The Friends of NOAA are supporters, stakeholders and partners of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and exist to encourage Congress to provide appropriate support for the agency as it carries out its mission of saving lives and livelihoods.

NOAA is also one of the premier science agencies in the Federal Government, providing decision makers with critically important data, products and services that promote and enhance the nation's economy, security, environment, and quality of life.  For example, it was NOAA -- and its underlying science enterprise -- that enabled the delivery of accurate and timely information regarding the impending landfall of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a forecast that saved tens of thousands of lives.  A better understanding of the oceans not only benefits coastal communities.  In fact, economists have estimated that altering planting decisions based on improved El Nino and La Nina forecasts would save U.S. farmers $265-$300 million.

Given NOAA's role as the lead federal agency for our oceans and atmosphere, and our increasing appreciation and understanding of the human health, national security, and economic impacts associated with the oceanic and atmospheric physical and biological processes, we firmly believe that an increased investment in NOAA is needed now.

For information about joining the Friends of NOAA, please contact Jeb Berman 301 608-3040 x4.

Latest News From NOAA

• NASA, NOAA: Newest GOES Satellite Ready For Action
  NASA and NOAA's latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-15, has successfully completed five months of on-orbit testing and has been accepted into service. The satellite has demonstrated operational readiness of its subsystems, spacecraft instruments and communications services. GOES-15 is the third and final spacecraft in the GOES N-P Series of geostationary environmental weather satellites.
• NASA/NOAA Study Finds El Niños Growing Stronger
  A relatively new type of El Niño, which has its warmest waters in the central-equatorial Pacific Ocean, rather than in the eastern-equatorial Pacific, is becoming more common and progressively stronger, according to a new study by NASA and NOAA. The research may improve our understanding of the relationship between El Niños and climate change, and has potential significant implications for long-term weather forecasting.
• NOAA, SeaWeb Partner to Communicate the Value of Coral Reefs
  NOAA and SeaWeb have entered into a partnership to enhance understanding of the nation's valuable, but increasingly vulnerable coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean, Florida, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Sometimes referred to as the 'rainforests of the sea's; coral reefs provide services estimated to be worth as much as $375 billion globally each year.
• NOAA Commissions New Research Ship Bell M. Shimada
  Federal officials today commissioned NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada, a state-of-the-art research vessel that will study a wide range of marine life and ocean conditions along the West Coast.
• Indonesian, U.S. Scientists Explore Seafloor, Discover Significant Diversity and Find Unusual Inhabitants
  A rare and exciting look at the seafloor with images of unusual and beautiful creatures was offered to U.S. and Indonesian scientists working side-by-side at Exploration Command Centers in Jakarta and Seattle this summer. They used cutting-edge technology to fill their screens with live views of seafloor geology and of deep-ocean marine animals in waters off Indonesia.
• NOAA Issues Regulations Governing Navy's Activities in the Mariana Islands
  NOAA's Fisheries Service has issued regulations and a letter of authorization to the U.S. Navy that require protective measures to minimize impacts to marine mammals while conducting training exercises around the Mariana Islands in the South Pacific.
• Scientists Map Origin of Large, Underwater Hydrocarbon Plume in Gulf
  Plume detected 22 miles long and more than 3,000 feet below surface
• NOAA Reopens More than 4,000 Square Miles of Closed Gulf Fishing Area
  Today NOAA reopened 4,281 square miles of Gulf waters off western Louisiana to commercial and recreational fishing. The reopening was announced after consultation with FDA and under a re-opening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states.
• NOAA Fisheries Scientist Wins 2010 Göteborg Award for Sustainable Development
  NOAA Fisheries scientist Kenneth Sherman is one of two 2010 recipients of the Göteborg Award for Sustainable Development, considered the environmental equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
• Secretary Locke Extends Disaster Declaration for California Salmon Fishermen
  U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced today an extension of the disaster for California salmon fishermen due to the low numbers of spawning Chinook salmon returning to the Sacramento River and the subsequent reduction in commercial fishery revenues.