Data and Reports Explorer
Explore our library of NCCOS Technical Memos and various data sets. Filter by the type of publication, research category, region or contact. To access data and reports predating 2017, please visit the Legacy Publications Explorer.
Predicting spread of aquatic invasive species by lake currents
Knowledge of aquatic invasive species (AIS) dispersal is important to inform surveillance and management efforts to slow the spread of established invaders. We studied potential dispersal of invasive Eurasian ruffe Gymnocephalus cernua and golden mussel Limnoperna fortunei larvae in Lakes Michigan and Erie using a three-dimensional particle transport model. Ruffe ...
Predictive mapping of seabirds, pinnipeds and cetaceans off the Pacific Coast of Washington
This report presents long-term seasonal distribution maps of selected seabird, pinniped and cetacean species off the Pacific coast of Washington. The maps were created to support state-led marine spatial planning and responsible stewardship of natural resources by the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. They are intended to distinguish persistent areas ...
Predictive mapping of seabirds, pinnipeds and cetaceans off the Pacific Coast of Washington from 1995-07-21 to 2015-12-08 (NCEI Accession 0148762)
This data collection comprises seasonal distribution maps and model outputs of selected seabird, pinniped and cetacean species off the Pacific coast of Washington. The maps were developed by predicting relative density using associative models linking at-sea species observations with environmental covariates. Seabird, pinniped and cetacean observations were compiled from federal, ...
Preliminary cruise report: 2012 Pulley Ridge Cruise, August 14–25, 2012, R/V Walton Smith and UNCW Superphantom ROV
This cruise is the first of four planned for this project. The intent of this preliminary report is to provide information on sampling and other activities of this first cruise, so that processing of data and samples can quickly begin and planning for future cruises can be optimized; a final ...
Preliminary report on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates) uterine samples for parity analysis
There have been numerous studies on various mammalian species regarding vascular changes in uterine arteries elucidating the effects of parity. In equids, vascular changes of uterine arteries have been demonstrated to occur in uniparous and multiparous mares. The severity of these arteriole changes suggests a link to previous pregnancies. Differences ...
Prey size selection and bottom type influence multiple predator effects in a crab-bivalve system
Consumption by multiple conspecific or interspecific predators on shared prey is not always predicted when data from isolated predators are combined. Predator interactions can result in non-independent predator effects on prey, and may be influenced by prey size selection and bottom type. We examined stone crab Menippe mercenaria and blue ...
Priorities for Lakebed Mapping in Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS) encompasses 4,300 mi² of Lake Huron off the northeastern shore of Michigan. Much of the lakebed in the sanctuary was mapped prior to 1950 and therefore those data suffer from multiple deficiencies by today’s standards. New technologies can efficiently provide more accurate and ...
Priorities for Lakebed Mapping in the Proposed Wisconsin-Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary
The Wisconsin-Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary has been proposed along the western shore of Lake Michigan between the cities of Two-Rivers and Port Washington, Wisconsin. Much of the proposed sanctuary and rest of Lake Michigan were mapped prior to 1950 and therefore suffer from multiple deficiencies by today’s standards. New technologies can efficiently ...
Prioritizing areas for future seafloor mapping, research, and exploration for the southeast U.S. Atlantic coast
The seafloor mapping prioritization results described in this report are already being used by NOAA to focus planned seafloor mapping missions. Furthermore, the outcomes from this regional exercise contribute into a National Mapping Prioritization under the lead of NOAA to coordinate mapping activities across the entire U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone ...
Prioritizing Areas for Future Seafloor Mapping, Research, and Exploration Offshore of California, Oregon, and Washington
Spatial information about the seafloor is critical for decision-making by marine science, management and tribal organizations. While this type of information is important, its collection is expensive, time consuming and logistically intensive. Developing a network of partners and coordinating data needs can help overcome these challenges by leveraging collective resources ...
Prioritizing monitoring and conservation efforts for fish spawning aggregations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico
In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (U.S. GOM), the identification and characterization of transient fish spawning aggregation (FSA) sites is recognized as a regional priority for conservation, but progress is hindered by a lack of understanding of FSA distributions for most exploited species. We employed information compiled in regional databases ...
Processes controlling mid-water column oxygen minima over the Texas-Louisiana shelf
We investigate distributions of dissolved oxygen over the Texas-Louisiana shelf using spatially highly resolved observations in combination with a regional circulation model with simple oxygen dynamics. The observations were collected using a towed, undulating CTD during the Mechanisms Controlling Hypoxia (MCH) program. Mid-water oxygen minimum layers (dissolved oxygen lower than ...
Producing distribution maps for informing ecosystem-based fisheries management using a comprehensive survey database and spatio-temporal models
Ecosystem-based fisheries-management (EBFM) is increasingly used in the United States (U.S.), including in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Producing distribution maps for marine organisms is a critical step in the implementation of EBFM. In particular, distribution maps are important inputs for many spatially-explicit ecosystem models, such as OSMOSE models, as ...
Projected impacts of future climate change, ocean acidification, and management on the US Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery
Ocean acidification has the potential to significantly impact both aquaculture and wild-caught mollusk fisheries around the world. In this work, we build upon a previously published integrated assessment model of the US Atlantic Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery to determine the possible future of the fishery under a suite of ...
Prominent Human Health Impacts from Several Marine Microbes: History, Ecology, and Public Health Implications
This paper overviews several examples of important public health impacts by marine microbes and directs readers to the extensive literature germane to these maladies. These examples include three types of dinoflagellates (Gambierdiscus spp., Karenia brevis, and Alexandrium fundyense), BMAA-producing cyanobacteria, and infectious microbes. The dinoflagellates are responsible for ciguatera fish ...
Protected species and marine aquaculture interactions
This global assessment summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding documented and potential interactions of species listed under the ESA, such as sea turtles and marine mammals, and evaluates offshore longline mussel culture gear interactions as a case study. This assessment will strengthen the ability of NOAA and other regulatory ...
Proteome changes driven by phosphorous deficiency and recovery in the brown tide-forming alga Aureococcus anophagefferens
Shotgun mass spectrometry was used to detect proteins in the harmful alga, Aureococcus anophagefferens, and monitor their relative abundance across nutrient replete (control), phosphate-deficient (?P) and ?P refed with phosphate (P-refed) conditions. Spectral counting techniques identified differentially abundant proteins and demonstrated that under phosphate deficiency, A. anophagefferens increases proteins involved ...
Protocols for Conducting Dolphin Capture-Release Health Assessment Studies
The Bottlenose Dolphin Health and Risk Assessment (HERA) Project, initiated in 2003, is a collaborative effort between the National Ocean Service's Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. This comprehensive, integrated, multi-disciplinary research project is designed to assess the health of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ...
Quantifying nitrogen assimilation rates of individual phytoplankton species and plankton groups during harmful algal blooms via sorting flow cytometry
While 15N-labeled nitrogen (N) compounds have been used to quantify N uptake rates by plankton communities for decades, accurately ascribing those rates to individual populations or species has been a challenge. Here, we apply sorting flow cytometry combined with species-specific immuno-detection of a harmful alga, Aureococcus anophagefferens, to contrast the ...
Quantifying the Impacts of Stratification and Nutrient Loading on Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Stratification and nutrient loading are two primary factors leading to hypoxia in coastal systems. However, where these factors are temporally correlated, it can be difficult to isolate and quantify their individual impacts. This study provides a novel solution to this problem by determining the effect of stratification based on its ...