2025 Regional Collaboration Network Highlights

NOAA and partners mobilize to address toxic harmful algal bloom event in Kachemak Bay 

In August 2025, NOAA’s Alaska Regional Collaboration Team swiftly mobilized multiple NOAA offices and regional partners in Kachemak Bay to address a dangerous Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) event — an accumulation of algae that negatively impacts people and living organisms. The bloom, caused by Alexandrium phytoplankton, resulted in detections of saxitoxin, a potent neurotoxin, in local shellfish at levels more than double the regulatory limit for human consumption. The cross-agency mobilization was essential for safeguarding public health and informing resource managers in Kachemak Bay, an area recognized by NOAA as a Habitat Focus Area and by the State of Alaska as a Critical Habitat Area due to its rich marine ecosystems and valuable fish and shellfish populations.

The immediate response was led by the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and the Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom (AHAB) Network, which coordinated extensive sampling, toxin testing, and public communications to identify the threat and alert bay communities. They successfully mobilized a network of HAB response partners, including the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences Kasitsna Bay Lab, volunteer community monitors, state health and environmental agencies, local oyster farmers, and Alaska Native organizations. This well-coordinated, multi-organization response successfully identified and addressed an immediate threat to the region's public health and economically important seafood industry, underscoring the value of the Alaska Regional Collaboration Team’s ability to integrate multiple NOAA offices and regional partners.

NOAA support in Alaska maritime disaster

NOAA’s Alaska Regional Collaboration Team coordinated efforts of multiple offices to support the U.S. Coast Guard during a maritime disaster involving the Motor Vessel Morning Midas, which caught fire and eventually sank southwest of Adak, Alaska in June 2025. NOAA's rapid response provided essential environmental intelligence, forecasting, and risk analysis for the incident.

Key support actions included the use of NOAA Satellites to provide thermal tracking of the vessel after its signal was lost. Team members coordinated with the National Weather Service Ocean Prediction Center to issue vital drift and weather forecasts, which helped predict the vessel's path and supported salvage operations. The team also worked closely with the National Ocean Service’s Office of Response and Restoration to provide a detailed analysis of potential pollution spread, which was crucial for response efforts. Additionally, NOAA Fisheries and the NOAA Office of Coast Survey assessed the risk of pollution to international fishing fleets and the threat to maritime navigation, both of which were determined to be low. The Alaska Regional Collaboration Team’s coordinated response demonstrated NOAA’s predictive capabilities and  ability to deliver timely information to support emergency responders during high-risk maritime disasters.

Explore the future of AI at NOAA

To showcase the practical, real-world applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the agency's vital work, the NOAA Central Regional Collaboration Team, in partnership with the NOAA West Regional Collaboration Team, hosted a successful webinar titled, "Explore the Future of AI at NOAA.” The event provided a foundational understanding of AI's relevance to NOAA's core mission, emphasizing its use in improving data analysis, streamlining operations, and significantly enhancing the accuracy and speed of weather and climate forecasts.

A central outcome of the webinar was the live demonstration of the widely available NOAA AI tool called Gemini, which illustrated its capabilities for NOAA personnel to streamline and simplify daily tasks. Featuring top experts like Bryton Shang, Senior Advisor to the NOAA Administrator on AI, Rob Redmon. Director, NOAA Center for AI, and Monica Youngman, AI Program Lead for NWS, the speakers effectively communicated NOAA's strategic vision and commitment to proactively adopting advanced technology. The event was attended by 3,481 participants and effectively positioned NOAA as a leader in leveraging AI to expand and enhance the agency's capabilities.

Expanding Mississippi River Basin-wide partnerships 

The NOAA Central Regional Collaboration Team successfully expanded its network across the Mississippi River Basin, significantly increasing NOAA’s reach and impact. Building on the Team’s previous work focused on nutrient runoff, the team forged a cohesive, integrated internal NOAA network and actively engaged with the emerging Mississippi River Basin Watershed Partnership. This partnership brings together government, community, industry, and non-governmental organization leaders exploring ways to address the challenges impacting the Mississippi River Watershed.

