National Ocean Service (NOS)
Base Increase / Decrease
FTE Amount FTE Amount
Navigation Observations and Positioning 552 $195,500 0 $0 NOAA requests no increases for this sub-activity.
NOAA requests no decreases for this sub-activity:
Coastal Science and Assessment 297 $81,600 0 +$4,000 NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 0 FTE and $1,300 to improve oil spill response capacity in the Arctic. Among other activities, this will enable improvement of models to predict oil movement and weathering in ice-covered waters, identification of sensitive ecological resources, better coordination with and preparedness of local communities, and increased research to fill science gaps.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $4,000 to expand competitive research grants that address coastal and ocean issues including harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, and coastal ecosystem assessment.
NOAA requests the following decreases for this sub-activity:
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $1,300 to reduce training and preparedness activities in the Gulf of Mexico Disaster
Response Center (DRC). NOAA will continue critical support and training of first responders for emergency response and restoration in the high-risk Gulf region.
Ocean and Coastal Management and Services 346 $210,571 0 +$55,419 NOAA requests the following increase for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 0 FTE and $5,000 for ecosystem-based solutions for coastal resilience that better inform decision- making with respect to stewardship and resilience of marine ecosystems.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $4,780 to build NOAA’s internal capacity to provide products and services that help communities respond to and recover from extreme events. These include but are not limited to continued improvements to inundation monitoring and modeling, social science and risk communication, tools and decision support, place-based monitoringand training on risk communication strategies.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $2,000 for a community resilience training and technical assistance program for the AmeriCorps Resilience Corps Pilot Program to help communities advance their climate resilience goals.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $45,000 to expand the Regional Coastal Resilience Grant program to more fully address a broad suite of resilience challenges facing all U.S. coastal regions—including community, ecosystem, and economic resilience.
NOAA requests the following decreases for this sub-activity:
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $1,361 to sanctuary operations, including reductions to scalable activities such as the level of charter vessel use and supplies, among other non-essential operations activities.
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $0 for the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program, which is part of the Administration’s reorganization of STEM education. NOAA will reinvest funding in other Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas and Marine Sanctuaries activities.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
Base Increase / Decrease
FTE Amount FTE Amount
Protected Species Research and Management 811 $184,589 +26 +$29,622 NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 26 FTE and $13,230 to increase consultation and permitting capacity mandated by sections 7 and 10 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and sections 104 and 101(a)(5) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Funding will support ESA requirements for 20 coral species listed as threatened on September 10, 2014.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $17,000 for the conservation and recovery of marine and anadromous species through the Species Recovery Grant Program and to expand its level of cooperation with states and tribes in efforts to recover threatened and endangered species by awarding more grants but also by increasing the scale and scope of the grants funded.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $1,301 for Endangered Species Act (ESA) Salmon recovery. NOAA will enhance support for the Atlantic salmon research and management program within the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR). NOAA will also expand Pacific salmon monitoring capabilities and increase ESA Section 7 consultation capacity on the West Coast
NOAA requests the following decrease for this sub-activity:
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $1,909 for the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant program and Marine Mammal Protection Program. NOAA will continue to award competitive grants to stranding network
organizations for the rescue, rehabilitation, or investigation of sick, injured, or distressed live marine mammals and for determining the cause of death in dead marine mammals.
