NOAA Emblem Mosaic
This mosaic depicting the NOAA emblem includes 8,100 individual tiles. The mosaic was built using over 2,300 entries to the NOAA 200th Celebration Photo Contest.
Use the tools at the bottom of the image to zoom in and get a closer look at the individual images that make up the symbol of an agency 200 years in the making, or click on the "Larger View" link to view and zoom in on a larger version.
2100x1600 (JPG, 1.5 Mb)
About the NOAA Emblem
In 1970, NOAA was officially recognized and all of our components were united under a common name and mission. One year later, NOAA's first administrator, Dr. Robert White, gave NOAA employees that choice of three designs to be the official emblem for the new agency.
The chosen design was made the official NOAA emblem later that year and remains the official emblem of the agency to this day.
About the winning design, Dr. White remarked that:
"A white, gull-like form links the atmosphere to the sea or Earth. The Earth and atmosphere and the interrelationships between the two are, of course, major concerns of NOAA. The line defining the top of the gull's wings also resemble the trough of a foaming ocean wave against the blue sky. A creature of sea, land, and air, the gull adds an ecological touch to the Earth-sky motif."