WD-40 – WD-40 literally stands for "Water Displacement 40th " attempt. That's the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who helped develop WD-40 back in 1953. WD-40 was invented by the three founders of the Rocket Chemical Company of San Diego, California. The team of inventors was working on a line of industrial rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry. WD-40 was first used to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion. Two of the craziest purposes for WD-40 include a bus driver in Asia who used it to remove a python snake which had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus and police officers who used WD-40 to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air conditioning vent. Its properties make it useful in both domestic and commercial settings. Typical uses for WD-40 include removing dirt and removing stubborn screws and bolts. It can also be used to loosen stuck zippers and displace moisture.

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WD-40

The Interesting History of WD-40

by Mary Bellis

If you've ever used WD-40 to oil up something squeaky in your home, you may have wondered, just what does WD-40 stand for?

According to the company that makes it, WD-40 literally stands for "Water Displacement 40th " attempt.

That's the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who helped develop WD-40 back in 1953.

Norman Larsen was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion, a task which is done by displacing water.

Norm's persistence paid off when he perfected the formula for WD-40 on his 40th try.

Rocket Chemical Company

WD-40 was invented by the three founders of the Rocket Chemical Company of San Diego, California.

The team of inventors was working on a line of industrial rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry.

Today, it is manufactured by the San Diego, California-based WD-40 Company.

WD-40 was first used to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion.

When it was discovered to have many household uses, Larsen repackaged WD-40 into aerosol cans for consumer use and the product was sold to the general public in 1958.

In 1969, the Rocket Chemical Company was renamed after its only product (WD-40).

Interesting Uses for WD-40

Two of the craziest purposes for WD-40 include a bus driver in Asia who used it to remove a python snake which had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus and police officers who used WD-40 to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air conditioning vent.

Ingredients

WD-40's main ingredients, as supplied in aerosol cans, according to the U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet information, are:

50 percent "aliphatic hydrocarbons." The manufacturer's website claims this ratio in the current formulation cannot accurately be described as Stoddard solvent, a similar mixture of hydrocarbons.

<25 percent petroleum base oil. Presumably, mineral oil or light lubricating oil.

12-18 percent low vapor pressure aliphatic hydrocarbon. Reduces the liquid's viscosity so that it can be used in aerosols. The hydrocarbon evaporates during application.

2-3 percent carbon dioxide. A propellant which is now used instead of the original liquefied petroleum gas to reduce WD-40's flammability.

<10 percent inert ingredients.​

The long-term active ingredient is a non-volatile viscous oil which remains on the surface to which it is applied, giving lubrication and protection from moisture.​

The oil is diluted with a volatile hydrocarbon to make a low viscosity fluid which can be aerosolized to penetrate crevices.

The volatile hydrocarbon then evaporates, leaving behind the oil. A propellant (originally a low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon, now carbon dioxide) creates pressure in the can to force the liquid through the can's nozzle before evaporating.

Its properties make it useful in both domestic and commercial settings.

Typical uses for WD-40 include removing dirt and removing stubborn screws and bolts. It can also be used to loosen stuck zippers and displace moisture.

Due to its lightness (i.e. low viscosity), WD-40 is not always the preferred oil for certain tasks.

Applications that require higher viscosity oils may use motor oils. Those requiring a mid-range oil could use honing oil instead.

Mary Bellis

Introduction

·         New York-based film producer and director

·         Singled out by Forbes magazine for her writing on inventors. 

·         Known in art and independent film circles by the name CalmX

·         Creator of computer-generated art

Experience

Mary Bellis was a former writer for ThoughtCo, where she covered inventors for 18 years. She was a freelance writer, film producer, and director.  In addition, Forbes Best of the Web credited her for creating the number one online destination for information about inventors and inventions. Her writing has been reprinted and referenced in numerous educational books and articles. She was known for her short independent  films and documentaries, including one on Alexander Graham Bell. She specialized in making and exhibiting computer-generated art, while working as an animator, journalist and an independent video game developer. She died on March 28, 2015.  

