NOAA timeline: 1990s

NOAA assumes operation of Cospas-Sarsat (Space-Based System for the Search of Vessels in Distress) program from the U.S. Air Force.

Teacher at Sea is established by the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.

The Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act is passed, mandating the establishment of a national tuna tracking program.

National Meteorological Center installs a supercomputer to run more sophisticated numerical weather production models.

National Marine Fisheries Service's Mississippi Laboratories develop protocols and turtle excluder devices to reduce the take of endangered sea turtles in shrimp trawls.

NOAA's Hazardous Materials Response Division coordinates U.S. assistance in recovering from the Persian Gulf oil spill.

The NWS, working with the FAA and the Department of Defense, begins to deploy the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS). ASOS is designed to serve as the nation's primary surface weather observing network. The stations take special and routine observations of sky condition, visibility, weather, pressure, temperature, dew point, wind, and precipitation totals. ASOS significantly expands information available to forecasters and the aviation community.

NOAA establishes the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System, an integrated system of oceanographic and meteorological sensors that provide mariners with accurate and reliable real-time information about environmental conditions in seaports.

The Weather Service Modernization Act of 1992 modernizes the technology and operations of the National Weather Service.

The first WSR-88D Doppler radar, also known as NEXRAD ("next generation weather radar") is installed at Norman, OK. The full network installation begins in 1992 and is completed by 1997.

Following repeated collapse of New England ground fishing stocks, NOAA Fisheries initiates large-scale ecosystem study of Georges Bank.

The Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program is formalized through amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

First Doppler Weather Radars installed at Weather Service Forecast Offices around the country. First Automated Surface Observing Systems established.

North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) approved for geodesy.

NOAA Coastal Service Center opened in Charleston, SC.

A deadly heat wave in Chicago prompts the city and the Chicago NWS office to work together to establish new criteria for heat watches and warnings, and to better prepare the public and infrastructure for natural and man-made disasters.

Marine Mammal Protection Act re-authorization establishes Take Reduction Teams and requires marine mammal stock assessments. The first Fisheries of the United States report is published this year.

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory develops first hurricane prediction system based on a three-dimensional hurricane model.

NOAA's Space Environment Center uses coronal imager LASCO in NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft; revolutionizes operational space weather forecasting and prediction methods.

Alexander "Sandy" MacDonald develops a revolutionary concept for Science on a Sphere, a large visualization system that uses computers and video projectors to display animated data onto the outside of a sphere. The first permanent sphere was installed in 2004.

Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act ("Sustainable Fisheries Act") provides for National Marine Fisheries Service authority and responsibility to conserve and protect fishery resources and their habitat.

Sustainable Fisheries Act recognizes the importance of healthy habitat for commercial and recreational fisheries and establishes Essential Fish Habitat requirements. The Community-based Restoration Program is created to help implement coastal restoration projects.

NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown is commissioned.

NOAA's Science Advisory Board is established.

NOAA successfully forecasts world-wide impact of El Niņo.

NOAA releases the first annual report on the status of U.S. Fisheries (Status of Stocks).

Vessel Monitoring Systems are put in place to track commercial fishing operations.

Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act passed, directing NOAA to advance scientific understanding and the ability to detect, monitor, assess, and predict HAB events.

Rear Adm. Evelyn Fields becomes the first woman and first African American to head the NOAA Corps.

The Norman, OK, Weather Forecast Office issues the first Tornado Emergency, to highlight an F5-strength tornado near Oklahoma City. The wording is eventually standardized for use by the Weather Service and is reserved for rare situations where there is a severe threat to human life, and catastrophic damage is imminent or ongoing.

The International Dolphin Conservation Program Act amended the Marine Mammal Protection Act, providing greater protections for dolphins in the east Pacific.

NOAA is a major participant in the UN International Year of the Ocean.