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

February 19, 2020

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Though this tidal marsh appears vibrant and healthy, researchers found it to be an "unhappy" or deteriorating marsh.

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

February 5, 2020

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

NOAA safeguarding navigation in New York Harbor

February 5, 2020

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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

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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

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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.

Searching for WWII-era aircraft lost in the Great Lakes

January 9, 2020

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nautical charts and maps

The U.S. Navy launches the TDN-1 Drone while steaming off Traverse City, Michigan, during flight tests on August, 10, 1943. This plane has assumed an excessive nose-up attitude and is probably about to stall. The Navy used these aircraft to train and certify pilots to take off and land from aircraft carriers during World War II. As this was a training site, crashes and emergency water landings were frequent. The U.S. Coast Guard operated small yard patrol craft to rescue the pilots and drop a buoy over the downed plane to mark the location for recovery. Not all planes were recoverable, however, and more than 100 remain on the bottom of Lake Michigan.

By the numbers: The National Ocean Service 2019 annual report

January 9, 2020

NOAA's National Ocean Service has issued their 2019 annual report: See what we accomplished!

NOAA, partners launch groundbreaking Florida Keys coral reef restoration effort

December 9, 2019

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A thicket of elkhorn coral, most of it dead, at Looe Key Reef, shows the need for this restoration effort.

Shipwreck or natural reef? Video documents survey of fish habitats off NC coast

December 6, 2019

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A NOAA dive team surveys the wreck of the USS Schurz, a U.S. Navy gunboat that sunk in 1918 off the coast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, after colliding with another ship.

Infographic: What is coral bleaching? See how it happens

December 4, 2019

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Coral bleaching infographic - high resolution

'Storehouses of biodiversity': A weeklong look at the importance of coral reefs

November 29, 2019

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The 2016 coral reef grants and cooperative agreements issued by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program include work to monitor the condition of reefs, promote reef resilience in the face of a changing climate, and enhance sustainable fisheries.

NOAA, partners to announce major Florida Keys coral reef restoration effort

November 25, 2019

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Coral Restoration Foundation divers transplant nursery-grown staghorn coral to Carysfort Reef in 2018. On Dec. 9, NOAA will announce a major coral reef restoration strategy targeting seven reefs in the Florida Keys.

The invasive turkeyfish: To beat it, try eating it

November 20, 2019

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An invasive lionfish in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Can we clean up, stop or end harmful algal blooms?

November 20, 2019

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harmful algal blooms (HABs)

On July 28, 2015, NASA's Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite captured images of algal blooms around the Great Lakes, visible as swirls of green in this image of Lake St. Clair and in western Lake Erie.

Does it snow in the ocean? See for yourself

December 4, 2019

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Biological debris that falls from higher in the water column is also known as marine snow. Some flakes fall for weeks before finally reaching the ocean floor.

NOAA, NFWF announce $30 million in grants to support coastal resilience efforts across nation

November 18, 2019

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coastal economies

Freshwater diversion in part of the Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.

Public invited to celebrate new Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary

November 4, 2019

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The historic shipwrecks of Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

NOAA awards more than $9.3 million to advance coral reef conservation science and management

October 4, 2019

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Corals thrive and support a wide diversity of reef fish in the sunny, shallow water at Baker reef in the Pacific Remote Islands.

NOAA awards $4.4 million for research on sea level rise and flooding

October 8, 2019

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Front Street in Beaufort, North Carolina, during a so-called "king tide." High tide flooding—which causes such public inconveniences as frequent road closures, overwhelmed storm drains and compromised infrastructure—has increased in the U.S. on average by about 50 percent since 20 years ago and 100 percent since 30 years ago.

NOAA announces $15.6 million in grants for Gulf ecosystem research

October 2, 2019

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coastal restoration

habitat restoration

Researchers from Nova Southeastern University recover a MOCNESS midwater trawl system aboard the R/V Point Sur. This sampling gear is used to collect specimens and habitat information in the open ocean waters of the Gulf, from the surface to approximately one-mile depth, home to the majority of the Gulf’s fish diversity. Their work has been partially funded through NOAA grants.

NOAA awards $10.2 million for harmful algal bloom research

October 1, 2019

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harmful algal blooms (HABs)

Ohio Sea Grant Director Dr. Jeff Reutter, documents an algal bloom in Lake Erie.

When beaches are trashed, who pays the price?

September 26, 2019

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coastal economies

Marine debris washed up on a beach.

NOAA, Energy Department announce competition to power ocean-observing platforms with renewable energy

September 18, 2019

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A NOAA Chesapeake Bay Interpretive buoy uses cell phone and internet technology to share in real-time the Bay’s weather and water conditions with the public. Solar panels keep the buoy’s batteries charged which provide power for the observing sensors and transmission capabilities.

National Estuaries Week gets active

September 12, 2019

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harmful algal blooms (HABs)

Attendees of a Teachers on the Estuary workshop at Waquoit Bay Reserve demonstrate the new American Sign Language sign for "estuary."

Harmful algal blooms pack a toxic punch. Get regional information here.

September 12, 2019

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harmful algal blooms (HABs)

Blooms of harmful algae, like this "red tide" off the coast of Texas, can cause illness and death in humans and animals.

Assessing Dorian's damage from the air

September 7, 2019

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coastal communities

NOAA's GOES-East captured this image of Hurricane Dorian on September 6, 2019

Fall 2019 high tide outlook is now available

September 5, 2019

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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.

View real-time water levels and winds for Hurricane #Dorian

August 29, 2019

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tides and currents

As the forecast track for Hurricane Dorian takes it towards Florida this weekend, it will coincide with higher than normal tides. Potential storm surge occurring on top of these larger high tides could result in coastal flooding.

Expedition reveals coral devastation in remote Pacific marine monument

August 16, 2019

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During a July 2019 expedition, divers observed devastating damage to coral reef sites at Rapture Reef in French Frigate Shoals.

NOAA awards $2.7 million in grants for marine debris removal and research

August 15, 2019

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A marine debris team member gathers a handful of disposable cigarette lighters picked up at a beach cleanup site.

Large ‘dead zone’ measured in Gulf of Mexico

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Scientists collect oxygen measurements to determine the size of this year's dead zone, an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life. This cruise has been performed since 1985, creating an important long term data set for scientists.

Podcast: Heard of meteotsunamis? Tune in to our chat with a NOAA oceanographer

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Stormy weather over the ocean can sometimes fuel the development of meteotsunamis, a series of waves typically much smaller and less destructive than those associated with seismically generated tsunamis.

An update on the ongoing coral disease outbreak in Florida

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A NOAA diver surveys the progression of stony coral tissue loss disease in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, July 2019.

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

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harmful algal blooms (HABs)

Scientists from LUMCON and NOAA collect oxygen measurements to determine the size of the 2018 Gulf of Mexico dead zone, an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life. This cruise has been performed since 1985, creating an important long term data set for scientists.

Assessing Barry's damage to coastal communities from the air

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NOAA's GOES-East captured this image of Tropical Storm Barry as it approached the Louisana coast on July 12, 2019