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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.

Coastal Infrastructure and Resilience Research Initiative

brittany.king@noaa.gov, Coastal Change, Georgia, Other Topics, Sponsored Research, U.S. States and Territories, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
This initiative joins community organizations, local governments, and educational institutions together to develop the knowledge, tools, and strategies that make communities along the Georgia coast ...
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Coastal Marine Mammal Stranding Assessments

Atlantic Ocean, Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, dolphins, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), marine mammals, Pathogens, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Waterbodies, wayne.mcfee@noaa.gov
We are studying stranded marine mammals to determine causes of death, anthropogenic sources of mortality, contaminant loads, diseases processes, and life history traits. We are ...
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Coastal Observational Monitoring and Assessment Resource Inventory Framework: Building a Comprehensive Monitoring Network for the Gulf of Mexico

Alabama, Coastal Change, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Florida, Georgia, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), Habitat Mapping, Louisiana, Marine Spatial Ecology, Mississippi, Oil Spill, randy.clark@noaa.gov, Regional Ecosystem Science, steve.giordano@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Texas, U.S. States and Territories, Water Quality, Waterbodies
The Coastal Observational Monitoring and Assessment Resource Inventory (COMARI) framework was designed to expand the utility of the organizational framework originally developed for the RESTORE ...
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Coastal Pollution Data Explorer

Arina.Morozova@noaa.gov, Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, Canada, Christine.Buckel@noaa.gov, dennis.apeti@noaa.gov, felipe.arzayus@noaa.gov, mary.rider@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
The Coastal Pollution Data Explorer is an interactive web-based platform that enables users to explore spatial and temporal trends in chemical contaminant data across U.S ...
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Coastal Resilience Through Actionable Science: Evaluation of Adaptation strategies to Mitigate Surface-subsurface Flooding in Coastal Communities

California, Coastal Change, Natural and Nature-based Features, Sea Level Rise, trevor.meckley@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories
We are using a coupled groundwater–surface water modeling system to evaluate the site-specific performance of proposed shoreline adaptation actions with sea level rise and storms ...
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Coastal Subsurface Water Table and Saltwater Intrusion Monitoring Systems

Atlantic Ocean, Coastal Change, david.hilmer@noaa.gov, Florida, Sea Level Rise, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, Water Quality, Waterbodies
In Southeast Florida we are developing an early warning system that tracks saltwater intrusion and water table changes to help decision makers and managers plan, ...
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Coastal Water Quality Monitoring and Tool Development

andrew.leight@noaa.gov, Atlantic Ocean, bacterial pollution, Chesapeake Bay, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, estuaries, Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), pathogen, spatial, water quality, Waterbodies
Effective management of shellfish harvest in the US relies on timely and accurate information about the shellfish habitat and the factors that impact it. In ...
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Codevelopment of Modeling Tools to Manage Sediment for Sustainable and Resilient Coastal Lowland Habitat in Southern California

California, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, david.kidwell@noaa.gov, Economics, erosion, Other Topics, Pacific Ocean, sea level rise, sedimentation, Sponsored Research, Tijuana NERR, U.S. States and Territories, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, Waterbodies
We will advance scientific, engineering, and policy perspectives on how sediment can be managed in coastal lowlands to reduce flood risk, bank instability, and erosion ...
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Collaborative Development of Uncrewed Aerial System Approaches to Assess Intertidal Oyster Reefs to Inform Management and Restoration

brandon.puckett@noaa.gov, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Florida, Georgia, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, Natural and Nature-based Features, North Carolina, Restoration, South Carolina, U.S. States and Territories
Oysters reefs are considered one of the most imperiled marine habitats due to overfishing, disease, and habitat destruction. Working with resource managers from North Carolina ...
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Collaborative Lakebed Mapping Off Apostle Islands to Support Great Lakes Restoration

Great Lakes, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies, Wisconsin
We are part of a collaborative, multi-agency effort that is developing habitat maps and modeling tools to address emerging littoral management issues in the Great ...
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Comparative Analysis of Quantitative Detection Methods for Enumeration of HAB Species: Applications for Resource Management

