NOAA's National Ocean Service

In our latest feature, learn all about the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) — a consistent coordinate system that defines latitude, longitude, height, scale, gravity, and orientation throughout the United States.
Why do whales makes sounds? Get the facts.
Explore sea floor habitats, aerial imagery, dive photos, video, and more for St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands National Park, and the Virgin Islands Reef National Monument with a powerful new online mapping tool.
Where is the largest protected area in the National Marine Sanctuary system? Find out in the latest Ocean Fact.
NOAA’s Marine Debris Program gathers and recycles tons of trash from Hawaii’s Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, in efforts to protect the ‘Dogs that Run in the Rough Sea.’