Fisheries Science and Management 1,706 $528,578 0 +$17,544 NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 0 FTE and $5,596 for Electronic Monitoring and Reporting to support the development, testing and installation of electronic monitoring and reporting across the country.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $5,000 for the NMFS component of this integrated, cross-disciplinary, and cross-line office scientific initiative that will promote understanding of the importance of inshore and offshore habitat to the productivity and recovery of fisheries and protected species.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $879 to implement a distributed biological observatory (DBO) to detect climate and human- induced change on Arctic ecosystems.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $2,815 to increase the number of Next Generation Stock Assessments (NGSA). The NGSA framework incorporates ecosystem factors affecting key fish stocks (e.g. climate, habitat) and uses advanced technologies wherever possible to better inform fishery management.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $484 to fund approximately 480 sea days of observer coverage in U.S. fisheries that provides accurate and timely information and analyses on the biological, ecological, economic, and social aspects of the Nation’s fisheries resources.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $1,450 to develop and implement the regulations, in consultation with the Regional Fishery Management Councils, that will be needed to require use of these technologies. This increase will support six contract staff located in the five NMFS Regions and Headquarters.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $2,216 in the National Catch Share Program to develop and implement new catch share programs and strengthen NMFS capabilities to put catch share infrastructure efficiencies in place.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $2,000 to conduct research and regulatory activities that support sustainable aquaculture development. This proposal will increase the U.S. seafood supply and will create jobs and increase trade opportunities by helping to develop a robust and sustainable U.S. marine aquaculture industry.
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $0 for the Teacher at Sea Program STEM education activities which is part of the Administration’s reorganization of STEM education. NOAA will reinvest funding in Fisheries Research and Management activities.
Base Increase / Decrease
FTE Amount FTE Amount
Enforcement 217 $66,168 +15 $3,850
NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
An increase of 0 FTE and $850 in the Enforcement Program to strengthen the enforcement and compliance assistance capability of NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement for improved compliance with regulations (i.e. the Vessel Monitoring System, and Marine Forensics Case Support).
An increase of 0 FTE and $3,000 in the Enforcement Program to strengthen NOAA’s efforts to detect and deter Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and enforce restrictions on imports of illegally-harvested and improperly- documented seafood.
NOAA requests no decreases for this sub-activity:
Habitat Conservation and Restoration 154 $57,214 +12 $671 NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
An increase of 12 FTE and $5,671 for essential fish habitat (EFH) consultations and program implementation mandated by Section 305(b) of the MSA in Habitat Management and Restoration in support of the nearly $200.0 billion U.S. commercial and recreational fishing industries.
NOAA requests the following decrease for this sub-activity:
A decrease of 0 FTE and $5,000 to eliminate funding for coastal resiliency ecosystem grants funded under this budget line in FY 2015 to consolidate funding for this activity in FY 2016 in NOAAegulations (i.e. the Vessel Monitoring System, and Marine Forensics Case Support).ssib
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
Climate Research 272 $159,529 +6 +$29,231
NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 0 FTE and $3,000 to continue long-term data records collected at Atmospheric Baseline
Observatories, which document trends and distributions of atmospheric constituents influencing global climate, ozone depletion, and changes in baseline air quality.
• An increase of 1 FTE and $3,440 to implement research and other activities in support of the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s priority research areas, including carbon sources and sinks in North America; extreme climate and weather events such as heat waves, droughts and floods; and marine ecosystem “tipping points.”
• An increase of 1 FTE and $2,975 to complete and sustain an observation and analysis system to determine uptake and emissions of greenhouse gases across North America, in support of the President’s Climate Action Plan.
• An increase of 1 FTE and $2,190 to support further development of NOAA’s Arctic Observing Network and informational products related to Arctic changes, sea-ice extent, ecosystem evolution, and Arctic to mid-latitude weather/climate linkages in support of the President’s Climate Action Plan.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $3,970 to support climate assessments at national and regional scales in compliance with The Global Research Act of 1990. This Act requires the President (through a Federal interagency body) to prepare and submit to Congress regular assessments that examine the latest climate research, uncertainty, effects of global change, and emerging trends.
• An increase of 1 FTE and $2,300 to continue supporting development of a Climate Resilience Toolkit and the NOAA climate.gov Portal which will facilitate public online access to NOAA’s climate data, information and services.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• An increase of 1 FTE and $5,852 to Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments to expand its regional research and information services. OAR will support external research and development of new information about impacts of climate on communities, natural and managed resources, infrastructure, transportation, and health.
• An increase of 1 FTE and $5,504 to fund research to improve understanding of impacts of climate variability and change on fish stocks, prey availability, and habitat. Funds will be competitively awarded as grants through the NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Climate Competitive Research line.
NOAA requests no decreases for this sub-activity:
Base Increase / Decrease
FTE Amount FTE Amount
Weather & Air Chemistry Research 221 $92,728 +3 +$4,612 NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 2 FTE and $1,730 to accelerate operational implementation of forecasting capabilities which will improve the accuracy of warnings, extend lead times, and enhance decision support services for high impact weather critical for building a Weather-Ready Nation. Important decisions in sectors ranging from food security and public health, to emergency management and national security, need skillful forecast information farther out than the current ability of 10-14 days.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $130 to cover operation and rent increases at the Boulder Colorado facility and the National Weather Center (NWC) in Norman, Oklahoma.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $3,936 to expand research and development to substantially improve the accuracy of NOAA’s next-generation global coupled model to develop weather outlooks out through weeks 3 and 4 (mid-range).
• An increase of 1 FTE and $5,000 to conduct research and development on improving the detection and understanding of severe weather, in support of the Administration’s goal of strengthening the Nation’s climate resiliency. with a new airborne phased array radar and other airborne measurements which will provide critical
information about severe storms, tropical storms (hurricanes) and heavy precipitation storms, for more accurate public warnings and forecasts
NOAA requests the following decreases for this sub-activity:
A decrease of 0 FTE and $5,542 to elimate funding, due to budgetary constraints for the Vortex-Southeast program. Funding is being used as indicated in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of FY 2015 to initiate this project to understand how environmental factors that are characteristic of the southeastern United States affect the formation, intensity, and storm path of tornadoes for this region.
A decrease of 0 FTE and $300 to reduce funding used to transition from research the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS) into National Weather Service operations.
A decrease of 0 FTE and $342 to restores Multi-Function Phased Array Radar (MPAR) to the FY 2015 President’s Budget level
Ocean, Coastal and Great Lakes Research 224 $175,232 +4 +$11,180 NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 0 FTE and $2,500 to restore the National Sea Grant Marine Aquaculture Program, which provides competitive grants that support the aquaculture industry, state Sea Grant programs, and academic partners and contribute to both economic and environmental community resilience.
• An increase of 4 FTE and $21,422 to improve understanding of the impacts of ocean acidification and to develop tools and adaptive strategies for affected industries and stakeholders. NOAA will develop advanced technologies, enhance the U.S. Ocean Acidification Observing System, develop models to study carbonate chemistry dynamics and impacts, and provide data products for coastal resource managers and other stakeholders.
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $2,000 to reduce support for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Demonstration. NOAA will maintain its fleet of autonomous vehicles and other alternative technologies, and will continue to support a competitive process open to NOAA laboratories and Competitive Institutes, but will reduce the funding available for ongoing development, test and evaluation activities.
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $1,431 to decrease the amount of research funding available for competitively awarded projects. Sea Grant funds competitive grant competitions through its network of 33 Sea Grant Colleges.
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $8,780 to Ocean Exploration to reduce the number of days for the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) mapping effort and decrease the number of missions for the EV Nautilus and the Okeanos Explorer.
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $0 for Ocean Exploration STEM education activities, which is part of the Administration’s reorganization of STEM education. NOAA will reinvest funding in the Ocean Exploration and Research program.
Base Increase / Decrease
FTE Amount FTE Amount
Innovative Research & Technology 10 $12,041 0 +$103 NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 0 FTE and $103 to accelerate the adoption of advanced computing, communications, and information technology throughout NOAA
NOAA requests no decreases for this sub-activity
National Weather Service (NWS)
Observations 804 $212,509 0 -$7,633
NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $853 to cover the National Weather Service (NWS) National Reconditioning Center (NRC) and National Logistics Support Center (NLSC) lease increase. The NRC/NLSC is the hub that provides mission critical components through which NWS equipment and Tri-Agency Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense equipment pass for repair, quality inspection, warehousing, and distribution.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $1,014 to fully fund the acquisition cost of radiosondes for twice daily launches at all 102 NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) Upper Air (UA) observing stations in accordance with international
conventions. The UA profile data received from radiosondes serve as one of the principal data sources for NWS weather prediction models, run by National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), supporting days 2, 7, and 14 severe storm, aviation and marine forecasts and warnings.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $1,000 to support annual operating costs associated with the use of the Global Oscillations Network Group (GONG) data for space weather prediction. Data from the GONG’s six ground based observatories are a critical input to NOAA’s solar wind models, which provide advanced warning of earth directed Coronal Mass Ejections that cause geomagnetic storms.