Education

Mary Bellis held a Master of Fine Arts in film and animation from the San Francisco Art Institute.

ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.

https://www.thoughtco.com/wd-40-1992659

AIRPORT, TAXIWAY, AND RUNWAY LIGHTS - Airport lighting is essential for aircraft operating at night. Airport lights can be divided into different types: General airport lighting, taxiway lighting, runway lighting, and visual glideslope indicators. This first type of lighting consists of the can't-miss-it airport beacon and any warning lights on top of towers, buildings, and construction equipment. The airport beacon is a large, powerful, rotating light that's highly visible from miles away. Public-use airport beacons rotate green and white. Military airports rotate green and white but have two white lights for each green light, thus differentiating themselves from civilian airports. Heliports rotate between green, white, and yellow lights. Pilots can easily identify an airport at night from its beacon, making it one of the easiest checkpoints for pilots when navigating on a night flight. Airport buildings, towers, and other tall equipment on the field will have a small, steady red beacon on top of them to aid in collision avoidance for low-flying aircraft.

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Airport, Taxiway, and Runway Lights Explained

BY SARINA HOUSTON

If you've been to any major airport at night, you've probably noticed that there are a lot of different kinds of lights, ranging from flashing white or yellow to steady red, green, and blue.

Airport lighting is essential for aircraft operating at night.

Airport lights can be divided into different types: General airport lighting, taxiway lighting, runway lighting, and visual glideslope indicators.

General Airport Lighting

This first type of lighting consists of the can't-miss-it airport beacon and any warning lights on top of towers, buildings, and construction equipment.

The airport beacon is a large, powerful, rotating light that's highly visible from miles away.

Public-use airport beacons rotate green and white. Military airports rotate green and white but have two white lights for each green light, thus differentiating themselves from civilian airports.

Heliports rotate between green, white, and yellow lights.

Pilots can easily identify an airport at night from its beacon, making it one of the easiest checkpoints for pilots when navigating on a night flight.

Air traffic controllers may turn the beacon on and off as necessary, or it may be set on a timer.

Airport buildings, towers, and other tall equipment on the field will have a small, steady red beacon on top of them to aid in collision avoidance for low-flying aircraft.

Taxiway Lights

There are four types of lights on the taxiway, a path for airplanes heading to or coming from a runway.

Taxiway edge lights: These lights are blue in color and line the taxiway. Airports often have green taxiway centerline lights as well.

Clearance bar lights: Set inside the taxiway, these lights are steady and yellow and are meant to increase the visibility of a hold position line or a taxiway intersection at night.

Stop bar lights: These in-pavement lights are steady red and extend across the taxiway at a hold short line, the area where a taxiway meets the runway. They are meant to prevent a pilot from leaving the taxiway when their plane would be in danger of causing a collision on a runway. Once a pilot is cleared onto the runway, the air traffic controller will turn off the stop bar lights.

Runway guard lights: A pair of two flashing yellow lights that are positioned at each side of the taxiway at the hold short line, the runway guard lights are meant to draw attention to the hold short line.

Runway Lights

There are five different kinds of runway lights.

Runway end identifier lights: This pair of white flashing lights, one on each side of the approach end of the runway, helps distinguish the runway from the taxiway at night.

Runway edge lights (HIRLs/MIRLs/LIRLs): On the edges of instrument runways (those equipped with visual and electronic navigational aids and for which a straight-in landing minimum altitude has been approved), these steady lights start out white and change to yellow during the last 2,000 feet, or half the runway length, whichever is less.

   Then they change to red as the aircraft reaches the end of the runway. They can be high intensity (HIRLs), medium iintensity (MIRLs), or low intensity (LIRLs).

Runway centerline lighting system (RCLS): On some precision runways — those for which there is both horizontal and vertical guidance — an RCLS is installed, with white lights spaced at 50-foot intervals on the centerline of the runway.

