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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 commerce.gov. 

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.

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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Protecting Southwest Florida’s Water Resources: Understanding the Contribution of Groundwater to Surface Water Quality in the Estero Bay Watershed

Coastal Change, david.hilmer@noaa.gov, Florida, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Water Quality, Waterbodies
Researchers are quantifying how shallow groundwater discharge impacts the quality of major rivers and estuaries in Southwest Florida to help managers in the region mitigate ...
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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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RAPDALERT – Rapid Analysis of Pseudo-nitzschia and Domoic Acid, Locating Events in Near–Real Time

amnesic shellfish poisoning, California, domoic acid, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, harmful algal blooms, marc.suddleson@noaa.gov, MERHAB, pseudo-nitzschia, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
Through this pilot project in the coastal waters of Southern California, we demonstrated the effectiveness of adding emerging technologies to harmful algal bloom monitoring programs ...
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Rapid Detection of Harmful Algae

Foreign Countries, greg.doucette@noaa.gov, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Sensor Development, South Korea, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
To provide coastal managers with the early warning needed to implement timely and effective mitigation strategies to reduce a harmful algal bloom’s negative impacts, we ...
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Rapid, Portable, Multiplexed Detection of Harmful Algal Toxins in the Great Lakes

anatoxin-a, cyanobacteria, cylindrospermopsins, felix.martinez@noaa.gov, Great Lakes, harmful algal bloom, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Lake Erie, microcystins, Ohio, Other Topics, saxitoxins, Sponsored Research, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We are expanding algal toxin testing to include tests for saxitoxins and anatoxin-a. The new tool will give water managers and community-based monitoring networks the ...
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Recovery Horizon Projections for Ship Groundings on Coral Reefs

Coral, coral reef, coral reef restoration, Marine Spatial Ecology, Puerto Rico, shay.viehman@noaa.gov, ship grounding, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
Ship groundings cause extensive physical destruction to coral reefs, and subsequent recovery can be complicated and prolonged. In this project, we specifically address how coral ...
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Reef Smart Collaboration: A Coral Reef Ecosystem Education Initiative

Coral, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Hawaii, john.christensen@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, Puerto Rico, theresa.goedeke@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands
The Reef Smart Initiative is a series of strategic, community-based outreach events designed to increase awareness of NOAA’s coral reef ecosystem research and conservation success ...
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Refining Ecosystem Model Inputs for Sea Level Rise Vulnerability in the San Francisco Bay Estuary

California, Coastal Change, Coastal Change, david.kidwell@noaa.gov, Other Topics, Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay, Sea Level Rise, sea level rise, Sponsored Research, U.S. States and Territories, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, Waterbodies, wetlands
We are enhancing a locally relevant marsh model with new field data on the impacts of sea level rise to allow coastal managers to evaluate ...
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Research to Support Management of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

chris.taylor@noaa.gov, christine.addison@noaa.gov, Coral, coral reef, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), laura.kracker@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, randy.clark@noaa.gov, Texas, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We conducted an assessment of biological resources in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, to serve as the basis for future sanctuary management decisions ...
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Resident Perceptions of Offshore Wind Energy Development on the Oregon Coast

Marine Spatial Ecology, Offshore Wind, Oregon, sarah.gonyo@noaa.gov, Social Science, theresa.goedeke@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) oversees development of U.S. offshore renewable energy projects on submerged lands called the Outer Continental Shelf. BOEM identified ...
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Resolving the Effects of Resource Availability, Predation, and Competition on Brown Tide Dynamics via Metatranscriptomics

Atlantic Ocean, ECOHAB, Forecasting, harmful algal bloom, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Long Island Sound, New York, Other Topics, quay.dortch@noaa.gov, Sponsored Research, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
Aureococcus anophagefferens causes brown tides that have severely impacted fisheries, seagrass beds, and aquaculture in mid-Atlantic US coastal waters for three decades. The recent sequencing ...
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Restoring Injured Seagrass Beds with New Methods for Re-Grading and Fertilization

amy.uhrin@noaa.gov, Florida, Marine Spatial Ecology, Restoration, Seagrasses, U.S. States and Territories
Vessel groundings in shallow waters can damage fragile seagrass habitats, sometimes permanently. We are conducting scientific studies to assess new intervention methods of sediment re-grading ...
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Restoring our Nation’s Wetlands using MAPTITE: A Marsh Analysis and Planning Tool Incorporating Tides and Elevation

Connecticut, Delaware, gis, Habitat Mapping, ken.buja@noaa.gov, march, Marine Spatial Ecology, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, restoration, U.S. States and Territories, Virginia, wetlands
We developed an ArcGIS-extension MAPTITE tool designed to help marsh planners maximize the success rate of vegetation restoration efforts. The tool identifies suitable locations for ...
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Retrospective Marsh Model Comparison Study

Alabama, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, Massachusetts, Natural and Nature-based Features, Other Topics, rebecca.atkins@noaa.gov, Sea Level Rise, Sponsored Research, U.S. States and Territories
Coastal land managers need vetted scientific information and user-driven tools to understand salt marsh vulnerability, and to make informed decisions on management and policy actions ...
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Risk Assessment of Mosquito-control Agents

Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, marie.delorenzo@noaa.gov, South Carolina, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
We are identifying the toxic effects that mosquito-control agents may have on estuarine species and the coastal environment. The information we gather is being placed ...
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Robotic, Underwater Sensor for Harmful Algal Bloom Toxins

California, domoic acid, greg.doucette@noaa.gov, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, sensor, Sensor Development, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, tina.mikulski@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories
We developed a device to provide resource managers and public-health officials with valuable, real-time data on harmful algal bloom (HAB) toxicity. This robotic, underwater sensor ...
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Salt Marsh Ecology in an Era of Sea Level Rise

carolyn.currin@noaa.gov, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Marine Spatial Ecology, North Carolina, salt march, sea level rise, shoreline change, U.S. States and Territories
Under the right circumstances, salt marshes have the ability to increase their elevation, and therefore may be able to “keep up” with sea level rise ...
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