Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences

CIMSS scientists conduct research using passive remote sensing systems for meteorological and surface-based applications. CIMSS is a Cooperative Institute formed through a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Recognizing the problem of potential global climate change, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. It is open to all members of the UN and WMO. The role of the IPCC is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC does not carry out research nor does it monitor climate related data or other relevant parameters. It bases its assessment mainly on peer reviewed and published scientific/technical literature. Its role, organisation, participation and general procedures are laid down in the "Principles Governing IPCC Work"

This Web site provides information on monitoring of aquatic resources in the US, primarily focused on design and analysis of probability based surveys. Links are provided to other aquatic resources monitoring information available on the internet. Hosted by the Monitoring Design and Analysis Team, USEPA ORD, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, Corvallis, OR.

CICAR is a cooperative institute between NOAA and Columbia University, New York. CICAR research themes include the modeling, understanding, prediction and assessment of climate variability and change; development, collection, analysis and archiving of instrumental and paleoclimate data; and development of the application of climate variability and change prediction and assessment to provide information for decision makers and assess risk to water resources, agriculture, health, and policy. CICAR brings together scientists from NOAA Laboratories, in particular the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey, and scientist of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, in particular the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.

The MIT JOINT PROGRAM ON THE SCIENCE AND POLICY OF GLOBAL CHANGE was founded in 1991 as an interdisciplinary organization that conducts research, independent policy analysis, and public communication on issues of global environmental change. It is not a degree-granting entity. The Program's work is focused on the integration of natural and social science aspects of the climate issue, to produce analyses relevant to ongoing national and international discussions. Cooperative efforts engage the Program with leading research institutions and non-profit organizations worldwide. Financial support is provided by an international group of sponsors from government organizations, foundations, and industry.

The Joint Global Change Research Institute houses an interdisciplinary team dedicated to understanding the problems of global climate change and their potential solutions. Joint Institute staff bring decades of experience and expertise to bear in science, technology, economics, and policy. One of the strengths of the Joint Institute is a network of domestic and international collaborators that encourages the development of global and equitable solutions to the climate change problem. Initiated in early 2001, the Joint Institute brings together the intersecting interests of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland. Staff at the Joint Institute are focused on developing new opportunities to train university students in these interdisciplinary areas.

Here you'll discover the marine life and extraordinary habitats that make up your nation's marine sanctuaries and our continuing effortts to conserve these ocean and coastal treasures. The mission of NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries is to serve as the trustee for the nation's system of marine protected areas, to conserve, protect, and enhance their biodiversity, ecological integrity and cultural legacy.

The Center for Environmental and Applied Fluid Mechanics (CEAFM) fosters research and teaching involving fluid mechanics by bringing together students, faculty, and researchers from the Whiting School of Engineering, the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and the Applied Physics Laboratory. Research areas of the CEAFM faculty and students include fluid flow phenomena in engineering and science covering a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. This includes fluid flows that occur in industrial, transportation, and manufacturing applications, in ocean and coastal engineering, in the treatment of aquatic and air-borne contaminants, in planetary atmospheres and oceans, rivers, subsurface waters, and fluids deep in the earth's interior, in biological systems, and in the microscopic environments relevant to micro-fluidic engineering applications and to aquatic and atmospheric chemistry and biology.

Through close collaboration with key players in the oil and gas industry, the "Scientific and Environmental ROV Partnership using Existing iNdustrial Technology" (SERPENT) project aims to make cutting-edge ROV technology and data more accessible to the world's science community, sharing knowledge and progressing deep-sea research. The programme will interact with science and conservation groups globally and transparently communicate our project to the public to increase the awareness of our fragile marine resources. SERPENT is a global project hosted by the DEEPSEAS group, in the George Deacon Division GDD of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS) with a network of UK and global partners.

The Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies (CIMRS) was established in 1982 to foster collaborative research between Oregon State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in fisheries ecosystem studies, aquaculture, oceanography, and marine-resource technology and related fields. The present day CIMRS partnership brings university scientists together with scientists from NOAA's NW Fisheries Science Center, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, and Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory to work on problems of mutual interest relating to the living and non-living components of the marine environment and their interrelationships.