   With 3,000 feet remaining, the white lights change to alternating white and red. During the last 1,000 feet, the lights are all red.

Touchdown zone lights: These steady white lights are placed in two rows next to the centerline, starting at 100 feet and extending to the midpoint of the runway, or 3,000 feet beyond the threshold (the designated ideal landing area), whichever is less.

Land and hold short lights: When land and hold short operations (LAHSO) are in effect, flashing white lights may be seen across the runway at the hold short line.

   During LAHSO, air traffic control may require a pilot who has just landed to hold their position to keep clear an intersecting runway or taxiway or some other designated point on a runway.

Runway status lights: This group of lights includes runway entrance lights, the takeoff hold light array, runway intersection lights, and the final approach runway occupancy signal.

   These lights assist in informing pilots and ground vehicle operators when it's safe to enter or cross a runway. They work in conjunction with surveillance systems (like ADS-B) and are fully automated.

Visual Glide Slope Indicators

Visual glide slope indicators are meant to give pilots a visual guide during their descent to help maintain a stabilized approach.

They come in two types, visual approach slope indicators (VASIs) and precision approach path indicators (PAPIs), each of which has multiple types of arrangements and both of which give pilots a good idea whether they're on the glide path for a stable approach.

VASIs: These are bars of lights on the side of the runway that give pilots a visual indication of whether their aircraft is too high or too low on the approach.

   VASIs can be made up of 2, 4, 6, 12, or 16 lights, are commonly located on two bars — near and far — and provide an indication for a 3-degree glide slope, the typical approach path for a landing.

   In a common two-bar VASI system, a pilot should see two red lights on the higher, far bars and two white lights on the lower, near bars.

   If all lights on the near and far bars are red, the pilot is too low. If all lights on the near and far bars are white, the pilot is too high. Pilots use the saying "red over white, you're all right" regarding VASIs.

PAPIs: These sets of lights are arranged horizontally and typically include four lights that can be red or white, depending on where the aircraft is in the glide slope.

   A PAPI system is usually located on the left side of the runway. When all four lights are white, the aircraft is too high.

   As the plane, descends onto the glide path, the lights on the right side will begin to turn red.

   When an aircraft is on the precise glide path, the two left lights will be white and the two right lights will be red. When three or more lights are red, the aircraft is too low.

Sarina Houston

Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor with Single and Multi-Engine Instrument ratings

Worked for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as an administrative director

Founding President of a chapter of Women in Aviation, International

Member of NAFI (National Association of Flight Instructors)

Experience

Sarina Houston is a former writer for The Balance Careers covering aviation and aerospace. Houston is an FAA-certified Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor with Single and Multi-Engine Instrument ratings. She has been a flight instructor since 2005.

In addition to flying, Houston has experience in administrative and nonprofit management. She has worked for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as an administrative director, and was the founding President of a chapter of Women in Aviation, International—a nonprofit organization that provides support for women and men who choose to enter the challenging world of aviation.

She maintains professional memberships with AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association), WAI (Women in Aviation, International), and NAFI (National Association of Flight Instructors).

Houston currently works as an independent flight instructor and a freelance aviation writer.

Education

B.S. in Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

M.S. in Aeronautical Science, ERAU-Worldwide, specializing in Aviation Safety and Operations

About The Balance Careers and Dotdash

The Balance Careers makes navigating your career easy. It is home to experts who provide clear, practical advice on job searching, resume writing, salary negotiations, and other career planning topics. Whether you're looking to find a new job, advance at your current position, or explore new paths, The Balance Careers will help you take your career to the next level.

