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NOAA’s ATLANTIC OCEANOGRAPHIC AND METEOROLOGICAL LABORATORY

Logo for NOAA's AOML 30th Anniversary (1973-2003). March 6, 2003 — NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory is a part of NOAA Research and one of its three “wet labs.” Situated in Miami, Fla., AOML is home to 155 employees, 98 of whom are federal. With research ranging from local Biscayne Bay water quality studies to Atlantic hurricane seasonal forecasts to global ocean circulation programs, AOML’s research activities are important to virtually every citizen in the United States.

Research conducted by AOML focuses on three major scientific themes: 1) oceans and climate, 2) coastal and regional environments, and 3) hurricanes and tropical meteorology. The laboratory’s research is recognized throughout the nation as first rate and significant for the evolution of these science themes on both national and international scales. The close proximity of scientists with expertise in a variety of different scientific areas is an advantage for the laboratory that naturally leads to interdisciplinary research with rewarding outcomes. One example is the successful analysis of the relationship between natural long term variations in ocean surface temperature and the frequency and intensity of hurricanes over many decades. Other examples include the many relationships between physical properties of the ocean and coastal waters, atmospheric and oceanic chemistry (including carbon), and biology. The specific research areas addressed by AOML are the result of a three-decade evolution that began with the establishment of AOML in 1973.

Photograph of NOAA's AOML staff in 1998. AOML has a distinguished history of research in ocean circulation and its importance for climatic variability, especially in terms of measuring the water exchange and heat flux between ocean basins. Years of studies in the north and south atlantic oceans have led to discoveries such as cold water pulses from the Labrador Sea on time scales much faster than previously believed, and mechanisms for variations in heat transfer northward across the equator — both of which are critical to climate modeling and prediction.

In cooperation with national and international steering committees, AOML houses the NOAA Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Center, which provides an administrative umbrella that coordinates several operational oceanographic data collection networks including the Global Drifter Center, NOAA’s XBT network and the SEAS program to provide accurate meteorological and oceanographic data in real time from ships at sea, and U.S. participation in the global ARGO program for profiling drifters. AOML scientists manage every aspect of these programs from instrument deployment to data analysis, ensuring data quality, archiving and dissemination. The AOML/GOOS Center also actively evaluates developing observing platforms for the purpose of eventual inclusion into the GOOS operational framework.

Photograph of NOAA AOML staff conducting research in the open ocean. The ocean’s role in the global balance of greenhouse gasses, including carbon dioxide, is being studied with new techniques developed in collaboration with the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, Environmental Technology Laboratory, and university researchers. These new observations and analyses allow for a clearer understanding of the processes involved in air-sea carbon exchange, a skill that will become increasingly valuable as the ability to quantify climate change and resulting effects are in higher demand.

In coastal waters, AOML has assumed leadership roles in the scientific planning, monitoring and analysis of the interagency Everglades restoration as it relates to Florida Bay. Changes in Everglades water flow directly affect the physical and biogeochemical environment of Florida Bay, the body of water directly south of the Everglades and north of the Florida Keys and surrounding coral reef ecosystem. Coral reef monitoring and research has been growing due to the precarious condition of reefs in all of the world oceans. AOML has developed monitoring stations linked to expert systems that automatically analyze data and disseminate warnings if conditions are right for events such as coral bleaching. New directions for studies of the coastal ocean and living marine resources include collaboration with the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center using passive acoustics to study whales, their movements, numbers, mating calls and their response to human-induced noise in the ocean.

Satellite image of Hurricane Andrew taken on August 23, 1992 and Hurricane Floyd on September 14, 1999. Both of these hurricanes were the same intensity (i.e., Category 5), but different sizes. AOML’s hurricane research is unique as it is the only research unit in the world that employs aircraft to obtain data inside storms. Scientists regularly penetrate hurricanes for direct observations by airborne instruments including dropsondes, radars and other in situ and remote sensing devices. They work hand-in-hand with the National Hurricane Center in selecting research topics and converting their discoveries to practical forecast improvements. AOML hurricane researchers also maintain an extensive Frequently Asked Questions Web site that is constantly rated one of the most frequently visited pages on AOML’s Web site.

AOML’s research benefits greatly from partnership with the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies and the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center — all of which are in close proximity to AOML on Virginia Key. The Laboratory also has a wide net of collaborators in several of the other NOAA offices and research laboratories, numerous universities, and other federal, state and local agencies. Aerial Photograph of AOML, SEFSC, and University of Miami Rosestiel School in Virginia Key, Fla.

The future provides tremendous challenges for a government laboratory to meet the accelerating demands for knowledge and instant information as increasingly complex science questions are asked. AOML's charge is to protect the population from the vagaries of severe weather, climate effects and ecological deterioration. These concerns are all becoming more urgent as the population moves to coastal areas in increasing numbers. As AOML celebrates its 30th year of operation on Virginia Key, it continues to evolve its research focus to mirror the ever changing needs for scientific understanding, as it looks to the future of oceanographic and meteorological studies.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

NOAA Research

AOML's oceans and climate page

AOML's coastal and regional environments page

AOML's hurricanes and tropical meteorology page

The recent increase in Atlantic Hurricane Activity: Causes and Implications

Atlantic Circulation and Climate Experiment

NOAA’s Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Center

Global Drifter Center

NOAA’s XBT network

Shipboard Environmental (data) Aquisition System

ARGO Data Center