Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), located in Seattle, Washington, carries out interdisciplinary scientific investigations in oceanography and marine meteorology. Current PMEL programs focus on coastal and open ocean observations in support of prediction of the ocean environment on time scales from days to decades. Studies are conducted to improve our understanding of the complex physical and geochemical processes operating in the world oceans, to define the forcing functions and the processes driving ocean circulation and the global climate system, and to improve environmental forecasting capabilities, and other supporting services for marine commerce and fisheries. You can take a tour of PMEL Research.
The internationally-known laboratory leads the way in El Niño research that has improved climate forecasts leading to reduced losses. PMEL's research into ocean-atmosphere exchanges takes place through the Ocean Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide Exchange Study which assesses the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and oceans and provides high quality data which can be used for making critical economic decisions regarding greenhouse gases; and the Atmospheric Chemistry Program which conducts field measurements to understand the distribution of climatically important trace gases and aerosols in the marine atmosphere and the processes controlling them. The Chlorofluorocarbon Tracer Program (CFC) uses dissolved CFCs as unique tracers of ocean circulation and mixing processes on decadal time scales. These observations are used to test and evaluate ocean-atmosphere models. Improved forecasts will lead to improved prediction of longer-term climate variations such as those that give rise to persistent drought and recurrent flooding.
For more information contact:
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
PH: 206-526-6239
FAX: 206-526-6815
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov
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