The National Ocean Service (NOS) is an office within the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is responsible for preserving and enhancing the nation's coastal resources and ecosystems along approximately of shoreline, that is bordering of coastal, Great Lakes, and ocean waters. Its mission is to "provide science-based solutions through collaborative partnerships to address the evolving economic, environmental, and social pressures on our oceans and coasts." Its projects focus on working to ensure the safe and efficient marine transportation, promoting the protection of coastal communities, conserving marine and coastal places. NOS employs 1,700 scientists, natural resource managers, and specialists in many different fields. The National Ocean Service was previously also known as the National Ocean Survey until it was renamed in 1983.

Organization

As one of the six NOAA Line Offices, NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) observes, studies, and manages the nation's coastal and marine resources. The NOS measures and predicts the coastal and ocean phenomena, protects large areas of the oceans, works to ensure safe navigation, and provides tools and information to protect and restore the coastal and marine resources. NOAA's National Ocean Service is composed of seven programs and two staff offices.

Program offices

  • Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
  • National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)
  • Office of Coast Survey (OCS)
  • Office for Coastal Management (OCM)
  • National Geodetic Survey (NGS)
  • Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS)
  • Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)

Staff offices

  • Integrated Ocean Observing System Program (IOOS)
  • Management and Budget Office (MBO)

Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services

The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) is a source for water-level and current measurements that support safe and efficient maritime commerce, sound coastal management, and recreation. provides research, scientific information and tools to help balance the nation's ecological, social and economic goals. The research and tools provided are central to addressing coastal issues raised in legislation and NOAA's priorities.

Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)

NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) is a cross-cutting program that brings together expertise from a wide array of NOAA programs and offices in the National Ocean Service (NOS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS). The CRCP was established in 2000 to help fulfill NOAA's responsibilities under the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (CRCA) and the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (established by Presidential Executive Order 13089 on Coral Reef Protection). The mission of the CRCP is to protect, conserve, and restore coral reef resources by maintaining healthy ecosystem function. CRCP focuses on four main pillars of work: increase resilience to climate change, reduce land-based sources of pollution, improve fisheries' sustainability, and restore viable coral populations. In strong partnership with local managers, CRCP addresses strategic coral reef management needs in a targeted, cost-effective, and efficient manner.

CRCP funds and equips reef conservation activities by NOAA and its partners in the seven U.S. states and jurisdictions containing coral reefs (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands), uninhabited islands including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Pacific Remote Island Areas, and the Pacific Freely Associated States (Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau). CRCP supports multiple cross-cutting activities and associated products including the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program and Coral Reef Watch.

Digital Coast

This NOAA-sponsored website is focused on helping communities address coastal issues and has become one of the most-used resources in the coastal management community.

National Estuarine Research Reserves

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a network of 29 coastal sites designated to protect and study estuarine systems. Established through the Coastal Zone Management Act, the reserves represent a partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states. NOAA provides funding and national guidance, and each site is managed on a daily basis by a lead state agency or university with input from local partners.

Office of National Geodetic Survey

The Office of National Geodetic Survey (NGS) provides the framework for all positioning activities in the nation. The foundational elements - latitude, longitude, elevation, shoreline information and their changes over time - contribute to informed decision making and impact a wide range of important activities including mapping and charting, navigation, flood risk determination, transportation, land use and ecosystem management. NGS' authoritative spatial data, models, and tools are vital for the protection and management of natural and manmade resources and support the economic prosperity and environmental health of the nation.

  • Observations & Analysis: conducts geodetic surveys to support the National Spatial Reference System, the production of airport obstruction charts, the location of aeronautical aids to navigation, and the production of coastal maps, charts, and special products in the coastal zone. The Division also conducts field surveys required to support photogrammetric and hydrographic surveys.
  • Systems Development: administers the central processing units, disk and storage systems, telecommunications and network systems, and peripheral input and output systems for NGS. The Division also researches, designs, develops, implements, and conveys the operational use of computer-assisted systems for the acquisition, reduction, analyses, display, and transmission of geodetic, photogrammetric, and remote sensing source data.
  • Geosciences Research: coordinates the research, development and management of new geodetic data products. The Division also designs and programs scientific and geodetic software applications and procedures.

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) serves as the trustee for the National Marine Sanctuary system, a network of underwater parks encompassing more than of Great Lakes and oceanic waters. As of October 11, 2024, the network includes a system of 17 national marine sanctuaries:

  • Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
  • Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
  • National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa
  • Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
  • Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
  • Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
  • Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary

The ONMS also participates in the administration of two marine national monuments, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which it administers jointly with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Hawaii, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, which it administers jointly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Office of Response and Restoration

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) is a center for preparation and response to threats to coastal environments, including oil and chemical spills, releases from hazardous waste sites, and marine debris. The Office of Response and Restoration's tasks include:

Assessment and Restoration Division

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The Assessment and Restoration Division (ARD), formerly Coastal Protection and Restoration Division (CPRD), is responsible for evaluating and restoring coastal and estuarine habitats damaged by hazardous waste releases, oil spills, and vessel groundings. ARD joined with NOAA's General Counsel for Natural Resources and Office of Habitat Conservation to create the Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program (DARRP). This NOAA partnership focuses on the protection and restoration of marine natural resources. The Assessment and Restoration Division is composed of NOAA biologists, toxicologists, ecologists, policy analysts, attorneys, geologists, environmental engineers, and economists. It assesses ecological, environmental, and economic risk and injury from contamination and ship groundings. In particular, ARD has developed specific expertise in aquatic risk assessment techniques, contaminated sediment issues, and data interpretation. The ARD publishes the Screening Quick Reference Tables (SQuiRT cards), for rapid evaluation of water, sediment and soil contamination.

Marine Debris Division

Since 2005, the NOAA Marine Debris Program has been a NOAA program focused on researching, reducing, and preventing debris in the marine environment nationally and globally. The program works with various partners across the U.S. to fulfill its mission.

Integrated Ocean Observing System

The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is a national-regional partnership working to understand and predict coastal events - such as storms, wave heights, and sea level change.

History

The National Ocean Service traces its history to 1807, when the Survey of the Coast was created as the U.S. Government's first scientific agency. As a reflection of its diversifying responsibilities, the National Ocean Survey was renamed the National Ocean Service in 1983.