The Balance Careers is part of the Dotdash publishing family. For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the internet, according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population every month. Most recently, Dotdash was named Publisher of the year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/airport-runway-lighting-explained-282727

BALLAST WATER SYSTEMS - A ballast water system allows a ship to pump water in and out of very large tanks to compensate for a change in cargo load, shallow draft conditions, or weather. The capacity of ballast water tanks might be millions of gallons on a large vessel. This allows vessels to carry a light or heavy load while maintaining ideal buoyancy and handling conditions in all situations. A ship might discharge all ballast water tanks to pass a shallow area or forward tanks only to raise the bow in rough open seas. Physical components of the system include; raw water intakes, large and small strainers, pumps, distribution pipes, ballast water tanks, treatment system, discharge system, and all the valves, sensors, and controls to run the equipment. Invasive species are a significant threat to ecosystems and the economies of the affected areas. About one-third of all documented invasive plants and animals are able to travel in the ballast water tanks of ships.

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Ballast Water Systems

How Ballast Water Systems Work

by Paul Bruno

A ballast water system is essential for the safe operation of a ship, but the operation of these systems causes significant threats to the environment and local economy.

What Is a Ballast Water System?

A ballast water system allows a ship to pump water in and out of very large tanks to compensate for a change in cargo load, shallow draft conditions, or weather.

The capacity of ballast water tanks might be millions of gallons on a large vessel.

This allows vessels to carry a light or heavy load while maintaining ideal buoyancy and handling conditions in all situations.

A ship might discharge all ballast water tanks to pass a shallow area or forward tanks only to raise the bow in rough open seas.

Physical components of the system include; raw water intakes, large and small strainers, pumps, distribution pipes, ballast water tanks, treatment system, discharge system, and all the valves, sensors, and controls to run the equipment.

Invasive Species in Ballast Water

Invasive species are a significant threat to ecosystems and the economies of the affected areas.

Researchers think that about one-third of all documented invasive plants and animals are able to travel in the ballast water tanks of ships.

Zebra Mussels were introduced into Lake Saint Clair in 1988 when a ship emptied ballast water into the Great Lakes System.

The Great Lakes hold nearly twenty percent of the earth’s fresh surface water in a watershed system.

The non-native mussels eliminated native varieties once used by industry and have caused an estimated 7 billion dollars (US) in damage by encrusting or clogging underwater equipment essential to industrial and recreational activities.

Sea Lamprey and ​Spiny Water Fleas are organisms which feed off of host fish or compete with young fish for food.

Many species of fish impacted by these invasive species have significant commercial or sporting value. These animals and others can live in fresh or salt water and may spread into inland waterways from saline ports and harbors.

Plants can also travel long distances in ballast water.

Eurasian Milfoil is a surface plant which can clog equipment and deter recreation where it forms thick mats. Eurasian Milfoil was introduced to the United States in the 1940s.

Because the plant can produce large colonies from only one small fragment it is likely the plant was introduced in the ballast water of a ship.

Resolving Ballast Water Issues

For years amateurs and professional researchers have experimented with a huge array of weapons to combat invasive species in a ship’s ballast water.

Most of the difficulty is due to the fact that huge volumes of water must be treated in a reasonably short period of time.

Many land-based systems for treating public supplies takes many hours or days to pass water through their treatment systems.

A ship, on the other hand, must be able to discharge ballast water as quickly as cargo is loaded.

In emergency situations, ballast tanks need to empty as quickly as possible. A quick pass through most ballast water treatment systems is not enough to kill all the organisms that may be present.

Ballast Water Treatment Solutions and Shortcomings

No Discharge or Ballast Exchange Rules: International, National, and Local law govern ballast water discharge.

Some areas require ballast tanks to be sealed while others allow ballast to be exchanged. Ballast exchange allows tanks to be filled with local waters.

Sealed ballast tanks may need to be emptied in an emergency situation and exchange is hindered by the fact that foreign waters must be discharged in close proximity to ​the sensitive area for vessels to operate safely.

Mechanical Filters: Filters which are fine enough to remove the small immature young and eggs of invasive species clog quickly and require constant maintenance.

