Organization
NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental (PMEL) laboratory is a federal research laboratory, part of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research line office within NOAA. NOAA is a part of the Department of Commerce.
PMEL is made up of the following divisions:
Office of the Director (OD)
The Office of the Director at PMEL is made up of the Director, Deputy Director, and Associate Director for Operations. They work with OAR, NOAA, Department of Commerce, and Congressional levels to provide a supportive infrastructure for PMEL scientists.
Ocean Environment Research Division (OERD)
PMEL's Ocean Environment Research Division conducts NOAA relevant research on a variety of topics with the primary goals of: gathering and sharing observational data; analyzing data to build understanding of atmospheric and oceanic processes; creating predictive models of ecosystems, physical oceanography, and tsunamis; and keeping stakeholders informed of key scientific results. Research programs include:
- Acoustics
- Arctic Climate Dynamics
- Earth-Ocean Interactions
- Ecosystem & Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations
- Innovative Technology for Arctic Exploration
- NOAA Center for Tsunami Research
- Ocean Molecular Ecology
Ocean Climate Research Division (OCRD)
PMEL's Ocean Climate Research Division makes in situ observations of the physical and chemical variability of the ocean and marine atmosphere. Observations are made in the world's major ocean basins. Our research is centered on analyzing and sharing the data, and improving our understanding of weather and climate variability. Research programs include:
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Climate Weather Interface
- Global Tropical Moored Buoy Array
- Global Observations of Biogeochemistry and Ocean Physics
- Ocean Carbon
- Ocean Climate Stations
- Ocean Tracer
- Pacific Western Boundary Currents
Engineering Development Division (EDD)
Engineering innovations at PMEL are multidisciplinary in nature and are driven by the formation of teams that integrate research and engineering to solve difficult ocean and atmospheric observing challenges. PMEL Engineering's objective is twofold: 1) to support PMEL field systems with engineering services, and 2) to foster technological innovation by pushing the limits of ocean and atmospheric observing platforms and sensors that advance NOAA research and operations.
Research Services Division (RSD)
The division provides creative, communication, technology and data integration services to all of PMEL research groups. RSD's Communications, Creative and Technical Services group provides specialized digital and print-based solutions to support the work of PMEL researchers, helping them meet their scientific objectives and effectively present scientific research at PMEL to a variety of stakeholders, including academia, private industry and the general public. Services include communications, education and outreach, software development, publication support, web development, and graphic design.
Computing and Network Services Division (CNSD)
The division works tirelessly to provide IT support to the over 180 PMEL staff on a daily basis. They are in charge of implementing IT security policies, providing central management of IT devices, developing and maintaining the infrastructure to ingest data from field instruments, and much more.
Administrative & Technical Services Division (Admin)
The Admin division manages a wide array of business activities supporting PMEL scientists and engineers including budget management, purchasing, travel, property management, safety and much more.