This strategic collaboration broadened NOAA's reach by connecting with over 600 external partners, including critical communities in agriculture and river barge operations. Furthermore, by connecting key users with the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the new Mississippi River Dashboard, the team ensured NOAA's vital data services are leveraged across the entire basin, ultimately enhancing the ability to leverage existing external organizations and efforts, and ensuring data services and resources reach an extensive community of partners.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: A collaborative plan for freshwater conservation

To protect and restore the Great Lakes, NOAA and other federal agencies worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Managed by NOAA’s Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team (GLRCT), NOAA’s portion of the program received more than $30 million in fiscal year 2025.

The GLRI has funded several major projects, including many that contributed to delisting Muskegon Lake as an "Area of Concern" (AOCs). Muskegon Lake was the 8th U.S. AOC to be delisted and the 7th under the GLRI, following the restoration of over 134 acres of habitat. NOAA led many Muskegon Lake projects, including restoring 500 feet of eroding shoreline and installing an upland native plant buffer at the Boy’s and Girl’s Club and tracking cyanobacteria blooms throughout the lake and Muskegon River estuary through hyperspectral flyovers and buoy installations. 

NOAA helped develop GLRI Action Plan IV through an interagency process. This plan guides restoration efforts through 2029 and prioritizes projects that help coastal communities and ecosystems withstand extreme weather and shifting lake levels.

Advancing climate initiatives across the Great Lakes Basin

NOAA’s Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team continues to lead climate coordination efforts throughout the region. In partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada offsite link, the team facilitated the release of the 2024 Great Lakes Annual Climate Summary offsite link. Each year, this report offers a clear overview of the Great Lakes region’s changing climate. It breaks down the latest weather trends and major events while highlighting new scientific discoveries and practical ways people are adapting to these shifts. By documenting these activities, the report supports the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and serves as a vital resource for national climate studies.

In addition to the annual report, the team distributed 2025 quarterly climate updates to provide stakeholders with essential data. They also organized the 2025 Climate Modeling Workshop and an internal webinar to support Annex 9 (Climate Impacts) of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, helping regional experts share information, climate tools and data tailored to the Great Lakes. 

Supporting military operations on the Southern Border 

The NOAA West and Gulf of America Regional Collaboration Teams delivered crucial, real-time weather intelligence to the U.S. Department of War (DOW) during an extremely critical fire weather event that threatened the U.S.-Mexico border region. NOAA's forecasts accurately predicted the most volatile conditions, including the highest-level "Extremely Critical" fire weather. The warnings detailed very strong winds, dangerously low humidity, and dry fuels, a combination that created a high potential for a rapidly spreading wildfire outbreak. In response to this imminent threat, NOAA issued formal Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches to ensure public safety and encourage strict precautionary measures, such as prohibiting outdoor burning.

This rapid, targeted support provided life-saving information and directly enhanced the DOW's operational capacity along the U.S.-Mexican border. By connecting military units with weather expertise and providing detailed, real-time forecasts, NOAA provided the teams the opportunity to strategically adjust their missions, secure equipment, and prioritize the safety of their personnel. This successful collaboration highlighted the essential role of NOAA's environmental science and predictive capabilities in supporting national security operations in high-risk, dynamic environments.

Empowering communities in the Gulf: NOAA’s rain gauge initiative

In partnership with Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) in coastal cities, the Gulf of America Regional Collaboration Team (GoARCT) strengthened local partnerships and expanded educational outreach to K-12 schools across cities in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Mississippi. The team distributed 96 Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network offsite link (CoCoRaHS) rain gauges across eight WFOs to support hands-on learning and precipitation monitoring. Students can share the data they collect with NOAA, contributing to valuable observations that help improve forecast accuracy and enable local forecasters to ground-truth weather models. 

