The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) conducts and supports research, monitoring, assessment, and technical assistance to people managing coastal ecosystems and society's use of them. Formed within the National Ocean Service in March 1999, it puts all NOAA's coastal research centers in one group. Each Center has specific capabilities and research expertise in important ocean and coastal issues.

The Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research
The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment
The Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research
The Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research
The Hollings Marine Laboratory

NCCOS activities focus on five key areas of ecosystem stress: climate change, extreme natural events, pollution, invasive species, and land and resource use. At this time, these are being studied in four ecosystems: estuaries, coral reefs, National Marine Sanctuaries, and National Estuarine Research Reserves.

Understanding how these stressors affect ecosystems is vital for assessing the impacts on coastal communities and effectively managing our Nation's ocean and coastal resources.

NCCOS evaluates environmental, societal, and economic issues through Integrated Assessments. The Assessments describe the ecosystem and its condition, forecast future ecological health, and evaluate management strategies and their consequences. They provide focused, relevant, and timely science that managers can use to make better decisions.

The scientists within NCCOS conduct applied research and manage complex long-term research projects. The projects provide a link between research science in academia and the needs of those who make decisions on use of coastal and marine areas. NCCOS scientists integrate research across scientific disciplines to examine future scenarios of coastal ecosystem conditions. Driven by NOAA's mandates in content and in timing, the science conducted and supported by NCCOS focuses on applicability to agency and constituents' needs for practical answers.

NCCOS capabilities include the ability to respond rapidly to unexpected agency needs and to make recommendations with less than 'perfect' knowledge. Depending on the type of research, results may be available immediately, in 3-5 years, or in a few cases, a decade. In all cases, however, the research is focused on distinct problems that, if solved, will help NOAA carry out its responsibilities.

Since it is impossible to predict the results of any research, NCCOS builds flexibility into its research planning to develop and explore unanticipated results when planning future projects. This maintains a balance between basic and applied research within a management agency and provides the capability to anticipate future environmental issues and technologies.

The focus of NCCOS is to provide useful and valuable scientific information and services through the conduct and support of research to further the NOAA environmental and economic missions.