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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.

Data Type: NOAA Technical Memorandum

Characterization and Monitoring of Temperature, Chlorophyll, and Light Availability Patterns in National Marine Sanctuary Waters: Final Report

This project provides a framework for developing the capabilities of using satellite and related oceanographic and climatological data to improve environmental monitoring and characterization of physical, biological, and water quality parameters in the National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS). The project sought to: 1) assemble satellite imagery datasets in order to extract spatially explicit time series information … Read more

An ecological characterization of the Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, U.S. Virgin Islands

The diverse ecosystem within [the Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, U.S. Virgin Islands] includes a large mangrove forest, a submarine canyon, coral reefs, seagrass beds, coastal forests, and many other natural and developed landscape elements. … A comprehensive spatial inventory of these ecosystems is required for successful management. To meet this … Read more

A Pilot Survey of Deepwater Coral/Sponge Assemblages and their Susceptibility to Fishing/Harvest Impacts at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS): Cruise Report for NOAA Ship McARTHUR II Cruise AR-04-04 Leg 2

The offshore shelf and canyon habitats of the OCNMS (Fig. 1) are areas of high primary productivity and biodiversity that support extensive groundfish fisheries. Recent acoustic surveys conducted in these waters have indicated the presence of hard-bottom substrates believed to harbor unique deep-sea coral and sponge assemblages. Such fauna are often associated with shallow tropical … Read more

SIMS: A Shellfish Information Management System for Molluscan Shellfish Growing Waters

The Shellfish Information Management System (SIMS) is a web-based application designed in partnership with the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) to integrate information important to coastal managers responsible for ensuring the safe harvest of mulluscan shellfish. While the primary purpose of SIMS is to map and analyze classified waters, both the functionality and content of … Read more

A biogeographic assessment of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: A review of boundary expansion concepts for NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program

This biogeographic assessment represents the continuation of an ongoing partnership between the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). The purpose of this collaboration is to provide sanctuary managers with basic information on the distribution of marine flora and fauna relevant to the national marine sanctuaries they manage. … Read more

Fish Habitat Utilization Patterns and Evaluation of the Efficacy of Marine Protected Areas in Hawaii: Integration of NOAA Digital Benthic Habitat Mapping and Coral Reef Ecological Studies

Over the past four decades, the state of Hawaii has developed a system of eleven Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCDs) to conserve and replenish marine resources around the state. Initially established to provide opportunities for public interaction with the marine environment, these MLCDs vary in size, habitat quality, and management regimes, providing an excellent opportunity … Read more

Histological Techniques for Marine Bivalve Molluscs: Update

This chapter describes the procedures for determining the reproductive stage of oysters, mytilid mussels, and dreissenid mussels collected for NOAA’s National Status and Trends Mussel Watch Project. Analyses are conducted on paraffin-embedded tissues sectioned at a 5-µm thickness and stained using a pentachrome staining procedure. Each slide is examined microscopically to determine the animal’s sex … Read more