Now Hiring: 2 Environmental Scientists, 1 Research Environmental Scientist. Apply here Deadline: July 13.

The U.S. Government is closed. This site will not be updated; however NOAA websites and social media channels necessary to protect lives and property will be maintained. To learn more, visit www.commerce.gov. For the latest forecast and critical weather information, visit www.weather.gov. 

Projects Explorer

The NCCOS Project Explorer provides a snapshot of our official, discrete lines of research.
Filter by research category, region, and/or contact.

Marine Biogeographic Assessment of U.S. Territories

American Samoa, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, CNMI, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Guam, laughlin.siceloff@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, Offshore Wind, Pacific Ocean, Puerto Rico, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, Waterbodies
We are conducting a study of spatial data across five U.S. territories (Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), American Samoa, Puerto Rico, ...
Read More

Marine Bird Spatial Distributions on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf: Data Synthesis and Modeling

California, Habitat Mapping, jeffery.leirness@noaa.gov, john.christensen@noaa.gov, marine bird, Marine Spatial Ecology, Offshore Wind, Oregon, out continental shelf, Pacific Ocean, seabird, spatial modeling, U.S. States and Territories, Washington, Waterbodies
Currently, there is a gap in useable information regarding marine bird distributions on the U.S. Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). We are synthesizing available high-quality, ...
Read More

Marine Cage Culture and the Environment

aquaculture, Atlantic Ocean, Bering Sea, Caribbean Sea, Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), james.morris@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, Pacific Ocean, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, water quality, Waterbodies
We conducted a comprehensive review and analysis of global research on the environmental effects of marine cage culture. This analysis comprises the latest knowledge of ...
Read More

Marine Debris in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary

Atlantic Ocean, Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Georgia, gray's reef, marine debris, Marine Spatial Ecology, spatial predictive map, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We collaborated with Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary managers and NOAA’s Marine Debris Program personnel to determine where marine debris accumulates in the sanctuary and ...
Read More

Marine Spatial Planning Data Development: U.S. Caribbean

Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability, james.morris@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, Offshore Wind, Puerto Rico, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands
NCCOS and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service hosted workshops with stakeholders in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to identify spatial data for informed ...
Read More

Marine Spatial Planning Data Development: Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina

james.morris@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, North Carolina, Offshore Wind, South Carolina, U.S. States and Territories, Virginia
NCCOS is hosting a Marine Spatial Planning Workshop in North Carolina to bring together stakeholders from Virginia and the Carolinas and determine the spatial data ...
Read More

Marshes on the Margins: Developing Tidal Wetlands Adaptation Strategies in Southern California

California, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, david.kidwell@noaa.gov, estuaries, Habitat, inlets, marshes, Natural and Nature-based Features, Sea Level Rise, sea level rise, U.S. States and Territories, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
We will investigate how the dynamic and heavily altered (e.g., through jetty construction or dredging) estuaries of Southern California will be affected by sea level ...
Read More

Measuring and Modeling the Photo-oxidation of Floating Oil

Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, ed.wirth@noaa.gov, emily.pisarski@noaa.gov, Oil Spill, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
Upon release into the environment, oil is subject to a variety of weathering processes, including volatilization, biodegradation, dissolution, and photo-oxidation. Prior to the Deepwater Horizon ...
Read More

Measuring Beach-level Impacts of Red Tide Blooms on Respiratory Irritation in Humans

alexandria.hounshell@noaa.gov, Florida, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis, also known as red tide, bloom nearly annually along the southwest Florida Gulf Coast. K. brevis ...
Read More

Measuring the Human Dimensions of Coastal Ecosystems

Alabama, American Samoa, Assessing Human Use, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Social Science, South Carolina, Texas, theresa.goedeke@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands
We are using social science to better understand the linkages between coastal ecosystems and human health and well-being, with the aim of providing information to ...
Read More

