b'disasters Our forecasts save lives, protect property,boost the U.S. economy and strengthen national security. Serving as leading stewards of a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable ocean. NOAA is leading stewardship of ourocean by ensuring the long-term sustainability of ourfisheries, protecting vulnerable marine species and their habitat, and supporting aquaculture. Powering the blue economy. NOAA is exploring,mapping, and observing our nations waters andpreserving our underwater parks and coastal reserves.NOAA supports resilient coasts, working waterfronts, marine commerce, and sustainable seafood for athriving economy. Harnessing big data. NOAA is providing a trulyintegrated digital understanding of the Earth from data collected by satellites, ships, aircraft, and a vast network of environmental monitoring systems. NOAA leverages this data to help keep the public safe, promote the Buoy mooring operations off the NOAA Ship Miller Freeman. This buoy relays meteorological information and other information to fishermen in the Bering Sea and North Pacific.nations economic security, protect and manage Photo by: Crew and officers of NOAA Ship Miller Freemanresources, and enhance our understanding of the planet.Throughout the year, visit www.noaa.gov/50-years to find features, events, multimedia, and NOAA milestones as we celebrate five decades of science, service, and stewardship. coastal shoreline counties. These counties contributeNOAAs mission spans from the surface$6.6 trillion to the U.S. economy. Climate change, sea level rise, more intense storms, and population growth are all of the sun to the depths of the ocean.challenges for our coastal communities. The National Ocean Learn more about our 9 key focus areas. Service helps decision makers find solutions. We are the nations leader in observing, measuring, assessing, protecting, NOAA Weather and managing coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes areas.www.weather.gov NOAA FISHERIESEach year, the United States averages some 10,000 www.fisheries.noaa.govwww.fishwatch.govthunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,300 tornadoes and 2 AtlanticOur work is guided by two core mandatesto ensurehurricanes, as well as widespread droughts and wildfires. the productivity and sustainability of fisheries and fishing Weather, water and climate events, cause an average communities through science-based decision-making and of approximately 650 deaths and $15 billion in damage compliance with regulations, and to recover and conserve per year and are responsible for some 90 percent of all protected resources including whales, turtles, and salmon.presidentially-declared disasters.We have five regional offices, six science centers, andAbout one-third of the U.S. economysome $3 trillionismore than 20 laboratories around the United States andsensitive to weather and climate. National Weather ServiceU.S. territories.(NWS) provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecastsNOAA Satellitesand warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacentwww.nesdis.noaa.govwaters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and propertyThe NOAA Satellite and Information Service provides and the enhancement of the national economy. timely access to global environmental data from satellites NOAA Climate and other sources to monitor and understand our dynamic www.climate.gov Earth. We manage the Nations operational environmental NOAA Climate.gov provides timely and authoritative satellites and deliver data and information services such as information about climate. We promote public understandingEarth system monitoring and official assessments ofof climate science and climate-related events through videos,the environment.stories, images, and data visualizations; we make commonNOAA Researchdata products and services easy to access and use; and wehttps://research.noaa.govprovide tools and resources that help people make informedNOAAs Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) or decisions about climate risks, vulnerability, and resilience. NOAA Research provides the research foundation for NOAA Oceans & Coasts understanding the complex systems that support our planet.https://oceanservice.noaa.gov Working in partnership with other parts of NOAA, OAR Our ocean and coasts affect usand we affect them.enables better forecasts, earlier warnings for natural disasters, Almost 40 percent of the countrys population lives in.continued on page 16Aberdeen Proving Ground Military Appreciation Resource Magazine 15'