NOAA Has Its ‘Day’ on Capitol Hill  

Tim Bagley, NOAA Office of Legislative Affairs and
Ed Levy, NOAA Office of Communications

May 28, 2009 —  "NOAA Knows Climate" was the theme of the third annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill (May 20), where more than 150 congressional staff and other guests, including nine members of Congress, had a unique opportunity to learn more about NOAA's mission, its services, and its focus on climate change.

NOAA exhibited a number of displays from various line and staff offices in the Rayburn House Office Building, as NOAA experts and three members of Congress hosted a parallel series of briefings in the Cannon House Office Building addressing a wide range of climate-related issues.

Andrew Allegra of NOAA Satellites' National Oceanographic Data Center was on hand to discuss the center's valuable data sets that are used in climate change research. According to Allegra, some of the information — particularly long data sets related to ocean temperatures — dates back to the 1700s.

Ron Gird of the National Weather Service's Awareness Branch reported that NWS has distributed approximately 300,000 NOAA Weather Radios to schools and universities across the county. NWS is also considering other venues such as community centers, hospitals and organizations that sponsor large public events. Gird said that the public is very interested in the issue of climate change.

Jon Swallow of NOAA Corps talked about the Corps' climate-related work in installing and repairing ocean buoys and performing coral reef research, among other activities.

Dan Pisut of NOAA Satellites' Center for Satellite Applications and Research demonstrated the "Magic Planet," a smaller, similar version of NOAA’s animated "Science on a Sphere" that is used to display a variety of Earth science data.

Pisut showed how satellites can document the diminishing concentrations of Arctic sea ice, especially the alarmingly low levels in recent years.

A smaller version of NOAA Ocean Service's "Ocean Today Kiosk," a popular attraction at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's new Sant Ocean Hall, was also on site.

NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, along with four Congress members, spoke at a reception that evening in the Rayburn Building that was sponsored by Friends of NOAA, a coalition of organizations and businesses that support the agency’s mission and programs. Dr. Lubchenco said that NOAA sits "at the center of key issues of significant import for the nation," specifically climate change.

"A priority focus for me this year is on the climate science and services that the nation needs and that NOAA currently provides," said Dr. Lubchenco. "The climate challenge before us is real. Through sustained federal and extramural partnerships and collaboration, the nation has realized significant progress in our understanding of climate change. From concerns about droughts and sea level rise to changes in the chemistry of the ocean, there is a real hunger for more and better information. NOAA is equipped and ready to work with its partners to keep providing this information."