In 2009, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched the Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP) following the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The goal of the DSCRTP is to provide scientific information needed ...

The University of Miami’s R/V Walton Smith Cruise No. WS1213 was conducted from August 14 to 25, 2012 on Pulley Ridge, a mesophotic reef in the Gulf of Mexico off southwestern Florida. This cruise was funded in part by the ...

Coastal shoreline hardening is intensifying due to human population growth and sea level rise. Prior studies have emphasized shoreline-hardening effects on faunal abundance and diversity; few have examined effects on faunal biomass and size structure or described effects specific to ...

A series of studies was initiated to assess the condition of benthic macroinfauna and chemical contaminant levels in sediments and biota of the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) and nearby shelf waters off the coast of Georgia. Four key ...

In 2016, NOAA launched a four-year initiative to study deep-sea coral ecosystems in waters off the southeast United States. This multidisciplinary effort, known as the Southeast Deep Coral Initiative (SEDCI), is led by a NOAA team from multiple offices and ...

Coral reefs are vibrant, productive ecosystems that face a variety of threats, including disease, temperature stress and pollution. In order to effectively manage coral reef resources, adequate data are required to assess status and track change in these systems. The ...

This report contains summary data of bottlenose dolphins stranded in South Carolina. The intent of this report is to provide data on bottlenose dolphin strandings in South Carolina to marine mammal researchers and managers. This report is an accumulation of ...

Coastal stewardship involves recognizing important aspects of landscape function in order to identify and mitigate impacts affecting the sustainability of ecosystems and communities. In collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), NOAA's National Ocean Service has worked to ...

Chesapeake Bay tidal wetlands are experiencing a broad-scale, aggressive invasion by the non-native, clonal grass Phragmites australis. The grass is often managed with herbicides in efforts to restore native plant communities and wildlife habitat. Management efforts, however, can act as ...

Invasions are dynamic as both the invading organism and the invaded ecosystem change. Intrinsic changes to the invader (invasion process) can involve population level genetic and reproductive changes. Extrinsic changes (invasion effect) occur to the environment that is invaded (e.g., ...