Mechanism of Harmful Algal Bloom Initiation in the Western Gulf of Mexico

Forecasting, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Gulf of Mexico, harmful algal bloom, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Karenia brevis, quay.dortch@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Texas, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, threaten human and ecosystem health and local economies around the Gulf of Mexico. Although the blooms mostly prevail ...
Read More

Mechanisms Controlling Hypoxia – Glider Application to Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone Monitoring: Pilot Study and Transition to Operations

david.hilmer@noaa.gov, deadzone, gliders, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Hypoxia, hypoxia, nutrients, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Waterbodies
We evaluated the use of gliders to improve Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone monitoring. The efficacy of this technology was determined and we developed a ...
Read More

Mechanisms Controlling Hypoxia – Integrated Causal Modeling of the Oceanographic Processes that Cause the Dead Zone in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, Coastal Change, david.scheurer@noaa.gov, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Louisiana, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Texas, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We’re examining the complex physical and biogeochemical relations that control and maintain the low-oxygen dead zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM). We are ...
Read More

Mercury Hot Spots and Bioaccumulation in Fish

Alabama, bioaccumulation, Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, Florida, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), mercury, methylmercury, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Texas, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We identify which species of fish and which harvest locations expose consumers the most to potentially toxic mercury. With this information, we seek to develop ...
Read More

Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems of American Samoa

American Samoa, Coral, coral, coral reef, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, kimberly.puglise@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, marine spatial planning, mesophotic coral ecosystems, Other Topics, Pacific Ocean, Regional Ecosystem Science, Sponsored Research, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We are investigating American Samoa’s mesophotic coral ecosystems (40–100 meters or ~130–330 feet deep) to better understand them and their relationship to shallower reefs. Nearly ...
Read More

Metabolism and Physiology of Red Tide Toxins in Turtles

Alabama, Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, Florida, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Louisiana, Mississippi, quay.dortch@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Texas, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
Endangered sea turtles experience severe mortality during Florida red tides. This project uses non-endangered freshwater turtles as a model animal to determine the effects of ...
Read More

Microcystins in Bivalves: Optimizing of Monitoring For and Minimizing Risk From an Emerging Human Health Threat

Atlantic Ocean, bivalves, California, Chesapeake Bay, cyanobacteria, Forecasting, harmful algal bloom, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Long Island Sound, marc.suddleson@noaa.gov, microcystins, New York, Other Topics, Pacific Ocean, Sponsored Research, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Virginia, Waterbodies
This project addresses an emerging concern across the US - the transfer of freshwater algal toxins into the marine environment where they can infiltrate the ...
Read More

Mitigating Microcystis in the Chesapeake Bay

cyanobacteria, cyanotoxins, david.kidwell@noaa.gov, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Maryland, microcystins, microcystis, myxophyceae, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
Chitosan, a natural compound, is added to concentrations of local sediments and commercial clays to control harmful algal blooms. We are studying the impacts of ...
Read More

Modeling and mapping marine bird distributions on the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf to support offshore renewable energy planning

arliss.winship@noaa.gov, Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean, Canada, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Foreign Countries, Georgia, Habitat Mapping, john.christensen@noaa.gov, Maine, marine bird, Marine Spatial Ecology, marine spatial planning, Maryland, Massachusetts, modeling, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Offshore Wind, offshore wind energy, Protected Species, relative density, Rhode Island, seabird, seabird distribution modeling, seabird predictive mapping, South Carolina, U.S. States and Territories, Virginia, Waterbodies
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 ...
Read More

Modeling Approach to Predicting Nitrogen Removal by the Eastern Oyster Aquaculture Industry

Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability, Connecticut, Marine Spatial Ecology, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Water Quality
Burning fossil fuel, applying fertilizers, and other activities have resulted in nutrient-loaded runoff that can cause the overgrowth of algae and seaweeds in coastal waters ...
Read More

Modeling Factors that Contribute to Harmful Algal Blooms

Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Hypoxia, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Waterbodies
Harmful algal blooms that disrupt and degrade coastal aquatic ecosystems are occurring with greater frequency. We developed a model that shows these events are not ...
Read More