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An oceanography professor from Oregon State University has been nominated by the Biden administration to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a leading organization in monitoring and studying the effects of climate change on marine habitats.
Rick Spinrad, an ocean scientist who previously served as NOAA’s top scientist under President Obama, will look to fill a position that’s been vacant since 2017.
As administrator, Spinrad would play “a key role in advancing administration-led efforts to reduce and understand climate impacts and promote healthy oceans, coasts and fisheries,” according to a press release from the Environmental Defense Fund. He would also oversee the National Weather and National Marine Fisheries services.
NOAA has been without an administrator for four years, as neither of the Trump administration’s two nominees was confirmed by the senate.
“After four years of neglect and denial of science, Dr. Spinrad is the perfect person to bolster the spirits of the NOAA workforce, align them around the critical work before us, and personally lead the way forward,” said Eric Schwaab, the Environmental Defense Fund’s senior vice president of ecosystems and oceans.
According to its website, NOAA’s goal is “to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.”
If confirmed by the Senate, Spinrad would be the third OSU staff member to oversee the agency.
