1970 - February 9, 100th Anniversary of formation of Weather
Bureau.
October 3, NOAA created within Dept of Commerce combining Bureau of
Commercial Fisheries, Weather Bureau, Coast and Geodetic Survey,
Environmental Data Service, National Oceanographic Data Center, National
Satellite Center, Research Libraries, and other components.
1971
- February 9, 100th Anniversary of the formation of the oldest
ancestor agency of the National Marine Fisheries Service. First Sea
Grant Colleges designated - Texas A&M University, University of
Rhode
Island, Oregon State University, and the University of Washington.
1972
- Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act establishes
NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries Program. National Coastal Zone
Management Program begins. NOAA
Corps becomes first uniformed service to recruit women on the same
basis
as men.
1973
- Endangered Species Act enacted; NMFS designated responsible
agency for marine species.
1975
- GOES-1, NOAA's first owned and operated geostationary satellite
launched. Site of final resting place of U.S.S. Monitor designated
as
NOAA's first National Marine Sanctuary. P-3 Orion "Hurricane
Hunter"aircraft acquired. "Charlie 39", NOAA DC-6B
research aircraft
retired after 321 penetrations of 42 hurricanes.
1976
- Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act
provides for NMFS protection of fisheries resources and enforcement
activities in federal waters. The Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory (PMEL) deploys the first successful moored equatorial current
meter - the beginning of the Tropical Atmosphere/ Ocean (TAO) array.
1978
- Ocean Pollution Planning Act recognizes need to investigate
effects of pollutants on marine environment. This marks the beginning
of NOAA's Hazardous Materials Response and Assessment (HAZMAT)
involvement.
1979
- NOAA's first polar-orbiting environmental satellite launched.
1980
- National Undersea Research Program (NURP) established. "Dean
of
the Cooperative Weather Observers," Mr. Edward H. Stoll of Elwood,
Nebraska, is honored Mr. Stoll had faithfully served as a Cooperative
Observer since October 10, 1905.
1982
- National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) established in Boulder,
CO.
1983
- President Ronald Reagan declares a United States Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) extending out 200 nautical miles from our shores.
NOAA embarks on program of multi-beam surveying of the EEZ leading
to
many discoveries including numerous economically important salt domes
in
the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA assumes operational responsibility for
LANDSAT satellite system.
1984
- Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program begins in
response to massive 1982 El Nino. Moored buoy arrays with ocean
temperature sensors monitor changes in the temperature regime of the
tropical Pacific Ocean.
1985
- Earth Observation Satellite Company (EOSAT) assumes operation of
LANDSAT; National Acid Precipitation Research Office established for
coordinating efforts to study acid rain.
1986
- NOAA's Aeronomy Laboratory begins investigation of the Antarctic
ozone hole at McMurdo Base, Antarctica.
1987
- NOAA GOES-7 satellite launched.
1988
- 75th Anniversary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
1989
- North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) approved for federal
surveying and mapping activities; first official horizontal reference
point established.
1990
- NOAA assumes operation of Cospas-Sarsat (Space-Based System for
the Search of Vessels in Distress) program from the U.S. Air Force.
The
National Meteorological Center nstalled a supercomputer - the Cray
Y-MP8
- to run higher resolution and more sophisticated numerical weather
production models.
1992
- Following repeated collapse of New England ground fishing stocks,
NMFS initiates large-scale ecosystem study of Georges Bank. First
installations of WSR-88D Doppler Weather Radars at Weather Service
Forecast Offices around the country and first installations of Automated
Surface Observing Systems.
1993
- North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) approved for
geodesy.
1994
- NOAA Coastal Service Center opened in Charleston, SC; National
Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Office
established to coordinate efforts of civil and military satellite
users.
1996
- Sustainable Fisheries Act passed giving NMFS new
responsibilities. First NOAA ship-at-sea web page on NOAA Ship
Ka'Imimoana.
1997
- Ronald H. Brown commissioned; first new NOAA ship in 15 years;
NOAA's Science Advisory Board established.
1997/98
- NOAA successfully forecasts world-wide impact of El Niño.
1998
- NOAA is a major participant in the UN International Year of the
Ocean.
1999
- Modernization of the NOAA National Weather Service completed;
Sustainable Seas Expedition begins; NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown returns
from round-the-world atmospheric
research cruise.
2000
- 30th Anniversary of NOAA; 40th anniversary of TIROS satellite;
50th Anniversary of NOAA Ship John N. Cobb; scheduled launch of NOAA-L
satellite, NOAA Central Library declared Federal Library of the Year
by
the Library of Congress.
