National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA, is a United States scientific and regulatory agency tasked with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploration, and managing fishing and the protection of marine mammals and endangered species in the exclusive economic zone of the United States. The agency is part of the United States Department of Commerce and is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland. Oceanographers such as Sylvia Earle have held positions with it, including as chief scientist.