NH Delegation Announces $38.5 Million in NOAA Funding for UNH/NOAA Joint Hydrographic Center
(Manchester, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the Ranking Member on the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced the award of a $38.5 million grant over five years from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to continue operations at the Joint Hydrographic Center (JHC). A world-renowned program, the JHC has made UNH an international leader in coastal mapping. For years, Senator Shaheen has fought to regularly secure funding for the JHC through the annual federal budgeting process.
The JHC is nationally recognized in hydrographic, ocean and coastal mapping sciences. The JHC supports NOAA’s mission of sustaining resilient coastal communities and economies by developing tools used to advance ocean mapping, and by training the next generation of hydrographers and ocean mappers. Research produced by the Center addresses the integrated use of ocean and mapping technologies for safe navigation, sound fisheries management, national security, environmental and habitat studies, and continental shelf mapping.
“The University of New Hampshire’s Joint Hydrographic Center is a national center of excellence that has deepened our understanding of the world’s oceans,” said Senator Shaheen. “The Center is making significant contributions to education, research and technological advances in ocean mapping and hydrographic sciences, and it’s important that this work continue to be funded. I’m very pleased that these federal funds have been awarded, which will allow JHC to continue its ocean mapping work that is so crucial to protecting our coastal communities, environment and supporting our regional and national economies. I’ll continue to work to deliver the federal resources the JHC needs to build upon its important work.”
“University of New Hampshire researchers are working on innovative methods to advance ocean mapping so we can better understand the ocean and its inhabitants. This federal funding will provide significant resources so that they can further this important work as we continue to learn about and protect this critical natural resource,” said Senator Hassan.
“Understanding our oceans is key to a healthier planet, and the University of New Hampshire's Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping is doing important work to help researchers conduct ocean mapping and crucial research,” said Representative Kuster. “This funding will help to expand our exploration of the ocean and the variety of habitats that exist within it. I’m glad to help announce this award, and I will continue my efforts to fund cutting edge research right here in the Granite State and protect our oceans and environment.”
”The University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping conducts groundbreaking research to support the environment, economy, and way of life of coastal communities around the world,” said Representative Pappas. “I am pleased that they have been awarded this funding to expand their ocean data collection efforts so that we can better understand the changing conditions in our oceans and protect our resources for generations to come.”
"We're grateful for the unwavering support of Senator Shaheen and other members of the New Hampshire delegation to ensure the continued work of UNH's Joint Hydrographic Center," said Larry Mayer, founding director of Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and co-director of the JHC. "Our ongoing research, training, and development of state-of-the-art technologies have made us an international center of excellence. We look forward to helping define the next generation of ocean mapping technologies that will support the Nation in its efforts to conserve and manage the critical ocean resources that support and sustain us.”
