Background | Defining Integrated Ocean Management
Example of Integrated Ocean Management | Priority Themes
Gulf of Mexico Regional Partnership | Outreach Activities

NOAA scientists deploy a real-time kinematic Global Positioning System (GPS) water-level buoy from the NOAA S/V BAY HYDROGRAPHER for testing in the Chesapeake Bay. The buoy uses an onboard GPS receiver to transmit data on water-level heights every six minutes.

Background

Coastal areas provide food, energy, transportation, recreation, and places to call home. Because we rely on coastal areas for social uses and economic and natural resources, we must protect coastal ecosystems for future use and enjoyment. However, coastal areas face multiple problems from multiple sources, making coastal and ocean issues very complex and difficult to address. Social and economic activities, as well as natural phenomena such as hurricanes or rising sea level, place significant pressure on coastal resources.

Ocean policy recommendations in the U.S. Ocean Action Plan, the Administration’s response to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, highlight the need to pull together resources and information to develop management solutions that balance economic and ecological health. To respond to this need, NOS is committed to helping NOAA serve the nation as a global leader in integrated management of the ocean.

Defining Integrated Ocean Management

Integrated ocean management is a difficult concept to explain. Experts call it a decision-making process that relies on diverse types of information to determine how ocean and coastal resources or areas are best used and protected. Integrated ocean management, therefore, combines (integrates) social, economic, technical, and scientific information to help resource management agencies understand the trade offs and consequences of their decisions. Integrated ocean management also brings together various organizations to solve problems that may extend beyond the traditional roles and responsibilities. The objective of integrated management is decision making that is balanced between unchecked resource use and full-scale resource preservation.

Why is this approach to resource management considered noteworthy and a focal point for an organization such as NOS? Many government programs and projects focus on a single mission or area of responsibility. Due to a variety of reasons from lack of personnel to unfamiliarity with the needs of other offices, many programs are unaccustomed to looking beyond traditional responsibilities in ways that might support other programs or ocean resource management. However, by seeking out expertise from across the agency, NOS and NOAA can limit duplication of effort, bring a broader range of experience and knowledge to the table, and develop tools and services that benefit a greater number of people.

Example of Integrated Ocean Management

NOAA's coastal restoration activities are an example of integrated management and demonstrate the value of combining information from multiple sources in a non-traditional way. To restore coastal wetlands successfully by replanting vegetation, biologists need precise information about land elevation and water levels in the restoration area between high and low tide. This information allows scientists to determine where to plant the types of wetland vegetation that will most likely survive and flourish.

Three NOS offices—the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), and Special Projects (SP)—have teamed to gather and analyze information at sites around the U.S. that can be applied to coastal wetland restoration. CO-OPS installs tide gages to measure tide levels and assesses sea level change through its National Water Level Observation Network. NGS provides marsh elevation data through its National Spatial Reference System. SP incorporates the tide, sea level, and marsh elevation data into a geographic information system to guide biologists on where to plant marsh vegetation used to restore the wetland.

By engaging in activities that span disciplines, jurisdictions, and geographies, and applying an ecosystem approach to management, NOS strives to set an example that will make NOAA be recognized as a global leader in integrated management of the ocean. For greater insight to what it means to be a global leader in integrated management of the ocean, click here.

Priority Themes

NOAA’s National Ocean Service coordinates activities across six thematic areas—observations, modeling, coastal communities, technology, partnerships, and expert workforce—to address ocean resource management questions and bring added insight and information to decision making.

Gulf of Mexico Regional Partnership

In response to specific actions called for in the U.S. Ocean Action Plan, NOAA is supporting a Gulf of Mexico regional partnership to address priority management issues identified by the Gulf States. NOAA will support state agency leadership and work with federal, state, and local partners to coordinate and integrate new and existing projects. This regional partnership provides an opportunity for NOAA to work with multiple partners to address challenges facing the Gulf region, build ocean observation capabilities in the region, and strengthen NOAA relationships with other resource managers and the coastal community.

To support the U.S. Ocean Action Plan Gulf of Mexico regional partnership and to clearly illustrate the scientific and socioeconomic value of ocean observations in integrated ocean management, NOS is funding two projects that apply ocean observations to critical management issues in the Gulf region. One project will work to enhance the resilience of Gulf of Mexico coastal communities to storm surge and flooding, while the other project will advance the monitoring and forecasting of harmful algal blooms to benefit public health and coastal economies.


Outreach Activities