NOAA requests the following decreases for this sub-activity:
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $10,500 for the National Mesonet Network. NOAA will continue to administer the National Mesonet Program, started in 2014.
Central Processing 232 $98,002 -98 -$10,100
NOAA requests no increases for this sub-activity.
NOAA requests the following decreases for this sub-activity:
• A decrease of 98 FTE and $10,000 to reflect efficiencies achieved by transitioning to a new IT service delivery model for forecast offices through remote software support and regionalization of services.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Base Increase / Decrease
FTE Amount FTE Amount
Analyze, Forecast, & Support 3,010 $493,545 0 -$3,700 NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $1,000 to restore Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Maintenance funding that was decreased in prior years due to budgetary constraints. The WFO Maintenance program funds preventive and routine services to the WFO’s including heating and air conditioning, safety, electrical, roofing inspections and maintenance.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $2,000 to support National Water Center (NWC) operations and maintenance (O&M). The NWC, which does not have a sustained line of O&M to support its current and growing operations, provides state-of- the-science hydrologic analysis, forecast information, and decision support services to address the Nation’s growing water resources challenges.
NOAA requests the following decrease for this sub-activity:
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $6,000 to terminate NOAA’s partner funding for education and awareness grants through the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. NOAA is committed to maintaining its strong tsunami warning program and will continue ongoing tsunami education, outreach, and awareness activities through the TsunamiReady Program.
• A decrease of 0 FTE and $700 to achieve reductions in scalable activities such as travel and other administrative functions.
Dissemination 82 $46,743 0 $0
NOAA requests no increases for this sub-activity. NOAA requests no decreases for this sub-activity:
Science & Technology Integration 488 $125,697 0 $8,500
NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 0 FTE and $5,000 to begin efforts to extend operational weather outlooks beyond current limits (i.e., 10-14 days). Multiple sectors, ranging from food security and public health, to emergency management and national security, need weather outlooks extending to weeks three and four, or in the “mid-range.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $2,000 to expand hydrologic forecast services to provide improved flood forecasts and inundation mapping. This initiative builds on work started in FY 2015 by expanding centralized modeling science and technology to enable seamless and consistent prediction of flash floods and urban flood inundation mapping.
• An increase of 0 FTE and $1,500 to augment Research to Operations (R2O) activities for critical space weather numerical model development and related operations and maintenance. This investment will advance the Sun to Earth suite of numerical models to improve operational forecasts of space weather.
NOAA requests no decreases for this sub-activity:
National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS)
Environmental Satellite Observing Systems 335 $125,915 0 +$5,182 NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 0 FTE and $4,582 to operate and maintain the Comprehensive Large Array-Data Stewardship System (CLASS) and fund transition of the CLASS system from a test and development environment to full operations.
NOAA requests no decreases for this sub-activity.
Base Increase / Decrease
FTE Amount FTE Amount
National Centers for Environmental
Information 242 $58,180 0 +$1,067
NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 0 FTE and $1,067 to continue the Big Earth Data Initiative, which will render NOAA’s weather, climate, oceanographic and geophysical data and derived environmental information more accessible and easily useful to other US Agencies and the Nation.
NOAA requests no decreases for this sub-activity.
Program Support
Corporate Services 819 $230,165 +11 +$4,341
NOAA requests the following increases for this sub-activity:
• An increase of 11 FTE and $4,341 for the continued implementation of the Departmental Business Application Solutions (BAS) and to improve upon the oversight, guidance, and advisory services provided through the corporate services business lines.