These rain gauges also strengthened the connection between the WFOs and NOAA-funded Ocean Guardian School and the Bay-Watershed Education Training (B-WET) programs, which support K-12 projects that address local environmental issues. By engaging students in data collection and fostering a deeper understanding of local weather patterns, these initiatives enhance community safety while advancing NOAA’s mission to provide accurate weather and climate data to the communities it serves.

Celebrating a decade of discovery: The Gulf Forum Webinars

The Gulf Forum, which brings together experts on different issues impacting the Gulf of America region, celebrated its 10th anniversary of sharing vital information and resources with NOAA staff and regional partners. This milestone year featured a diverse set of topics, including research on the relationship between recreational fishing and oil and gas platforms, integrated ecosystem assessments that combine all components of an ecosystem to inform decision-making, and remote sensing data from close partners at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

A key highlight of the series was its third annual session dedicated to presentations from undergraduate and graduate students, interns, and fellows serving in NOAA locations or with NOAA partners. This forum provided emerging scientists with an opportunity to share their work with a broad audience and connect with established professionals across the field. Through these webinars, NOAA strengthened its talent pipeline and expanded engagement with its scientific data and digital resources.

NOAA’s North Atlantic Team delivers actionable resource guides 

NOAA strengthened its government-to-government relationships through the North Atlantic Regional Collaboration Team (NART), which developed NOAA Tribal Resource Guides tailored to the specific priorities of each of the 18 federally-recognized Tribal governments in the region. Stemming from the 2021 tribal engagement assessment by the Udall Foundation, these living documents provide a comprehensive catalogue of NOAA resources—including data, tools, and educational opportunities—organized to meet each Tribal nation’s needs. Recent engagement initiatives, including meetings with Tribal Health Directors and attendance at community health fairs, underscored the urgent need to address climate-related health risks and infrastructure resilience.

This year, NOAA delivered Version 2.0 of the guides, which featured updated programmatic details and points of contact to ensure faster delivery of more accessible and actionable information. This ongoing modernization of agency operations and strategies reinforced NOAA's status as a global leader in weather and climate prediction by transforming high-level data into local, Tribal-led solutions. Through these guides, NOAA ensures that its scientific mission respects traditional values and strengthens the agency’s commitment to a future where Indigenous priorities are elevated and integrated into the agency’s response to climate hazards.

Community scientists power weather preparedness

The NART hosted a successful webinar on the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network offsite link (CoCoRaHS), highlighting the vital role of volunteer citizen scientists in strengthening weather forecasting and preparedness. 

The webinar brought together experts and participants to highlight the impact of this community-based program. Noah Newman, Colorado State University, and John McLaughlin, NOAA Office of Education, detailed the program’s structure and explained why CoCoRaHS data is so important for climate monitoring and water resource management. Amanda Sava, a meteorologist from the NOAA’s Weather Forecast Office in Blacksburg, Virginia, provided a direct account of the data’s utility. She highlighted how CoCoRaHS reports are an essential tool for NWS forecasters, particularly in issuing timely flood and drought alerts and fine-tuning local weather services. Debbie Dotson, a Water Quality Officer with the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, offered a firsthand perspective on participating in the program. Her experience illustrated how the network fosters community engagement and provides a time-series of valuable, localized environmental data for Tribal Nations and local decision-makers.

NART also distributed over 50 CoCoRaHS gauges to Tribal Nations, Bay-Watershed Education Training grantees who manage K-12 projects that address local environmental issues, and students across the region, expanding the community scope of CoCoRaHS. The webinar session educated Tribal natural resource directors and NOAA grantees on the critical role of volunteer citizen scientists. Attendees learned how thousands of individuals using simple rain gauges, which collect local precipitation information, contribute to a massive, invaluable dataset. The event also emphasized that local observations from everyday volunteers are fundamental to NOAA’s ability to deliver accurate and life-saving weather and climate information.

