The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency - 301

 My last two columns have focused on two of the largest independent science organizations, the National Academies of Science, (NAS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, (AAAS).  These organizations along with the American Meteorological Society, (AMS) are considered the "Big Three" and are independent of the US Government.  These organizations and their members warn us global warming is real, the result of too much greenhouse gas in our atmosphere, and caused primarily from burning fossil fuels. Increasingly, they warn us we must accelerate our efforts to end carbon pollution.  These three reputable organizations are where you need to go for information on climate change to avoid all the misinformation which is rampant everywhere. 

 

There are also many great governmental science organizations you can rely on for factual scientific information about climate change and it’s causes. These include NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Other organizations looking out for our climate best interests are NCAR, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the NSIDC, the National Snow and Ice Data Center. 

    

Today I want to focus on NOAA. 

NOAA was signed into law by President Nixon in 1970. It is charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep sea exploration, managing fishing, and protecting marine mammals and endangered species in US waters. 

 

NOAA traces its history back to multiple agencies, including The US Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Weather Bureau, both created in 1870; the Bureau of Fisheries, formed in 1871; and the Environmental Science Services Administration, founded in 1965. 

 

The reason for creating NOAA was to serve a national need for better "…protection of life and property from natural hazards… for a better understanding of the total environment… [and] for exploration and development leading to the intelligent use of our marine resources." 

 

The mandate to protect life and property from natural hazards makes global warming/climate change a chief concern of the agency.

 

How do we ferret out where NOAA stands on climate change? I went to the website. Here is what I found on the noaa.gov opening page: 

 

It started with "The Great Lakes this Winter where did all the ice cover go?" Here, I quote NOAA physical scientist Bryan Mroczka, "We've crossed a threshold in which we are at a historic low for ice cover for the Great Lakes as a whole. We have never seen ice levels this low in Mid-February on the lakes since our records began in 1973." 

Another front-page article was this, "3.9 million awarded to help small businesses improve climate resilience". Because scientists know climate change storms will pummel coastal shorelines and communities, NOAA was awarded 3.9 million dollars to lead counter actions. "This investment, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, supports 16 awardees in 11 states to develop and advance new technologies for gathering coastal, ocean and Great Lakes data and observations — essential information to build tools, products, and services that address climate resilience needs and create a climate-ready nation.”

 

Another front-page article was, "January 2024 marked the 8th month in a row of record global warmth." 

This article included two additional milestones. The 2023/2024 Valparaiso Wildfire in Chile destroyed 14,000 homes and killed 120 people, making it the deadliest in South American history. 

Summarizing the record setting previous year, NOAA has this to say, "2023 was the world's warmest year on record by far", said NOAA's Chief Scientist, Dr Sarah Kapnick. "After seeing the 2023 climate analysis, I have to pause and say that the findings are astounding. Not only was 2023 the warmest in NOAA's 174-year climate record-it was the warmest by far. A warming planet means we need to be prepared for the impacts of climate change that are happening here and now, like extreme weather events that become both more frequent and severe. We will continue to see more records broken and extreme events grow until emissions go to zero. Government policy can address both emissions, but also actions to reduce climate impacts by building resilience."

 

If you are curious about NOAA’s, NASA’s or any of our governmental science organizations’ position on climate change, go to their websites and type “position on climate change & fossil fuels” into their search box.  You will find a plethora of factual scientific articles provided by the best scientific organizations in the country. 

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