On January 21, 2008, VADM Conrad Lautenbacher, NOAA Administrator,
signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Environment Canada
(EC) for Collaboration in Weather, Climate, and Other Earth Systems for
the Enhancement of Health, Safety, and Economic Prosperity.
This MoU
consolidates two other agreements that were in place with the National
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) and the
National Weather Service (NWS). The new MoU will also broaden the scope of activities to encompass
collaboration with all NOAA line offices; and NWS, NESDIS, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), and the National Ocean Service (NOS)
have identified potential areas of collaboration for consideration under
the auspices of the MoU.
The MoU had been previously signed in Ottawa
by Deputy Minister Michael Horgan, but Mr. David Grimes, Assistant
Deputy Minister for Meteorological Services, delivered the MoU to the
VADM at the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting in New
Orleans, Louisiana, for his signature.
The first bilateral meeting between NOAA and EC is tentatively scheduled
for sometime in the fall 2008 or early spring 2009.
Both countries have agreed to:
Enhance and maximize the program capabilities of both Participants;
Encourage joint efforts to resolve common problems;
Avoid unplanned duplication of effort;
Promote compatibility in the collection, analysis, archival, and dissemination of data so that the data and results can be readily accessed, analyzed, integrated, compared, and pooled as desired; and
Contribute to Earth observations and assessments.
Key program areas include the following:
Improvement of meteorological and hydrological forecasts, which define their economic value;
Hazard preparedness through emergency management and all-hazards dissemination systems;
Greater awareness of the role of regional meteorology on hemispheric and global weather and climate conditions;
Improved understanding of and ability to manage and protect the world's oceans and polar regions;
Joint sharing of environmental data and products; data collection, management, archival and retrieval processes; data analyses and dissemination;
Collaboration in meteorological, hydrologic, oceanographic, and climate research, observations, and applications development;
Joint sharing of equipment, facilities, and logistics;
Meteorological, hydrologic, oceanographic, and climate education, training, and outreach;
Effective meetings, workshops, and conferences for the mutual exchange of scientific and technical knowledge and ideas;
International objectives as identified in international for a in which NOAA and EC and cooperating entities participate;
Improved services that contribute toward human health, economic well-being, and the protection of the environment; and
Other forms of cooperation that may be identified by the Participants.
Further information about the MoU can be obtained by contacting Ms. Renee Tatusko by telephone at 301-713-1790 x138 or by email at Renee.Tatusko@noaa.gov.
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