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Projects
A Management Tool to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch in ...
Along with our partners, we developed a geographic information system (GIS) tool to help coastal managers work toward reducing the bycatch of sea turtles in U.S. fisheries in the Atlantic ...
Benthic Habitat Mapping of the Republic of Palau
We developed benthic habitat maps for shallow (<30 meters) areas around the main islands of the Republic of Palau to help local managers and researchers develop reef fish management strategies, ...
Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Project
We are monitoring the distribution, abundance, and size of reef fishes and macro-invertebrates and mapping habitats in the Caribbean. The work from this long-term project will help coastal managers understand ...
Characterizing Potential Distributions of Deep-Sea...
We developed spatial predictive models for deep-sea corals, sponges, and benthic macrofauna offshore of the continental U.S. West Coast. Maps and geospatial data depicting the predicted spatial distributions of these ...
Comparing Reef Fish Habitat Use Patterns In and Ou...
Coral reefs are key habitats for many near-shore Hawaiian fishes. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are created to provide islands of protection for species, habitats, and ecosystems with high species diversity ...
Ecological Characterization of Stellwagen Bank Nat...
We provided an ecological and oceanographic profile of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Gulf of Maine region, including analysis of pollution levels. The project was designed to help ...
Improving Accessibility and Preservation of NCCOS’...
We are improving how NCCOS stores, preserves, and delivers its geospatial data by formalizing connections between NCCOS and NOAA data centers, creating a new geoportal to search for data, and ...
Integrated Assessment of Ecosystem Condition and S...
The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve is rich with scenic beauty and economic value, supporting the vast majority of the commercially and recreationally valuable fish and shellfish found ...
Modeling and mapping marine bird distributions on ...
Seabirds and other marine birds are wide-ranging and highly mobile so mapping their at-sea distributions presents a significant challenge. The purpose of this project was to produce high-resolution predictive maps ...
News
Study Identifies Potential Foraging Areas Used by ...
Adult leatherback turtle. Credit: NOAA. Scientists have identified locations likely used by leatherback turtles for feeding during their migration between nesting beaches in the Caribbean and food-rich waters off New ...
National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Sampling in...
Figure shows all sites completed from August 7-11, 2023 across St Thomas and St John, USVI (n = 287). NOAA scientists have recently completed surveying the status of coral reef ...
National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Sampling in...
NOAA divers surfacing just offshore of Old San Juan. All diving operations were performed aboard the charter vessel Simply Caught 2, captained by Frank Askew. NOAA scientists are conducting surveys ...
State of Science Review Identifies Protected Speci...
A small group of Black Skimmers take a break from fishing to enjoy the view from atop aquaculture cage netting. Credit: Dafinka/ via Shutterstock. As marine aquaculture expands around the ...
Investigating the Long-term Effects of Chronic Tur...
Fragments of the Caribbean coral Orbicella faveolata being prepared for daily imaging. A photo of each coral is taken under a fluorescent microscope every day so that scientists can capture ...
New Report Summarizes National Coral Reef Monitori...
Summary statistics for the 2020-2021 sampling completed in Florida. A report released in October 2022 describes the status and trends of Florida's coral reef ecosystem using data from the National ...
Researchers Transfer Threatened Coral Larvae from ...
NCCOS scientists have successfully transferred and settled fertilized elkhorn and mountainous star coral larvae — two species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act — from reefs in the ...
Researchers Identify Sources of Nitrogen in Macroa...
Scientific diver Randall Kosaki (NOAA, PMNM) collects green blades of algae at Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll) at a depth of 295 feet. Credit: Stephen Matadobra, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument ...
NCCOS Awards $1.7M to Support Habitat Connectivity...
NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science awarded $1.7 million of an anticipated $5.9 million over the next four to five years for three research projects to investigate species’ habitat ...
Researchers Identify Endangered Rice’s Whales' Hab...
In 2021, a NOAA-led study found that Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whales (pronounced "broodus") are not Bryde’s whales after all, but a new species of baleen whale unique to the ...
Products
Maps, Tools & Applications
We developed benthic habitat maps for shallow (<30 meters) areas around the main islands of the Republic of Palau to help local managers and researchers develop reef fish management strategies, optimize biological monitoring sampling design, and develop place-based action strategies to address key issues and remedy specific threats to coral reefs. Project PageView Product
Data & Publications
A pilot study to determine the movements of buoy line used in the crab pot fishery to assess bottlenose dolphin entanglement
A pilot study on the characteristics of crab pot buoy line movements to assess bottlenose dolphin entanglement was conducted from 19 September to 30 September 2005 in the Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina. The objectives of this study were to ...
An ecological characterization of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region: Oceanographic, biogeographic, and contaminants assessment
This ecological characterization represents the continuation of an ongoing partnership between the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA). The purpose of this collaboration is to ...
CDHC workshop report: guidance for an epidemiological strategy and establishing a disease surveillance network for Caribbean Acropora palmata
Acropora palmata was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in May 2006 (71 FR 26852). In 2012, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed the reclassification of A. palmata (77 FR 73219) as endangered, but determined in 2014, that ...
Coral reef ecosystems of Reserva Natural La Parguera (Puerto Rico): Spatial and temporal patterns in fish and benthic communities (2001-2007)
The report provides a spatial and temporal characterization of the fish and benthic communities of southwestern Puerto Rico, primarily within the La Parguera Natural Reserve. The reserve is a multiuse area that spans the continental shelf from the extensive mangrove ...
Coral reef ecosystems of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands: Spatial and temporal patterns in fish and benthic communities (2001-2009)
This technical memorandum contains analysis of nine years of data (2001-2009) from in situ fish belt transect and benthic habitat quadrat surveys conducted in and around the Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) and the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument ...
Coupling ecology and GIS to evaluate efficacy of Marine Protected Areas in Hawaii
In order to properly determine the efficacy of marine protected areas (MPAs), a seascape perspective that integrates ecosystem elements at the appropriate ecological scale is necessary. Over the past four decades, Hawaii has developed a system of 11 Marine Life ...
Defining reef fish habitat utilization patterns in Hawaii: comparisons between marine protected areas and areas open to fishing
Over the past 4 decades, Hawaii has developed a system of Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCDs) to conserve and replenish marine resources. These MLCDs vary in size, habitat quality, and management regimes, providing an excellent opportunity to test hypotheses concerning ...
Fish assemblages and benthic habitats of Buck Island Reef National Monument (St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands) and the surrounding seascape: A characterization of spatial and temporal patterns
Report provides a spatial and temporal characterization of Buck Island Reef National Monument and the surrounding seascapes of northeastern St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. The project is a component of NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program and the National Park Service ...
Fish Habitat Utilization Patterns and Evaluation of the Efficacy of Marine Protected Areas in Hawaii: Integration of NOAA Digital Benthic Habitat Mapping and Coral Reef Ecological Studies
Over the past four decades, the state of Hawaii has developed a system of eleven Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCDs) to conserve and replenish marine resources around the state. Initially established to provide opportunities for public interaction with the marine ...
Integrated Assessment of Ecosystem Condition and Stressor Impacts in Submerged Habitats of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR)
The Guana Tolomato Matanzas reserve is one of 28 National Estuarine Research Reserves (GTMNERR) encompassing approximately 73,300 acres of salt marsh and mangrove tidal wetlands, oyster bars, estuarine lagoons, upland areas, and offshore ocean waters along the northeastern coast of ...
General Pages
Coastal and Marine Planning
Coastal and marine planning science analyzes and supports the allocation of the spatial and temporal distribution of human uses in coastal and marine areas to balance social-economic and ecological objectives ...
NOAA Internship Opportunities
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