More than 880 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees are joining the ranks of tens of thousands of workers targeted in massive firings across the federal government as part of the Trump administration’s campaign to reduce the workforce and cut spending.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, stated at least 880 employees were being terminated in a statement decrying the notices that began arriving in employee email inboxes on Thursday afternoon. That’s about 7.3% of the agency’s 12,000 employees.
Former NOAA officials indicate a second, potentially larger wave of terminations is expected with the reduction in force that President Donald Trump has ordered. NOAA executives have been told the next wave, a reduction in work force ordered by the Administration, should include more than 1,000 additional employees, said Andrew Rosenberg, a marine scientist who is co-editor of the SciLight newsletter on Substack, and a former deputy director of NOAA’s Fisheries Service.
NOAA’s staff oversees monitoring the world’s atmosphere and the nation’s weather and climate, including its most violent storms. The staff forecasts and tracks tornadoes, hurricanes, and extreme rainfall events, and is also responsible for predicting solar storms and protecting the fish, crabs, and other species that help feed the nation.
For more than 100 years, the agency has taken daily weather observations and mapped the nation’s coasts.
The White House previously said federal job cuts are a part of Trump’s commitment to “reducing the size and scope of the federal government.” A Feb. 11 news release said the federal workforce exceeds 2.4 million and, in fiscal year 2022, cost nearly $300 billion in yearly compensation for civilian employees.
While the president’s supporters herald the wave of terminations as “promises kept,” hundreds of organizations stepped forward this week to protest the cuts to an agency with such sweeping responsibilities.
It’s not just the weather and research aspects of the organization that are considered vital, said ocean conservation groups who are calling on Congress to protect the agency.
Jeff Watters, vice president of external affairs for the Ocean Conservancy, said the “indiscriminate firing of employees is going to sabotage NOAA’s ability to do essential work that every single American relies on.”
“NOAA is the eyes and ears for our water and air,” Watters said. “NOAA even keeps seafood on the table. Americans depend on NOAA each and every day, and so does the health of the ocean.”
What is NOAA?
NOAA was organized in 1970 under President Richard Nixon when three agencies were brought together under one umbrella in the Department of Commerce. Its official mission is: “To understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.”
It’s responsible for monitoring, researching, and forecasting weather and climate, maintaining a fleet of satellites and research aircraft and vessels, and overseeing the oceans, coasts, and marine species.
Two of its agencies are nearly 100 years older than NOAA itself, the National Geodetic Survey and the National Weather Service.
What are the agencies within NOAA?
National Ocean Service
Eight programs operate under the National Ocean Service including the National Geodetic Survey, the Coast Survey, and the National Marine Sanctuaries. The nation has 14 designated sanctuaries, a network of marine parks that create protected areas for diverse animal and plant communities, including coral reefs.
The Geodetic Survey traces its roots to President Thomas Jefferson, who founded the Survey of the Coast in 1807 to survey the U.S. coastline and provide nautical charts to the maritime community for safe passage. It became the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1878.
The National Ocean Service and the National Geodetic Survey were created after the 1970 Commerce Department reorganization.
The weather service staffs 122 Weather Forecast offices across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Guam. The meteorologists in the field offices gather weather observations and issue specific localized forecasts for the region, including when hurricanes are approaching. They also broadcast weather information over NOAA radio and work with local emergency management officials.
Within the weather service, its National Centers for Environmental Prediction includes nine national centers devoted to forecasts, warnings, and the protection of life and property. Perhaps the most well-known is the National Hurricane Center. The others are: the Aviation Weather Center; Climate Prediction Center; Storm Prediction Center; Space Weather Prediction Center; Weather Prediction Center; Ocean Prediction Center; and Environmental Modeling Center.
The agency’s foundation was laid in 1870 when Congress required the Secretary of War to oversee meteorological observations at military stations and give notice of approaching storms.
Originally called the Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce, it became the Weather Bureau in 1890 and was transferred to the Department of Commerce in June 1940.
National Marine Fisheries Service
Founded as the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries in 1871, NOAA Fisheries manages commercial and recreational fishing in saltwater and marine species, including whales and sea turtles within 200 miles of the U.S. coast. It oversees regional fisheries management councils around the nation.
The Fisheries Service is the nation’s oldest federal conservation and environmental research agency.
The agency was originally assigned three research categories including the study of waters and fish, fishing, and propagating fish as food for the nation. During the 1940s and 1950s, it was merged with the Bureau of Biological Survey and then the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and later transferred to NOAA during the Nixon administration’s 1970 reorganization.
Other NOAA units:
The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service operates a global network of weather and observation satellites, collecting weather and environmental data that protects the nation’s security, environment, and economy, maintaining one of the “most significant archives of environmental data on Earth.”
NOAA’s polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites are part of a global search and rescue satellite-aided tracking system. Last year the agency’s satellites were credited with aiding the rescues of 411 people from life-threatening situations in the U.S. and surrounding waters, NOAA reported in January.
The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research works in partnership with other NOAA units to improve forecasts, early warning systems, and understanding of Earth science.
The Office of Marine and Aviation Operations maintains a NOAA fleet of research vessels and aircraft, including the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, which ferry scientists into and around hurricanes and tropical storms to better understand their organization, tracking, and forecasting.
Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY
