gray structural infrastructure

2018 is the third International Year of the Reef—a platform to highlight the importance of coral reefs. Covering less than one percent of the planet, coral reefs are the home to 25 percent of marine species and supply food to millions of…

Our coastal communities are facing increased threats due to sea level change, increased development, and greater demand for environmental resources. To reduce coastal risks and improve resilience, NOS has worked with the U.S. Army Corps,…

This week, NOAA’s efforts to promote healthy habitat—which in turn advances coastal resilience, supports place-based conservation, and stimulates our economy—have been codified in the agency’s first NOAA Habitat Policy.…

Effective July 1, 2015, Dr. Holly Bamford is Chair of the Coordinating Board of the U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS). NOAA's role within the CMTS is to help ensure the safety and efficiency of maritime commerce…

Recently, legendary oceanographer Dr. John Knauss passed away. The mark he left on National Ocean Service, NOAA, and the larger ocean community is lasting and profound. Dr. John Knauss was a driving force behind the creation of the…

I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments across our programs in FY 2015. More than 40 key activities, accomplishments, and milestones appear in the newly released Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report. View…

Earlier this month, President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request. The request for the National Ocean Service is just under $570 million. This request will allow NOAA to make investments to increase the resilience of the…

Five years ago, Japan was hit with one of the worst natural disasters in its history. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake, and tsunami that followed, claimed nearly 16,000 lives, injured 6,000 more, and damaged or destroyed countless…

NOAA and 12 other federal agencies are working to improve research and communications about the risks of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, twin threats to our nation's waters. Continue Reading

Communities looking to build resilience to storms—from hurricanes to river flooding—need a lot of information. One of the key things that they need is accurate height information. The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is undertaking a…

I would like to congratulate the Office for Coastal Management for its outstanding work with the City of Charleston to support resilience in the face of sea level rise. OCM used its Sea Level Rise Viewer's flood projection maps, digital…

Every day, we are working to promote resilience in our coastal communities. However, defining and measuring the capacity of a community to be resilient is a challenge. A recent effort by the Office for Coastal Management, working with…

Imagine: stunning panoramas of sea creatures and corals of many shapes, sizes and colors. Seascapes filled with shipwrecks and artifacts that serve as time capsules, preserving points in American history and offer us a glimpse…

This week, NOAA rolled out the final version Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap. This effort, co-led by NMFS and NOS, is significant because it marks NOAA's first presentation of a more holistic approach to the management of ocean noise…

"Coral reef ecosystems will change as a result of the pressures they are under, but nature perseveres. Efforts to move the needle of conservation in a positive direction will take…

Our latest AA update is a guest post from Dr. Steve Thur, Acting Director of NOS's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science: "I'd like to share two recent developments from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). In…

The breadth of the National Ocean Service's response to Hurricane Harvey is far-reaching. To date: The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) issued Storm QuickLook postings every six hours since…

The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) issued Storm Quicklook postings throughout the duration of Hurricane Irma. The product provides a synopsis of near real-time oceanographic and meteorological…

June is our annual celebration of National Ocean Month. We are often asked at this time of year, how many oceans are there? There’s only one! The ocean is the defining feature of our planet, covering approximately 70 percent of Earth’s…

You may know that the Office for Coastal Management’s Digital Coast website was developed to meet the unique needs of the coastal management community. What you may not be aware of is that in addition to providing data and predictive…