Thermal Treatment: The idea is to heat ballast water to kill any unwanted organisms. Unfortunately heating such a huge volume of water is impractical due to time and energy constraints.

Other Energy Treatments: Ultraviolet, sonic, and other radiation have all been tried but have similar problems to a thermal treatment; limits on time and energy.

Chemical Treatments: One of the earliest and most dangerous of all the methods used to control invasive species in ballast water. Chlorine bleach and other toxic chemicals will kill existing organisms but the release of these chemicals on the scale necessary to treat every ship would reach toxic levels for all aquatic life near the discharge points.

The Future of Ballast Water Treatment

Researchers are pursuing this difficult and financially lucrative goal at institutions around the world.

In 2011, a team announced their successful small-scale test of a two-phase ballast treatment system which eliminates unwanted organisms and produces sodium bicarbonate as a byproduct.

The system is undergoing full-size tests in the Great Lakes. The test for a scalable system is expected to perform well.

It is not clear how regulatory agencies around the world will respond to the potential discharge of industrial amounts of sodium bicarbonate into their waters.

Sodium bicarbonate is a common and safe chemical in small amounts, but studies must be conducted to assure this method is safe for long term use.

Paul Bruno

Introduction

United States Coast Guard licensed Ship Master with Passenger Certification.

A marine contractor familiar with all ship systems who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years.

Has a USCG Master's License and a degree in Creative Nonfiction and Technical Writing, from the University of Wisconsin.

Experience

Paul Bruno is a former writer for ThoughtCo who contributed work for over five years on the maritime industry. He has worked with a variety of vessels throughout his maritime career, including various commercial ships as well as the Great Lakes schooner reproduction "Dennis Sullivan." As a marine contractor, Paul is familiar with all ship systems, and his lifelong passion for electronics has led to a focus on marine hardware and software development. When he is not working, Paul's favorite hobby is knot work, keeping busy with the nearly 4,000 documented knots, splices, and eyes.

Education

USCG Master's License, 1993

Creative Nonfiction and Technical Writing, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and University of Waikato, Hamilton NZ

A Message from Paul Bruno

ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-ballast-water-2293103

 

CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING - Another Reason Not To Smoke - It is possible for heavy smokers to develop carbon monoxide poisoning. This can be severe enough to require treatment in an emergency room. Everyone has a small amount of carbon monoxide in the bloodstream. Smokers usually have more than three times as much as non-smokers. This patient's level was more than fifteen times that of a typical non-smoker. Our red blood cells carry oxygen to every part of our body. When carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream, it attaches to red blood cells and prevents oxygen from doing so. The carbon monoxide is then circulated in the blood instead of oxygen, preventing the brain, heart, and other body organs from receiving the oxygen they need. Most cases of carbon monoxide poisoning are caused by fire, an engine running in an enclosed space, or from malfunctioning gas or wood-burning appliances.

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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Another Reason Not To Smoke

Poison Control

The Bottom Line

It is possible for heavy smokers to develop carbon monoxide poisoning. This can be severe enough to require treatment in an emergency room.

The Full Story

The patient was 48 years old.

She went to the emergency room because she felt dizzy and had a headache.

Doctors performed an extensive medical workup and found that her symptoms were caused by high carbon monoxide levels in her blood.

A week later, she again went to the emergency room with dizziness and a headache.

Once again, she was diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. The local gas company had examined her home and could not find a source of carbon monoxide.

The reason for both episodes of carbon monoxide poisoning was heavy tobacco smoking, more than two packs a day.

Everyone has a small amount of carbon monoxide in the bloodstream.

Smokers usually have more than three times as much as non-smokers. This patient's level was more than fifteen times that of a typical non-smoker.

Our red blood cells carry oxygen to every part of our body. When carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream, it attaches to red blood cells and prevents oxygen from doing so.

The carbon monoxide is then circulated in the blood instead of oxygen, preventing the brain, heart, and other body organs from receiving the oxygen they need.

