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Projects
A 2017 Assessment of Metals, Legacy Contaminants, ...
Mussel Watch team preparing to load supplies on NOAA small boat for sampling. Credit: NOAA. The Mussel Watch Program has monitored the nation’s coastal waters for chemical contaminants since 1986 ...
A 2020 Assessment of Metals, Legacy Contaminants, ...
Mussel Watch team members break apart clumps of oysters from Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, to prepare samples for analysis. Credit: NOAA. The Mussel Watch Program has monitored the nation’s coastal ...
A 2023 Assessment of Metals, Legacy Contaminants, ...
Mussel Watch team collecting oyster samples from Tampa Bay, Florida. Credit: NOAA. The Mussel Watch Program has monitored the nation’s coastal waters for chemical contaminants since 1986 and in recent ...
A Management Tool to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch in ...
Along with our partners, we developed a geographic information system (GIS) tool to help coastal managers work toward reducing the bycatch of sea turtles in U.S. fisheries in the Atlantic ...
A Mechanism Based Intervention for Brevetoxin Indu...
The Florida manatee inhabits environments in which blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, frequently occur. K. brevis produces brevetoxins, that result in fish kills, contamination of shellfish, and respiratory ...
A Study of Gambierdiscus 'Super Bugs' and Ciguatox...
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) produced by the dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus ...
Application of Clay Flocculation for Removal of Ka...
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 of data on U.S. ecosystems ...
Applied Ecophysiology of Marine Aquaculture Specie...
Forecasting environmental interactions of marine aquaculture activities requires an in-depth understanding of the environment and the species farmed. We are investigating two promising candidates for marine aquaculture: red porgy and ...
Aquaculture Spatial Planning in Florida: A Pilot S...
The increasing demand for American-grown seafood and improved technology to farm in the open ocean provides an opportunity for domestic aquaculture expansion, increased protein production, reduced social conflict, and lower ...
Assessing Biogeography, Conditions, and Marine Pro...
In 2001, state and federal agencies established the Tortugas Ecological Reserve to protect extensive unspoiled shallow-water coral reefs that support a wide variety of marine life off the Florida Keys ...
News
Model Identifies Septic System Discharge 'Hotspots...
High-tide flooding on a street in Miami Beach, September 2015. Credit: NOAA. Groundwater in southeast Florida’s coastal zone is never far from the land’s surface, posing a risk to the ...
NOAA Assesses Policy Gaps in Sargassum Management...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released "Nearshore Sargassum Management: Policy Analysis and Agency Gaps Assessment," a detailed analysis assessing critical policy and management gaps related to Sargassum ...
Blushing Star Coral from Deeper Reefs May Help Rep...
A colony of blushing star coral, Stephanocoenia intersepta, on a mesophotic reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Ryan Eckert, Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. NCCOS-funded ...
Identifying Pathways to Match Dredged Material wit...
Researchers collecting elevation data during an initial site visit. Source: Keeping it in the System Story Map For many coastal communities, marshes help reduce coastal flooding by absorbing wave energy ...
Twenty Years of U.S. Caribbean Seafloor Mapping Ab...
NCCOS scientists collected a wealth of data on 23 cruises in 20 years. Since 2004, NCCOS has conducted seafloor mapping of the U.S. Caribbean to fill critical information gaps that ...
New Guide Helps Scientists Evaluate Coral Restorat...
Diver "plants" corals from aquarium nursery at underwater site in the Florida Keys. Credit: Rachel Hancock Davis. As coral reef restoration efforts increase in number and scale around the globe, ...
Great Star Corals Genetically Similar at Different...
Dr. Alexis Sturm carries coral samples during a deep dive in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Dr. Joshua Voss. NCCOS-funded researchers found that great star coral populations across ...
Enhancing Shallow Coral Reef Management: A Unified...
U.S. states and territories require various data types to make informed management decisions on coral reef ecosystems. However, collecting coral reef data is expensive, time consuming, and resource intensive. To ...
Characterizing Deep Water Octocoral Microbiomes in...
An NCCOS- and RESTORE-funded study characterized the microbiomes (a collection of microbes) of four octocoral species, i.e. soft corals and sea fans, from low-light (mesophotic) to deep-sea habitats in the ...
Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Larval Model Suggests M...
The results from a new NCCOS-funded study simulating the dispersal and connectivity of red snapper larvae in the northern Gulf of Mexico showed that the eastern and western stocks differed ...
Products
Maps, Tools & Applications
Deep-sea corals provide important habitats for many marine species, including commercial fish. This data will be used to target areas for deep-sea coral surveys and to develop a predictive model to identify where deep-sea corals are likely to occur. The information will help coastal managers conserve these fragile ecosystems.
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NOAA mapped the shallow-water (less than 25 meters deep) coral reef ecosystems of the Florida Keys to support research, conservation, and management activities of state and federal agencies, including the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.
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NCCOS developed the Algal Bloom Monitoring System to routinely deliver near real-time products for use in locating, monitoring and quantifying algal blooms in coastal and lake regions of the US. This application delivers a suite of bloom detection products in the form of geographic based images. At this time products are available for selected regions. New products are being evaluated, and new regions are being considered; as they are proven useful, they will be made available through this system.