Charting the next 50 years: Polynesian Voyaging Society convenes partners to deepen education through the Moananuiākea Voyage  

In May 2025, the Polynesian Voyaging Society in partnership with NOAA and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, hosted the Moananuiākea Education Convening, a critical workshop series dedicated to strengthening Hawaiʻi’s educational foundation. This was part of the commitment to educate the next generation of students in Hawaiʻi during the Moananuiākea Voyage, which is a 47-month circumnavigation of the Pacific by traditional Polynesian voyaging canoes, Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia. The convening focused on honoring Hōkūleʻa’s 50-year legacy while helping to shape an actionable educational sail plan for the next 50 years.

The primary goal was to create a powerful, unified educational framework by aligning key partners. The convening was highly successful, bringing together major institutions such as the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, schools in Kamehameha, and the University of Hawaiʻi. These organizations have all committed to leveraging their collective resources to support the student-centered, experiential learning initiatives such as Ho‘ākea offsite link. The convening emphasized the importance of supporting educators and empowering haumana (students) through place-based, values-driven learning rooted in aloha.

This educational model is guided by the legacy of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, a historic journey of Hōkūleʻa that connected global communities through Indigenous wayfinding, ocean stewardship, and a shared responsibility for Island Earth. It is designed to deepen impact across Hawaiʻi’s classrooms and communities while being offered as a gift to the international partners that welcome Hōkūleʻa and her crew. The convening successfully honored the Hōkūleʻa’s 50-year legacy and established a strong, collaborative course for the future of its educational outreach.

Local educators honored for ocean stewardship following community advocacy

With multi-year funding from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program and the Pacific Islands Regional Collaboration Team (PIRCT), NOAA catalyzed significant educational and environmental milestones in Guam. In 2021, both John F. Kennedy High School (JFKHS) and Simon Sanchez High School (SSHS) became the first schools in Guam to join the NOAA Ocean Guardian School (OGS) program. The projects focused on issues impacting local watersheds and/or the ocean while promoting best environmental practices. 

Led by educators Carolyn Haruo and Melanie Blas, students carried out island wide beach and community cleanups, outreach campaigns, workshops, digital resource development, and community events, collectively earning more than 1,000 service learning hours. Through these activities the students strengthened their environmental leadership skills. Although both schools were still recovering from the impact of Typhoon Mawar, which hit the island in 2023, students achieved significant, measurable outcomes. SSHS removed more than 1,750 pounds of marine debris, installed recycling and composting systems, and developed innovative online learning tools. JFKHS students focused on protecting the Tumon Bay Watershed and Marine Preserve, preventing more than 13,000 single use bottles getting into the water, contributing over 11,000 service hours, removing more than 23,000 pieces of trash, and supporting habitat restoration efforts. 

In recognition of these accomplishments, the Guam Department of Education celebrated both schools’ five year milestones in the OGS program and honored Haruo and Blas for their nationally recognized leadership. Through sustained NOAA investment and PIRCT support, the OGS program has expanded its impact beyond the classroom and strengthened a lasting culture of marine stewardship across Guam.

NOAA takes coordinated action on the Sargassum crisis

Facing record-breaking levels of Sargassum — a type of floating brown algae that can become harmful to humans and animals when shorelines become inundated — in the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea, the NOAA Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART), the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, and the Disaster Preparedness Program  launched a comprehensive, multi-pronged effort focused on research, preparedness, and cross-agency coordination. This initiative was critical to equip partners and communities with the necessary knowledge and resources to combat the disruptive and often disastrous effects of Sargassum inundation events (SIEs).

A major success of this effort was the release of essential guidance to streamline disaster preparedness. SECART published Version 2 of NOAA's SIE Disaster Guide in both English and Spanish, which features streamlined contact information for a faster, more coordinated response on the ground. Concurrently, the team also updated and published the broader Guide to Integrated NOAA Disaster Resilience in the Southeast and Caribbean, also in Spanish, which enhances overall disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts for the region.

