Ocean Service

In this video message, NOS Deputy Assistant Administrator Rachael Dempsey shares how recent advancements in the GRAV-D project will help reduce risk for…

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf celebrates the 25th anniversary of NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration. (Video Transcript)…

Workers clean oil from the rocks following a spill in Port Arthur, Texas in January 2010. In 1976, the tanker Argo Merchant grounded near Nantucket Shoals in Massachusetts. When…

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf shares the news that NOAA and partners helped recover over $92 million from polluters to restore seven…

Precision Marine Navigation Aerial view of Long Beach, California. Credit: iStock …

The National Ocean Service provides data, tools, and services that protect our ecosystems and enhance climate and economic resilience. In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf…

Creating a habitat ecosystem map of the seafloor is a tricky process. Learn how it works in this two-minute video.

An ocean glider is an autonomous underwater vehicle used to collect ocean data. Scientists are now experimenting with using gliders to locate populations of spawning fish. The glider shown in this video is outfitted with an acoustic…

Remotely Operated Vehicles provides scientists with "eyeballs" beneath the water to see the health of the ecosystem.

On March 28, 2015, NOAA Ship Nancy Foster deployed an autonomous glider off the eastern coast of St. Croix. Diving down to depths of 656 feet, the glider moved westward along the southern edge of the shelf break. On the fifth day,…

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf shares a major advancement in NOAA’s capability to predict high tide flooding that is available for public use. Learn more…

National Ocean Service: Positioning America for the Future Coastal watershed counties were home to 163.8 million people in 2010, approximately 52 percent of the United States population. This number is expected to increase by…

A stingray filmed by Remotely Operated Vehicle near St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, during a Caribbean coral reef mapping expedition in April, 2015.

A large group of invasive lionfish near St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, filmed during a Caribbean coral reef mapping expedition in April, 2015. During the 2015 Caribbean mapping expedition, 135 lionfish were spotted during a total of 26…

On September 17, 2023, the National Geodetic Survey began collecting aerial damage assessment images in the aftermath of Hurricane Lee. Imagery was collected in specific areas by NOAA aircraft, identified by NOAA in coordination with…

I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments across our programs in FY 2017. More than 40 examples of our success appear in the newly released Fiscal Year 2017 Year in Review. Here are some numbers that help…

<!--NOS by the Numbers--> Introduction NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) provides science-based solutions through collaborative partnerships to address the evolving economic, environmental, and…

Community planners and decision makers now have an application guide to help them plan for the significant sea level rise the United States is expected to see in the next 30 years. The guide is a response to the Interagency Sea Level…

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…

29 June, 2022 We know less about the ocean floor than we do about the surface of the moon and Mars. But by the end of the decade we may know the general outline of our undersea contours and crevasses, thanks to an…

This report includes summaries of selected scientific projects undertaken by the program offices of NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) during Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21). All of these projects were submitted by each…

To acknowledge the importance of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the world today, we celebrate GIS Day annually on the second Wednesday of November. GIS Day provides an international forum for users of GIS technology to…

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf discusses National Ocean Month, an opportunity to celebrate our amazing ocean. One of the ways NOS celebrates is with a month-long social…

On September 29, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) began collecting aerial damage assessment images in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Imagery is being collected in specific areas by NOAA aircraft, identified by…

Hello, I’m Nicole LeBoeuf, Assistant Administrator for NOAA’s National Ocean Service. To celebrate 50 years of ocean and coastal conservation, I’m excited to share with you that the U.S. Postal Service and NOAA’s Office of National…

Once every ten years, NOAA and the U.S. Census Bureau team up to capture snapshots of how our nation's population is changing over time. Learn about this special partnership — and our new "center of…

Sea level rise is turning nuisance flooding into a “sunny day” event — high-tide flooding that occurs even without a storm. Credit: NOAA 14 December, 2022 In 2023, NOAA…

This report covers staff and program office accomplishments during fiscal year 2022, from new spatial models to help determine the best sites for new offshore wind farms to critical survey missions in the Great Lakes to…

A winter storm as seen from NOAA's GOES satellite on December 29, 2022, in the Pacific Northwest. The storm coincided with higher than normal high tides, resulting in high tide flooding across Washington.…

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf discusses how in 2022 NOAA and our partners recovered over $114 million dollars to restore six polluted U.S. waterways.…

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf shares that over the next year, new coastal land cover data will be available throughout the coastal zone, and at a…

From August 31 - September 2, 2023, the National Geodetic Survey collected aerial damage assessment images in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia. Imagery was collected in specific areas by NOAA aircraft, identified by NOAA in…

Users of NOS’s coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes models and information have a wide variety of needs for predictive information about our ocean and coasts. Meeting these needs demands a collection of models that…

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf shares a major advancement in NOAA’s capability to predict high tide flooding that is available for public use. Learn more…

The interactive chart catalog makes navigational information more accessible to all maritime professionals and recreational boaters. …

Collecting Sediment Samples in Puerto Rico Scientists collected sediment samples in Guánica Bay, Puerto Rico, to create an ecological baseline to help improve watershed…

Rip currents account for more than 80 percent of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards. They are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore that quickly pull swimmers out to sea. Rip currents…

'Seas the day' and head to the beach! Ever wonder what the weather will be like, how high the tide will be, if there is a rip current in the water outside of your hotel? NOAA…

A Special Place... The picturesque hillsides and vibrant blue waters of northeast Puerto Rico and nearby Culebra Island are home to marine and terrestrial ecosystems that make it a truly special place. This…

The rising and falling of the sea is a phenomenon upon which we can always depend. Caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun, tides are very long-period waves that move through the ocean and progress toward the…

<!--Throughout the month of February, join us as we celebrate estuaries and our 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves with special posts from NOAA's Office for Coastal Management. Follow along on Facebook, Twitter,…

Northeast outlook Includes Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York When will the tides be higher than normal? March 20 - 23 April 18 - 21 May…

Suppose you are buying a new home that is located near a river that routinely floods. During the buying process, you learn that you are required to have flood insurance. A step in the process of obtaining this insurance is to…

From the designation of a new national marine sanctuary to new agreements to restore natural resources damaged from pollution to the collection of emergency response aerial imagery, 2019 was a busy year. Read about our accomplishments…

There are some factors that cause the tides to be higher than what is "normally" seen from day to day. View our bulletin to see when you may experience higher than normal high tides for the period of time between June and August 2022.…

<!----> In this episode: You know about ocean tides, but how much do you know about ocean currents? Watch our three-minute video podcast to learn what…

The large container ship waylaid in the Chesapeake Bay for weeks was back on the move by early morning on Sunday, April 17. The MV Ever Forward went aground in the mud close to Annapolis, Maryland, on March 13 after…

With 90 percent of the country’s consumer goods coming through maritime ports and nearly 40 percent of society living in coastal shoreline counties, America is without a doubt a coastal nation. Given the country’s ever-changing…

A little over a year ago, the storm known as Sandy made landfall along the East Coast. It is impossible to reflect on the storm's lasting impact without acknowledging the tremendous loss that people in the affected area endured.…

Happy New Year! As I was reviewing National Ocean Service activities over the past year, this item stuck out as particularly memorable. In August, NOAA commemorated--for the first time ever--the 20 crewmembers who lost their lives when…