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For the latest forecasts and critical weather information, visit 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.

A Novel Approach to Destroying Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

peter.moeller@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Water Quality
Through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, we have designed, developed, and are now implementing a patent-protected process for removing per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), ...
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A Pilot Assessment of Fish Habitat in Choptank River Tidal Waters

andrew.leight@noaa.gov, Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Choptank River, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, ecological assessment, fish habitat, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Maryland, Regional Ecosystem Science, suzanne.skelley@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
Fish and shellfish populations depend on healthy habitats. To help understand and manage these habitats in the Chesapeake Bay, we will develop a GIS-based analytical ...
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A Study of Gambierdiscus ‘Super Bugs’ and Ciguatoxin Fate in Coral Reef Food Webs

Florida, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, marc.suddleson@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands
Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is the most common algal-borne illness worldwide. It is a debilitating syndrome caused by consumption of fish contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs) ...
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A Synthesis of Chemical Contaminants Monitoring Data in Southeast and Southwest Alaska

Alaska, Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, dennis.apeti@noaa.gov, mary.rider@noaa.gov, National Mussel Watch, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
Between 2007 and 2018, the National Park Service and its partners in association with NOAA’s National Mussel Watch Program collected bay mussel (Mytilus trossulus) tissue ...
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Acoustic Tracking of Fish Movements to Support Habitat Management

acoustic telemetry, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Coastal Change, Coral, fish habitat, habitat management, habitat preference, john.christensen@noaa.gov, marine protected area, Marine Spatial Ecology, matt.kendall@noaa.gov, Natural and Nature-based Features, Regional Ecosystem Science, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, Waterbodies
We are monitoring the movement and residence time of fish in several coastal ecosystems. Our objectives are to document habitat preferences of fish, the timing ...
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Advancing an Integrated HAB Detection and Monitoring System Across the San Francisco Estuary

California, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, marc.suddleson@noaa.gov, Pacific Ocean, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
This project will improve monitoring and response to harmful blooms of cyanobacteria and marine algae and a suite of algal toxins they produce that have ...
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Advancing Natural Solutions to Sea Level Rise Impacts for Improved Management on the North-central California Coast

California, Coastal Change, Natural and Nature-based Features, Other Topics, Sea Level Rise, Sponsored Research, trevor.meckley@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories
We are advancing technical guidance to provide resource managers critical information to better prioritize and weigh trade offs among different coastal management strategies along 300 ...
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Advancing the Receptor Binding Assay for Multi-Species Monitoring of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning

Alaska, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, maggie.broadwater@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, tod.leighfeld@noaa.gov, Washington
Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are produced by some types of harmful algal blooms. Shellfish can accumulate these toxins, causing severe illness or death when people ...
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Aerosolized Coastal Water Pollution Impacts Study

Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, California, Pacific Ocean, Pathogens, sarah.pease@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Water Quality, Waterbodies
Ocean pollutants that get trapped in the surf zone can become aerosolized and transported through the air to inland locations. We are working to better ...
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Aggression is a Symptom of Domoic Acid Poisoning in California Sea Lions

California, domoic acid, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, john.ramsdell@noaa.gov, Pacific Ocean, sea lions, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
To gain a better understanding of symptoms experienced by California sea lions caused by the toxin domoic acid, we are studying the relationship between aggression ...
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An Assessment of Chemical Contaminants in Sediment and Corals in Southwest Puerto Rico

Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, Coral, corals, Marine Spatial Ecology, Puerto Rico, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, tony.pait@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories
We studied the coastal waters of southwest Puerto Rico to find out what kind and how much pollution (chemical contaminants) are in sediments and corals ...
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An Assessment of Chemical Contaminants, Toxicity and Benthic Infauna in Sediments from the St. Croix East End Marine Park (STXEEMP), U.S. Virgin Islands

Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, dennis.apeti@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, Water Quality
The project was developed to provide local resource managers in St. Croix with comprehensive data on chemical contaminants found in sediments, as well as an ...
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An Assessment of Fisheries Species to Inform Time-of-Year Restrictions for North Carolina and South Carolina

Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, environmental windows, fisheries, Habitat Mapping, ken.riley@noaa.gov, lisa.wickliffe@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, marine spatial planning, North Carolina, Planning, Regional Ecosystem Science, South Carolina, U.S. States and Territories
Environmental windows or moratoria are used by federal and state regulators in resource management to temporarily reduce adverse environmental impacts associated with coastal development. Seasonal ...
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An Early Warning System for Pseudo-nitzschia Harmful Algal Blooms on Pacific Northwest Outer-Coast Beaches

Coastal Change, dungeness crab, hab forecast, harmful algal bloom, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, marc.suddleson@noaa.gov, MERHAB, Oregon, pseudo-nitzschia, razor clam, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Washington
Blooms of some species of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia produce a neurotoxin that accumulates in shellfish, which can cause illness and even death in humans who ...
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An Ecological Assessment to Support NOAA’s Choptank Complex Habitat Focus Area – Phase II

Chesapeake Bay, Choptank River, Choptank watershed, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, dan.dorfman@noaa.gov, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, fisheries, Habitat Focus Area, Marine Spatial Ecology, Maryland, shawn.mclaughlin@noaa.gov, suzanne.bricker@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, Waterbodies
The Choptank watershed is an ecologically and economically valuable resource and designated Habitat Focus Area. We are collecting and synthesizing biological, chemical, and physical data ...
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An Ecological Characterization of the Marine Resources of Vieques, Puerto Rico

Assessing Human Use, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, contaminants, Coral, coral reef, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, ecological characterization, john.christensen@noaa.gov, marine ecosystem, Marine Spatial Ecology, matt.kendall@noaa.gov, Puerto Rico, Social Science, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We studied the coastal waters of Vieques, Puerto Rico, looking at fish and bottom-dwelling animals, contaminants in sediments and corals, and nutrient levels in surface ...
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An Economic Analysis of Shipping Costs Related to Potential Measures to Manage the Co-Occurrence of Maritime Vessel Traffic and Whales in the Channel Islands Region

Assessing Human Use, California, CINMS, Marine Spatial Ecology, Pacific Ocean, sarah.gonyo@noaa.gov, Social Science, theresa.goedeke@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, vessel-strike, Waterbodies, whale
Through an analysis of shipping costs, we provided scientific guidance to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and other agencies, regarding the economic effects ...
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An Integrated Assessment of Oil and Gas Release into the Marine Environment at the Former Taylor Energy MC20 Site

andrew.mason@noaa.gov, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Oil Spill, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Waterbodies
In 2004, the Taylor Energy Mississippi Canyon 20 (MC20) oil and gas drilling platform was toppled during Hurricane Ivan. Since the collapse of the drilling ...
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Analysis of Marine Ecological Information Gaps in National Parks

American Samoa, coral reef, dan.dorfman@noaa.gov, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, ecological gap, gis, Guam, Hawaii, john.christensen@noaa.gov, marine gab analysis, Marine Spatial Ecology, tim.battista@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands
We compiled and analyzed biological and ecological data to identify information voids in support of the National Park Service’s (NPS) management of marine resources within ...
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Analysis of the Distribution and Abundance of Groundfishes to Support the California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment

California, charles.menza@noaa.gov, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, john.christensen@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, Oregon, Pacific Ocean, spatial model, U.S. States and Territories, Washington, Waterbodies
We developed maps of occurrence and relative abundance for selected groundfish off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington, within the California Current Large Marine ...
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Application of Clay Flocculation for Removal of Karenia brevis Cells and Toxins in Southwest Florida Coastal Waters

clay, control, felix.martinez@noaa.gov, Florida, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Gulf of Mexico, harmful algal bloom, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Karenia brevis, Other Topics, red tide, Sponsored Research, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
Despite routine application in Asia, clay flocculation technology to control harmful algal blooms has not been adopted in the U.S., largely because of the lack ...
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