The National Weather Service’s (NWS) National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) operates the Marine Observation Network (MON). This network consists primarily of moored buoys and coastal marine (CMAN) stations around the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and the Great Lakes. Many of the stations have a near-continuous record of up to 30 years of the primary meteorological parameters. Today’s buoys contain proven instrumentation for a variety of meteorological and oceanographic parameters, many of which are in common with buoys designed specifically for research-quality missions. This network serves as a U.S. coastal component of several emerging observation systems, including the Coastal Component of the Global Ocean Observation System (C-GOOS), Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the NOAA Office of Climate Observation (OCO) contribution to the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), and the marine component of NOAA's Integrated Surface Observing System (ISOS). The Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoys are a component of the U.S. National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP). The MON role in these larger programs is described.

The MON continues to serve its traditional customers: the NWS forecast offices, prediction centers and mariners who demand real-time data availability and reliability as priorities. The quality improvement and expansion initiatives now underway to meet the broader local and regional observing needs are detailed.