71 



ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 



The formation of ESSA brought under single management tlie L'.S. AVeather 

 P.ureau, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and the Central Radio Propagation 

 Laboratory of the National Bureau of Standards. In thi.s way, a con.'folidation 

 WAS etfected of the U.S. Department of Commerce's programs concerned with the 

 description, understanding, and prediction of the state of the oceans and atmo.s- 

 phere and the size and shaiJe of the earth. 



Like the Coast Guard, ESSA provides a great variety of services to the general 

 public and specialized users. ESSA conducts both research and technical service 

 progi-ams to provide : 



Weather and marine forecasts and warnings 



River and flood forecasts and warnings 



Earth description, mapping, and charting. 



Marine description, mapping, and charting 



Telecommunications and space services 



x\ national environmental satellite system 

 ESSA also performs work for other agencies and non-Federal organizations 

 on a reimbiirsable basis and has well-established relationships with NASA, the 

 Department of Defense, and other agencies. It has important land responsibilities 

 stemming from its role as the central weather, flood, seismological, geodetic, and 

 geomagnetic agency. 



ESSA would provide NOAA with a broad capability in atmospheric, oceanic, 

 and other geophysical activities. The agency maintains a close working relation- 

 ship with its counterpart organizations in other nations of the world and repre- 

 sents the United States in the World Meteorological Organization, which coor- 

 dinates all of the atmospheric and many of the marine forecasting services for 

 the entire world. 



Under the Commission's proposed organization, ESSA would provide the base 

 for conducting ocean surveys to map and chart the sea. By consolidation of sev- 

 eral existing fleets of ships and aircraft, NOAA could expand its essential chart- 

 ing and mapping services with great efficiency in use of facilities and manpower. 

 NOAA's obligation to survey the geology of the seabed, as outlined in Chapter 4, 

 would fit very well with ESSA's present responsibilities in geodesy, seismology, 

 geomagnetics, and geophysics. 



Joining ESSA's monitoring and prediction capabilities with those of the U.S. 

 Coast Guard and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries would enable the Nation 

 to develop and manage rationally the National Environmental Monitoring and 

 Prediction System, as recommended by the Commission. 



U.S. lake survey 



The U.S. Lake Survey of the U.S. Corps of Engineers is concerned with charting 

 and studying the waters of the Great Lakes. It undertakes : 



To prepare and publish navigational charts and related materials 



To study elements affecting lake levels and river flow 



To advise international bodies charged with managing the use of border 



waters 



To conduct scientific investigations of the physical aspects of fresh water 



To compile maps for the Army Map Service. 

 All these activities, except the last, are confined to the Great Lakes and nearby 

 navigable waters. In brief, the Lake Survey does in the Great Lakes about what 

 ESSA, in part, does in the salt waters. It is a small organization with a large 

 mission. 



The Great Lakes need more concentrated attention than the Lake Survey alone 

 can provide. The U.S. Coast Guard is active In the Great Lakes, and its resources 

 in the region are much greater than those of the Lake Survey. ESSA and BCF 

 have strong capabilities which should be brought to bear on Great Lakes prob- 

 lems. Combining the capability of all four under NOAA would permit efficient and 

 expeditious accomplishment of the intensified work warranted by the importance 

 of the Great Lakes as a national resource. 



Sea grant program 



Under its broad legislative mandate, the National Sea Grant Program has 

 already launched a number of valuable programs in a variety of marine areas. 

 The Commission has recommended that the Sea Grant Program be the vehicle 



