NOAA AMENDS GRANT
FOR FIRST COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE FOR SATELLITE OCEANOGRAPHY
AT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that an additional $519,414 will be included in the multi-year $2.5 million grant awarded last year to the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University (OSU) to advance research studies at the newly established Cooperative Institute for Oceanographic Satellite Studies (CIOSS).

When it was awarded last year, the five-year grant established a partnership between scientists at OSU and NOAA’s Satellites and Information Service to develop a wide-ranging research program to improve NOAA operations. The program specifically addresses ocean and coastal satellite remote sensing technology, analyses and applications.

“This institute was created to help unlock some of the mysteries of the
climate and ocean that will lead to better forecasting and monitoring products through increased use of data,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph. D, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and NOAA administrator. “NOAA and the Bush Administration are committed to working with academic institutions to improve our awareness, appreciation and understanding of the environment.”

Under the guidelines of the grant, the new cooperative institute at OSU seeks to:

The initial geographic focus of CIOSS research will be the California Current System, located within 500 miles of the west coast of the United States. CIOSS research will improve satellite data products, which can be applied to other coastal regions of the United States and the world. In particular, research conducted with CIOSS falls within four broad research themes that involve the development and/or use of satellite ocean remote sensing data through: 1)sensors and techniques, 2) fields and fluxes, 3) models and data assimilation, and 4) ocean-atmosphere analyses.

The OSU’s College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS) is rated among the top five oceanographic institutions in the nation by the National Research Council. The partnership between COAS and NOAA’s Satellites and Information Service will build on COAS's recognized leadership in the fields of oceanographic remote sensing and coastal ocean research.

For more than 30 years, COAS oceanographers have provided leadership in multi-disciplinary studies funded by NOAA, NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.

NOAA’s Satellites and Information Service is the nation’s primary source of space-based oceanographic, meteorological, and climate data. It operates the nation’s environmental satellites, which are used for ocean and weather observation and forecasting, climate monitoring, and other environmental applications. Some of the oceanographic applications include sea-surface temperature for hurricane and weather forecasting and sea-surface heights for El Niño prediction.

The agency also operates three data centers, which house global databases in oceanography, climatology, solid Earth geophysics, marine geology and geophysics, solar-terrestrial physics and paleoclimatology.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA Satellites and Information Service: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov