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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.

Portable Toxin Detection Technology to Support Great Lakes Decision Support Tools

cyanobacteria, felix.martinez@noaa.gov, Forecasting, Great Lakes, harmful algal bloom, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Lake Erie, MERHAB, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Other Topics, Pennsylvania, Sensor Development, Sponsored Research, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Technology Transfer, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
This project improves the rapid detection of cyanotoxins in the field to provide managers with timely information on risk and minimize exposure to stakeholders. The ...
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Predicting and Characterizing Deep-Sea Coral Habitats within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Hawaii

bryan.costa@noaa.gov, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, matthew.poti@noaa.gov, Regional Ecosystem Science
We will develop predictive spatial models for deep-sea coral habitat within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM). PMNM’s boundaries were expanded in 2016, and this ...
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Predicting Coral Morphology to Inform the Protective Capacity of Coral Reefs Around Saipan, CNMI

bryan.costa@noaa.gov, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, CNMI, Coastal Change, Coral, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, U.S. States and Territories
Branching corals are valuable for coastline protection, but also highly vulnerable to a changing climate. We will predict the location of these branching corals at ...
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Predicting Impacts of Climate Change on Success of Hypoxia Management Actions in Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay, CHRP, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, david.scheurer@noaa.gov, Hypoxia, Maryland, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Virginia, Waterbodies
We are investigating how rising atmospheric temperature and changing precipitation patterns will affect coastal hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen) in Chesapeake Bay. Hypoxia in the bay, ...
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Predicting Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Northeast U.S. Shellfish

Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, elizabeth.turner@noaa.gov, New York, Ocean Acidification, ocean acidification, Rhode Island, U.S. States and Territories
We are supporting an effort to predict the effects ocean acidification will have on northeast U.S. shellfish. We will make projections on survival, growth, and ...
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Predicting Impacts of Sea Level Rise in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Alabama, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, Coastal Change, david.kidwell@noaa.gov, EESLR, ESLR, Florida, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi, Other Topics, Sea Level Rise, sea level rise, Sponsored Research, The Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise Program, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We are assessing the impacts of sea level rise and coastal storms on marshes and oyster habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico through the ...
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Predictive Modeling and Mapping of Hardbottom Seafloor Habitats off the Southeast U.S.

Atlantic Ocean, benthic habitat, Florida, Georgia, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, marine spatial planning, matthew.poti@noaa.gov, North Carolina, seafloor mapping, South Carolina, tim.battista@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
Detailed maps of seafloor habitats along the southeast U.S. coast are sparse. While efforts to explore and map fish habitats have increased, predictions of additional ...
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Prevalence of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Marine Food Webs of Prince William Sound and Kachemak Bay, Alaska

steve.kibler@noaa.gov
Saxitoxins (STXs) produced during Alexandrium Harmful Algal Blooms in Alaska accumulate in shellfish and cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). STXs transfer through zooplankton, forage fish ...
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Prioritizing Areas for Future Seafloor Mapping, Research, and Exploration in the Southeast US Atlantic

chris.taylor@noaa.gov, christine.addison@noaa.gov, Georgia, Habitat Mapping, jennifer.kraus@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, North Carolina, South Carolina, U.S. States and Territories
We developed a geospatial framework and online application to identify priorities for seafloor mapping along the U.S. Southeast Atlantic Coast (NC, SC, and GA). This ...
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Prioritizing Areas for Future Seafloor Mapping, Research, and Exploration in the U.S. Caribbean

Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, jennifer.kraus@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, Puerto Rico, Regional Ecosystem Science, tim.battista@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, Waterbodies
NCCOS developed a spatial framework to identify common research priorities across partner organizations which has been successfully implemented on the U.S. West Coast, Florida, and ...
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Prioritizing Areas for Future Seafloor Mapping, Research, and Exploration Offshore of California, Oregon, and Washington

bryan.costa@noaa.gov, California, Habitat Mapping, ken.buja@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, Oregon, Regional Ecosystem Science, U.S. States and Territories, Washington
We developed a spatial framework and online application to identify priorities for seafloor mapping and visual surveys along the U.S. west CONUS coast (WCC), off ...
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Prioritizing Sites for Coral Reef Conservation in the U.S. Virgin Islands

biodiversity, Caribbean Sea, chris.jeffrey@noaa.gov, Coral, coral reef, coral reef conservation, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, marine spatial planning, prioritizing conservation sites, theresa.goedeke@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, USVI, Waterbodies
This project began in October 2013 and was completed in October 2016. We used existing and newly collected data, including local diver knowledge, to develop ...
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Programmatic Execution of NCCOS Community Risk Assessments

Assessing Vulnerability and Resilience, chloe.fleming@noaa.gov, Coastal Change, Social Science, theresa.goedeke@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
Coastal communities face increased flooding, storms, erosion, and other natural hazards worsened by climate change. Impacts from these events are felt differently across the nation ...
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Promoting Innovative Transformational Coastal Adaptation in Collaboration with Underserved Communities

Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Change, Natural and Nature-based Features, Sea Level Rise, trevor.meckley@noaa.gov, Waterbodies
Through a combination of modeling, cost-benefit analysis, and community engagement, we will evaluate land management actions, flood mitigation designs, and policy options under future climate ...
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Protecting Coral Reef Fish with Improved Monitoring: Supporting the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring Program

Atlantic Ocean, charles.menza@noaa.gov, Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Florida, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), john.christensen@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, reef fish, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, Waterbodies
We developed a guide for monitoring reef fish in the National Park Service's South Florida / Caribbean Network (SFCN) of managed areas. Why We Care ...
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Protecting Local Species with Better Detection Methods for Invasive Species in Deep-Water Habitats of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

charles.menza@noaa.gov, Coral, Hawaii, hypnea musciformis, Invasive species, john.christensen@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, Pacific Ocean, snowflake coral, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We reviewed strategies for detecting invasive species, such as snowflake coral and hookweed, in deep- water habitats of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and developed protocols ...
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Protecting New Yorkers from Toxic Shellfish Poisoning with HAB Early Warning and Rapid Response

alexandrium fundyense, Atlantic Ocean, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, hab, harmful algal bloom, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, marc.suddleson@noaa.gov, MERHAB, New York, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
Since 2006, large, annual, toxic algal blooms have alarmed the New York shellfish industry. We are developing an early warning system of toxic algae in ...
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Quantification and Optimization of Nature-based Solutions for Mitigating Coastal Vulnerability and Risk

Coastal Change, Natural and Nature-based Features, Rhode Island, Sea Level Rise, trevor.meckley@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories
We are working to inform and improve coastal resource management and resilience to extreme weather events (e.g., Nor’easters and hurricanes) whose impacts are magnified with ...
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Quantification and Valuation of Municipal Scale Shellfish Ecosystem Services

Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability, Connecticut, Marine Spatial Ecology, U.S. States and Territories
Eutrophication, the over-enrichment of the aquatic environment with nutrients, can result in excessive plant growth and loss of oxygen from the water. Shellfish aquaculture eases ...
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Quantifying Nature’s Defenses: Evaluating Wetlands as Nature-based Solutions for Flood Resilience in Climate-Ready Coastal Communities

Atlantic Ocean, Coastal Change, Natural and Nature-based Features, Other Topics, rebecca.atkins@noaa.gov, Sea Level Rise, South Carolina, Sponsored Research
We are using a hydrodynamic model to quantify how wetlands mitigate flooding compared to traditional gray infrastructure approaches on the South Carolina coast. Results will ...
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Quantifying the Benefits of Natural and Nature-based Features in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Under Different Sea Level Rise Scenarios to Inform Conservation and Management Decisions

Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, Maryland, Natural and Nature-based Features, Sea Level Rise, trevor.meckley@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories
We will analyze how marshes, submerged aquatic vegetation, and other natural features reduce wave energy and flood risks along Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coastal ...
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