Coast Survey maintains over a thousand charts and publications covering 95,000 miles of shoreline and 3.4 million square nautical miles of water. Measuring depths and determining new dangers to navigation along U.S. coasts and the Great Lakes is a monumental job because the seafloor is constantly changing due to factors such as storms, erosion, and development.
One of Coast Survey's biggest tasks during the winter months is to plan hydrographic survey projects for the coming field season. Survey planners consider requests from stakeholders such as marine pilots, port authorities, the Coast Guard, and the boating community, and also consider other hydrographic priorities in determining where to survey and when.
This year, Coast Survey has compiled a "living" story map outlining these plans. The story map will be updated as progress is made with each survey project.
NOAA's four hydrographic survey ships—Thomas Jefferson, Ferdinand Hassler, Rainier, and Fairweather—and private survey companies on contract with NOAA begin assigned survey projects in April. The NOAA ships are operated and maintained by the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, with hydrographic survey projects managed by the Office of Coast Survey.