Most cases of carbon monoxide poisoning are caused by fire, an engine running in an enclosed space, or from malfunctioning gas or wood-burning appliances.

This patient smoked so many cigarettes, so close together, that nearly a quarter of the oxygen in her bloodstream was replaced by carbon monoxide.

Doctors treated her immediate symptoms by giving her oxygen. The only prevention was for her to stop smoking.

If someone needs just one more reason to give up tobacco, perhaps this could be it: distressing symptoms, two trips to the emergency room in a short period of time, lots of poking, prodding, and testing - and a big bill at the end.

Prevention Tips

Not smoking is the only way to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning from heavy tobacco smoking.

For information about carbon monoxide poisoning, call Poison Control. Poison specialists are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1-800-222-1222.

Rose Ann Gould Soloway, RN, BSN, MSEd, DABAT emerita
Clinical Toxicologist

https://www.poison.org/articles/2010-dec/another-reason-not-to-smoke

CANALS - A canal is a manmade waterway that allows boats and ships to pass from one body of water to another. Canals are also used to transport water for irrigation and other human uses. While the advent of more efficient forms of transportation has reduced the need for canals, they still play a vital role as conduits for transportation and fostering global commerce. There are two types of canals: waterways and aqueducts. Waterways are the navigable parts of a body of water, and can be located within a bay or open sea, can connect two or more waterbodies, or may even form networks within a city. Aqueducts are used exclusively to transport water for drinking, agriculture, and hydroelectric power. The word "canal" derives from the Old French word chanel, which means “channel.” The oldest known canals are aqueducts built in Mesopotamia thousands of years ago. Canals have played an important role in connecting cultures and facilitating commerce.

The Gowanus Canal was built in the mid-1800s and once served as a major commercial route to New York Harbor. A variety of industries that operated along its banks released contaminants into the canal. Sewer overflows also contribute to the pollution, which negatively impacts fishing and recreation for nearby residents. NOAA is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the City of New York to assess the damage and propose ways to mitigate it.

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Canals

What is a canal?

The National Ocean Service

A canal is a manmade waterway that allows boats and ships to pass from one body of water to another.

Canals are also used to transport water for irrigation and other human uses.

While the advent of more efficient forms of transportation has reduced the need for canals, they still play a vital role as conduits for transportation and fostering global commerce.

There are two types of canals: waterways and aqueducts.

Waterways are the navigable parts of a body of water, and can be located within a bay or open sea, can connect two or more waterbodies, or may even form networks within a city.

Aqueducts are used exclusively to transport water for drinking, agriculture, and hydroelectric power.

The word "canal" derives from the Old French word chanel, which means “channel.”

The oldest known canals are aqueducts built in Mesopotamia thousands of years ago. Since then, canals have played an important role in connecting cultures and facilitating commerce.

The Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, was expanded in 2016 to accommodate modern large-scale cargo ships.

NOAA played a role in ensuring that the shipment of goods through the larger canal would remain safe and efficient. 

NOAA’s Navigation Response Teams assisted the Panama Canal Authority by participating in exercises to ensure that evacuation plans and safety precautions were operational in the event of an emergency. 

NOAA also installed its Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®) system at Port Miami, allowing super-sized ships that pass through the Panama Canal to safely and efficiently enter the busy U.S. seaport.

Did you know?

Venice and Amsterdam are Europe’s most famous canal cities, but did you know that the U.S. has a few of its own?

More than just a popular spring break destination, Fort Lauderdale, Florida is also called the “Venice of America.”

And the aptly named Venice Beach, California, boasts its own historic canal district.

The National Ocean Service provides data, tools, and services that support coastal economies and their contribution to the national economy. NOS is dedicated to advancing the following priorities:

Our mission is to provide science-based solutions through collaborative partnerships to address evolving economic, environmental, and social pressures on our ocean and coasts.

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/canal.html