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Celebrate the Ocean

Join us to celebrate and learn about our world ocean during National Ocean Month.

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tides and currents
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harmful algal blooms
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A screenshot of the West Coast Operational Forecast System (WCOFS) Currents taken from the IOOS Model Viewer.
Connecting the Dots with Modeling (Part One)

What do harmful algal blooms, dust from the Saharan desert, and hurricanes have in common? They are all pieces of the puzzle that modeling puts together to give us the big picture when it comes to studying and understanding our ocean and coasts. In part one of this two-part episode, we take a deep dive into why modeling is important, what kind of data is provided, and how collaboration with stakeholders strengthens our knowledge base.

coastal flooding in South Carolina
Summer High Tide Bulletin

There are some factors that cause the tides to be higher than what is "normally" seen from day to day. View our bulletin to see when you may experience higher than normal high tides for the period of time between June and August, 2021.

Construction equipment working to remove the Weston Mill dam on New Jersey's Raritan River.
Restoring Rivers to Reverse Impacts from Pollution

NOAA invests in the environment—and communities. We use our scientific expertise, and funding from pollution settlements, to restore habitats impacted by oil spills and hazardous waste releases. In turn, restoration helps communities who rely on the resources and services habitats provide. Settlements after pollution events can provide opportunities to fund restoration. Restoration comes in many forms, and is designed to help the environment recover, and restore recreational opportunities like fishing and boating. Some projects rebuild wetlands, estuaries or coral reefs.

This is a view of an electronic nautical chart for the coast near San Francisco, California.
NOAA Custom Chart

NOAA is moving into the digital age by phasing out paper nautical charts over five years. In this podcast, we talk with NOAA Corps Capt. EJ Van Den Ameele, chief of Coast Survey's marine chart division, to learn how this transition will affect mariners and why electronic charts offer many advantages over paper. And if you still need paper charts, Coast Survey has you covered. EJ discusses how an online tool called NOAA Custom Chart makes it easy to export printable charts for all maritime areas.

Elkhorn Slough meanders seven miles inland from Monterey Bay, California, harboring the largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside of San Francisco Bay.
Celebrating 50 Years of Internationally Important Wetlands

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, a treaty focused on the conservation and wise use of important wetlands. To receive the honor of being designated a Ramsar wetland, candidate sites must fulfill at least one of nine specific criteria. Of the 2,400 sites around the world, 41 are found in the U.S. and three are within the NOAA family — each of which are major stopover points for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway in California.

This image shows a rip current using a harmless green dye.
NOAA Launches First National Rip Current Forecast Model

For the first time, NOAA is launching a national rip current forecast model, aimed at saving lives of beach-goers around the country. This new model can predict the hourly probability of rip currents along U.S. beaches up to six days out. Similar to predicting weather or precipitation, the model predicts the likelihood of dangerous seaward currents on a sliding scale - from 0 to 100%.

Satellite image of Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Credit: NASA’s Earth Observatory.
What is a barrier island?

Barrier islands form as waves repeatedly deposit sediment parallel to the shoreline. As wind and waves shift according to weather patterns and local geographic features, these islands constantly move, erode, and grow. They can even disappear entirely. NOAA supports natural and nature-based infrastructure projects that restore and protect barrier islands and the benefits they provide to coastal communities and ecosystems.

cover of the 2020 NOS Science Report

View the 2020 NOS Science Report for summaries of selected scientific projects undertaken by National Ocean Service program offices during Fiscal Year 2020.

Around the Ocean Service
  • New global partnership to elevate marine protected areas as tool in climate response
    sanctuaries
  • DOE and NOAA Announce Winners of the Ocean Observing Prize DESIGN Contest; Launch BUILD Contest
    ocean observing
  • Remembering Rear Admiral Richard T. Brennan

    nautical charts

  • Advances in Assessing Sea Turtles and Marine Mammals During Oil Spills
    response and restoration
  • Home is Where the Ocean is Healthy: A Community-based Approach to Addressing Marine Debris
    marine debris
  • Wetlands in Intermittently Closed Estuaries Can Build Elevation to Keep Pace With Sea Level Rise

    coastal ocean science

  • NOAA 100 Yards of Hope and Beyond
    coral reef conservation
  • NOAA Collaborates With City of Holland, Michigan, to Better Spot Coastal Hazards

    tides and currents

  • Coastal Management Photo Contest: Winners Announced
    coastal management
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