NOAA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD TO DISCUSS EXTENDED CONTINENTAL SHELF EXPLORATION AND OKEANOS RESEARCH VESSEL MAIDEN VOYAGE

Ocean exploration will be the theme of the 29th NOAA Science Advisory Board meeting to be held in Mystic, Conn., Aug. 22 and 23. During the two-day meeting, retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator will participate in discussions that include the merger of NOAA’s ocean exploration and undersea research programs, updates to climate observation and analysis activities, and reports on hurricane intensity research.

The Science Advisory Board is the only federal advisory committee with responsibility to advise the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere on long and short-range strategies for research, education and the application of science to resource management and environmental assessment and prediction. The board meets three times a year to directly interact with NOAA leadership, advise NOAA on critical issues, and learn about important science-related activities within NOAA.

The meeting will be located at the Mystic Hilton Hotel, 20 Coogan Blvd, Mystic, Conn., and will be open to the public Aug. 22, with registration beginning at 10:00 a.m. and meeting adjournment at 3:45 p.m. On Aug. 23, registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and meetings will adjourn at 3:00 p.m. There will be an opportunity for public comment from 3:15-3:45 p.m. on Aug 22.

Meeting highlights include NOAA’s activities in ocean exploration with discussions on extended continental shelf exploration, exploration of New England seamounts, and the results of the board’s Ocean Exploration Advisory Working Group workshop on planning for the maiden voyage of the Okeanos Explorer—the only U.S. government ship dedicated to exploring Earth’s oceans.

In addition, the Climate Working Group and the Data Archive and Access Requirements Working Group will provide updates on current activities. There will be discussions of NOAA’s response to the National Research Council’s report on Earth Science and Applications from Space (the Decadal Survey), and updates on NOAA’s response to the SAB’s Hurricane Intensity Research Working Group Reports as well as the External Review of NOAA’s Ecosystem Research and Science Enterprise.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research: http://www.oar.noaa.gov

Ocean Explorer: http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov

Science Advisory Board: http://www.sab.noaa.gov

Undersea Research Program: http://www.nurp.noaa.gov