Staff from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science traveled to St. Thomas, USVI from March 26th-29th to meet with local partners as part of a collaborative effort to provide a baseline characterization of living marine resources and chemical contamination in biota within the St. Thomas East End Reserve (STEER). Data collected as part of [...]
An Environmental Social Scientist at the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science traveled with NOAA colleagues to the US Virgin Islands the week of Feb 27th – March 2nd to lay the groundwork for a mapping study of human uses in the St Thomas East End Reserves (STEER). This spring, the project team will hold workshops on St [...]
During the week of February 27, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) researchers met with U.S. Coral Reef Task Force stakeholders to provide the status of NCCOS’ collaborative research efforts in the Caribbean. NCCOS scientists provided attendees a status of ongoing coral research projects in the Caribbean with special attention to the status of [...]
ST. THOMAS – Scientists are working on a project in the St. Thomas East End Reserves to see how much sediment and pollution washes into the protected marine sanctuary. The project will result in a baseline assessment for STEER that can be used to understand current conditions and optimize restoration and management efforts to enhance [...]
Last week, scientists from NCCOS released new habitat maps for Buck Island Reef National Monument (BIRNM) describing the geology and biology of the seafloor from 0 to 1,830 meters (m) in depth. These maps were developed using a combination of manual and computer-based mapping methods, which integrated remotely-sensed images acquired by six different sensors. This effort marks the [...]
To provide new high resolution data for the nearshore waters of St. Thomas, St. John, and St Croix, USVI, NCCOS scientists partnered with NOAA’s Office of Coastal Survey, Fugro LADS Corporation, and the US Virgin Islands Territorial Government. The new data filled what were previously significant data gaps in coastal waters (0-30 m water depth). NOAA’s Office of Coast [...]
Collaborating with local partners, scientists from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science recently completed annual research missions in St. John, USVI, and the La Parguera/Guanica region of southwest Puerto Rico, where they continue to evaluate the health of marine resources, including reef fish, corals and invertebrates. In both locations, dive teams surveyed habitats to [...]
In order to assess whether U.S. Department of Agriculture best management practices in Puerto Rico benefit water quality around coral reefs, NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Science has completed the second of two reports that establish the conditions of the water, plants, and animals in Jobos Bay. This snapshot of the bay can be used [...]