and observations into decision-making. This gap has largely been addressed using one-way science communication tools such as publications and conference presentations. While these tools can be designed and delivered effectively, mounting evidence suggests two-way communication builds more trust, enhances engagement, and may lead to more active use of scientific information in decision-making. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Western Regional Collaboration Team’s West Watch webinar is a one-way communication tool that shares information about climate, weather, and ocean condition anomalies to an internal audience of NOAA experts and key partners. NOAA is interested in expanding this tool to improve information accessibility and use by communities of interest that NOAA serves. This research uses a mixed-methods approach to evaluate how West Watch could change to function as a two-way communication tool, facilitating bilateral information movement between research presenters and the audience. Research results, supported by literature, inform five best practices and recommendations for changes to West Watch, as well as the design and implementation of future science communication tools.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides daily reference evapotranspiration (ETref) maps for the contiguous United States using climatic data from North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS). This data provides large‐scale spatial representation of ETref, which is essential for regional scale water resources management. Data used in the development of NOAA daily ETref maps are derived from observations over surfaces that are different from short (grass — ETos) or tall (alfalfa — ETrs) reference crops, often in nonagricultural settings, which carries an unknown discrepancy between assumed and actual conditions. In this study, NOAA daily ETos and ETrs maps were evaluated for accuracy, using observed data from the Texas High Plains Evapotranspiration (TXHPET) network. Daily ETos, ETrs and the climatic data (air temperature, wind speed, and solar radiation) used for calculating ETref were extracted from the NOAA maps for TXHPET locations and compared against ground measurements on reference grass surfaces. NOAA ETref maps generally overestimated the TXHPET observations (1.4 and 2.2 mm/day ETos and ETrs, respectively), which may be attributed to errors in the NLDAS modeled air temperature and wind speed, to which reference ETref is most sensitive. Therefore, a bias correction to NLDAS modeled air temperature and wind speed data, or adjustment to the resulting NOAA ETref, may be needed to improve the accuracy of NOAA ETref maps.

In 2004 the US Navy transferred the USNS Capable (T-AGOS 16) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The vessel has recently completed an extensive conversion effort to become the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) will use the vessel to conduct multi-disciplinary ocean exploration and research projects. OER's goal is to increase America's knowledge of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and other areas of the roughly 95 percent of the underwater world not previously explored and largely unknown. As a new vessel dedicated to ocean exploration the Okeanos Explorer received significant upgrades and new equipment. This paper describes the major facets of the conversion. The Okeanos Explorer will be the first NOAA vessel to carry a dedicated remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and systems designed to connect the ship and ROV activities to shore via ldquotelepresence.rdquo The development and integration of these new technologies on the vessel is also described. The paper concludes with a discussion of how OER envisions these tools being employed in ocean exploration.

Are we going to have a white Christmas? That is a question that scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) receive each autumn from members of the media and general public. NOAA personnel typically respond by way of a press release and map depicting the climatological probability of observing snow on the ground on 25 December at stations across the contiguous United States. This map has become one of the most popular applications of NOAA’s 1981–2010 U.S. Climate Normals. The purpose of this paper is to expand upon the annual press release in two ways. First, the methodology for empirically calculating the probabilities of snow on the ground is documented. Second, additional maps describing the median snow depth on 25 December as well as the probability and amount of snowfall are presented. The results are consistent with a climatologist’s intuitive expectations. In the Sierras, Cascades, the leeward side of the Great Lakes, and northern New England, snow cover is a near certainty. In these regions, most precipitation falls as snow, and the probability of snowfall can exceed 25%. At higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains and at many locations between the northern Rockies and New England, snowfall is considerably less frequent on Christmas Day, yet the probability of snow on the ground exceeds 50%. For those who would like to escape the snow, the best places to be in late December are in Southern California, the lower elevations of the Southwest, and Florida.

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India and the United States of America (U.S.A.) held a joint conference from June 21-25, 2004 in Bangalore, India to strengthen and expand cooperation in the area of space science, applications, and commerce. Following the recommendations in the joint vision statement released at the end of the conference, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Indian Space and Reconnaissance Organization (ISRO) initiated several joint science projects in the area of satellite product development and applications. This is an extraordinary step since it concentrates on improvements in the data and scientific exchange between India and the United States, consistent with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the two nations in 1997. With the relationship between both countries strengthening with President Bush's visit in early 2006 and new program announcements between the two countries, there is a renewed commitment at ISRO and other Indian agencies and at NOAA in the U.S. to fulfill the agreements reached on the joint science projects. The collaboration is underway with several science projects that started in 2005 providing initial results. NOAA and ISRO agreed that the projects must promote scientific understanding of the satellite data and lead to a satellite-based decision support systems for disaster and public health warnings. The projects target the following areas: --supporting a drought monitoring system for India --improving precipitation estimates over India from Kalpana-1 --increasing aerosol optical depth measurements and products over India --developing early indicators of malaria and other vector borne diseases via satellite monitoring of environmental conditions and linking them to predictive models --monitoring sea surface temperature (SST) from INSAT-3D to support improved forecasting of regional storms, monsoon onset and cyclones. The research collaborations and results from these projects will be presented and discussed in the context of India-US cooperation and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) concept.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released a new draft version of its 5‐year research and development (R&D) plan for 2013–2017, Research and Development at NOAA: Environmental Understanding to Ensure America's Vital and Sustainable Future. The plan, which was announced in the Federal Register on 7 May, will chart a course for R&D in support of the agency's four long‐term goals of climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, and it will guide the agency's R&D activities over the next 5 years.

President Trump and his administration have been regarded by news outlets and scholars as one of the most hostile administrations towards scientists and their work. However, no study to-date has empirically measured how federal scientists perceive the Trump administration with respect to their scientific work. In 2018, we distributed a survey to over 63,000 federal scientists from 16 federal agencies to assess their perception of scientific integrity. Here we discuss the results of this survey for a subset of these agencies: Department of Interior (DOI) agencies (the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the US Geological Survey, and the National Park Service); the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We focus our analysis to 10 key questions fitting within three core categories that relate to perceptions of integrity in science. Additionally, we analyzed responses across agencies and compare responses in the 2018 survey to prior year surveys of federal scientists with similar survey questions. Our results indicate that federal scientists perceive losses of scientific integrity under the Trump Administration. Perceived loss of integrity in science was greater at the DOI and EPA where federal scientists ranked incompetent and untrustworthy leadership as top barriers to science-based decision-making, but this was not the case at the CDC, FDA, and NOAA where scientists positively associated leadership with scientific integrity. We also find that reports of political interference in scientific work and adverse work environments were higher at EPA and FWS in 2018 than in prior years. We did not find similar results at the CDC and FDA. These results suggest that leadership, positive work environments, and clear and comprehensive scientific integrity policies and infrastructure within agencies play important roles in how federal scientists perceive their agency's scientific integrity.

The U.S. government has moved closer to merging and streamlining two separate environmental satellite programs operated by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).Earlier this month, the government installed the Integrated Polar Acquisition and Control Subsystem in a Commerce Department facility in Suitland, Maryland. Beginning next summer, the system will operate the two environmental satellites in DOD's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. Under merger plans, NOAA will be responsible for operating the DOD satellite system as well as its own. The elimination of separate systems could save $678 million through fiscal year 1999, according to James Mannen, Director of the federal government's Integrated Program Office