Manned Underwater Activities 



This program provides manned underwater support to 

 investigations of marine environmental problems. Undersea 

 platforms are used to support resource development and research 

 projects of NOAA, universities, and other non-Federal 

 organizations. Examples of supported projects are: the 

 determination of sedimentary processes leading to the formation of 

 petroleum resources, ecological and environmental surveys in 

 regions where shellfish and other food stocks have been depleted, 

 and investigations of the movement of sediment, pollutants, and the 

 structure of submarine canyons on the continental shelves. NOAA is 

 working closely with the Navy in submersible and life-support 

 technology programs. 



Coastal Zone Management 



Under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, NOAA is 

 authorized to encourage and assist Federal, State, and local 

 governments and regional agencies in the development and 

 operation of coastal zone management programs. It is to serve as a 

 focal point for coordination with and assistance to governmental, 

 public, industrial, academic, and other institutions concerned with 

 coastal zone management. 



OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH 



NOAA's oceanographic research program is conducted primarily 

 by the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratories 

 (AOML). Included are studies of the dynamics of the upper oceanic 

 boundary layer, the role of internal waves in the over-all dynamics of 

 the water column, investigations of the open ocean and continental 

 shelf characteristics of the tide wave, and investigations of the 

 current patterns in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the 

 Gulf Stream. The Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) is aimed at 

 providing complete knowledge of the geology and geophysical 

 characteristics of a three-degree strip between Cape Hatteras and 

 Cape Blanc, Mauritania. These projects provide the basic deep-sea 

 geophysical knowledge from which understanding of basic 

 geological processes is formed. AOML is also conducting work 

 directed toward understanding the role of submarine canyons as 

 possible conduits for transporting seafloor material, including 

 dumped wastes, out into the deep sea. A small group of physicists 

 and oceanographers at AOML is working closely with other 

 components of NOAA and NASA in the utilization of satellites for 

 oceanographic research. 



ENVIRONMENTAL DATA AND INFORMATION SERVICES 



These services include environmental data indexing, archiving, 

 retrieval, selected summaries and analyses, and dissemination and 



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