The MIT Deep Water Archaeology Research Group, DeepArch, is developing methodology for archaeological investigations in the deepest parts of the world's oceans (to 6,000m deep) using advanced sensors, robotics, and submersibles. DeepArch conducts research that includes archaeologists, historians, engineers, and oceanographers, so that the challenge of working in deep water can be approached from all angles. Leaders in these fields are brought together through lectures, conferences, and expeditions, to investigate the tools and methods needed to study this complex discipline. In addition, DeepArch believes in the education of a new generation of archaeologists and engineers, and we participate in a number of educational opportunities, including public lectures and ROV competitions.

The early lessons of Katrina are that preparedness and education about hurricanes are invaluable defensive tools in fighting (or fleeing) natural disasters. MIT Sea Grant's newly launched hurricane web site provides information about planning and risk, as well as news about hurricane-related research being conducted by MIT experts.

As the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway, NOAA has introduced a new way to follow specific tropical storms or hurricanes. NOAA Storm Tracker contains live links to advisories, tracking maps and satellite images of a particular storm that is projected to strike the United States or other nations in a storms path. Track Katrina, Rita, Wilma, and more.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO provides Member States of the United Nations with an essential mechanism for global co-operation in the study of the ocean. The IOC assists governments to address their individual and collective ocean and coastal problems through the sharing of knowledge, information, and technology, and through the coordination of national programs.

The MPI-M is an internationally renowned institute for climate research. Our institute is located in the university district of Hamburg, within walking distance of Hamburgs beautiful city center. The major objective of its 130 scientists, post docs and PhD students is to understand how physical, chemical and biological processes, as well as human behaviour contribute to the dynamics of the Earth system, and specifically how they relate to global and regional climate changes. We develop models and measurement techniques to analyze the natural variability in the atmosphere, the ocean and the biosphere, and to assess how the system is affected by changes in land-use, industrial development, urbanization, and other human-induced perturbations. Advanced numerical Earth system models are used to simulate the behaviour of the atmosphere, the ocean, the cryosphere and the biosphere, and the interaction between these different components of the Earth's system.

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the Navy and Marine Corps. NRL's Marine Meterology Division conducts a research and development program designed to improve the basic understanding of atmospheric processes and the atmostphere's interaction with the ocean, land, and cryosphere; to develop and implement automated analysis, prediction, and weather interpretation systems for DOD users; and to study the effect of the atmosphere on Naval weapons systems.

GFDL's mission is to be a world leader in the production of timely and reliable knowledge and assessments on natural climate variability and anthropogenic changes and in the development of the required earth system models. GFDL works cooperatively in NOAA to advance its expert assessments of changes in national and global climate through research, improved models, and products.

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to exploring the world's oceans, integrating the science and technology of the sea with the needs of humankind. Our staff of over 250, includes scientists, engineers, mariners and support personnel. We are involved in research and education in the marine sciences; biological, chemical, and environmental sciences; marine biomedical sciences; marine mammal conservation; aquaculture; and ocean engineering. We have a wide variety of educational programs and products to raise public awareness of the marine environment, illustrating how the health of our planet is inextricably linked to the state of our oceans.

The West Coast & Polar Regions Undersea Research Center supports highly-rated, peer-reviewed proposals to conduct in situ research in the region offshore California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and the Arctic and Antarctic. NURP Centers specialize in placing U.S. scientists under the sea directly using scuba, manned submersibles, and underwater labs, or remotely using robots and seafloor observatories, to conduct ocean research important to NOAA. The program is a national leader in investigations of coral reefs and beds, deep water reefs, submarine canyons, seamounts, ancient submerged shorelines, water mass boundaries, polar environments and development of advanced undersea technologies.

NOAA's Undersea Research Program (NURP), within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), is a unique national service that provides undersea scientists with tools and expertise that they need to work in the undersea environment. Undersea research results in a greater understanding of the world's oceans, which make up more than 99% of the living volume of our planet. In spite of their prevalence, the oceans are still a frontier area. The Mid-Ocean Ridge, a mountain range spanning the ocean basins, was recognized only in the 1960s. Vents and seeps surrounded by life that exists without sunlight discovered in the 1980s revolutionized modern scientific theory about the origin and sustenance of life on Earth. NURP-funded scientists are a part of this advance on the frontier. Our research programs cover many undersea environments from the shoreline to the deep sea, capturing nearly all the scientific disciplines. Our recent scientific studies show the significance of gathering information from the ocean, and the delight and dedication associated with ocean research and discovery. Our reward comes from overcoming the obstacles of the sea and helping humans understand and live on the "water planet."