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News Highlights

There's a lot going on at NOAA's National Ocean Service.

The Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum, or GRAV-D, crew with the plane affectionately named Miss Piggy.
Accurate Positioning Data for Alaska and the Arctic

Alaska has the longest coastline of any state in the nation. The state is also tectonically active and known for its challenging weather and ocean conditions. Many federal agencies are involved with the modernization of critical geospatial data and mapping products for Alaska, with NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) playing a leading role.

Workers clean oil from the rocks following a spill in Port Arthur, Texas in January 2010.
Protecting the nation's coastal ocean

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, or OR&R for short protects and restores ocean and coastal resources from the impacts of threats such as oil, chemicals, marine debris, and disasters to benefit the environment, public, and economy. For 25 years, OR&R experts have played a key role ensuring that our coastal communities are resilient and protected for future generations.

Still from a video by NGS explaining the use and importance of geodetic datums.
Reaching new heights

Scientists at the National Geodetic Survey have completed a 16-year-long project to collect airborne gravity data over the entire US and its territories. This project is called the Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum, or GRAV-D for short. When it is completed, you will be able to get accurate heights to within about an inch for most locations around the nation.

Boom deployment and oil sheen at the mouth of the Buskin River, Kodiak, Alaska
Restoration for fish, wildlife, and communities coming to seven polluted waterways

In 2023, NOAA and partners helped to recover over $92.8 million from polluters to restore seven waterways in six states following oil spill and industrial pollution incidents. These restoration efforts will benefit fish, wildlife, and disadvantaged communities disproportionately impacted by pollution.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse in San Mateo County, California.
NOS Strategic Plan 2024-2028

NOS is stepping into a larger role relative to filling our nation’s needs for data, products, and services that protect our ecosystems and enhance climate and economic resilience. The newly released NOS Strategic Plan focuses on four overarching goals: increase U.S. coastal resilience, make equity central to our mission, accelerate growth of the Ocean Enterprise and the Blue Economy, and conserve, restore, and connect healthy coastal and marine ecosystems.

The Top 40

Looking for a recent story? Here are our latest 40 posts.

  1. Protecting the nation's coastal ocean
    18 Mar 2024
  2. Protecting the nation's coastal ocean
    28 Feb 2024
  3. Reaching New Heights
    5 Feb 2024
  4. Maritime commerce in a changing climate
    1 Nov 2023
  5. Pollution settlement will benefit salmon, wildlife and people in Portland Harbor, Oregon
    1 Nov 2023
  6. NOS Strategic Plan 2024-2028
    19 Sep 2023
  7. Hurricane Lee Emergency Response Imagery
    17 Sep 2023
  8. NOS releases modeling strategy
    1 Sep 2023
  9. Hurricane Idalia: Aerial Imagery
    31 Aug 2023
  10. Coastal Resilience: How the National Ocean Service supports this national priority
    18 Aug 2023
  11. Studying the health of dolphins after pollution
    10 Mar 2023
  12. December 2022 water levels break eight historical records
    19 Jan 2023
  13. NOS Fiscal Year 2022: Year in Review
    18 Jan 2023
  14. NOAA to Launch Major Advancement in Seasonal High Tide Flooding Predictions
    14 Dec 2022
  15. Corals Week 2022
    2 Dec 2022
  16. Meet the International Coral Reef Initiative
    2 Dec 2022
  17. NOAA Winter High Tide Bulletin
    15 Nov 2022
  18. Save Spectacular: Celebrating 50 Years of National Marine Sanctuaries
    21 Oct 2022
  19. Looking Back and Looking Forward
    11 Oct 2022
  20. Hurricane Ian: Damage Assessment Imagery Available
    30 Sep 2022
  21. Ramping Up Renewable Energy: How NOS is helping boost offshore wind energy in the US
    21 Sep 2022
  22. NOAA Fall High Tide Bulletin
    16 Aug 2022
  23. 2021 National Ocean Service Science Report
    20 Jul 2022
  24. Mapping the Gaps in Our Ocean Knowledge with Seabed 2030
    29 Jun 2022
  25. Application Guide for the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report Now Available
    22 Jun 2022
  26. NOAA Summer High Tide Bulletin
    16 May 2022
  27. Container Ship MV Ever Forward is Moving Again
    18 Apr 2022
  28. The NOAA Science Behind Marking the U.S. Census Center of Population
    21 Mar 2022
  29. NOAA Spring High Tide Bulletin
    16 Feb 2022
  30. 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report
    15 Feb 2022
  31. Major Update to NOAA's Coastal County Snapshots
    18 Jan 2022
  32. National Ocean Service Annual Report
    10 Jan 2022
  33. Winter High Tide Bulletin
    22 Nov 2021
  34. Over $130 Million to Restore 10 Polluted Waterways Across the Country
    9 Nov 2021
  35. NOAA Awards $15.2M for Harmful Algal Bloom Research
    27 Oct 2021
  36. NOAA Proposes Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve
    17 Sep 2021
  37. International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management
    8 Sep 2021
  38. Hurricane Henri Emergency Response Imagery
    24 Aug 2021
  39. Fall High Tide Bulletin
    13 Aug 2021
  40. Coral Reefs and Coastal Communities: Trends from Socioeconomic Surveying in South Florida
    10 Aug 2021