support to the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) for oil and hazardous material spills. To support this mandate, ERD provides response to spill events at any time of day. Assessment and Restoration Division The Assessment and Restoration Division (ARD), formerly Coastal Protection and Restoration Division (CPRD), is responsible for evaluating and restoring coastal and estuarine habitats damaged by hazardous waste releases, oil spills, and vessel groundings. ARD joined with NOAA's General Counsel for Natural Resources and Office of Habitat Conservation to create the Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program (DARRP). This NOAA partnership focuses on the protection and restoration of marine natural resources. The Assessment and Restoration Division is comprised of NOAA biologists, toxicologists, ecologists, policy analysts, attorneys, geologists, environmental engineers, and economists. It assesses ecological, environmental ,and economic risk and injury from contamination and ship groundings. In particular, ARD has developed specific expertise in aquatic risk assessment techniques, contaminated sediment issues, and data interpretation. The ARD publishes the Screening Quick Reference Tables (SQuiRT cards), for rapid evaluation of water, sediment and soil contamination. Marine Debris Division Since 2005, the NOAA Marine Debris Program has been a NOAA program focused on researching, reducing, and preventing debris in the marine environment nationally and globally. The program works with various partners across the U.S. to fulfill its mission. Integrated Ocean Observing System The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is a national-regional partnership working to understand and predict coastal events - such as storms, wave heights, and sea level change. History The National Ocean Service traces its history to 1807, when the Survey of the Coast was created as the U.S. Government's first scientific agency. The agency was renamed the United States Coast Survey in 1836 and the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1878. On October 3, 1970, when the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) was replaced by NOAA, the Coast and Geodetic Survey was merged with other government scientific agencies to form NOAA. The Coast and Geodetic Survey′s organizational existence lingered until October 9, 1970, when its successor agency within NOAA, the National Ocean Survey, took over its assets and responsibilities. Under the National Ocean Survey, the Office of Coast Survey took over the Coast and Geodetic Survey′s hydrographic survey duties and its geodetic responsibilities were transferred to the National Geodetic Survey. The Coast and Geodetic Survey's fleet of survey ships temporarily came under the direct control of the National Ocean