The Ecological Assessment of Storm Impacts website includes a database of chemical and toxicological information on contaminants permitted for use in the St. Johns River Watershed, Florida, and the lower Columbia River watershed in Oregon and Washington.
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NCCOS runs the Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN) to link volunteers who monitor for marine phytoplankton and HABs in cooperation with professional scientists. We build a more informed public while expanding the reach and resolution of HAB monitoring. Over 200 PMN volunteers sample 140+ sites in 17 states and the US Virgin Islands.
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NCCOS developed the Algal Bloom Monitoring System to routinely deliver near real-time products for use in locating, monitoring and quantifying algal blooms in coastal and lake regions of the US. This application delivers a suite of bloom detection products in the form of geographic based images. At this time products are available for selected regions. New products are being evaluated, and new regions are being considered; as they are proven useful, they will be made available through this system.
Data & Publications
1983 Biscayne Bay Hydrocarbon Study
A two year, comprehensive, quantitative investigation was conducted to analyze and identify the spatial distribution of petrogenic and biogenic hydrocarbons in sediments, surface waters, fish and shellfish of Biscayne Bay, Florida. The goal for the first year of the project ...
1987 Ecosystem View of Management Research in the Myakka River
This memorandum has four parts. The first is a review and partial synthesis of Phase 1 and Phase 2 Reports by Dr. Ernest Estevez of the Mote Marine Laboratory to the Board of County Commissioners of Sarasota County, Florida.1 The ...
A Comparison of Animal Abundance and Distribution in Similar Habitats in Rookery Bay, Marco Island and Fakahatchee on the Southwest Coast of Florida 1971 - 1972
The three areas in Rookery Bay, near Marco Island and Fakahatchee Bay were sampled from July 1971 through July 1972, and 1,006,640 individual animals were collected, of which the majority (55%) came from the Marco area. The large disparity between ...
A guide to monitoring reef fish in the National Park Service's South Florida/Caribbean Network
The goal of this guide is to provide the framework for park managers and researchers to create or enhance a reef fish monitoring program within areas monitored by the SFCN. The framework is expected to be applicable to other areas ...
An Earth's Future Special Collection: Impacts of the coastal dynamics of sea level rise on low-gradient coastal landscapes
Rising sea level represents a significant threat to coastal communities and ecosystems, including altered habitats and increased vulnerability to coastal storms and recurrent inundation. This threat is exemplified in the northern Gulf of Mexico, where low topography, marshes, and a ...
An unprecedented coastwide toxic algal bloom linked to anomalous ocean conditions
A coastwide bloom of the toxigenic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia in spring 2015 resulted in the largest recorded outbreak of the neurotoxin, domoic acid, along the North American west coast. Elevated toxins were measured in numerous stranded marine mammals and resulted in ...
Assessment of dredged material created habitat in the South Atlantic Bight - Fernandina Beach Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site (ODMDS)
The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) collaborated with EPA Region 4 Water Protection Division of Coastal and Marine Resources and Wetland Enforcement Section to assess Ocean Dredge Material Dump Sites (ODMDS) as essential fish habitat off the coast ...
Assessment of Ecological Condition and Potential Stressor Impacts in Offshore Areas of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
In June 2015, the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science conducted an assessment of the status of ecological condition of unconsolidated, soft-bottom habitat and overlying waters at 30 sites from 11 – 99 m depth in targeted shelf areas ...
Biological, chemical, and physical data from the Phytoplankton Monitoring Network from 13 Sep 2001 to 7 Mar 2013 (NODC Accession 0117942)
The Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN) is a part of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). The PMN was created as an outreach program to connect volunteers and professional scientists in the monitoring of marine phytoplankton and harmful algal ...
Characterization of mesophotic coral/sponge ecosystem habitats in the region of the Tortugas Ecological Reserves from ROV Dives during 2013 and 2014 R/V Walton Smith cruises
This report resulted from our ROV surveys to characterize the mesophotic coral reef ecosystems at Pulley Ridge and Tortugas as part of a research grant funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research ...
General Pages
Florida Intensification Forecast
HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM MONITORING SYSTEMThe Southwest Florida Intensification Forecast provides an early warning of red tide initiation or intensification for coastal managers and decision makers. Red tide, also known as ...
Gulf of Mexico
Harmful Algal Bloom ForecastsIn the Gulf of Mexico, some harmful algal blooms are caused by the microscopic algae species Karenia brevis, commonly called red tide. Karenia brevis blooms can cause ...
Harmful Algae from Satellite for Southwest Florida
Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring SystemAlgal Blooms from Satellite for Southwest FloridaKarenia brevis is present in water samples, so blooms are likely to be Karenia brevis. To access the Florida Gulf ...
Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring System
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur when algae—simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control and sometimes produce toxins harmful to people and animals. Only a small ...
NOAA Internship Opportunities
Science Communications for Charismatic Megafauna
We are looking for a highly motivated and skilled communicator with strong scientific interests or training, who can help us complete the following tasks: Establish a centralized repository of communications ...
Tracking of Caribbean Corals Outplanted from Nurse...
Coral restoration is an increasingly popular technique for addressing coral population declines and limited recovery. There are a multitude of organizations propagating corals in nurseries for use in population enhancement ...
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About NCCOS
NCCOS delivers ecosystem science solutions for stewardship of the nation’s ocean and coastal resources to sustain thriving coastal communities and economies.
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