Vision: To deliver
the highest quality science in time for important coastal policy decisions
History: The NOAA Authorization
Bill of 1992 (Section 201(c) of P.L. 102-567) established that the
NOAA Coastal Ocean Program "shall augment and integrate existing
programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
shall include efforts to improve predictions of fish stocks, to better
conserve and manage living marine resources, to improve predictions
of coastal ocean pollution to help correct and prevent degradation
of the ocean environment, to promote development of ocean technology
to support the effort of science to understand and characterize the
role oceans play in global climate and environmental analysis, and
to improve predictions of coastal hazards to protect human life and
personal property." Originally, the Coastal Ocean Program (COP)
was administered as a cross- line office program under the jurisdiction
of NOAA's Office of the Chief Scientist. In 1999, the National
Ocean Service underwent a reorganization, resulting in the creation
of the National Centers for Coastal
Ocean Science (NCCOS). Within NCCOS, the Center for Sponsored
Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR) was formed, and became the new home
of the Coastal Ocean Program. CSCOR became responsible for
the administration of the Coastal Ocean Science appropriation within
NOAA's budget, as well as certain portions of the Ocean Assessment
appropriation. CSCOR also coordinated NOAA's relations with the National
Oceanographic Partnership Program, but this responsibility was later
moved to the Office of the Chief Scientist.
Goals and Mission: CSCOR/COP
provides scientific information to assist decision makers in meeting
the challenges of managing our Nation's coastal resources. CSCOR/COP
targets critical issues which exist in the Nation's estuaries, coastal
waters, and Great Lakes. CSCOR/COP translates its findings into accessible
information and the transfer of technology to coastal managers, planners,
lawmakers, and the public. Its aim is to create near-term and continuous
improvements in environmental decisions affecting the coastal ocean
and its resources.
The Coastal Ocean Program provides a focal point through which the
agency, together with other organizations with responsibilities for
the coastal environment and its resources, can make significant strides
toward finding the solutions that will protect coastal resources and
ensure their availability and well-being for future generations.
Last Updated:
August 12, 2004
Website Comments: coastalocean@noaa.gov
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