The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) conducted the eleventh year of an ongoing scientific research mission onboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster funded by NOAA?s Coral Reef Conservation Program. The purpose of the cruise was to collect swath bathymetry, acoustical backscatter, ROV optical validation, fishery acoustics, and Slocum Glider ...

NOAA's NOS/NCCOS/CCMA Biogeography Team, in collaboration with NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, federal, academic, and private sector partners conducted the 2016 Seafloor Mapping of the US Caribbean project. Several areas of interest were explored and surveyd during the field mission in the eastern Puerto Rico region. H12935 was conducted on along ...

These images represent LiDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) data collected by NOAA from the shoreline of southwestern Puerto Rico to about 50 meters in depth. Reflectivity was calculated for each sounding as the ratio of returned energy to transmitted energy, normalized for losses in a single wavelength (green/blue 532nm). This ...

The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) completed its eighth year of an ongoing scientific research mission on board NOAA Ship Nancy Foster from March 29 to April 16, 2011. The objective of this project was to collect a multibeam bathymetry dataset with 100 percent seafloor ensonification, multibeam backscatter, ...

This document has been created to guide and suppost every person in the community, from homemaker to elected official, who wants her or his watershed to provide clean water, harvestable fish resources and other proof that life in the watershed can not only be maintained but also enjoyed... This guide ...

Coral reefs worldwide are being degraded by human-induced disturbances, resulting in ecological, economic, and cultural losses. Runoff and sedimentation are among the greatest threats to the coastal reefs surrounding high islands and adjacent to continental landmasses. Existing scientific data identify the key stressors, synergisms, and outcomes at the coral reef ...

We tested the accuracy of an invasive aquatic plant risk assessment system in the United States that we modified from a system originally developed by New Zealand’s Biosecurity Program. The US system is comprised of 38 questions that address biological, historical, and environmental tolerance traits. Values associated with each response ...

This report describes the working of National Centers for Coastal Ocean Service (NCCOS) Wave Exposure Model (WEMo) capable of predicting the exposure of a site in estuarine and closed water to local wind generated waves. WEMo works in two different modes: the Representative Wave Energy (RWE) mode calculates the exposure ...

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus (“nutrients”) loadings continue to affect ecosystem function and human health across the U.S. Our ability to connect atmospheric inputs of nutrients to aquatic end points remains limited due to uncoupled air and water quality monitoring. Where connections exist, the information provides insights about source apportionment, trends, ...

Globally there is a lack of resources to survey the vast seafloor areas in need of basic mapping data. Consequently, smaller areas must be prioritized to address the most urgent needs. We developed a systematic, quantitative approach and on-line application to gather mapping suggestions from diverse stakeholders. Participants are each ...

This white paper provides back ground and rationale for the priorities laid out in the Action Plan and summarizes our current understanding of mercury in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. In addition, the Action Plan emphasizes the identification of special at-risk consumers who ingest larger than average amounts of Gulf ...

An activity book designed to introduce elementary school children to the coral reef ecology and coastal ecology conservation of Hawaii ...

In the stratified rotating estuary of Chesapeake Bay, the Ekman transport drives a counterclockwise lateral circulation under down?estuary winds and a clockwise lateral circulation under up?estuary winds (looking into estuary). The clockwise circulation is about twice as strong as the counterclockwise circulation. Analysis of the streamwise vorticity equation reveals a ...

Videos collected from ROVs empower people to explore the ocean from any location. Beyond the immediate value of revealing the mysteries of the deep ocean, video footage provides a rich data source that contributes to our fundamental understanding of the physical, biological, and chemical properties of explored ocean areas. NOAA’s ...

Shipboard grazing experiments were conducted in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank during of June 2006 to estimate zooplankton community grazing impact on a natural bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense. Surface seawater samples containing natural populations of grazers and A. fundyense from 23 stations were incubated ...