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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 ...
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Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Alabama, Atlantic Ocean, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, U.S. States and Territories, Virginia, Waterbodies, john.christensen@noaa.gov, ken.buja@noaa.gov

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, ...
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Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Pacific Ocean, Waterbodies, john.christensen@noaa.gov, tim.battista@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, Waterbodies, chris.jeffrey@noaa.gov, john.christensen@noaa.gov, sarah.hile@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Regional Ecosystem Science, California, Oregon, U.S. States and Territories, Washington, matthew.poti@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Coral, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Hawaii, Pacific Ocean, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies, mark.monaco@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Atlantic Ocean, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies, john.christensen@noaa.gov, tim.battista@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Seagrasses, Atlantic Ocean, Waterbodies, charles.menza@noaa.gov, jessica.morgan@noaa.gov, ken.buja@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Florida, U.S. States and Territories

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 ...
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Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Atlantic Ocean, Canada, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Foreign Countries, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, U.S. States and Territories, Virginia, Waterbodies, arliss.winship@noaa.gov, john.christensen@noaa.gov

News

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 ...
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Coral, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Water Quality, Florida, U.S. States and Territories

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 ...
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Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Atlantic Ocean, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies, shay.viehman@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Coral, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Florida, U.S. States and Territories, cheryl.woodley@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Marine Spatial Ecology, Other Topics, Protected Species, Regional Ecosystem Science, Sponsored Research, Hawaii, Pacific Ocean, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies, kimberly.puglise@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Environmental Interactions, Marine Spatial Ecology, Other Topics, Protected Species, Regional Ecosystem Science, Seagrasses, Sponsored Research, Atlantic Ocean, Florida, Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies, kimberly.puglise@noaa.gov

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 ...
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Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Gulf of Mexico, Waterbodies, frank.parker@noaa.gov

NOAA Continues to Survey Essential Fish Habitat in...

Researchers with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Habitat Mapping team will conduct a scientific research mission within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary from March 19 to ...
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Coral, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies, jennifer.kraus@noaa.gov

NCCOS-supported Research Aids Site Selection for C...

NCCOS-supported researchers from the University of Florida and Smithsonian Marine Station paired water quality sensors with coral outplants to develop data-driven criteria for selection of restoration sites in the Florida ...
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Coral, Hypoxia, Marine Spatial Ecology, Other Topics, Protected Species, Sponsored Research, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Atlantic Ocean, Florida, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies, kimberly.puglise@noaa.gov

Coral Assessment and Restoration Results Released ...

In September 2017, major hurricanes Irma and Maria impacted Puerto Rico (PR) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) and caused considerable damage to shallow coral reefs. A newly released NOAA ...
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Coral, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, Waterbodies, shay.viehman@noaa.gov

New Report Evaluates Health of U.S. Coral Reefs

Cover page of Coral Reef Condition: A Status Report for U.S. Coral Reefs. Credit NOAA. NCCOS scientists contributed to the newly released national status report on U.S. coral reefs. Drawing ...
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Coral, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, American Samoa, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Florida, Guam, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, Pacific Ocean, Texas, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, Waterbodies, shay.viehman@noaa.gov

Products

Maps, Tools & Applications

Benthic Habitat Mapping of 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, 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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability, Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Protected Species, Regional Ecosystem Science, Seagrasses

NOAA Internship Opportunities

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