The importance of being NOAA

Did you look at the weather before you left the house today? NOAA provided that data.

Do you eat salmon, shellfish or even McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish? NOAA works with fisheries to manage these resources so you can eat safe seafood tonight and tomorrow too.

Did you turn on the light in your house? NOAA provides the information so that the 15% of power that comes from renewable resources gets to customers.

Was your last vacation on a cruise ship? NOAA provided the data so you had a vacation not a re-creation of Titanic.

 

You are not alone. Both the general public and private business use NOAA products to help make our way of life better, RIGHT NOW. That includes nearly 1/3 OF THE US GDP. And let’s not forget how the military uses this information to keep troops safe and their operations effective.

The proposed 17% budget cut to NOAA will affect all these resources. If you like having these services in you life, then make sure you let your congress person know you use them, you need them, and you want them before they vote on the budget. (UPDATE: Links and script to call your representative with at the bottom of the page)

Additional reading

Four ways NOAA benefits your life today

White House proposes steep budget cut to leading climate science agency

2016 NOAA Chief Scientist Annual Report

Matthew Garcia explains how NOAA makes a 1000:1 return on investment

Southern Fried Science: Monday Morning Salvage Call your representative

Two Surprising Facts about NOAA

UPDATE: How to contact your Representative and tell them you care (thanks @southernfriedscience)

1. Find out who YOUR representatives are here http://www.house.gov/htbin/findrep and https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
2. Call them with this script.

Hello,

My name is [NAME] and I am a constituent of [CONGRESSPERSON/SENATOR].

I’m calling to ask [CONGRESSPERSON/SENATOR] to oppose any reduction in the budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA provides essential services to the American people, including weather services, coastal resilience, hurricane monitoring, and fisheries management. Programs like SeaGrant are the lifeblood of coastal communities, providing education, job training, and research grants to fund local development. NOAA’s Hurricane Center is critical for tracking hurricanes. One-third of the US economy relies upon services provided by NOAA. Any reduction in NOAA’s budget would be catastrophic to the United States’ coastal economy.

Thank you.

If your livelihood depends on NOAA, consider adding “I am a [FISHERMAN/BUSINESS OWNER/AQUACULTURIST/ETC] in [CONGRESSPERSON/SENATOR]’s district and my livelihood and family depend on the services that NOAA provides.”

Kim Martini was a postdoctoral fellow from 2013-2016 at the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO), a NOAA Cooperative Institute at the University of Washington. Kim currently is a Senior Oceanographer at Sea-Bird Scientific providing oceanographic sensors and systems to NOAA.