National Ocean Service Program and Staff Offices

NOAA's National Ocean Service is composed of eight program and three staff offices. Summary program information for each of these offices is provided through the links below.

Program Offices

Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services
Looking for information on tides? The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, also known as “CO-OPS,” is where you want to head. CO-OPS and its predecessors have gathered tide information along our nation's coasts for over 200 years. More...

National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Science provides the foundation for making wise decisions about the use of our ocean and coastal resources. At the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, scientists are conducting and supporting the research, monitoring, and assessment needed to help manage coastal ecosystems and society’s use of them. More...

National Geodetic Survey
While we may tend to think of the Earth as a round, smooth globe, in reality its shape and surface are quite complex. This complexity provides challenges when trying to determine the latitude, longitude, or elevation of a point on the Earth's surface. Figuring all of this out is part of the science of geodesy. At the National Ocean Service, geodesy is the business of the National Geodetic Survey. More...

NOAA Coastal Services Center
The NOAA Coastal Services Center provides coastal communities with specialized products and services that might otherwise be unavailable, everything from interactive maps that illustrate climate change impacts to training courses that teach program evaluation. The goal is to keep coastal communities and their economies resilient and strong.More...

Office of Coast Survey
The Office of Coast Survey is the nation's nautical chart maker. OCS collects, manages, and compiles the data and information necessary to maintain the national suite of more than 1,000 nautical charts. More...

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Did you know that around the U.S., there is a network of marine sanctuaries designed to preserve and protect some of our nation’s most valuable underwater places? Managed by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the national marine sanctuary system includes 13 sanctuaries and one national monument. More...

Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management
Managing our coasts to ensure that we can continue to enjoy these areas and their resources is the primary role of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. More...

Office of Response and Restoration
When oil and chemicals are released into the environment, they are not only unsightly – they are also harmful to us and to other living things. Within NOAA, the Office of Response and Restoration is tasked with providing the science and information needed to support the U.S. Coast Guard during spills and in coordinating with federal, state, and tribal natural resource trustees to restore coastal resources damaged by those spills. More...

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Staff Offices

NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System Program
When it comes to monitoring our nation’s ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS^®) plays a key role. Composed of partners from federal, regional, private sector, and academic organizations, IOOS is a network of tools to track, predict, manage, adapt, and respond to changes in our marine environment in order to protect lives, property, and the environment. More...

International Program Office
The International Program Office provides a single focal point for National Ocean Service international activities, by coordinating activities between the National Ocean Service, national and international governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and others. More...

Management and Budget Office (MBO)
The day-to-day administrative operations of the National Ocean Service headquarters happen within the Management and Budget Office (MBO). In this role, MBO also provides support to the National Ocean Service Assistant Administrator and the organization’s program and staff offices. More...

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