Jump to Content

Oceans & Coasts

Content

Smaller-than-expected Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ measured

More On

Scientists measured the extent of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia zone from July 25 to August 1 aboard the R/V Pelican.

'Get into Your Sanctuary' (virtually!) from July 31 through August 2

More On

virtual experience

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

NOAA unveils 10-year roadmap for tackling ocean, Great Lakes acidification

More On

ocean acidification

Ocean acidification has been shown to impact the growth of corals and contribute to dissolution of reefs. NOAA and partner scientists are working to restore and regrow corals in this coral reef nursery in the NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This diver from XL Catlin SeaView Survey team is collecting 360-degree imagery for virtual reality displays of the nursery.

NOAA, partners to report on 2020 Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ monitoring cruise

More On

Aerial photo of sperm whales, which are found in the Gulf of Mexico

NOAA selects recipients of the 2020 Dr. Nancy Foster scholarship

More On

A humpback whale surfaces near Maui Island.

Get to know Precision Marine Navigation

More On

marine commerce

Cargo ship enters PortMiami.

U.S. high-tide flooding continues to increase

More On

Front Street in Beaufort, North Carolina, during a so-called "king tide." High tide flooding causes such public inconveniences as frequent road closures, overwhelmed storm drains and compromised infrastructure.

Mystery algae discovered in Pacific is identified

More On

A close-up of a mat of the algae species Chondria tumulosa, taken in the lab. The new species was discovered in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 2020.

Moderate summer harmful algal bloom predicted for western Lake Erie

More On

harmful algal blooms (HABs)

A harmful algal bloom at Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory in 2015.

NOAA experts to summarize 2019 high tide flooding in the U.S., provide 2020 outlook

More On

Sea level rise is turning nuisance flooding into a “sunny day” event — high-tide flooding that occurs even without a storm.

Lake Erie harmful algal bloom forecast on July 9

More On

harmful algal blooms (HABs)

Ohio Sea Grant's Dr. Jeff Reutter documents an algal bloom in Lake Erie.

Ocean Fact: How much oxygen comes from the ocean?

More On

A fish-eye view of the wake of a ship out at sea. Here's an ocean fact: The surface layer of the ocean is teeming with photosynthetic plankton. Though they're invisible to the naked eye, they produce more oxygen than the largest redwood trees.

Summer 2020 high tide outlook is now available

More On

tides and currents

Downtown Annapolis, Maryland, pictured here in 2012, is one of three major East Coast urban areas already being faced with nuisance flooding in excess of 30 days per year.

#SeaTurtleWeek 2020: Celebrating conservation

More On

Swimming green sea turtle.

NOAA plays key role in plan to explore and unlock potential of America’s ocean

More On

NOAA crew and scientists aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer prepare to deploy remotely operated vehicles that will help NOAA explore and characterize the features and marine life of the Atlantic deep ocean off South Carolina.

Larger-than-average ‘dead zone’ expected for Gulf of Mexico

More On

The Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Mississippi, looking northeast at the I-20 bridge in October 2016. The confluence of the Yazoo River is in the foreground.

Marine economy in 2018 grew faster than U.S. overall

More On

coastal economies

The Port of Los Angeles. In the U.S., where over half live along the coast and more than 78 percent of overseas trade by volume comes and goes along our marine highways, the health of the coasts is intricately connected to the health of the nation's economy.

A healthy and biodiverse ocean starts with all of us

More On

World Ocean Day

A woman standing on a flat rock ledge of a beach looks out at the blue ocean off the coast of Norway. Tall mountains lay in the distance. Undated 2019 image.

June 2: NOAA, BEA to announce first-of-its-kind U.S. marine economy estimate

The Port of Los Angeles. In the U.S., where over half live along the coast and more than 78 percent of overseas trade by volume comes and goes along our marine highways, the health of the coasts is intricately connected to the health of the nation's economy.

Coral reef health reports issued for Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean

More On

Fish swim around a coral reef in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Undated image.

Expansion proposal for Flower Garden Banks sanctuary released

More On

Colorful sponges and bright green algae adorn the cap of Bright Bank in NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, which is shallow enough to scuba dive.

NOAA advisory panel to focus on ocean mapping of U.S. EEZ and coastal Alaska

More On

nautical charts and maps

A fishing boat out on open sea in Alaska.

A decade later: Advances in oil spill science since Deepwater Horizon

More On

Deepwater Horizon

National Geographic videographer Bob Perrin films an oil slick at the Deepwater Horizon site.

Restoring the Gulf of Mexico: 10 years after Deepwater Horizon

More On

Deepwater Horizon

Standing on an oiled marsh island, BP consultants Bob Nalon (left) and Charlie Johnson discuss field observations with NOAA's Natural Resources Damage Assessment team lead Rich Takacs (on boat, left). Chris Grant (on boat, right), a consultant representing the State of Louisiana, uses a pole to check for oil in the marsh island's sediment.

Oceanic drifters: All about plankton

More On

Phytoplankton blooms in the Barents Sea, visible as green and white swirls, captured in space by NASA's Aqua satellite on July 10, 2014.

NOAA, DOE announce winners of the Powering the Blue Economy Ocean Observing Prize

More On

measurements and observations

ocean exploration

NOAA and the U.S. Department of Energy announced the winners of the Powering the Blue Economy Ocean Observing Prize.

Take a virtual dive into the blue with NOAA Sanctuaries. No scuba mask required.

More On

ocean exploration

You can have this chance encounter with a sea lion in a Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary kelp forest -- all without leaving home. Check out NOAA Sanctuaries' 360-degree Virtual Videos online at sanctuaries.noaa.gov/VR.

Guiding cargo ships safely through port

More On

A container ship safely enters a seaport

More than $43 million in coastal resilience grants announced

More On

natural disasters

One of the grants will complete the design and implementation for a breakwater and coastal marsh in Mobile Bay, on the east side of the Dauphin Island Causeway (above), in Alabama. It will also create and protect critical coastal marsh habitat and reduce the vulnerability of the only emergency and hurricane evacuation route between the mainland of south Mobile County and Dauphin Island.

NFWF and NOAA announce $8.2 million in grants to aid communities

More On

Vessels and other debris in a Panama City, Florida, marina following Hurricane Michael in 2018.

Is this marsh 'happy'? Here's how to tell.

February 19, 2020

More On

This apparently healthy-looking tidal marsh within Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Rhode Island is, in fact, unhealthy. The image demonstrates how tidal marshes deteriorate in diverse and complex ways. (Undated image.)

'Where rivers meet the sea': NOAA spotlights estuaries in February

February 5, 2020

More On

A foggy sky over salt marshes of an estuary in Hampton, New Hampshire.

NOAA safeguarding navigation in New York Harbor

February 5, 2020

More On

tides and currents

Two large red-colored sensors sit on the deck of a ship.The New York City skyline can be seen in the background. NOAA oceanographers deploy sensors like these in the water to measure the tidal currents for a period of time and then return to collect them. These two were recovered from the Hudson River, just off the coast of lower Manhattan.

NOAA embarks on 2020 coastal survey season

January 30, 2020

More On

nautical charts and maps

An illustration of a NOAA ship using sonar (a multibeam echo sounder) to map the seafloor.

Training for tragedy: Scientists heading to Arctic prepare for the unthinkable

February 3, 2020

More On

A NOAA scientist practices Arctic survival skills in cold waters of Seattle's Lake Washington, December 2019. Exercises like these teach trainees to focus on survival and the future. Trainees practiced cold-water survival swimming techniques and how to get onto a life raft.