To further deepen knowledge and collaboration through science, the team organized a five-part webinar series, which was attended by 733 participants. The series raised awareness about the complexities of Sargassum and fostered regional collaboration on research and management. Additionally SECART held a multi-day workshop to synthesize current research and understand gaps that could inform Sargassum management, which ultimately produced a comprehensive roadmap for future research needs across three main themes: observation and prediction of SIEs; socioeconomic and ecological impacts of SIEs; and prevention, mitigation, and clean-up of SIEs. This combined approach of public education and strategic research planning provided the affected region with an essential framework to prepare for the continued challenge of future Sargassum events.

Raising hurricane awareness and improving disaster preparedness

For the ninth  year in a row, SECART, the Disaster Preparedness Program, the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory’s Hurricane Research Division, and the National Weather Service held their annual Hurricane Awareness Webinar series, which focused on bringing communities and partners the latest information on the tools and technologies that NOAA and partners use to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. This year, SECART held five webinars leading up to the start of hurricane season with over 1,700 participants in attendance. The series kicked off with a presentation by the NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, providing a look ahead for the upcoming season, followed by the same webinar in Spanish. The series also featured virtual reality tools to help communities prepare for disasters, quantifying the social value of a forecast, and understanding strategies for effective risk communication.

NOAA leads the way in Seattle heat resilience

The Heat Dome Cup, a two-day tabletop exercise held in May 2025, brought together  stakeholders across different sectors, including state and local government agencies, public utilities, and academia, to strengthen the Seattle Metro area’s ability to withstand extreme heat. NOAA West worked with several NOAA offices to plan and facilitate the event.

The exercise pinpointed critical needs, including the development of consistent regional heat preparedness and emergency protocols, better support for homebound residents, and improved language access for international visitors, especially leading up to high-profile events like the 2026 Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup. This collaboration was a prime example of  NOAA's commitment to  providing faster and more accessible and actionable information. It achieved this through strong partnerships and by integrating essential tools like HeatRisk directly into local emergency decision-making, effectively transforming weather data into proactive public health strategies.

This Heat Dome Cup exercise is a prime example of how NOAA continues to modernize its approach to weather and climate prediction. By using long-term climate projections to guide emergency planning and response, the NOAA West Regional Collaboration Team played a central role in aligning federal assets with local needs and addressing the cascading impacts of heat on a variety of sectors. This type of collaboration, which connects advanced forecasting and community preparedness, enables NOAA and its regional partners to deliver crucial climate services that enhance both local safety and maintain global leadership in a changing environment.

West Watch

In partnership with the Western Regional Climate Center offsite link, and with contributions from the three NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System Regional Associations in the West region and other partners, the NOAA West Regional Collaboration Team hosted a series of NOAA West Watch webinars. Attended by over 400 people, the series served as a critical platform to deliver faster, more accessible, and actionable information on a variety of topics - from drought to marine heat waves - affecting the West to mitigate the impacts on the public and a variety of sectors.

Explore the future of AI at NOAA

To showcase the practical, real-world applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the agency's vital work, the NOAA West Regional Collaboration Team, in partnership with the NOAA Central Regional Collaboration Team, hosted a successful webinar titled, "Explore the Future of AI at NOAA.” The event provided a foundational understanding of AI's relevance to NOAA's core mission, emphasizing its use in improving data analysis, streamlining operations, and significantly enhancing the accuracy and speed of weather and climate forecasts.

A central outcome of the webinar was the live demonstration of the widely available NOAA AI tool called Gemini, which illustrated its capabilities for NOAA personnel to streamline and simplify daily tasks. Featuring top experts like Bryton Shang, Senior Advisor to the NOAA Administrator on AI, Rob Redmon. Director, NOAA Center for AI, and Monica Youngman, AI Program Lead for NWS, the speakers effectively communicated NOAA's strategic vision and commitment to proactively adopting advanced technology. The event was attended by 3,481 participants and effectively positioned NOAA as a leader in leveraging AI to expand and enhance the agency's capabilities.