NOAA has substantial capabilities working to address priorities and needs of our stakeholders and partners in the Western Region. The western collaboration region is the largest in terms of geography, number of employees, and NOAA facilities.  The region is home to federal and non-federal NOAA staff distributed across 92 cities in the West, and represents nearly a quarter of the total agency workforce.  Several NOAA centers, offices, and laboratories serve this region.  Most notably, NOAA's Western Regional Center in Seattle, WA, houses the largest variety of NOAA programs at a single location in the United States. It also employs the largest NOAA staff outside the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The region also boasts four Cooperative Institutes, a Regional Climate Center, two River Forecast Centers, the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, National Weather Service Regional Headquarters, and Weather Forecast Offices in every state.

Employees in the region represent the full diversity of NOAA’s technical and scientific expertise.  From generating daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce, NOAA employees throughout the region are working hard to provide our public and decision makers with the best science-based and reliable information when and where it is needed.  We’re dedicated and we care; we live here too!
NOAA’s capabilities in the region are strengthened by some of the best and brightest in their fields of practice. Within the region, we have an extensive partnership network that keeps the agency informed about priority issues, collects data and information, conducts cutting edge research and science outreach, and helps manage our coasts and reserves.

NOAA Western Region Collaboration Team Partners

In addition to NOAA employees and facilities, NOAA benefits from close partnerships with these NOAA-supported entities in the region:

Regional Climate Centers and cross-federal initiatives

• Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC) offsite link
• National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)

Sea Grant College Programs

• Washington Sea Grant offsite link
• Oregon Sea Grant offsite link
• California Sea Grant offsite link
• USC Sea Grant offsite link

Cooperative Institutes

• The Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES) offsite link
• The Cooperative Institute for Marine Resource Studies (CIMRS) offsite link
• The Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystems and Climate (CIMEC) offsite link
• The Cooperative Institute for Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Systems (CIMEAS)