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April marked 15 years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill — the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. NOAA was on the scene from the earliest moments of the event to guide emergency response and environmental assessment efforts; and has continued to work over the past 15 years to restore the Gulf, advance oil spill science and technologies, and improve preparedness to support future events.
NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) has a unique mission that includes some of the most interesting parts of government! NOS is America’s leader in coastal and ocean science, technology, and management. We balance economic and environmental needs and deliver tools and services that directly support national security and the public. Dive in to learn more about how NOS works for you each and every day.
In the wake of the aircraft collision over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), NOAA’s National Ocean Service activated response teams to support response and recovery efforts. Tragically, the incident claimed all 67 lives aboard the two aircraft and created significant recovery and salvage obstacles due to the frigid waters and complex wreckage field.
Navigating New York waterways just got a bit easier. The Hudson River Estuary Physical Oceanographic Real-time System (PORTS®) system delivers real-time oceanographic and meteorological observations that can improve maritime safety and inform coastal resource management in the region. Commercial mariners, recreational boaters, resource managers, and coastal planners can use the online tool to access real-time water level data from Sleepy Hollow to Troy, New York.
Nicole LeBoeuf, NOS assistant administrator, highlights how the recent release of the Coastal Ocean Reanalysis, or CORA, closes the gap between NOAA tide stations, allowing coastal communities to better understand and make informed decisions about their flood risks.
Imagine your community is located along a rural part of the South Carolina coast and you’re trying to plan for future coastal flooding. Planning like this often starts with understanding historic changes in water levels and flood risks in your community. To aid in this understanding, NOS launched the Coastal Ocean Reanalysis, the first comprehensive modeled dataset for the Atlantic, Gulf of America, and Caribbean coasts.
NOAA has announced its decision to designate Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary, a 582,570 square-mile area in the Pacific Ocean that is two times the size of Texas. The sanctuary is within the existing Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and provides additional protections and management tools to strengthen conservation of the marine areas of the monument.
