CREDITS

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was established as part of the Department of Commerce on October 3, 1970. NOAA Mission responsibilities are to assess the socioeconomic impact of natural and technological changes in the environment and to monitor and predict the state of the solid Earth, the oceans and their living resources, the atmosphere, and the space environment of the Earth.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

An 1870 act of Congress created the U.S. Weather Bureau under the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Subsequent Congressional action in October 1890 placed the Weather Bureau under the Department of Agriculture. The Weather Bureau was transferred to the Department of Commerce in 1940. In 1965, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), which included the Weather Bureau, was created under the Department of Commerce. Still operating under ESSA, the Weather Bureau was renamed the National Weather Service in 1967. ESSA became the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1970.

The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. NWS data and products form a national information data base which can be used by other governmental agencies and the private sector.

NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS LABORATORY

The National Severe Storms Laboratory, in partnership with the National Weather Service, enhances NOAA's mission through a balanced program of research to advance the understanding of weather processes, research to improve forecasting and warning techniques, development of operational applications, and transfer of understanding, techniques, and applications to the National Weather Service and other public and private sector agencies.

Billy and Maria Index