Delaware, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, heterosigma akashiwo, marc.suddleson@noaa.gov, MERHAB, South Carolina, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
We are providing a thorough comparison of two different genetic methods used to quickly count the number of harmful algae present in a water sample ...
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Comparing Reef Fish Habitat Use Patterns In and Out of Hawaiian Marine Protected Areas

Coral, Habitat Mapping, Hawaii, Marine Spatial Ecology, mark.monaco@noaa.gov, Pacific Ocean, Protected Species, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
Coral reefs are key habitats for many near-shore Hawaiian fishes. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are created to provide islands of protection for species, habitats, and ...
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Comparison of Chemical Contaminants Found in Hudson–Raritan Estuary Sediments in 1991 and 2018

Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, dennis.apeti@noaa.gov, felipe.arzayus@noaa.gov, National Mussel Watch, New Jersey, New York, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation
In 2017, the New York–New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program asked NCCOS’s National Status and Trends (NS&T) Program to survey the Hudson and Raritan Bays' ...
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Complex Interactions Between Harmful Phytoplankton and Grazers: Variation in Zebra Mussel Effects Across Nutrient Gradients

blue green algae, cyanobacteria, dreissena, Great Lakes, Harmful Algal Bloom Detection and Forecasting, Invasive species, microcystins, microcystis, quay.dortch@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, Waterbodies, zebra mussel
We identified how nutrients and exotic zebra mussels interact to promote harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Great Lakes. Results show the relationship between nutrient ...
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Connectivity of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary with the Southeastern US Ocean Ecosystem

Atlantic Ocean, bethany.williams@noaa.gov, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Georgia, Kimberly.Roberson@noaa.gov, Marine Spatial Ecology, matt.kendall@noaa.gov, Regional Ecosystem Science, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
We are summarizing the role of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, a live-bottom reef off the coast of Georgia, in the migration of fish, sharks, ...
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Conservation Opportunity: Demobilized Bombing Range, Island of Vieques, Puerto Rico

Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, Marine Spatial Ecology, Puerto Rico, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
The demobilized naval bombing range at the eastern end of the Island of Vieques had potential as a marine protected area (MPA) to conserve marine ...
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Considerations and Tradeoffs of UAS-based Coastal Wetland Monitoring in the Southeastern United States

Atlantic Ocean, Climate Impacts on Ecosystems, Coastal Change, jenny.davis@noaa.gov, Maryland, Natural and Nature-based Features, North Carolina, ryan.giannelli@noaa.gov, U.S. States and Territories, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, Waterbodies
Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) provide a low-cost approach to collecting high-resolution aerial imagery, making them an attractive option for detecting habitat change over time. We ...
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Contaminant and Disease Assessment in Native Alaskan Fisheries Harvest

Alaska, Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, dennis.apeti@noaa.gov, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
In rural Alaska, native communities rely heavily on subsistence fishing for food. To assess food safety, we tested salmon and shellfish harvested by tribe members ...
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Contaminants in Marine Resources of Vieques

Biological Effects of Contaminants and Nutrients, dave.whitall@noaa.gov, fisheries, poluttion, Puerto Rico, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories
Land based sources of pollution have the potential to negatively impact a variety of coastal resources, including fisheries stocks. This study is investigating the public ...
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Coral Disease and Health Consortium (CDHC) – Solutions Today for Reefs Tomorrow

cheryl.woodley@noaa.gov, Coral, corals, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Stressor Impacts and Mitigation, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands
The Coral Disease and Health Consortium (CDHC) is a network of scientists and managers supporting conservation, restoration, and management goals to protect and restore coral ...
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Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies: Integrating Science and Management in the Caribbean

Assessing Human Use, chris.jeffrey@noaa.gov, Coral, coral reef, david.hilmer@noaa.gov, Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments, ecological stress, Marine Spatial Ecology, mark.monaco@noaa.gov, Puerto Rico, Social Science, U.S. States and Territories, U.S. Virgin Islands, watershed
In response to the continued decline of coral reef ecosystem health, we developed a research program to define and understand the causes and effects of ...
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