Through NOAA and its academic partners, thousands of scientists, engineers, technicians, and graduate students participate in furthering our knowledge of natural phenomena that affect the lives of us all. The NOAA Research network consists of internal research laboratories, programs that conduct ocean exploration and observations, support research to improve weather forecasting and our understanding of ocean acidification, and enhance the use and conservation of coastal, marine and Great Lakes resources through the National Sea Grant Program.
It also includes the Climate Program Office, which manages competitive research programs in which NOAA funds high-priority climate science, assessments, decision support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities designed to advance our understanding of Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application of this knowledge in risk management and adaptation efforts.
In addition, NOAA supports a network of 20 Cooperative Institutes that are based at the United States leading research universities and conduct research that supports NOAA's mission. Many of the Cooperative Institutes are co-located with NOAA research laboratories and this partnership with academia ensures that we benefit from the delivery of world-class science to address society's challenges.
Lastly, we have a few cross-cutting offices that supports our research activities, developing the use of uncrewed systems in supporting NOAA's mission, transitioning our research to operations, and licensing our technologies to commercial practices.
Follow the links below to learn more about the NOAA Research network of programs, laboratories, international activities, and how we periodically review our research activites to ensure they are supporting NOAA's current science priorities.
We support and conduct research in three major areas: weather and air quality; climate; and ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources.
Ten laboratories and their field stations are located across the country and around the world.
Scientific reviews are conducted every four years to evaluate the quality, relevance, and performance of research conducted at the OAR laboratories and programs.
The International Activities Office advances NOAA Research’s science enterprise and priorities on ocean, atmosphere, and climate.